DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-5 mini: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) (SambaNova) and GPT-5 mini (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-5 mini at $12.50/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestGPT-5 mini | OpenAI | $12.50 | $0.001250 | $2.50 | $10.00 | 28.6% | 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-5 mini | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $1.00/M | $0.25/M | GPT-5 mini |
| Output | $1.50/M | $2.00/M | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) |
| Cached input | N/A | $0.03/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-5 miniMonthly | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova)Per request | GPT-5 miniPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $1.75 | $1.25 | $0.001750 | $0.001250 |
| 10K requests/mo | $17.50 | $12.50 | $0.001750 | $0.001250 |
| 100K requests/mo | $175.00 | $125.00 | $0.001750 | $0.001250 |
| 1M requests/mo | $1,750.00 | $1,250.00 | $0.001750 | $0.001250 |
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-5 mini
by OpenAI
- Customer support
- General chatbot
- Data extraction
Input / 1M tokens
$0.25/M
Output / 1M tokens
$2.00/M
Context window
400,000
Tier
mid
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-5 mini |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 400,000 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 8,192 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Performance tier | Mid | Mid |
| Vision / image input | No | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | No | Yes |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | No |
| 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-5 mini notes
1M context window at mid-tier pricing. Good balance of cost and capability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) cheaper than GPT-5 mini?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), GPT-5 mini costs $125.00/month versus $175.00/month for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) — a 29% 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-5 mini?
GPT-5 mini has a larger context window at 400,000 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-5 mini support the Batch API?
Neither DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) nor GPT-5 mini 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?
GPT-5 mini 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-5 mini's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-5 mini?
Both models are well-suited for General chatbot, Data extraction. DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) is particularly strong for Code generation. GPT-5 mini is favored for Customer support. 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-5 mini?
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-5 mini costs $0.001250 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $175.00 and $125.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs GPT-5 mini: Summary
When comparing DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) and GPT-5 mini for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. GPT-5 mini offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $125.00/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-5 mini charges $0.25/M input and $2.00/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-5 mini 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-5 mini supports up to 400,000 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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