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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

DeepSeek-V3 vs DeepSeek-V3.1

DeepSeek-V3.1 comes out ahead, 55 to 50 on our weighted score, though DeepSeek-V3 is 14% cheaper per token.

  1. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek-V3

    Released Dec 26, 2024

    50/100
    • ECI132.3
    • Price$0.32 / $1.10
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek-V3
  2. Our pick

    DeepSeek

    DeepSeek-V3.1

    Released Aug 21, 2025

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

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

DeepSeek-V3.1 is our pick

DeepSeek-V3.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 55/100 against DeepSeek-V3 (50). It leads on capability and inputs & features. DeepSeek-V3 wins on price. 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 132.3
  • Lowest priceDeepSeek-V3DeepSeek-V3 $0.515 · DeepSeek-V3.1 $0.601 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameDeepSeek-V3 131,072 · DeepSeek-V3.1 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsDeepSeek-V3: 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-V3DeepSeek-V3.1
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%5665
Price25%6460
Inputs & features15%2535
Context window10%2424
Overall100%50/10055/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

DeepSeek-V3 vs DeepSeek-V3.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationDeepSeek-V3DeepSeekDeepSeek-V3.1DeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)132.3139.9 (best)
ECI rank#121 of 148#100 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions56.5%—
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics15.8%—
Price per million tokens
Input$0.32 (best)$0.385
Output$1.10 (best)$1.25
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.515 (best)$0.601
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 5 providersMedian of 8 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenDeepSeek Model LicenseOpenMIT License
API model ID——
API providers58 (best)
ReleasedDec 26, 2024Aug 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$5.40
  • DeepSeek-V3.1$6.35
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

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

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

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

DeepSeek-V3 is cheaper at $0.32 input / $1.10 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 $0.515 per million tokens for DeepSeek-V3 versus $0.601 for DeepSeek-V3.1 (1.2× 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 132.3 (#121 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (136.1–143.3 vs 127.5–135.5), so the gap is a real one.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek-V3 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 and DeepSeek-V3.1 share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek-V3 up to 8,192, DeepSeek-V3.1 up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

DeepSeek-V3 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 (DeepSeek Model License and MIT License), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

DeepSeek-V3.1 is the newest, released Aug 21, 2025. DeepSeek-V3 came out Dec 26, 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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