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DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) vs Grok 4

Complete pricing and performance comparison between DeepSeek's DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) and xAI's Grok 4.

Quick Verdict

Cheaper
DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat)
10.7x cheaper input, 35.7x cheaper output
Larger Context
Grok 4
2.0M vs 128K
Higher Quality
Grok 4
Score: 42 vs 32
Faster
Grok 4
44 vs 34 tok/s

Pricing Comparison

SpecDeepSeek V3.2 (Chat)Grok 4Difference
ProviderDeepSeekxAI
Input / 1M tokens$0.28$3DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 91% more expensive
Output / 1M tokens$0.42$15DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 97% more expensive
Context Window128K2.0M16x difference
Max Output8K16K

Performance Benchmarks

MetricDeepSeek V3.2 (Chat)Grok 4Winner
Quality Index3242Grok 4
Output Speed34 tok/s44 tok/sGrok 4
Time to First Token1.50s10.07sDeepSeek V3.2 (Chat)
Value (Quality/$)114.613.8Higher = 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).

UsageDeepSeek V3.2 (Chat)Grok 4Savings
Single request
1K in / 300 out
$0.0004$0.0075DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.0071
10 requests
10K in / 3K out
$0.0041$0.075DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.071
100 requests
100K in / 30K out
$0.041$0.750DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $0.709
1,000 requests
1M in / 300K out
$0.406$7.50DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $7.09
10,000 requests
10M in / 3M out
$4.06$75.00DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $70.94
1M requests/mo
1B in / 300M out
$406.00$7500.00DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) saves $7094.00

Pros & Cons

DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) Strengths

  • +Cheaper input tokens
  • +Cheaper output tokens
  • +Lower latency (faster first token)

Grok 4 Strengths

  • +Larger context window (2.0M vs 128K)
  • +Higher max output tokens
  • +Faster output (44 vs 34 tok/s)
  • +Higher quality score (42 vs 32)

When to Use Each Model

Choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) for

  • Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor

Choose Grok 4 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 Grok 4?
For input tokens, DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 10.7x cheaper at $0.28/1M tokens. For output tokens, DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) is 35.7x cheaper at $0.42/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) costs $0.406 vs Grok 4 at $7.50.
What's the context window difference?
DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while Grok 4 supports 2.0M (2,000,000 tokens). Grok 4 can handle 16x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) scores 32 vs Grok 4 at 42. Speed: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) generates 34 tok/s vs Grok 4 at 44 tok/s. Time to first token: DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) at 1.50s vs Grok 4 at 10.07s.
When should I choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) over Grok 4?
Choose DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Lower latency (faster first token). Choose Grok 4 when you need: Larger context window (2.0M vs 128K), Higher max output tokens, Faster output (44 vs 34 tok/s), Higher quality score (42 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, Grok 4 = $75.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): DeepSeek V3.2 (Chat) = $32.20, Grok 4 = $450.00.

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