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 Grok 4 for 256k context with native tool use or real-time data via x integration. Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro if you need self-hosting or data privacy; Grok 4 if you want a managed API.
DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek, China) and Grok 4 (xAI, 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. Grok 4 is xAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. They diverge most on price, context window and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Price: DeepSeek V4-Pro is about 6.9× cheaper on input ($0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $3/$15 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
Context window: DeepSeek V4-Pro holds 3.9× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 256K (~384 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Recency: DeepSeek V4-Pro is the newer model by about 10 months (released April 24, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
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
Grok 4
Provider
DeepSeek (China)
xAI (US)
Released
April 24, 2026
July 9, 2025
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens
$3/$15 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 — Grok 4 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Its 1M window holds about 3.9× more than Grok 4's 256K in a single prompt.
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.
256K context with native tool use: Grok 4 — Grok 4 lists 256K context with native tool use among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Real-time data via X integration: Grok 4 — Grok 4 lists real-time data via X integration among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Strong academic reasoning: Grok 4 — Grok 4 lists strong academic 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.
Largest single-prompt input: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Its 1M window is about 3.9× larger than Grok 4's 256K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: DeepSeek V4-Pro — At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts Grok 4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs: DeepSeek V4-Pro — Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Grok 4 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 256k context with native tool use: Grok 4 — That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules: Grok 4 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.
Grok 4: where it fits
XAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. Released July 9, 2025 by xAI, it is built for 256K context with native tool use, real-time data via X integration, strong academic reasoning, and no long-context surcharge.
Its trade-offs: smaller ecosystem than OpenAI/Google, and less independent benchmark coverage. At $3 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid 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. Grok 4 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 Grok 4 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 Grok 4 leans toward 256k context with native tool use, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or Grok 4?
DeepSeek V4-Pro is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Grok 4 is API-metered at $3/$15 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?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — 1M vs 256K, about 3.9× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and Grok 4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, Grok 4 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 Grok 4?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 10 months after Grok 4.
DeepSeek V4-Pro vs Grok 4
DeepSeek · China | xAI · 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 Grok 4 for 256k context with native tool use or real-time data via x integration. Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro if you need self-hosting or data privacy; Grok 4 if you want a managed API.
DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek, China) and Grok 4 (xAI, 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. Grok 4 is xAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. They diverge most on price, context window and open vs. closed weights — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: DeepSeek V4-Pro is about 6.9× cheaper on input ($0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $3/$15 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
▸Context window: DeepSeek V4-Pro holds 3.9× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 256K (~384 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Recency: DeepSeek V4-Pro is the newer model by about 10 months (released April 24, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
▸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 — Grok 4 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens
DeepSeek V4-Pro
Its 1M window holds about 3.9× more than Grok 4's 256K in a single prompt.
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.
256K context with native tool use
Grok 4
Grok 4 lists 256K context with native tool use among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Real-time data via X integration
Grok 4
Grok 4 lists real-time data via X integration among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.
Strong academic reasoning
Grok 4
Grok 4 lists strong academic 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.
Largest single-prompt input
DeepSeek V4-Pro
Its 1M window is about 3.9× larger than Grok 4's 256K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ DeepSeek V4-Pro
At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts Grok 4, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ DeepSeek V4-Pro
Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs
→ DeepSeek V4-Pro
Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Grok 4 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is 256k context with native tool use
→ Grok 4
That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules
→ Grok 4 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.
Grok 4: where it fits
XAI's 2M-context model with live data access and strong reasoning chops. Released July 9, 2025 by xAI, it is built for 256K context with native tool use, real-time data via X integration, strong academic reasoning, and no long-context surcharge.
Its trade-offs: smaller ecosystem than OpenAI/Google, and less independent benchmark coverage. At $3 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid 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. Grok 4 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 Grok 4 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 Grok 4 leans toward 256k context with native tool use, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or Grok 4?
DeepSeek V4-Pro is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Grok 4 is API-metered at $3/$15 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?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — 1M vs 256K, about 3.9× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and Grok 4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, Grok 4 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 Grok 4?
DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 10 months after Grok 4.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.