DeepSeek-V3.1 alternatives
Same input types and capabilities, at least half the context window · USD per 1M tokens
We found 10 models that can replace DeepSeek-V3.1 ($0.25 input / $0.95 output per million tokens). 10 of them are cheaper. The cheapest, Gemma 4 E2B IT, costs 88.2% less on a blended 3:1 basis: $0.56 instead of $4.40 per month for a chatbot workload (10M input / 2M output tokens).
// 10 alternatives
| model | lab | in $/1M | out $/1M | ctx | vs DeepSeek-V3.1 | chatbot / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 E2B IT | $0.04 | $0.08 | 131.1K | −88.2% | $0.56 | |
| Qwen3.7 Flash | Alibaba (Qwen) | $0.03 | $0.13 | 1M | −87.1% | $0.56 |
| GPT OSS 20B | OpenAI | $0.03 | $0.14 | 131.1K | −86.5% | $0.58 |
| GPT OSS 120B | OpenAI | $0.037 | $0.17 | 131.1K | −83.5% | $0.71 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | DeepSeek | $0.06 | $0.18 | 1.05M | −78.8% | $0.96 |
| GPT OSS Safeguard 20B | OpenAI | $0.07 | $0.20 | 128K | −75.9% | $1.10 |
| Qwen3.5 9B | Alibaba (Qwen) | $0.10 | $0.15 | 262.1K | −73.5% | $1.30 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | $0.09 | $0.18 | 1.05M | −73.5% | $1.26 |
| Muse Spark 1.2 Contributor | Meta | $0.10 | $0.20 | 1.05M | −70.6% | $1.40 |
| Muse Spark 1.3 Contributor | Meta | $0.10 | $0.20 | 1.05M | −70.6% | $1.40 |
// how we pick alternatives
An alternative must accept every input type DeepSeek-V3.1 accepts (text), offer the same tool-calling and reasoning support, and have at least half of its 163.8K-token context window. Models are sorted by blended price (3 × input + output) / 4, using base-tier list prices refreshed daily.