API cost decision in 10 seconds

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Pick DeepSeek V4 Pro for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick DeepSeek V4 Pro for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Pro is estimated at $0.87 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.13 (89.1% lower).

Cost-first pickDeepSeek V4 Pro
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Sample savings$7.1389.1%
10x traffic gap$71.3

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has more context, but DeepSeek V4 Pro saves $7.13 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $71.3. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

DeepSeek V4 Pro stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickDeepSeek V4 ProGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputDeepSeek V4 Pro$2.61$16
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputDeepSeek V4 Pro$1.3$14
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputDeepSeek V4 Pro$4.78$62
Cheaper input DeepSeek V4 Pro $0.435 vs $2 / 1M

DeepSeek V4 Pro is $1.56 cheaper per 1M input tokens (78.2% lower; 4.6x difference).

Cheaper output DeepSeek V4 Pro $0.87 vs $12 / 1M

DeepSeek V4 Pro is $11.13 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92.8% lower; 13.8x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 1.05M vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 180 more context (1x larger).

Sample workload DeepSeek V4 Pro $0.87 vs $8

DeepSeek V4 Pro is $7.13 cheaper on the standard workload (89.1% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek V4 Pro Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

DeepSeek V4 Pro has the lower input price; DeepSeek V4 Pro has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V4 Pro is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.87 for DeepSeek V4 Pro and $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools.

Best Fit

Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Pro is estimated at $0.87 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.13 (89.1% lower).
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro is $7.13 cheaper on the standard workload (89.1% lower).
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro is $1.56 cheaper per 1M input tokens (78.2% lower; 4.6x difference).
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro is $11.13 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92.8% lower; 13.8x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 180 more context (1x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureDeepSeek V4 Pro
(DeepSeek)
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.435$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.87$12
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.87$8
Context Window1.05M1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionDeepSeek V4 ProOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Pro is estimated at $0.87 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.13 (89.1% lower).
High-volume input processingDeepSeek V4 ProLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDeepSeek V4 ProLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom ToolsA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V4 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace DeepSeek V4 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
  • R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace DeepSeek V4 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
  • DeepSeek V3.2 can replace DeepSeek V4 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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DeepSeek catalog

Review all tracked DeepSeek models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Google catalog

Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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DeepSeek V4 Pro

DeepSeek V4 Pro is a large-scale Mixture-of-Experts model from DeepSeek with 1.6T total parameters and 49B activated parameters, supporting a 1M-token context window. It is designed for advanced reasoning, coding,...

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is a variant of Gemini 3.1 Pro that improves tool selection behavior by preventing overuse of a general bash tool when more efficient third-party...