Pick DeepSeek V4-Pro for open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable or 1m-token context with up to 384k output tokens. Pick GPT-5.5 for terminal, cli and computer-use automation or long-horizon tool sequencing. Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro if you need self-hosting or data privacy; GPT-5.5 if you want a managed API.
DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek, China) and GPT-5.5 (OpenAI, US) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. DeepSeek V4-Pro is deepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. GPT-5.5 is openAI's first fully retrained base since GPT-4.5 — the terminal and computer-use champion. They diverge most on price and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Price: DeepSeek V4-Pro is about 11× cheaper on input ($0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $5/$30 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
Context window: both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
Ecosystem: this is a China-vs-US matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Specifications
Spec
DeepSeek V4-Pro
GPT-5.5
Provider
DeepSeek (China)
OpenAI (US)
Released
April 24, 2026
April 23, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
1M (~1,500 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens
$5/$30 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
No — API only
Modalities
text, code
text, image, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Open weights make this possible at all — GPT-5.5 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens: DeepSeek V4-Pro — GPT-5.5 is comparatively weak here — tiered long-context pricing above 272K tokens
Permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026: DeepSeek V4-Pro — DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices — and it runs cheaper at $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens.
Terminal, CLI and computer-use automation: GPT-5.5 — GPT-5.5 lists terminal, CLI and computer-use automation among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Long-horizon tool sequencing: GPT-5.5 — GPT-5.5 lists long-horizon tool sequencing among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Strong agentic coding and reasoning: GPT-5.5 — GPT-5.5 lists strong agentic coding and reasoning among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Lowest cost at scale: DeepSeek V4-Pro — At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: DeepSeek V4-Pro — At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-5.5, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; GPT-5.5 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable: DeepSeek V4-Pro — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is terminal, cli and computer-use automation: GPT-5.5 — That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules: GPT-5.5 or DeepSeek V4-Pro — Origin (China vs US) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
DeepSeek V4-Pro: where it fits
DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. Released April 24, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable, 1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens, permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026, and sources place it near the top of open-weight coding, around 80 on SWE-Bench Verified.
Its trade-offs are real: independent SWE-Bench Verified placement is inconsistent across sources, pro and Pro-Max variants are quoted with different scores, text and code only — no image, audio or video, and overlaps DeepSeek V4 and V3.2 already in this comparison. At $0.435 in / $0.87 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
GPT-5.5: where it fits
OpenAI's first fully retrained base since GPT-4.5 — the terminal and computer-use champion. Released April 23, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for terminal, CLI and computer-use automation, long-horizon tool sequencing, strong agentic coding and reasoning, and browser-driving agents.
Its trade-offs: trails Opus 4.8 on hardest coding benchmarks, and tiered long-context pricing above 272K tokens. At $5 in / $30 out per million tokens, it sits in the premium price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
The defining split here is open vs. closed. DeepSeek V4-Pro gives you weights you control — self-host it, fine-tune it, keep data in-house, pay only for hardware. GPT-5.5 gives you a managed, always-updated API with no infrastructure to run. Teams with GPUs, privacy requirements, or huge volume often favour the open model; teams that want zero ops and the latest capabilities favour the closed one. Capability is close enough that this operational question, not the benchmark, usually decides it.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek V4-Pro or GPT-5.5 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, DeepSeek V4-Pro leans toward open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable while GPT-5.5 leans toward terminal, cli and computer-use automation, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GPT-5.5?
DeepSeek V4-Pro is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while GPT-5.5 is API-metered at $5/$30 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GPT-5.5 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, GPT-5.5 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GPT-5.5?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 1 days after GPT-5.5.
DeepSeek V4-Pro vs GPT-5.5
DeepSeek · China | OpenAI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick DeepSeek V4-Pro for open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable or 1m-token context with up to 384k output tokens. Pick GPT-5.5 for terminal, cli and computer-use automation or long-horizon tool sequencing. Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro if you need self-hosting or data privacy; GPT-5.5 if you want a managed API.
DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek, China) and GPT-5.5 (OpenAI, US) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. DeepSeek V4-Pro is deepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. GPT-5.5 is openAI's first fully retrained base since GPT-4.5 — the terminal and computer-use champion. They diverge most on price and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: DeepSeek V4-Pro is about 11× cheaper on input ($0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $5/$30 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
▸Context window: both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
▸Ecosystem: this is a China-vs-US matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Open weights make this possible at all — GPT-5.5 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens
DeepSeek V4-Pro
GPT-5.5 is comparatively weak here — tiered long-context pricing above 272K tokens
Permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026
DeepSeek V4-Pro
DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices — and it runs cheaper at $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens.
Terminal, CLI and computer-use automation
GPT-5.5
GPT-5.5 lists terminal, CLI and computer-use automation among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Long-horizon tool sequencing
GPT-5.5
GPT-5.5 lists long-horizon tool sequencing among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Strong agentic coding and reasoning
GPT-5.5
GPT-5.5 lists strong agentic coding and reasoning among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Lowest cost at scale
DeepSeek V4-Pro
At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ DeepSeek V4-Pro
At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts GPT-5.5, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs
→ DeepSeek V4-Pro
Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; GPT-5.5 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is terminal, cli and computer-use automation
→ GPT-5.5
That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules
→ GPT-5.5 or DeepSeek V4-Pro
Origin (China vs US) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
DeepSeek V4-Pro: where it fits
DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. Released April 24, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable, 1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens, permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026, and sources place it near the top of open-weight coding, around 80 on SWE-Bench Verified.
Its trade-offs are real: independent SWE-Bench Verified placement is inconsistent across sources, pro and Pro-Max variants are quoted with different scores, text and code only — no image, audio or video, and overlaps DeepSeek V4 and V3.2 already in this comparison. At $0.435 in / $0.87 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
GPT-5.5: where it fits
OpenAI's first fully retrained base since GPT-4.5 — the terminal and computer-use champion. Released April 23, 2026 by OpenAI, it is built for terminal, CLI and computer-use automation, long-horizon tool sequencing, strong agentic coding and reasoning, and browser-driving agents.
Its trade-offs: trails Opus 4.8 on hardest coding benchmarks, and tiered long-context pricing above 272K tokens. At $5 in / $30 out per million tokens, it sits in the premium price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
The defining split here is open vs. closed. DeepSeek V4-Pro gives you weights you control — self-host it, fine-tune it, keep data in-house, pay only for hardware. GPT-5.5 gives you a managed, always-updated API with no infrastructure to run. Teams with GPUs, privacy requirements, or huge volume often favour the open model; teams that want zero ops and the latest capabilities favour the closed one. Capability is close enough that this operational question, not the benchmark, usually decides it.
Want both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GPT-5.5 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, DeepSeek V4-Pro leans toward open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable while GPT-5.5 leans toward terminal, cli and computer-use automation, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GPT-5.5?
DeepSeek V4-Pro is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while GPT-5.5 is API-metered at $5/$30 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and GPT-5.5 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, GPT-5.5 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, DeepSeek V4-Pro or GPT-5.5?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 1 days after GPT-5.5.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.