DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) vs GPT-5 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between DeepSeek's DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) and OpenAI's GPT-5 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
GPT-5 Mini (input) / DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) (output)
Input: 1.1x diff, Output: 4.8x diff
Larger Context
GPT-5 Mini
400K vs 128K
Higher Quality
GPT-5 Mini
Score: 41 vs 32
Faster
GPT-5 Mini
75 vs 34 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) | GPT-5 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.28 | $0.25 | GPT-5 Mini is 11% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $0.42 | $2 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 79% more expensive |
| Context Window | 128K | 400K | 3x difference |
| Max Output | 8K | 16K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) | GPT-5 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 32 | 41 | GPT-5 Mini |
| Output Speed | 34 tok/s | 75 tok/s | GPT-5 Mini |
| Time to First Token | 1.50s | 83.83s | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) |
| Value (Quality/$) | 114.6 | 164.8 | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) | GPT-5 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0004 | $0.0008 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.0041 | $0.0085 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.0044 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.041 | $0.085 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.044 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $0.406 | $0.850 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.444 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $4.06 | $8.50 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $4.44 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $406.00 | $850.00 | DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $444.00 |
Pros & Cons
DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) Strengths
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
GPT-5 Mini Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Larger context window (400K vs 128K)
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (75 vs 34 tok/s)
- +Higher quality score (41 vs 32)
When to Use Each Model
Choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) for
- →Projects already integrated with DeepSeek's ecosystem
Choose GPT-5 Mini for
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) or GPT-5 Mini?
For input tokens, GPT-5 Mini is 1.1x cheaper at $0.25/1M tokens. For output tokens, DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 4.8x cheaper at $0.42/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) costs $0.406 vs GPT-5 Mini at $0.850.
What's the context window difference?
DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while GPT-5 Mini supports 400K (400,000 tokens). GPT-5 Mini can handle 3x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) scores 32 vs GPT-5 Mini at 41. Speed: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) generates 34 tok/s vs GPT-5 Mini at 75 tok/s. Time to first token: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) at 1.50s vs GPT-5 Mini at 83.83s.
When should I choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) over GPT-5 Mini?
Choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) when you need: Cheaper output tokens, Lower latency (faster first token). Choose GPT-5 Mini when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Larger context window (400K vs 128K), Higher max output tokens, Faster output (75 vs 34 tok/s), Higher quality score (41 vs 32).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) = $4.06, GPT-5 Mini = $8.50. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) = $32.20, GPT-5 Mini = $45.00.
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