DeepSeek V4 Pro vs o4-mini: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V4 Pro (DeepSeek) and o4-mini (OpenAI). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Apr 30, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
Fills in typical token counts for a workload type
Tokens in each prompt sent to the model
Tokens generated in each response
Total API calls per month
Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: DeepSeek V4 Pro at $8.70/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestDeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek | $8.70 | $0.000870 | $4.35 | $4.35 | 73.6% | Alerts coming soon |
o4-mini | OpenAI | $33.00 | $0.003300 | $11.00 | $22.00 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | DeepSeek V4 Pro | o4-mini | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.44/M | $1.10/M | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
| Output | $0.87/M | $4.40/M | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
| Cached input | N/A | $0.28/M | — |
| Batch input | N/A | $0.55/M | — |
| Batch output | N/A | $2.20/M | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-08 – 2026-04-30
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 V4 ProMonthly | o4-miniMonthly | DeepSeek V4 ProPer request | o4-miniPer request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $0.87 | $3.30 | $0.000870 | $0.003300 |
| 10K requests/mo | $8.70 | $33.00 | $0.000870 | $0.003300 |
| 100K requests/mo | $87.00 | $330.00 | $0.000870 | $0.003300 |
| 1M requests/mo | $870.00 | $3,300.00 | $0.000870 | $0.003300 |
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 V4 Pro
by DeepSeek
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.44/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.87/M
Context window
1,048,576
Tier
premium
When to Choose o4-mini
by OpenAI
- Code generation
- Data extraction
Input / 1M tokens
$1.10/M
Output / 1M tokens
$4.40/M
Context window
200,000
Tier
reasoning
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 V4 Pro | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 200,000 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 384,000 tokens | 100,000 tokens |
| Performance tier | Premium | Reasoning |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
| Rate limit (req/min) | Not published | 1,000 |
o4-mini notes
Configurable reasoning effort. Best budget reasoning model from OpenAI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek V4 Pro cheaper than o4-mini?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), DeepSeek V4 Pro costs $87.00/month versus $330.00/month for o4-mini — a 74% 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 V4 Pro or o4-mini?
DeepSeek V4 Pro has a larger context window at 1,048,576 tokens, compared to 200,000 tokens for o4-mini. A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do DeepSeek V4 Pro and o4-mini support the Batch API?
o4-mini supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while DeepSeek V4 Pro does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to o4-mini with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus DeepSeek V4 Pro's standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
o4-mini supports prompt caching at $0.28/M for cached input, while DeepSeek V4 Pro does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, o4-mini's caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V4 Pro vs o4-mini?
DeepSeek V4 Pro is best suited for General chatbot, while o4-mini is optimized for Code generation, Data extraction. Choose based on which use case matches your primary workload — and validate with the cost calculator above to confirm the total monthly spend fits your budget.
What is the cost per request for DeepSeek V4 Pro vs o4-mini?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek V4 Pro costs $0.000870 per request and o4-mini costs $0.003300 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $87.00 and $330.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek V4 Pro vs o4-mini: Summary
When comparing DeepSeek V4 Pro and o4-mini for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. DeepSeek V4 Pro offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $87.00/month, compared to $330.00/month for o4-mini.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. DeepSeek V4 Pro charges $0.44/M for input tokens and $0.87/M for output tokens. o4-mini charges $1.10/M input and $4.40/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 o4-mini but not DeepSeek V4 Pro. 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: DeepSeek V4 Pro supports up to 1,048,576 tokens in a single request, versus 200,000 tokens for o4-mini. 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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