DeepSeek vs OpenAI: how much cheaper is it for a real chatbot workload?
Bottom line: cheapest is DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 at about $32.68/month; the median model costs $276.51/month; the most expensive, OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra Pro, costs $5,386/month. That is a 165× spread for the same workload.
Scenario: 10,000 monthly users × 30 messages, 600 words in / 150 words out per message.
| Vendor | Model | In $/1M | Out $/1M | Est. monthly cost | Source / check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | $0.091 | $0.182 | $32.68 | source 2026-10-16 ℹ vs market median ($0.14/$0.28) |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | $0.0111 | $0.64 | $40.96 | source 2026-10-16 ℹ vs market median ($0.14/$0.4785) |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | $0.018 | $0.684 | $45.25 | source 2026-10-16 ⚠ differs from lab price ($0.15/$0.6) |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna Pro | $0.1 | $0.5 | $53.87 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Luna | $0.1 | $0.5 | $53.87 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | $0.27 | $0.41 | $89.18 | source 2026-10-16 ⚠ differs from lab price ($0.28/$0.42) |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | $0.2156 | $0.6468 | $90.33 | source 2026-10-16 ℹ vs market median ($0.3321/$0.9963) |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 | $0.259 | $0.8 | $109.88 | source 2026-10-16 ⚠ differs from lab price ($0.28/$0.42) |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 | $0.66 | $1.98 | $276.51 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423 | $0.9553 | $1.9105 | $343.04 | source 2026-10-16 ⚠ differs from lab price ($0.66/$1.98) |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6.1 Sol Pro | $2.0 | $10.0 | $1,077 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6.1 Sol | $2.0 | $10.0 | $1,077 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Sol Pro | $2.0 | $10.0 | $1,077 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Sol | $2.0 | $10.0 | $1,077 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra | $10.0 | $50.0 | $5,386 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
| OpenAI | OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra Pro | $10.0 | $50.0 | $5,386 | source 2026-10-16 ✔ matches |
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Prices from OpenRouter's public API, cross-checked with InferIndex. No spam.