Skip to main content

DeepSeek V3 vs GPT-4.1

Head-to-head comparison across 3benchmark categories. Overall scores shown here use BenchLM's provisional ranking lane.

DeepSeek V3

36

VS

GPT-4.1

58

1 categoriesvs2 categories

Pick GPT-4.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.

Category Radar

Head-to-Head by Category

Category Breakdown

Coding

GPT-4.1
39.2vs54.6

+15.4 difference

Knowledge

DeepSeek V3
70vs66.3

+3.7 difference

Inst. Following

GPT-4.1
86.1vs87.4

+1.3 difference

Operational Comparison

DeepSeek V3

GPT-4.1

Price (per 1M tokens)

$0.27 / $1.1

$2 / $8

Speed

N/A

108 t/s

Latency (TTFT)

N/A

1.02s

Context Window

128K

1M

Quick Verdict

Pick GPT-4.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.

GPT-4.1 is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 58 to 36. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

GPT-4.1's sharpest advantage is in coding, where it averages 54.6 against 39.2. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 42% to 54.6%. DeepSeek V3 does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.

GPT-4.1 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.00 input / $8.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.27 input / $1.10 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V3. That is roughly 7.3x on output cost alone. GPT-4.1 gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.

Benchmark Deep Dive

Frequently Asked Questions (4)

Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-4.1?

GPT-4.1 is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 58 to 36. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 42% and 54.6%.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-4.1?

DeepSeek V3 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 70 versus 66.3. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-4.1?

GPT-4.1 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 54.6 versus 39.2. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for instruction following, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-4.1?

GPT-4.1 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 87.4 versus 86.1. Inside this category, IFEval is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Self-host vs API cost

Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.

DeepSeek V3
API / mo$1,028
Self-host / mo$18,221
Break-even1.2B/day
GPT-4.1
API / mo$7,500
Self-host / moN/A
Break-even
Proprietary model — self-hosting not applicable.
Model the full break-even

Related Comparisons

Last updated: May 1, 2026

The AI models change fast. We track them for you.

For engineers, researchers, and the plain curious — a weekly brief on new models, ranking shifts, and pricing changes.

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.