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Model vs model

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Kimi K3

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 are both in llmwise. What each gets on every plan, what it reads, how it's served and what happens when its provider fails, from the catalog and the code that runs them.

Model prices and specs checked against OpenRouter's DeepSeek V4 Pro page, OpenRouter's Kimi K3 page. Updated .

Short answer

DeepSeek V4 Pro gets twice as many messages: up to 250 messages a month on Pro, against up to 125 messages a month for Kimi K3. Otherwise, only Kimi K3 reads images. In our test runs, DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 45 of the 50 prompts both answered and Kimi K3 46; 5 prompts split them, most on coding (4 to 5).

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Kimi K3, prompt by prompt

Every prompt DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 both answered, compared directly, their biggest differences first. One run each, through OpenRouter: a wait depends on the provider and the load that day, so a lead under 10% counts as close.

Of the 50 prompts both answered, both passed 43, only DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 2, only Kimi K3 passed 3, and neither passed 2. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered sooner on 24 of the 50 and Kimi K3 on 25; the rest were within 10% of each other. The 50 replies cost $0.1030 on DeepSeek V4 Pro and $0.1938 on Kimi K3: 1.9× less on DeepSeek V4 Pro.

The 5 prompts only one of DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 passed

  • Parse CSV with quoted fields (coding): Kimi K3 passed and DeepSeek V4 Pro didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: No answer within Pro's reply limit of 8,000 tokens: the model spent them all reasoning. Kimi K3: All 8 tests passed.

  • Argue both sides of free buses (writing): Kimi K3 passed and DeepSeek V4 Pro didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 4.0 of 5 on average (lowest 4); but a paragraph of 95 words, over the 90 allowed. Kimi K3: Graded 4.7 of 5 on average (lowest 4).

  • An article in three bullets (summarization): DeepSeek V4 Pro passed and Kimi K3 didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 4.3 of 5 on average (lowest 4). Kimi K3: Graded 4.0 of 5 on average (lowest 3); but 62 words, over the 60 allowed.

  • A frustrated customer (customer support): Kimi K3 passed and DeepSeek V4 Pro didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 3.3 of 5 on average (lowest 2). Kimi K3: Graded 4.0 of 5 on average (lowest 3).

  • A refund request outside the window (customer support): DeepSeek V4 Pro passed and Kimi K3 didn't. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Graded 4.3 of 5 on average (lowest 4). Kimi K3: Graded 4.0 of 5 on average (lowest 2).

Job by job, the widest gaps first

  • Writing: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 3 of 5 and Kimi K3 4 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 1.3× sooner at the median, 2.2 s against 3.0 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 8.6× less, $0.0022 against $0.0192 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 15% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Summarization: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 4 of 5 and Kimi K3 3 of 5. Their median waits were close, 3.1 s against 3.4 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 3.8× less, $0.0045 against $0.0172 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 19% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Coding: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 4 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. Kimi K3 answered 4.9× sooner at the median, 20.1 s against 4.1 s. Kimi K3 cost 2.1× less, $0.0662 against $0.0316 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.

  • Agents and tool use: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. Kimi K3 answered 1.7× sooner at the median, 3.3 s against 2.0 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 9.9× less, $0.0014 against $0.0135 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 11% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Math: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 2.0× sooner at the median, 2.7 s against 5.4 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 5.7× less, $0.0033 against $0.0187 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.

  • RAG and answering from documents: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 1.4× sooner at the median, 1.9 s against 2.6 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 4.3× less, $0.0017 against $0.0073 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 75% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Data analysis: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 1.4× sooner at the median, 2.5 s against 3.5 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 4.2× less, $0.0081 against $0.0339 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 51% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Translation: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. DeepSeek V4 Pro answered 1.2× sooner at the median, 4.3 s against 5.2 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 4.0× less, $0.0045 against $0.0179 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 97% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • Customer support: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 4 of 5 and Kimi K3 4 of 5. Kimi K3 answered 1.2× sooner at the median, 5.1 s against 4.3 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 3.7× less, $0.0061 against $0.0228 for the 5 replies. Kimi K3's replies ran 32% longer, in tokens of reply, thinking not counted.

  • SQL: DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 5 of 5 and Kimi K3 5 of 5. Kimi K3 answered 2.4× sooner at the median, 3.8 s against 1.6 s. DeepSeek V4 Pro cost 2.4× less, $0.0049 against $0.0118 for the 5 replies. Their replies ran to about the same length.

