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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

DeepSeek V3 0324 vs DeepSeek-V3.1

Too close to call on our weighted score (DeepSeek-V3.1 55, DeepSeek V3 0324 54). The right pick depends on what you value most.

  1. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek V3 0324

    Released Mar 24, 2025

    54/100
    • ECI135.9
    • Price$0.24 / $0.90
    • Context164K
  2. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek-V3.1

    Released Aug 21, 2025

    55/100
    • ECI139.9
    • Price$0.385 / $1.25
    • Context131K
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01 — Verdict

Too close to call

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (DeepSeek-V3.1 55/100, DeepSeek V3 0324 54/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: DeepSeek-V3.1 for raw capability, DeepSeek V3 0324 on price and DeepSeek V3 0324 for long inputs. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityDeepSeek-V3.1Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek-V3.1 139.9 · DeepSeek V3 0324 135.9
  • Lowest priceDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek V3 0324 $0.405 · DeepSeek-V3.1 $0.601 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek V3 0324 163,840 · DeepSeek-V3.1 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsDeepSeek V3 0324: Text · DeepSeek-V3.1: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek-V3.1
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%6065
Price25%6860
Inputs & features15%2535
Context window10%2824
Overall100%54/10055/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

DeepSeek V3 0324 vs DeepSeek-V3.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeekDeepSeek-V3.1DeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)135.9139.9 (best)
ECI rank#114 of 148#100 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions67.6%—
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics37.8%—
Price per million tokens
Input$0.24 (best)$0.385
Output$0.90 (best)$1.25
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.405 (best)$0.601
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 5 providersMedian of 8 providers
Limits
Context window163,840 tokens (best)131,072 tokens
Max output163,840 tokens (best)8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpenMIT License
API model ID——
API providers58 (best)
ReleasedMar 24, 2025Aug 21, 2025
Knowledge cutoff——
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • DeepSeek V3 0324$4.20
  • DeepSeek-V3.1$6.35
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: DeepSeek V3 0324 or DeepSeek-V3.1?

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (DeepSeek-V3.1 55/100, DeepSeek V3 0324 54/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: DeepSeek-V3.1 for raw capability, DeepSeek V3 0324 on price and DeepSeek V3 0324 for long inputs. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3 0324 or DeepSeek-V3.1?

DeepSeek V3 0324 is cheaper at $0.24 input / $0.90 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). DeepSeek-V3.1 costs $0.385 input / $1.25 output per million tokens (median across 8 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.405 per million tokens for DeepSeek V3 0324 versus $0.601 for DeepSeek-V3.1 (1.5× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3.1 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek-V3.1 139.9 (#100 of 148) and DeepSeek V3 0324 135.9 (#114 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (136.1–143.3 vs 132.4–138.0), so treat the gap as small.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek V3 0324 and DeepSeek-V3.1 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, DeepSeek-V3.1 leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

DeepSeek V3 0324 has the largest context window at 163,840 tokens, against 131,072 for DeepSeek-V3.1. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek V3 0324 up to 163,840, DeepSeek-V3.1 up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

DeepSeek V3 0324 accepts text; DeepSeek-V3.1 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights (MIT License), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

DeepSeek-V3.1 is the newest, released Aug 21, 2025. DeepSeek V3 0324 came out Mar 24, 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.