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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-4.1 mini vs DeepSeek V3 0324

GPT-4.1 mini comes out ahead, 60 to 54 on our weighted score, though DeepSeek V3 0324 is 42% cheaper per token.

  1. 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

  2. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek V3 0324

    Released Mar 24, 2025

    54/100
    • ECI135.9
    • Price$0.24 / $0.90
    • Context164K
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek V3 0324

  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 0324 (54). It leads on inputs & features and context window. DeepSeek V3 0324 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityDeepSeek V3 0324Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V3 0324 135.9 · GPT-4.1 mini 135.0
  • Lowest priceDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek V3 0324 $0.405 · 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 0324 163,840 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-4.1 miniGPT-4.1 mini: Text, Images, PDFs · DeepSeek V3 0324: Text
  • Self-hostingDeepSeek V3 0324Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-4.1 miniDeepSeek V3 0324
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%5960
Price25%5768
Inputs & features15%7025
Context window10%6128
Overall100%60/10054/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GPT-4.1 mini vs DeepSeek V3 0324 specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-4.1 miniOpenAIDeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)135.0135.9 (best)
ECI rank#115 of 148#114 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions65.9%67.6% (best)
FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics6.7%—
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics44.7% (best)37.8%
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions12.7%—
Price per million tokens
Input$0.40$0.24 (best)
Output$1.60$0.90 (best)
Cached input$0.10—
Blended (3:1)$0.70$0.405 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial OpenAI APIMedian of 5 providers
Limits
Context window1,047,576 tokens (best)163,840 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens163,840 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsYesNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model IDgpt-4.1-mini—
API providers24 (best)5
ReleasedApr 14, 2025Mar 24, 2025
Knowledge cutoffApr 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.

  • GPT-4.1 mini$7.20
  • DeepSeek V3 0324$4.20
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-4.1 mini or DeepSeek V3 0324?

GPT-4.1 mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 60/100 against DeepSeek V3 0324 (54). It leads on inputs & features and context window. DeepSeek V3 0324 wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 mini or DeepSeek V3 0324?

DeepSeek V3 0324 is cheaper at $0.24 input / $0.90 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 $0.405 per million tokens for DeepSeek V3 0324 versus $0.70 for GPT-4.1 mini (1.7× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

DeepSeek V3 0324 scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V3 0324 135.9 (#114 of 148) and GPT-4.1 mini 135.0 (#115 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (132.4–138.0 vs 131.2–136.6), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — DeepSeek V3 0324 67.6%, GPT-4.1 mini 65.9%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — GPT-4.1 mini 44.7%, DeepSeek V3 0324 37.8%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-4.1 mini and DeepSeek V3 0324 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, DeepSeek V3 0324 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 163,840 for DeepSeek V3 0324. Maximum output per response: GPT-4.1 mini up to 32,768, DeepSeek V3 0324 up to 163,840 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-4.1 mini accepts text, images and PDFs; DeepSeek V3 0324 accepts text. GPT-4.1 mini handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

DeepSeek V3 0324 publishes its weights 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 0324 came out Mar 24, 2025. 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

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