API cost decision in 10 seconds

Grok 4.20 vs DeepSeek V3.2 Exp

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 Exp for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T18:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 Exp for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is estimated at $0.47 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $2.02 (81% lower).

Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.2 Exp

Context-first pickGrok 4.20

Sample savings$2.0281%

10x traffic gap$20.25

Grok 4.20 has more context, but DeepSeek V3.2 Exp saves $2.02 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $20.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

DeepSeek V3.2 Exp stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Grok 4.20	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	$7.5	$1.56
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	$3.75	$0.68
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	$13.75	$2.32

Cheaper input DeepSeek V3.2 Exp $1.25 vs $0.27 / 1M

DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $0.98 cheaper per 1M input tokens (78.4% lower; 4.63x difference).

Cheaper output DeepSeek V3.2 Exp $2.5 vs $0.41 / 1M

DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $2.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (83.6% lower; 6.1x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 2M vs 163.84K

Grok 4.20 has 1.84M more context (12.2x larger).

Sample workload DeepSeek V3.2 Exp $2.5 vs $0.47

DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $2.02 cheaper on the standard workload (81% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Grok 4.20 Calculating… Estimated API cost

DeepSeek V3.2 Exp 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 V3.2 Exp has the lower input price; DeepSeek V3.2 Exp has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.5 for Grok 4.20 and $0.47 for DeepSeek V3.2 Exp.

Best Fit

Choose Grok 4.20 when you care most about larger context window.

Choose DeepSeek V3.2 Exp when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is estimated at $0.47 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $2.02 (81% lower).
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $2.02 cheaper on the standard workload (81% lower).
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $0.98 cheaper per 1M input tokens (78.4% lower; 4.63x difference).
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is $2.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (83.6% lower; 6.1x difference).
Grok 4.20 has 1.84M more context (12.2x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Grok 4.20 (xAI)	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp (DeepSeek)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$1.25	$0.27
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.5	$0.41
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$2.5	$0.47
Context Window	2M	163.84K
Release Date	2026-03-31	2025-09-29
Popularity	#92	#98

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 Exp is estimated at $0.47 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $2.02 (81% lower).
High-volume input processing	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	DeepSeek V3.2 Exp	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Grok 4.20	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Grok Build 0.1 can replace Grok 4.20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.
DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V3.2 Exp when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace DeepSeek V3.2 Exp when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace DeepSeek V3.2 Exp when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

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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Provider catalogs

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xAI catalog

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DeepSeek catalog

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