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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

DeepSeek-V3.1 vs DeepSeek V3.2

DeepSeek V3.2 comes out ahead, 64 to 55 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek-V3.1

    Released Aug 21, 2025

    55/100
    • ECI139.9
    • Price$0.385 / $1.25
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek-V3.1
  2. Our pick

    DeepSeek

    DeepSeek V3.2

    Released Dec 1, 2025

    64/100
    • ECI146.3
    • Price$0.296 / $0.48
    • Context128K
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek V3.2

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

DeepSeek V3.2 is our pick

DeepSeek V3.2 is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against DeepSeek-V3.1 (55). It leads on capability, price and inputs & features. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityDeepSeek V3.2Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V3.2 146.3 · DeepSeek-V3.1 139.9
  • Lowest priceDeepSeek V3.2DeepSeek V3.2 $0.342 · DeepSeek-V3.1 $0.601 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextDeepSeek-V3.1DeepSeek-V3.1 131,072 · DeepSeek V3.2 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsDeepSeek-V3.1: Text · DeepSeek V3.2: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightDeepSeek-V3.1DeepSeek V3.2
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%6573
Price25%6072
Inputs & features15%3545
Context window10%2424
Overall100%55/10064/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

DeepSeek-V3.1 vs DeepSeek V3.2 specifications side by side
SpecificationDeepSeek-V3.1DeepSeekDeepSeek V3.2DeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)139.9146.3 (best)
ECI rank#100 of 148#69 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—83.4%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—87.8%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.385$0.296 (best)
Output$1.25$0.48 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.601$0.342 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 8 providersMedian of 15 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens64,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenMIT LicenseOpenMIT License
API model ID——
API providers815 (best)
ReleasedAug 21, 2025Dec 1, 2025
Knowledge cutoff—Jul 2024
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-V3.1$6.35
  • DeepSeek V3.2$3.92
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: DeepSeek-V3.1 or DeepSeek V3.2?

DeepSeek V3.2 is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against DeepSeek-V3.1 (55). It leads on capability, price and inputs & features. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V3.1 or DeepSeek V3.2?

DeepSeek V3.2 is cheaper at $0.296 input / $0.48 output per million tokens (median across 15 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 $0.342 per million tokens for DeepSeek V3.2 versus $0.601 for DeepSeek-V3.1 (1.8× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

DeepSeek V3.2 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V3.2 146.3 (#69 of 148) and DeepSeek-V3.1 139.9 (#100 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (144.4–147.5 vs 136.1–143.3), so the gap is a real one.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek-V3.1 and DeepSeek V3.2 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, DeepSeek V3.2 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-V3.1 has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 128,000 for DeepSeek V3.2. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek-V3.1 up to 8,192, DeepSeek V3.2 up to 64,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

DeepSeek-V3.1 accepts text; DeepSeek V3.2 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 V3.2 is the newest, released Dec 1, 2025. DeepSeek-V3.1 came out Aug 21, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: DeepSeek V3.2 Jul 2024.

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.

05 — Keep comparing

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