DeepSeek V3

legacy

DeepSeek · Mid

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General-purpose chat model. Launched on a promotional $0.14/$0.28 (Dec 2024–Feb 2025), then settled at $0.27/$1.10; received a 50%+ output price cut with the V3.2-Exp update in September 2025.

Strengths
Capable general-purpose open chat model at very low cost.
Best for
Everyday chat and text tasks on a tight budget.
Limitations
Older generation; the V4 line is stronger and similarly priced.

Input / 1M

$0.28

Output / 1M

$0.42

Cached input / 1M

$0.028

Context window

128K

Where it sits

86th-cheapest mid model

by blended $/Mtok among 262 listed mid models

45% below the mid median

blended $/Mtok across 262 mid models

Output costs 1.5× input

$0.28 in / $0.42 out per 1M

Cached input saves 90%

$0.028 vs $0.28 per 1M fresh

Up 80% since launch (Dec 2024)

blended price vs launch

Computed live from current prices and this model's history — not hand-written, so it stays accurate as prices move.

Price history

Input (solid)Output (dashed)
Price per 1M tokens over timeOutput went from $0.28 to $0.42; Input went from $0.14 to $0.28 between Dec 2024 and Sep 2025.Output on 26 Dec 2024: $0.28Output on 9 Feb 2025: $1.10Output on 29 Sep 2025: $0.42Out $0.42Input on 26 Dec 2024: $0.14Input on 9 Feb 2025: $0.27Input on 29 Sep 2025: $0.28In $0.28Dec 2024Sep 2025

Blended price change (3:1 I/O mix)

30d
90d
1y
decreased 34.0%
Since launch
increased 80.0%

Snapshots

Effective Input Output Cached in Note Source
29 Sep 2025 $0.28 $0.42 $0.028 V3.2-Exp: 50%+ output price cut api-docs.deepseek.com
9 Feb 2025 $0.27 $1.10 $0.07 Post-promotional pricing; cached-input $0.07 confirmed via Wayback capture 2025-02-17 (the seeded $0.027 was an error) api-docs.deepseek.com
26 Dec 2024 $0.14 $0.28 $0.014 Launch promotional pricing (discounted from list $0.27/$1.10); confirmed via Wayback capture 2024-12-28; page-stated promo end 2025-02-08 16:00 UTC api-docs.deepseek.com

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