DeepSeek pricing
DeepSeek API Cost Calculator
Estimate DeepSeek API spend for V4 Flash and V4 Pro using request volume, input tokens, cached input, output tokens, budget buffer, and custom contract rates.
DeepSeek API cost calculator
Choose a workload, enter monthly requests and token size, then compare provider cost before committing.
- 1Pick workloadUse the closest API usage scenario.
- 2Enter tokensAdd request volume, input, output, and cache.
- 3Compare modelsCheck monthly cost and effective rate.
- 4Share or exportCopy the link or download the CSV.
Next: copy the share link or export the CSV, then request a worksheet or send a pricing correction if the assumptions need review.
| Provider | Model | Input / 1M | Cached / 1M | Output / 1M | Discount | Monthly cost | Cost / request |
|---|
Repeated context can change cost
Long system prompts, examples, documents, and agent memory can be much cheaper when cached.
Long answers still matter
Coding, extraction explanations, and report generation can shift spend toward output tokens.
Do not choose by price alone
Compare reliability, latency, context window, safety behavior, and task quality before routing production traffic.
When DeepSeek API pricing analysis matters
DeepSeek is often considered when teams want to reduce model cost or route cheaper tasks away from premium frontier APIs. The best use case is usually workload-specific: classification, extraction, routing, and repeated-context workflows may have different economics than long-form generation or coding.
For a global provider shortlist, compare DeepSeek against OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, and xAI on the LLM API Pricing Comparison. For CNY-denominated Chinese cloud prices, use the China LLM API Pricing Calculator.
| Cost lever | Why it matters for DeepSeek | What to check before launch |
|---|---|---|
| Cache-hit share | DeepSeek separates cache-hit and cache-miss input pricing. | Measure repeated prompt and context patterns before estimating savings. |
| Output length | Output tokens can dominate cost when answers are long. | Set separate max-output assumptions for support, coding, and report workflows. |
| Model routing | V4 Flash and V4 Pro may serve different quality and latency needs. | Route by task difficulty only after testing accuracy and failure modes. |
FAQ
How do you estimate DeepSeek API cost?
Estimate monthly cache-miss input tokens, cache-hit input tokens, and output tokens, then multiply each by the DeepSeek price per million tokens for the selected model.
Why does cached input matter so much for DeepSeek?
DeepSeek publishes a much lower cache-hit input price than cache-miss input price. Workloads with repeated system prompts, documents, or agent context can have very different costs from uncached traffic.
Is DeepSeek always the cheapest LLM API?
Not always. It can be very low cost for many workloads, but final selection should include answer quality, latency, context length, safety behavior, tool support, data policy, and reliability.
Sources
DeepSeek prices were last checked on 2026-07-05. Verify the official pricing page before committing spend or setting customer prices.