ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

DeepSeek-V3 vs GPT-4.1 mini

GPT-4.1 mini comes out ahead, 60 to 50 on our weighted score, though DeepSeek-V3 is 26% 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

    OpenAI

    GPT-4.1 mini

    Released Apr 14, 2025

    60/100
    • ECI135.0
    • Price$0.40 / $1.60
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove GPT-4.1 mini

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GPT-4.1 mini is our pick

GPT-4.1 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 60/100 against DeepSeek-V3 (50). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. DeepSeek-V3 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGPT-4.1 miniCapabilities Index (ECI): GPT-4.1 mini 135.0 · DeepSeek-V3 132.3
  • Lowest priceDeepSeek-V3DeepSeek-V3 $0.515 · GPT-4.1 mini $0.70 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4.1 mini 1,047,576 · DeepSeek-V3 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-4.1 miniDeepSeek-V3: Text · GPT-4.1 mini: Text, Images, PDFs
  • Self-hostingDeepSeek-V3Publishes downloadable weights (DeepSeek Model License)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightDeepSeek-V3GPT-4.1 mini
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%5659
Price25%6457
Inputs & features15%2570
Context window10%2461
Overall100%50/10060/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

DeepSeek-V3 vs GPT-4.1 mini specifications side by side
SpecificationDeepSeek-V3DeepSeekGPT-4.1 miniOpenAI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)132.3135.0 (best)
ECI rank#121 of 148#115 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions56.5%65.9% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics—6.7%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics15.8%44.7% (best)
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions—12.7%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.32 (best)$0.40
Output$1.10 (best)$1.60
Cached input—$0.10
Blended (3:1)$0.515 (best)$0.70
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 5 providersOfficial OpenAI API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens1,047,576 tokens (best)
Max output8,192 tokens32,768 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoYes
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenDeepSeek Model LicenseProprietary
API model ID—gpt-4.1-mini
API providers524 (best)
ReleasedDec 26, 2024Apr 14, 2025
Knowledge cutoff—Apr 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$5.40
  • GPT-4.1 mini$7.20
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: DeepSeek-V3 or GPT-4.1 mini?

GPT-4.1 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 60/100 against DeepSeek-V3 (50). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. DeepSeek-V3 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V3 or GPT-4.1 mini?

DeepSeek-V3 is cheaper at $0.32 input / $1.10 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). GPT-4.1 mini costs $0.40 input / $1.60 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.515 per million tokens for DeepSeek-V3 versus $0.70 for GPT-4.1 mini (1.4× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GPT-4.1 mini scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GPT-4.1 mini 135.0 (#115 of 148) and DeepSeek-V3 132.3 (#121 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (131.2–136.6 vs 127.5–135.5), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — GPT-4.1 mini 65.9%, DeepSeek-V3 56.5%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GPT-4.1 mini 44.7%, DeepSeek-V3 15.8%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek-V3 and GPT-4.1 mini yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, GPT-4.1 mini 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?

GPT-4.1 mini has the largest context window at 1,047,576 tokens, against 131,072 for DeepSeek-V3. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek-V3 up to 8,192, GPT-4.1 mini up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

DeepSeek-V3 accepts text; GPT-4.1 mini accepts text, images and PDFs. GPT-4.1 mini handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

DeepSeek-V3 publishes its weights (DeepSeek Model License) and can be self-hosted; GPT-4.1 mini is proprietary.

Which is newer?

GPT-4.1 mini is the newest, released Apr 14, 2025. DeepSeek-V3 came out Dec 26, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-4.1 mini Apr 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

Related comparisons