DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter): API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) (SambaNova) and Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) (OpenRouter). 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: Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) at $15.50/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestKimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) | OpenRouter | $15.50 | $0.001550 | $4.50 | $11.00 | 11.4% | 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) | Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $1.00/M | $0.45/M | Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) |
| Output | $1.50/M | $2.20/M | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-10 – 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 | Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)Monthly | DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova)Per request | Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)Per request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $1.75 | $1.55 | $0.001750 | $0.001550 |
| 10K requests/mo | $17.50 | $15.50 | $0.001750 | $0.001550 |
| 100K requests/mo | $175.00 | $155.00 | $0.001750 | $0.001550 |
| 1M requests/mo | $1,750.00 | $1,550.00 | $0.001750 | $0.001550 |
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 Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)
by OpenRouter
- Document summarization
- General chatbot
- RAG / Semantic search
Input / 1M tokens
$0.45/M
Output / 1M tokens
$2.20/M
Context window
262,144
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) | Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 8,192 tokens | 65,535 tokens |
| Performance tier | Mid | Mid |
| Vision / image input | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | No | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | No |
| Extended reasoning | No | No |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) notes
DeepSeek V3 MoE model on SambaNova. Competitive coding and reasoning performance at mid-tier pricing with high-speed inference.
Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) notes
OpenRouter offers 200+ models — showing top 15 unique models not available from other listed providers. Prices include OpenRouter markup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) cheaper than Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) costs $155.00/month versus $175.00/month for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) — a 11% 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 Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)?
Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) has a larger context window at 262,144 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 Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) support the Batch API?
Neither DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) nor Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) 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?
Neither DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) nor Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) currently supports prompt caching. For prompt-caching capable alternatives, consider Claude models from Anthropic or GPT-4o from OpenAI.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)?
Both models are well-suited for General chatbot. DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) is particularly strong for Code generation, Data extraction. Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) is favored for Document summarization, RAG / Semantic search. 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 Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter)?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) costs $0.001750 per request and Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) costs $0.001550 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $175.00 and $155.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) vs Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter): Summary
When comparing DeepSeek V3 (SambaNova) and Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $155.00/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. Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) charges $0.45/M input and $2.20/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.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) supports up to 262,144 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 Kimi K2.5 (OpenRouter) is recommended.