DeepSeek vs GPT-4o: cost & margin
DeepSeek (DeepSeek) and GPT-4o (OpenAI) sit at different price points. At a typical 500k/150k token mix per customer, DeepSeek is cheaper ($0.33 vs $2.75 per customer), and DeepSeek has the lower output-token price — the part that usually drives an AI SaaS bill.
| DeepSeek | GPT-4o | |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/Mtok | $0.3 | $2.5 |
| Output $/Mtok | $1.2 | $10 |
| Cost / customer (typical) | $0.33 | $2.75 |
| Margin at $49/mo | 99.3% | 94.4% |
Cost per customer as usage grows
Monthly LLM cost per customer at four usage levels — the gap widens the more your customers use.
| Usage / mo | DeepSeek | GPT-4o |
|---|---|---|
| Light | $0.07 | $0.55 |
| Typical | $0.33 | $2.75 |
| Heavy | $1.32 | $11.00 |
| Power user | $5.40 | $45.00 |
Which should you pick?
DeepSeek
Best when cost is the priority: cheaper on both input and output, so it keeps more customers profitable at any plan price.
GPT-4o
Worth it when its quality justifies the higher token cost — price your plans to cover the difference.
Verdict: at a typical token mix, DeepSeek is the cheaper choice per customer. Heavier or output-heavy workloads can change the picture — check yours below.
FAQ
- Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or GPT-4o?
- At a typical 500k / 150k token mix, DeepSeek is cheaper — $0.33 vs $2.75 per customer per month, a $2.42 gap that widens as usage grows.
- Does GPT-4o ever make more sense than DeepSeek?
- Yes — token price isn't everything. If GPT-4o needs fewer retries or shorter outputs to finish the job, or its quality lifts conversion, it can be the better margin call despite the higher per-token price. Model it on your own usage.
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