DeepSeek-V3 vs GPT-3.5 Turbo Comparison

Comparing DeepSeek-V3 and GPT-3.5 Turbo across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, MMLU), while GPT-3.5 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Mar 23 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 1.9x cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Mar 23 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerAzure
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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V3 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Input16,385 tokens
Output4,096 tokens
Mon Mar 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while GPT-3.5 Turbo 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

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21.

DeepSeek-V3 is 22 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.2 years ago

1.8yr newer
GPT-3.5 Turbo

Mar 21, 2023

3.0 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-3.5 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-3.5 Turbo's training data extends to 2021-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date.

DeepSeek-V3

GPT-3.5 Turbo

Sep 2021

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek. GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. The availability of providers can affect quality of the model and reliability.

DeepSeek-V3

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

GPT-3.5 Turbo

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher DROP score (91.6% vs 70.2%)
Higher GPQA score (59.1% vs 30.8%)
Higher MMLU score (88.5% vs 69.8%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
OpenAI
GPT-3.5 Turbo