Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek V4
Anthropic's mid-tier against DeepSeek's open-weight flagship (v4-pro · v4-flash) — published pricing, context windows and specs, side by side.
Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek V4: side-by-side
| Claude Sonnet 5 | DeepSeek V4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Anthropic | DeepSeek |
| Released | 30 June 2026 | 24 April 2026 |
| Tier | Mid-tier | Open-weight flagship (V4-Pro · V4-Flash) |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens (default & max) | 1,000,000 tokens (both tiers) |
| Max output | Up to 128,000 tokens | Not specified |
| API price (per 1M) | $2 / $10 intro (to 31 Aug 2026) · $3 / $15 standard | $1.74 / $3.48 (V4-Pro) · $0.14 / $0.28 (V4-Flash) per 1M |
| Access | Proprietary — Claude API & claude.ai (default model on Free & Pro plans) | Open weights — MIT licence, on Hugging Face & ModelScope (V4-Pro 1.6T params / 49B active; V4-Flash 284B / 13B active) |
| Best at | Agentic coding, high-volume production work, large-codebase tasks | Coding, competitive programming, low-cost agentic work |
| Standout | 1M context by default; early-access partners report it finishes tasks earlier Sonnets stopped short on and checks its own output | Largest open-weights model of 2026 — MIT-licensed 1.6T-param MoE |
Price comparison
| Model | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5 (intro, to 31 Aug 2026) | $2.00 | $10.00 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 (standard, from 1 Sep 2026) | $3.00 | $15.00 |
| DeepSeek V4-Flash | $0.14 | $0.28 |
| DeepSeek V4-Pro | $1.74 | $3.48 |
Published benchmark figures
Each figure below is the model's own published score as listed on its AI Model Hub page. Different suites (and suite versions) are not directly comparable.
| Model | Benchmark | Published score |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 | SWE-bench Verified | 80.6% |
| DeepSeek V4 | Codeforces rating | 3,206 |
What the table says
- Pricing. Claude Sonnet 5 lists at $2 / $10 intro (to 31 Aug 2026) · $3 / $15 standard; DeepSeek V4 lists at $1.74 / $3.48 (V4-Pro) · $0.14 / $0.28 (V4-Flash) per 1M. On these published rates, DeepSeek V4's input price is 1.1x lower than Claude Sonnet 5's, and DeepSeek V4's output price is 2.9x lower than Claude Sonnet 5's. Claude Sonnet 5's standard rate card from 1 September 2026 is $3 / $15 per 1M tokens. DeepSeek V4-Flash lists even lower, at $0.14 / $0.28 per 1M tokens.
- Context. Both are in the same context class: Claude Sonnet 5 lists 1,000,000 tokens (default & max) and DeepSeek V4 lists 1,000,000 tokens (both tiers).
- Access. DeepSeek V4 publishes open weights (MIT licence), so it can be self-hosted; Claude Sonnet 5 is proprietary and available only through hosted APIs and apps.
- Benchmarks. The two model pages report results on different benchmark suites, so the published scores are not directly comparable head-to-head; the tables below list each model's own published figures.
Key takeaway
Everything above is drawn from the two models' published rate cards and spec sheets. Which one fits depends on the workload you price it against — run your own token volumes through the pricing calculator to see the monthly difference.
Full Claude Sonnet 5 overview Full DeepSeek V4 overview
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Sonnet 5 or DeepSeek V4?
DeepSeek V4 — it lists at $1.74 / $3.48 (V4-Pro) · $0.14 / $0.28 (V4-Flash) per 1M versus $2 / $10 intro (to 31 Aug 2026) · $3 / $15 standard for Claude Sonnet 5.
Which has the bigger context window, Claude Sonnet 5 or DeepSeek V4?
They are in the same class: Claude Sonnet 5 lists 1,000,000 tokens (default & max) and DeepSeek V4 lists 1,000,000 tokens (both tiers).
Which model is newer?
Claude Sonnet 5 is the more recent release (30 June 2026); DeepSeek V4 was released 24 April 2026.
Can I run Claude Sonnet 5 or DeepSeek V4 locally?
Only DeepSeek V4 — it publishes open weights under the MIT licence. Claude Sonnet 5 is proprietary and only available via hosted APIs and apps.
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