Model Comparison

Claude Opus 4.5 vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro-MaxWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is 5.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Opus 4.5 vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max — which is better?

Claude Opus 4.5 (by Anthropic) and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max (by DeepSeek) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (LiveBench, SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MCP Atlas, Terminal-Bench 2.0). DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is roughly 5.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Opus 4.5 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output

Choose DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 5.0x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (LiveBench, SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MCP Atlas, Terminal-Bench 2.0).

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Fri Jul 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max costs less

For input processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 3.1x more expensive than DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max ($1.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 7.8x more expensive than DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max ($3.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.5 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$25.00
Best providerAnthropic
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
Input tokens$1.60
Output tokens$3.20
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 200,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jul 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Opus 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max does not.

Claude Opus 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Opus 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Opus 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Opus 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Opus 4.5 was released on 2025-11-24, while DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max was released on 2026-04-23.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is 5 months newer than Claude Opus 4.5.

Claude Opus 4.5

Nov 24, 2025

8 months ago

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

Apr 23, 2026

3 months ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Claude Opus 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-31, while DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Claude Opus 4.5's training data extends to 2025-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max's cutoff date.

Claude Opus 4.5

Mar 2025

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

—

Provider Availability

Claude Opus 4.5 is available from Anthropic. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is available from Novita, DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Fireworks, Together.

Claude Opus 4.5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $25.00/1M

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $1.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.20/1M
deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $1.74/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.48/1M
deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $1.74/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.48/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $1.74/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.48/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.74/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.48/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher LiveBench score (76.0% vs 73.6%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (80.9% vs 80.6%)
DeepSeek
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (90.1% vs 87.0%)
Higher MCP Atlas score (73.6% vs 62.3%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (67.9% vs 59.3%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 4.5 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Opus 4.5
✓ Preferred
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Opus 4.5 vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.5 or DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Claude Opus 4.5 is made by Anthropic and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Opus 4.5 compare to DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max in benchmarks?

Claude Opus 4.5 scores Tau2 Telecom: 98.2%, MMMLU: 90.8%, Tau2 Retail: 88.9%, GPQA: 87.0%, SWE-Bench Verified: 80.9%. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max scores CodeForces: 100.0%, HMMT Feb 26: 95.2%, LiveCodeBench: 93.5%, MathArena Apex: 90.2%, GPQA: 90.1%.

Is Claude Opus 4.5 cheaper than DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is 3.1x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output via anthropic. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max costs $1.60/M input and $3.20/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Opus 4.5 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max?

Claude Opus 4.5 supports 200K tokens and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Opus 4.5 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($5.00 vs $1.60/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Opus 4.5 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max?

Claude Opus 4.5 is developed by Anthropic and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is developed by DeepSeek.

Related comparisons