Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs DeepSeek V4-Pro: API Pricing
Input and output token rates, context windows, and real monthly cost for Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) and DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek), side by side. Prices are standard on-demand rates as of June 2026.
The short answer
For a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month), DeepSeek V4-Pro is the cheaper option at $36.54/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 90% less (9.9× cheaper). On the headline sticker of 1M input + 1M output, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and DeepSeek V4-Pro is $1.30.
Rates at a glance
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | DeepSeek V4-Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/1M tokens) | $3.00 | $0.43 |
| Output ($/1M tokens) | $15.00 | $0.87 |
| Blended (1M in + 1M out) | $18.00 | $1.30 |
| Context window | 1,000K | 1,000K |
| Type | Proprietary | Open-weight |
| Provider | Anthropic | DeepSeek |
Monthly cost by workload
Estimated monthly API spend at each workload's token volume. Output usually costs several times input, so the winner can flip with your mix.
| Workload | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | DeepSeek V4-Pro | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot / assistant 10M in / 3M out | $75.00/mo | $6.96/mo | DeepSeek V4-Pro |
| Coding agent 60M in / 12M out | $360/mo | $36.54/mo | DeepSeek V4-Pro |
| RAG / summarization 40M in / 4M out | $180/mo | $20.88/mo | DeepSeek V4-Pro |
| Batch / classification 20M in / 2M out | $90.00/mo | $10.44/mo | DeepSeek V4-Pro |
Want your own in/out split? Use the full interactive comparator to rank every model and provider for your exact workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or DeepSeek V4-Pro cheaper?
It depends on your input/output mix, but for a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month) DeepSeek V4-Pro costs $36.54/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 90% less (9.9x). On the headline sticker (1M input + 1M output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and DeepSeek V4-Pro is $1.30.
What are the token rates for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and DeepSeek V4-Pro?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) is $3.00 per 1M input and $15.00 per 1M output. DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek) is $0.43 per 1M input and $0.87 per 1M output. These are standard on-demand rates, not cached or batch.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or DeepSeek V4-Pro open-weight?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary and DeepSeek V4-Pro is open-weight. Open-weight models can be self-hosted or run on third-party hosts at different rates, so the first-party price shown here is a starting point, not the only option.
What context window do Claude Sonnet 4.6 and DeepSeek V4-Pro support?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000K tokens and DeepSeek V4-Pro supports 1,000K tokens. Some models also step up pricing past a size threshold - check the source pricing pages for long-context tiers.
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