All 50 prompts: who passed, who answered sooner, who cost less
DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 on each prompt of our test runs
PromptResultSoonerCheaper
Turn a title into a URL slugBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.2×took 2.1 s and 2.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.7×cost $0.0013 and $0.0035
Parse a duration like “1h 30m”Both passedKimi K3, 2.8×took 20.1 s and 7.1 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.1×cost $0.0030 and $0.0063
Merge overlapping intervalsBoth passedKimi K3, 3.2×took 6.6 s and 2.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 7.5×cost $0.0005 and $0.0036
Evaluate an arithmetic expression, no evalBoth passedKimi K3, 4.1×took 40.3 s and 9.9 sKimi K3, 2.6×cost $0.0291 and $0.0113
Parse CSV with quoted fieldsOnly Kimi K3Kimi K3, 16.7×took 69.1 s and 4.1 sKimi K3, 4.7×cost $0.0323 and $0.0069
Announce a second bakery shop on LinkedInBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.1×took 1.9 s and 3.9 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.4×cost $0.0008 and $0.0046
Rewrite corporate jargon in plain wordsBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.7×took 1.2 s and 2.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.1×cost $0.0006 and $0.0030
Decline a meeting and offer two timesBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.3×took 2.2 s and 3.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 10.1×cost $0.0003 and $0.0034
A product announcement with five rulesNeither passedKimi K3, 1.7×took 3.8 s and 2.3 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 22.8×cost $0.0001 and $0.0033
Argue both sides of free busesOnly Kimi K3Kimi K3, 2.2×took 7.8 s and 3.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 15.6×cost $0.0003 and $0.0049
A discount, then sales taxBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.8×took 2.7 s and 5.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 19.1×cost $0.0002 and $0.0037
Pens at 3 for $4Both passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.1×took 2.6 s and 5.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.0×cost $0.0016 and $0.0046
Compound interest over three yearsBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.8×took 1.5 s and 5.9 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 12.6×cost $0.0004 and $0.0044
Four-digit numbers whose digits sum to 9Both passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.9×took 3.2 s and 6.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.3×cost $0.0006 and $0.0032
The highest of three dice is a 5Both passedKimi K3, 1.4×took 3.5 s and 2.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 4.5×cost $0.0006 and $0.0027
An article in three bulletsOnly DeepSeek V4 ProKimi K3, 2.2×took 6.1 s and 2.8 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.4×cost $0.0021 and $0.0028
An email thread in one sentenceNeither passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.3×took 2.8 s and 6.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 20.2×cost $0.0001 and $0.0030
Decisions and action items from a meetingBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.3×took 1.5 s and 3.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 9.0×cost $0.0005 and $0.0044
A quarterly memo for the CEOBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.0×took 3.1 s and 15.7 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 27.7×cost $0.0002 and $0.0049
A study with a negative resultBoth passedClosetook 3.5 s and 3.2 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.3×cost $0.0016 and $0.0021
The region with the most revenueBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.1×took 2.0 s and 2.2 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.4×cost $0.0014 and $0.0049
Average order value in AugustBoth passedKimi K3, 1.4×took 3.7 s and 2.7 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.6×cost $0.0021 and $0.0054
Revenue change from July to AugustBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.6×took 2.5 s and 6.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.9×cost $0.0017 and $0.0064
A median, filtered two waysBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.7×took 1.3 s and 3.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 4.9×cost $0.0008 and $0.0042
Correlation between ad spend and sign-upsBoth passedKimi K3, 2.0×took 41.2 s and 20.2 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 6.1×cost $0.0021 and $0.0131
A late orderBoth passedKimi K3, 8.0×took 20.2 s and 2.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.1×cost $0.0041 and $0.0045
A return inside the windowBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.8×took 2.4 s and 4.3 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.6×cost $0.0009 and $0.0033
A frustrated customerOnly Kimi K3Kimi K3, 1.5×took 8.6 s and 5.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 12.3×cost $0.0005 and $0.0063
A refund request outside the windowOnly DeepSeek V4 ProKimi K3, 1.5×took 3.9 s and 2.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 16.3×cost $0.0003 and $0.0045
A message with a planted instructionBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.3×took 5.1 s and 11.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 13.3×cost $0.0003 and $0.0041
A delivery message into SpanishBoth passedKimi K3, 1.5×took 4.3 s and 2.9 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.4×cost $0.0009 and $0.0031
A product description into FrenchBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.7×took 3.1 s and 5.4 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 16.4×cost $0.0002 and $0.0037
A meeting note into GermanBoth passedKimi K3, 7.4×took 22.0 s and 3.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.4×cost $0.0010 and $0.0014
Idioms into natural JapaneseBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.1×took 4.7 s and 5.2 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.5×cost $0.0015 and $0.0053
A lease clause into Brazilian PortugueseBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.7×took 3.7 s and 10.1 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.2×cost $0.0008 and $0.0044
Customers in one countryBoth passedKimi K3, 1.8×took 1.9 s and 1.1 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 10.4×cost $0.0002 and $0.0018
Count orders by statusBoth passedKimi K3, 1.8×took 2.7 s and 1.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 4.5×cost $0.0002 and $0.0009
Revenue by categoryBoth passedKimi K3, 2.4×took 3.8 s and 1.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 9.5×cost $0.0002 and $0.0019
Every customer, even those without ordersBoth passedKimi K3, 1.8×took 4.5 s and 2.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.1×cost $0.0028 and $0.0031
Monthly revenue with a running totalBoth passedKimi K3, 13.8×took 34.4 s and 2.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.7×cost $0.0016 and $0.0042
A fact from one sectionBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.9×took 2.2 s and 6.5 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 4.2×cost $0.0002 and $0.0010
Core hours and start timesBoth passedKimi K3, 2.0×took 2.5 s and 1.2 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.9×cost $0.0006 and $0.0011
Two sections in one answerBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 2.1×took 1.3 s and 2.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 6.8×cost $0.0003 and $0.0020
A later amendment changes the answerBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 3.6×took 1.3 s and 4.8 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 6.2×cost $0.0004 and $0.0022
A question the handbook doesn't answerBoth passedKimi K3, 2.1×took 1.9 s and 0.9 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 4.4×cost $0.0002 and $0.0010
Pick the tool and work out the dateBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.2×took 3.2 s and 3.7 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 16.1×cost $0.0002 and $0.0032
Convert a currencyBoth passedKimi K3, 1.2×took 3.4 s and 2.9 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 24.0×cost $0.0001 and $0.0025
Book a meeting from a sentenceBoth passedKimi K3, 2.2×took 3.5 s and 1.6 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 12.3×cost $0.0003 and $0.0031
Search, but don't bookBoth passedDeepSeek V4 Pro, 1.5×took 1.3 s and 2.0 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 5.5×cost $0.0006 and $0.0034
Two calls with a unit conversionBoth passedKimi K3, 2.0×took 3.3 s and 1.7 sDeepSeek V4 Pro, 6.6×cost $0.0002 and $0.0012

