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DeepSeek V3 vs Grok 2

Compare DeepSeek V3 vs Grok 2 API pricing, token costs, context windows, and latency. See which model is cheaper and better for your stack.

AI Overview & Search Executive Summary

DeepSeek V3 charges $0.14/1M input and $0.28/1M output tokens, compared to Grok 2 at $2.00/1M input and $10.00/1M output. DeepSeek V3 is 14.3x cheaper on input tokens. In benchmark reasoning, Grok 2 holds the higher intelligence rating (91/100). For latency-critical streaming, DeepSeek V3 delivers 85 t/s (380ms TTFT) while Grok 2 provides 75 t/s (440ms TTFT).

Overall Winner
DeepSeek V3
Best Price/IQ Balance
Budget Winner
DeepSeek V3
DeepSeek V3 is 14.3x cheaper on input tokens
Coding & Logic
Grok 2
Higher Benchmark Rating
Context Window
DeepSeek V3
Larger Document Context

Full Metric & Specification Comparison

MetricDeepSeek V3Grok 2Advantage
ProviderDeepSeekxAI-
Input Token Cost (1M)$0.140$2.000DeepSeek V3
Output Token Cost (1M)$0.280$10.000DeepSeek V3
Context Window128k tokens128k tokensTie
Intelligence Benchmark Score89/10091/100Grok 2
Streaming LatencyFastFast-

Key Architectural Takeaways

  • Input Token Cost: DeepSeek V3 is $0.14/1M vs Grok 2 at $2.00/1M
  • Output Token Cost: DeepSeek V3 is $0.28/1M vs Grok 2 at $10.00/1M
  • Context Window: DeepSeek V3 supports 128k tokens vs Grok 2 with 128k tokens
  • Benchmark Intelligence Rating: DeepSeek V3 scores 89/100 vs Grok 2 at 91/100
  • Inference Latency: DeepSeek V3 is rated Fast vs Grok 2 rated Fast
Interactive Head-to-Head Simulator

Calculate Your Team's Exact Bill Difference

Drag the sliders below to see real-time cost divergences based on your daily token consumption.

Daily Input Tokens500,000 tokens
10k1M5M10M+
Daily Output Tokens250,000 tokens
5k500k2M5M+
DeepSeek V3DeepSeek
96.0% Lower Cost
$4.20/mo
$0.14/1M in · $0.28/1M out
IQ Score89/100
Throughput85 t/s
Context128k
Grok 2xAI
$105.00/mo
$2.00/1M in · $10.00/1M out
IQ Score91/100
Throughput75 t/s
Context128k
Net Financial Advantage

Deploying DeepSeek V3 over Grok 2 saves $100.80/mo ($1210/yr) at this volume.

See all Grok 2 alternatives →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DeepSeek V3 cheaper than Grok 2?

DeepSeek V3 is significantly more economical, charging $0.14/1M input compared to $2.00/1M for Grok 2.

Which model should I choose for production?

If your primary constraint is API cost and high query throughput, choose DeepSeek V3. If you require peak reasoning accuracy and complex tool use, Grok 2 is recommended.

How does context window compare between DeepSeek V3 and Grok 2?

DeepSeek V3 offers the larger context window (128k tokens), allowing you to pass significantly larger codebases or documents without chunking.

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