Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude 3.5 SonnetWhich is better in 2026?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is 12.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude 3.5 Sonnet — which is better?

DeepSeek-V3 (by DeepSeek) and Claude 3.5 Sonnet (by Anthropic) 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.

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (DROP), while Claude 3.5 Sonnet is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMLU-Pro, SWE-Bench Verified). Claude 3.5 Sonnet significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, DeepSeek-V3 is roughly 12.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose DeepSeek-V3 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 12.6x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (DROP), while Claude 3.5 Sonnet is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMLU-Pro, SWE-Bench Verified).

Claude 3.5 Sonnet significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V3 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 11.1x cheaper than Claude 3.5 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 13.6x cheaper than Claude 3.5 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude 3.5 Sonnet is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
Anthropic
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude 3.5 Sonnet accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3's 131,072 tokens. Claude 3.5 Sonnet can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while DeepSeek-V3 is limited to 131,072 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Anthropic
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude 3.5 Sonnet supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Claude 3.5 Sonnet uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek-V3

MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)

Open weights

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Claude 3.5 Sonnet was released on 2024-10-22.

DeepSeek-V3 is 2 months newer than Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.5 years ago

2mo newer
Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Oct 22, 2024

1.7 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek. Claude 3.5 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.

DeepSeek-V3

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.10/1M

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher DROP score (91.6% vs 87.1%)
Anthropic
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (67.2% vs 59.1%)
Higher MMLU score (90.4% vs 88.5%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (77.6% vs 75.9%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (49.0% vs 42.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V3
✓ Preferred
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Anthropic
Claude 3.5 Sonnet

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V3 or Claude 3.5 Sonnet?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Claude 3.5 Sonnet is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V3 compare to Claude 3.5 Sonnet in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Claude 3.5 Sonnet scores GSM8k: 96.4%, DocVQA: 95.2%, AI2D: 94.7%, HumanEval: 93.7%, BIG-Bench Hard: 93.1%.

Is DeepSeek-V3 cheaper than Claude 3.5 Sonnet?

DeepSeek-V3 is 11.1x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek. Claude 3.5 Sonnet costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V3 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet?

DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Claude 3.5 Sonnet supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V3 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.27 vs $3.00/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V3 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet?

DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Claude 3.5 Sonnet is developed by Anthropic.

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