Seed 1.6 is $0.002 cheaper per 1M input tokens (0.8% lower; 1.01x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥DeepSeek V3.2 vs Seed 1.6
Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick Seed 1.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick Seed 1.6 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.25 for Seed 1.6, saving $0.81 (64.7% lower).
Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.2
Context-first pickSeed 1.6
Sample savings$0.8164.7%
10x traffic gap$8.09
Seed 1.6 has more context, but DeepSeek V3.2 saves $0.81 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $8.09. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
DeepSeek V3.2 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | DeepSeek V3.2 | Seed 1.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | DeepSeek V3.2 | $1.45 | $2.25 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | DeepSeek V3.2 | $0.63 | $2.25 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | DeepSeek V3.2 | $2.14 | $10.25 |
DeepSeek V3.2 is $1.62 cheaper per 1M output tokens (81.1% lower; 5.29x difference).
Seed 1.6 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
DeepSeek V3.2 is $0.81 cheaper on the standard workload (64.7% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Seed 1.6 has the lower input price; DeepSeek V3.2 has the lower output price; Seed 1.6 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V3.2 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.44 for DeepSeek V3.2 and $1.25 for Seed 1.6.
Choose DeepSeek V3.2 when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose Seed 1.6 when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.25 for Seed 1.6, saving $0.81 (64.7% lower).
- DeepSeek V3.2 is $0.81 cheaper on the standard workload (64.7% lower).
- Seed 1.6 is $0.002 cheaper per 1M input tokens (0.8% lower; 1.01x difference).
- DeepSeek V3.2 is $1.62 cheaper per 1M output tokens (81.1% lower; 5.29x difference).
- Seed 1.6 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | 🔥DeepSeek V3.2 (DeepSeek) | Seed 1.6 (ByteDance Seed) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.252 | $0.25 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.378 | $2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.44 | $1.25 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 262.14K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #8 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | DeepSeek V3.2 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.25 for Seed 1.6, saving $0.81 (64.7% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Seed 1.6 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | DeepSeek V3.2 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Seed 1.6 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V3.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace DeepSeek V3.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
- R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace DeepSeek V3.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
- Seed 1.6 Flash can replace Seed 1.6 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.22.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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Seed 1.6 is a general-purpose model released by the ByteDance Seed team. It incorporates multimodal capabilities and adaptive deep thinking with a 256K context window.