DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 31B: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek R1 (DeepSeek) and Gemma 4 31B (Google). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Apr 3, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
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Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: Gemma 4 31B at $3.40/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestGemma 4 31B | $3.40 | $0.000340 | $1.40 | $2.00 | 30.6% | Alerts coming soon | |
DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek | $4.90 | $0.000490 | $2.80 | $2.10 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | DeepSeek R1 | Gemma 4 31B | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.28/M | $0.14/M | Gemma 4 31B |
| Output | $0.42/M | $0.40/M | Gemma 4 31B |
| Cached input | $0.03/M | N/A | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-06 – 2026-04-03
Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume
Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.
| Volume | DeepSeek R1Monthly | Gemma 4 31BMonthly | DeepSeek R1Per request | Gemma 4 31BPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $0.49 | $0.34 | $0.000490 | $0.000340 |
| 10K requests/mo | $4.90 | $3.40 | $0.000490 | $0.000340 |
| 100K requests/mo | $49.00 | $34.00 | $0.000490 | $0.000340 |
| 1M requests/mo | $490.00 | $340.00 | $0.000490 | $0.000340 |
Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.
Price History
Input price per 1M tokensWhen to Choose DeepSeek R1
by DeepSeek
- Code generation
- Document summarization
Input / 1M tokens
$0.28/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.42/M
Context window
128,000
Tier
reasoning
When to Choose Gemma 4 31B
by Google
- General chatbot
- Code generation
- Document Analysis
Input / 1M tokens
$0.14/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.40/M
Context window
262,144
Tier
budget
Key Differences Beyond Price
Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.
| Capability | DeepSeek R1 | Gemma 4 31B |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 64,000 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Performance tier | Reasoning | Budget |
| Vision / image input | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | No |
| Extended reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
DeepSeek R1 notes
V3.2 unified pricing. Open-source weights available. Off-peak discounts available.
Gemma 4 31B notes
Open-weight model (Apache 2.0). Pricing reflects Google AI Studio hosted API.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek R1 cheaper than Gemma 4 31B?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Gemma 4 31B costs $34.00/month versus $49.00/month for DeepSeek R1 — a 31% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.
Which model has a larger context window, DeepSeek R1 or Gemma 4 31B?
Gemma 4 31B has a larger context window at 262,144 tokens, compared to 128,000 tokens for DeepSeek R1. A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 31B support the Batch API?
Neither DeepSeek R1 nor Gemma 4 31B currently supports a batch API with discounted pricing. For batch-eligible alternatives, consider models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google that include batch API support.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
DeepSeek R1 supports prompt caching at $0.03/M for cached input, while Gemma 4 31B does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, DeepSeek R1's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 31B?
Both models are well-suited for Code generation. DeepSeek R1 is particularly strong for Document summarization. Gemma 4 31B is favored for General chatbot, Document Analysis. At the same quality level, the lower-cost model is usually preferable; use this page's calculator to compare total monthly spend at your volume.
What is the cost per request for DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 31B?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek R1 costs $0.000490 per request and Gemma 4 31B costs $0.000340 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $49.00 and $34.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 31B: Summary
When comparing DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 31B for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. Gemma 4 31B offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $34.00/month, compared to $49.00/month for DeepSeek R1.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. DeepSeek R1 charges $0.28/M for input tokens and $0.42/M for output tokens. Gemma 4 31B charges $0.14/M input and $0.40/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.
Prompt caching is supported by DeepSeek R1 but not Gemma 4 31B. For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context — such as RAG pipelines or multi-turn conversations with a fixed knowledge base — prompt caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%, which may change the cost ranking between these two models at your specific usage pattern.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Gemma 4 31B supports up to 262,144 tokens in a single request, versus 128,000 tokens for DeepSeek R1. A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.
Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.
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Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where DeepSeek R1 or Gemma 4 31B is recommended.