Claude 3 Opus vs DeepSeek-V3
DeepSeek-V3 leads the LLM Stats Score 15.8 to 10.1. DeepSeek-V3 is 62.8x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · DeepSeek · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 15.8 to 10.1, ranking #211 overall.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek-V3 wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, DeepSeek-V3 is roughly 62.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude 3 Opus also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude 3 Opus
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
Choose DeepSeek-V3
- overall performance matters — it scores 15.8 and ranks #211 on LLM Stats
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 4 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 62.8x 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
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Claude 3 Opus · 20 for DeepSeek-V3
Claude 3 Opus outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while DeepSeek-V3 is better at 4 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, MMLU, MMLU-Pro).
DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens) is 55.6x more expensive than DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens) is 68.2x more expensive than DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude 3 Opus accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3's 131,072 tokens. Claude 3 Opus can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while DeepSeek-V3 is limited to 131,072 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Claude 3 Opus supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.
Claude 3 Opus can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude 3 Opus
DeepSeek-V3
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude 3 Opus is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-V3 uses MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed).
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3 Opus was released on 2024-02-29, while DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25.
DeepSeek-V3 is 10 months newer than Claude 3 Opus.
Feb 29, 2024
2.5 years ago
Dec 25, 2024
1.7 years ago
10mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek.
Claude 3 Opus
DeepSeek-V3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Opus and DeepSeek-V3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Opus vs DeepSeek-V3.