deepseek-reasoner-v4
deepseek-reasoner-v4 is DeepSeek's model at $0.43 input and $0.87 output per million tokens, with a 131K context window. On a typical 3:1 input-to-output mix that blends to roughly $0.54 per million tokens, placing it in the mid-range band of the 68 models tracked here — cheaper than 66% of them.
By price, deepseek-reasoner-v4 ranks 29th cheapest of 68 on input and 18th on output. Its quality score of 92 ranks 14th of 68, and on value (quality score ÷ output price) it ranks 17th of 68. Its blended rate sits 82% below the catalog average.
In real billing terms: a support chatbot handling 50,000 turns a month (2,000 input / 500 output tokens each) costs about $65 per month on deepseek-reasoner-v4, while a RAG workload of 20,000 queries (8,000 input / 800 output tokens each) runs about $84. Because output is priced 2.0× input here, long-generation tasks scale cost fastest — cap output length before you optimise anything else.
A 131K context window holds roughly 175 pages of A4 text (at ~750 tokens per page), ranking 47th of 68 here. That covers typical RAG and multi-turn chat, though book-length inputs still need retrieval and chunking. Output runs at about 30 tok/s (65th fastest of 68), which is better suited to asynchronous or background jobs.
We track 3 DeepSeek models, and deepseek-reasoner-v4's blended rate sits 40% above that provider's average. If your task tolerates a little less headroom, qwen3.5 (Alibaba) blends about 79% cheaper at a quality score of 91, and is worth benchmarking first. Going the other way, GLM-5.2 scores 93 on quality for about 173% more.
The closest model in DeepSeek's line-up is deepseek-chat-v4 ($0.26 input / $1.03 output, quality 88). Against it, deepseek-reasoner-v4 scores 4 points higher on quality, runs 110 tok/s slower (about 79%), costs 17% more blended. When two models sit this close on price, the deciding factor is usually the quality ceiling — run both against your real prompts before picking.
Estimated monthly cost
Monthly API spend across four common workloads, next to the cheapest model we track.
| Workload | Usage assumption | This model | Cheapest model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support chatbot | 2,000 input / 500 output tokens per turn, 50,000 turns per month | $65 | $3.00 |
| RAG document Q&A | 8,000 input / 800 output tokens per query, 20,000 queries per month | $84 | $3.84 |
| Coding assistant | 12,000 input / 2,000 output tokens per request, 10,000 requests per month | $70 | $3.20 |
| Batch summarization | 4,000 input / 400 output tokens per item, 200,000 items per month | $418 | $19 |
Derived directly from the rates on this page. Excludes prompt caching, batch discounts and free tiers.
How it compares
The alternatives worth benchmarking alongside it, from the same dataset.
| Model | Provider | Blended /1M | Quality | Price delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deepseek-reasoner-v4 | DeepSeek | $0.54 | 92 | — |
| qwen3.5Cheaper option | Alibaba | $0.11 | 91 | -79% |
| GLM-5.2Higher quality | Zhipu | $1.48 | 93 | +173% |
| deepseek-chat-v4Same provider | DeepSeek | $0.45 | 88 | -17% |
| qwen3.5-flashBest value overall | Alibaba | $0.055 | 82 | -90% |
Best for
Modalities
Where it fits — and where it doesn't
Good fit
- Coding: writing, refactoring and debugging across multi-file project context.
- Reasoning: multi-step decomposition, planning and tasks that need rigorous inference.
Poor fit
- Latency-critical interactive use: 30 tok/s makes long responses feel sluggish.
- Image understanding: this model is text-only, so vision tasks need a multimodal alternative.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the deepseek-reasoner-v4 API cost?
deepseek-reasoner-v4 costs $0.43 per million input tokens and $0.87 per million output tokens. On a 3:1 input-to-output mix that blends to about $0.54 per million tokens.
What does deepseek-reasoner-v4 cost per month?
It depends on volume. Using the four worked scenarios on this page: a support chatbot runs about $65/month, RAG document Q&A about $84/month, a coding assistant about $70/month, and batch summarization about $418/month. Plug your own token counts into the cost calculator for a tailored figure.
How large is the deepseek-reasoner-v4 context window?
131K tokens — roughly 175 pages of A4 text at ~750 tokens per page, ranking 47th of the 68 models tracked here.
deepseek-reasoner-v4 or qwen3.5 — which is better value?
qwen3.5 blends to about $0.11 per million tokens versus $0.54 for deepseek-reasoner-v4 — roughly 79% cheaper — at a quality score of 91 against 92. If that quality gap does not show up on your task, take the cheaper one; if it does, stay with deepseek-reasoner-v4. Benchmark both on your own data before deciding.
What is deepseek-reasoner-v4 best suited for?
Tagged use cases: reasoning, coding. Coding: writing, refactoring and debugging across multi-file project context. Less suitable: Latency-critical interactive use: 30 tok/s makes long responses feel sluggish.
How current is this deepseek-reasoner-v4 pricing?
Pricing here was last verified on 2026-08-16 against official documentation. llmprice.app runs a daily collection job, but providers can change rates between runs — confirm against DeepSeek's official pricing page before you commit.
Estimate the real cost of this model
Bring tokens per request and monthly volume into the calculator to compare total model costs.
Related models
Continue by provider and use case.
deepseek-chat-v4
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Pricing, speed and quality scores change over time. Confirm official documentation before production use.