Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude Opus 4.1Which is better in 2026?

Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is 62.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude Opus 4.1 — which is better?

DeepSeek-V3 (by DeepSeek) and Claude Opus 4.1 (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 0 benchmarks, while Claude Opus 4.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified). Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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 Opus 4.1 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 62.8x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Claude Opus 4.1 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Opus 4.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified).

Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 13 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 55.6x cheaper than Claude Opus 4.1 ($15.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 68.2x cheaper than Claude Opus 4.1 ($75.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.1 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.1
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$75.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude Opus 4.1 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.1 is limited to 32,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.1
Input200,000 tokens
Output32,000 tokens
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Opus 4.1 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Claude Opus 4.1 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude Opus 4.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Claude Opus 4.1 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 Opus 4.1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Claude Opus 4.1 was released on 2025-08-05.

Claude Opus 4.1 is 7 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.5 years ago

Claude Opus 4.1

Aug 5, 2025

10 months ago

7mo newer

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 Opus 4.1 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google.

DeepSeek-V3

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

Claude Opus 4.1

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
* 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
Anthropic
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (80.9% vs 59.1%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (74.5% vs 42.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.1

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Claude Opus 4.1.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V3 or Claude Opus 4.1?

Claude Opus 4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Claude Opus 4.1 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 Opus 4.1 in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Claude Opus 4.1 scores MMMLU: 89.5%, TAU-bench Retail: 82.4%, GPQA: 80.9%, AIME 2025: 78.0%, MMMU (validation): 77.1%.

Is DeepSeek-V3 cheaper than Claude Opus 4.1?

DeepSeek-V3 is 55.6x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek. Claude Opus 4.1 costs $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V3 and Claude Opus 4.1?

DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Claude Opus 4.1 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 Opus 4.1?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.27 vs $15.00/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 Opus 4.1?

DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Claude Opus 4.1 is developed by Anthropic.

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