DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-4.1 nano: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) (SambaNova) and GPT-4.1 nano (OpenAI). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Mar 11, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
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Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: GPT-4.1 nano at $3.00/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestGPT-4.1 nano | OpenAI | $3.00 | $0.000300 | $1.00 | $2.00 | 82.9% | Alerts coming soon |
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) | SambaNova | $17.50 | $0.001750 | $10.00 | $7.50 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) | GPT-4.1 nano | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $1.00/M | $0.10/M | GPT-4.1 nano |
| Output | $1.50/M | $0.40/M | GPT-4.1 nano |
| Cached input | N/A | $0.03/M | — |
| Batch input | N/A | $0.05/M | — |
| Batch output | N/A | $0.20/M | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-08 – 2026-03-11
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 V3 (SambaNova)Monthly | GPT-4.1 nanoMonthly | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova)Per request | GPT-4.1 nanoPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $1.75 | $0.30 | $0.001750 | $0.000300 |
| 10K requests/mo | $17.50 | $3.00 | $0.001750 | $0.000300 |
| 100K requests/mo | $175.00 | $30.00 | $0.001750 | $0.000300 |
| 1M requests/mo | $1,750.00 | $300.00 | $0.001750 | $0.000300 |
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 V3 (SambaNova)
by SambaNova
- Code generation
- General chatbot
- Data extraction
Input / 1M tokens
$1.00/M
Output / 1M tokens
$1.50/M
Context window
128,000
Tier
mid
When to Choose GPT-4.1 nano
by OpenAI
- Text classification
- Data extraction
Input / 1M tokens
$0.10/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.40/M
Context window
1,047,576
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 V3 (SambaNova) | GPT-4.1 nano |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 1,047,576 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 8,192 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Performance tier | Mid | Budget |
| Vision / image input | No | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | No | Yes |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | Yes |
| Extended reasoning | No | No |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
| Rate limit (req/min) | Not published | 10,000 |
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) notes
DeepSeek V3 MoE model on SambaNova. Competitive coding and reasoning performance at mid-tier pricing with high-speed inference.
GPT-4.1 nano notes
Lowest cost OpenAI model. Best for high-volume structured extraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) cheaper than GPT-4.1 nano?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), GPT-4.1 nano costs $30.00/month versus $175.00/month for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) — a 83% 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 V3 (SambaNova) or GPT-4.1 nano?
GPT-4.1 nano has a larger context window at 1,047,576 tokens, compared to 128,000 tokens for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova). A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) and GPT-4.1 nano support the Batch API?
GPT-4.1 nano supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to GPT-4.1 nano with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova)'s standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
GPT-4.1 nano supports prompt caching at $0.03/M for cached input, while DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, GPT-4.1 nano's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-4.1 nano?
Both models are well-suited for Data extraction. DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) is particularly strong for Code generation, General chatbot. GPT-4.1 nano is favored for Text classification. 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 V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-4.1 nano?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) costs $0.001750 per request and GPT-4.1 nano costs $0.000300 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $175.00 and $30.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-4.1 nano: Summary
When comparing DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) and GPT-4.1 nano for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. GPT-4.1 nano offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $30.00/month, compared to $175.00/month for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova).
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) charges $1.00/M for input tokens and $1.50/M for output tokens. GPT-4.1 nano charges $0.10/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 GPT-4.1 nano but not DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova). 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: GPT-4.1 nano supports up to 1,047,576 tokens in a single request, versus 128,000 tokens for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova). 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 V3 (SambaNova) or GPT-4.1 nano is recommended.