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Kimi K3 in our test runs

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 on the same prompts, job by job: how many replies passed their check.

Based on 100 of our test runs on , through OpenRouter with the app's own prompt and settings. Updated .

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 in our test runs, job by job
JobDeepSeek V4 ProKimi K3
Coding4 of 55 of 5
Writing3 of 54 of 5
Math5 of 55 of 5
Summarization4 of 53 of 5
Data analysis5 of 55 of 5
Customer support4 of 54 of 5
Translation5 of 55 of 5
SQL5 of 55 of 5
RAG and answering from documents5 of 55 of 5
Agents and tool use5 of 55 of 5
All jobs45 of 50 · 1 message each · $0.0021 a reply46 of 50 · 1 message each · $0.0039 a reply

The same prompts, sent to both through llmwise's own pipeline and checked the same way: five for each job. A bold count is the one that passed more. Messages: what each reply counted as on Pro. Cost: what OpenRouter charged us per reply, on average. Every prompt, and how it's scored.

Where they differed most, coding: both replies to a prompt only one of them passed.

A hard prompt: “Parse CSV with quoted fields”, in full.

  • DeepSeek V4 Pro

    Failed: No answer within Pro's reply limit of 8,000 tokens: the model spent them all reasoning.

    (no reply)

    493 tokens in, 8,000 out (7,805 of them reasoning) · 69.1 s · $0.0323 · 1 message on Pro · answered by deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro-0813 via CoreWeave ·

  • Kimi K3

    Passed: All 8 tests passed.

    ```javascript
    function parseCsv(text) {
      if (text === "") return [];
    
      const rows = [];
      let row = [];
      let field = "";
      let inQuotes = false;
      let quoted = false; // current field started with a quote
      let afterQuote = false; // just closed a quoted field
    
      for (let i = 0; i < text.length; i++) {
        const c = text[i];
    
        if (inQuotes) {
          if (c === '"') {
            if (text[i + 1] === '"') {
              field += '"';
              i++;
            } else {
              inQuotes = false;
              afterQuote = true;
            }
          } else {
            field += c;
          }
        } else if (c === '"' && field === "" && !afterQuote) {
          inQuotes = true;
          quoted = true;
        } else if (c === ",") {
          row.push(field);
          field = "";
          quoted = false;
          afterQuote = false;
        } else if (c === "\n" || c === "\r") {
          if (c === "\r" && text[i + 1] === "\n") i++;
          row.push(field);
          rows.push(row);
          row = [];
          field = "";
          quoted = false;
          afterQuote = false;
        } else {
          field += c;
        }
      }
    
      // Trailing line break doesn't start a new row; otherwise flush last field/row.
      if (field !== "" || quoted || row.length > 0) {
        row.push(field);
        rows.push(row);
      }
    
      return rows;
    }
    ```

    568 tokens in, 367 out (7 of them reasoning) · 4.1 s · $0.0069 · 1 message on Pro · answered by moonshotai/kimi-k3 via Together ·

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 on every plan

Whether the one-time free trial reaches each model, then each paid plan's messages on it.

