DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 vs OpenAI: GPT-5 Image
Head-to-head API pricing and cost comparison between DeepSeek’s DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 and OpenAI’s OpenAI: GPT-5 Image. Prices auto-refresh daily from OpenRouter.
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 is 97% cheaper for input tokens; DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 also wins on output tokens.
Side-by-side comparison
| Spec | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 | OpenAI: GPT-5 Image |
|---|---|---|
| Input price (per 1M) | $0.25 | $10.00 |
| Cached input (per 1M) | $0.03 | $1.25 |
| Output price (per 1M) | $0.38 | $10.00 |
| Batch input (per 1M) | — | $5.00 |
| Batch output (per 1M) | — | $5.00 |
| Reasoning price (per 1M) | — | — |
| Context window | 131K | 400K |
| Vision support | No | Yes |
| Caching support | Yes | Yes |
| Batch API | No | Yes |
| Reasoning capability | No | No |
Monthly cost at volume
Estimated monthly API spend at common production traffic levels (input/output tokens per request shown).
| Volume | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 | OpenAI: GPT-5 Image | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
1K req/day 500in / 200out tokens | $6.05 | $210.00 | $203.95 DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 wins |
10K req/day 1500in / 500out tokens | $170.10 | $6,000 | $5,830 DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 wins |
100K req/day 3000in / 800out tokens | $3,175 | $114,000 | $110,825 DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 wins |
1M req/day 8000in / 2000out tokens | $83,160 | $3,000,000 | $2,916,840 DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 wins |
Adjust input/output token counts, request volume, batch & cached pricing.
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Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 or OpenAI: GPT-5 Image?
For input tokens, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 is roughly 97% cheaper at $0.25/1M vs $10.00/1M. For output tokens, DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 wins at $0.38/1M. Real-world cost depends on your input/output ratio — use the calculator to model your actual workload.
What’s the context window difference?
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 has a context window of 131K tokens. OpenAI: GPT-5 Image offers 400K tokens. Larger context windows are valuable for long documents, RAG pipelines, and multi-turn conversations — but they come with higher input-token bills if you fill them every request.
Should I use DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 or OpenAI: GPT-5 Image?
Choose DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3.2 if you’re already on the DeepSeek stack, want broad ecosystem support, or prefer its lower input price. Choose OpenAI: GPT-5 Image for OpenAI’s ecosystem, native vision input, or its differentiated capabilities. Run a small benchmark on your own prompts before committing — price is only one axis.
How are these prices kept current?
Prices are pulled directly from OpenRouter’s public models API once every 24 hours via a Convex cron job, then normalized to per-1M-token figures. Last refresh: Apr 21, 2026.