gpt-5 vs deepseek-r2

On a 1,500-input, 500-output call at 10,000 calls a day, gpt-5 costs about $3,150 a month and deepseek-r2 about $578 — deepseek-r2 is roughly 82% cheaper than gpt-5. gpt-5 lists $12.00 per 1M output tokens against deepseek-r2 at $2.20.

gpt-5 costs $3.00/1M in and $12.00/1M out; deepseek-r2 costs $0.55/1M in and $2.20/1M out.

Last updated . Model pricing is refreshed twice daily.

Price per 1M tokens

gpt-5: input $3.00, output $12.00. deepseek-r2: input $0.55, output $2.20.

  • Monthly at 10,000 calls/day — gpt-5: $3,150, deepseek-r2: $578
  • Monthly at 100,000 calls/day — gpt-5: $31,500, deepseek-r2: $5,775
  • Time to first token — gpt-5: 250 ms, deepseek-r2: 300 ms
  • Throughput — gpt-5: 180 tok/s, deepseek-r2: 45 tok/s

Which one to run

If your workload tolerates deepseek-r2's quality, the saving is immediate. If it does not, route: send the easy calls to deepseek-r2 and keep gpt-5 for the hard ones.

Frequently asked questions

Is gpt-5 cheaper than deepseek-r2?

deepseek-r2 is cheaper. At 10,000 calls a day with 1,500 input and 500 output tokens, gpt-5 costs about $3,150 a month and deepseek-r2 about $578.

What is the price difference between gpt-5 and deepseek-r2?

About 82% on the same workload, using list prices with no caching or batch discounts.