Messages on DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3, plan by plan
PlanPriceDeepSeek V4 ProKimi K3
Free$0In the one-time trial of 5 messagesIn the one-time trial of 5 messages
Pro$20 a monthUp to 250 a monthUp to 125 a month
Max$50 a monthUp to 800 a monthUp to 400 a month
Ultra$100 a monthUp to 1,800 a monthUp to 900 a month
Studio$200 a monthUp to 4,000 a monthUp to 2,000 a month

Prices don't include tax, which is added where it applies and shown before you pay. A paid plan's month is one allowance shared by every model, so each monthly count is the most you get if all of it goes to that model. It renews each billing period; everyday models refill daily at 00:00 UTC. Long chats count more per reply. How pricing works.

Every limit is published. Paid plans also have a monthly fair-use limit on AI cost: Pro $7.50, Max $20, Ultra $42, Studio $85. Using every message on your plan at typical sizes stays under it; very large messages and heavy research use it faster. Every limit, explained.

What differs

  • Messages on Pro

    DeepSeek V4 Pro gets twice as many messages: up to 250 messages a month on Pro, against up to 125 messages a month for Kimi K3.

  • Context window

    Both take up to 1.05M tokens of context. A chat in llmwise holds up to 200k tokens, which fits in either, so the difference shows only through each maker's own API.

  • Images and PDFs

    DeepSeek V4 Pro doesn't read images. DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 get a PDF's text rather than the file itself.

  • On Free

    Both are in the free trial.

  • Where messages go

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Served through OpenRouter, only by hosts that don't store or train on prompts. The maker's own endpoint is never asked. Kimi K3: Served through OpenRouter, only by hosts that don't store or train on prompts. The maker's own endpoint is never asked.

Fact by fact

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3, fact by fact
FactDeepSeek V4 ProKimi K3
Context window1.05M tokens1.05M tokens
Reads imagesNoYes
PDFsText onlyText only
ReasoningYesYes
API price (September 2026)$0.44 in / $2.90 out per million tokens$3.00 in / $15.00 out per million tokens
A typical message at API prices (4,000 tokens in, 700 out)$0.0038$0.0225
A $10 top-up adds200 messages100 messages
Where a message goesServed through OpenRouter, only by hosts that don't store or train on prompts. The maker's own endpoint is never asked.Served through OpenRouter, only by hosts that don't store or train on prompts. The maker's own endpoint is never asked.
If the provider failsWhen one host is down, OpenRouter moves the request to another host that meets the same rules.When one host is down, OpenRouter moves the request to another host that meets the same rules.
Anthropic's safety fallbackDoesn't applyDoesn't apply
API prices are what our model catalog lists (DeepSeek: the price of the OpenRouter endpoints llmwise uses, not DeepSeek's own API; Kimi: Moonshot's list price). In llmwise you pay per message, not per token: the counts above are what you get.

DeepSeek V4 Pro or Kimi K3?

From the facts above and our test runs: the rest is how their answers suit your work, which one chat can show you.

  • Pick DeepSeek V4 Pro: more messages for the money, up to 250 messages a month on Pro.

  • Pick Kimi K3: it reads images.

Each model's page, the families, and other pairs

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Kimi K3 is one pair of models. The page below covers the whole families.

Questions

Is DeepSeek V4 Pro or Kimi K3 cheaper in llmwise?

DeepSeek V4 Pro gets twice as many messages: up to 250 messages a month on Pro, against up to 125 messages a month for Kimi K3. Every paid plan's monthly allowance is shared by all models, so each count is the most you get if it all goes to that model.

Can I try DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 for free?

Yes: both are in the free trial of 5 messages.

Which has the bigger context window, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Kimi K3?

Neither: both take 1.05M tokens. A chat in llmwise holds up to 200k tokens, which fits in either, so the difference shows only through each maker's own API.

Can I use DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3 in the same chat?

Yes. Pick DeepSeek V4 Pro for one message and Kimi K3 for the next; the second sees the whole chat, including the first one's answer.

Which did better in your test runs, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Kimi K3?

On the same 50 prompts, run on September 27, 2026, DeepSeek V4 Pro passed 45 and Kimi K3 passed 46. The table on this page has each job, and every reply is published.

Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Kimi, and GLM, in one chat.

See what a message costs before you send it. Free is 5 messages to try; sign in with an email link, no password or card.