Qwen vs DeepSeek: Pricing, Models & When to Use Each
Qwen and DeepSeek are the two Chinese model families teams most often weigh against each other. They price differently: several Qwen tiers on ATP charge by input-length band, while DeepSeek lists one flat rate per model with a cache-read discount. Below are both families side by side, a calculator that applies the right Qwen band to your request size, and guidance on where each tends to fit.
Qwen models on ATP
DeepSeek models on ATP
Lowest Qwen price
Lowest DeepSeek price
Models & prices
Every Qwen and DeepSeek model ATP serves today. Rates are USD per 1M tokens (USD 1 = 100 credits); the bar shows each model's output rate against the most expensive model on this page.
Qwen· Qwen (Alibaba)
Input $1.29 · Output $7.71 / 1M tokens
Input $2.50 · Output $7.50 / 1M tokens
Input $2.00 · Output $6.00 / 1M tokens
Input $0.276 · Output $1.651 / 1M tokens
Input $0.40 · Output $1.60 / 1M tokens
Input $0.165 · Output $0.99 / 1M tokens
Input $0.115 · Output $0.287 / 1M tokens
Input $0.03 · Output $0.13 / 1M tokens
DeepSeek· DeepSeek
Input $2.40 · Output $4.80 / 1M tokens
Input $0.57 · Output $1.71 / 1M tokens
Input $0.20 · Output $0.40 / 1M tokens
- Tiered: the band is chosen by each request's total input tokens and applies to the whole request. The row shows the lowest band; the calculator picks the band for your input size.
- —: not published by the vendor.
Same workload, every model
Set the traffic once; every model on this page is priced at its current ATP price. No discounts are assumed.
Workload
Applied only to models with a cache-read price.
Monthly cost at current prices
| Model | Per month |
|---|---|
Qwen 3.7 FlashQwen | $18.50Lowest on this page |
Qwen Plus CharacterQwen | $60.35 |
DeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeek | $100.00 |
Qwen 3.6 FlashQwen | $115.50 |
Qwen 3.6 PlusQwen | $192.95 |
Qwen 3.7 PlusQwen | $240.00 |
DeepSeek V3.2DeepSeek | $313.50 |
Qwen 3.6 MaxQwen | $901.50 |
Qwen 3.8 MaxQwen | $1,100.00 |
DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek | $1,200.00 |
Qwen 3.7 MaxQwen | $1,375.00 |
USD prices · estimate only · the cache share applies only to models with a cache-read price
Lowest on this page: Qwen 3.7 Flash $18.50
When to pick which
Where each family tends to fit, based on what the vendors document. Facts beyond our prices are cited under Sources.
Pick Qwen for
- Tool-driven and terminal agents that depend on strict tool-call formatting. Alibaba's launch materials for Qwen 3.6 Max report first place on its coding and agent suite, including SWE-bench Pro and Terminal-Bench 2.0 (vendor-reported).
- Chinese–English bilingual assistants and content pipelines — Alibaba reports measurable Chinese-language gains on the 3.6 Max release.
- Very short, very frequent requests: the Flash tiers' lowest input band is priced for small prompts, so routing and tagging calls stay cheap.
- Teams that want a three-tier ladder from one vendor — Max for depth, Plus for everyday work, Flash for volume — under one model naming scheme.
Pick DeepSeek for
- Long prompts at a flat rate. DeepSeek V4 lists one price regardless of request length, and both V4 models document a 1M-token context — no surcharge band to plan around.
- Reasoning-heavy coding and analysis: V4 Pro runs thinking mode by default, switchable off per request, with up to 384K output.
- Repeated-prefix workloads — shared system prompts, RAG templates — where DeepSeek's cache-read rate cuts input cost on hits.
- Pipelines that need image input on a budget: ATP's catalog lists vision on both V4 models, while the Qwen text tiers here are text-in.
Use both under one key
You rarely have to choose just one. On ATP both families sit behind one endpoint and one project key — so you can route each task to the model that fits and still keep one budget, one allowlist and one log.
- One project key — spend and revocation bound to one project
- Model allowlist — only the ids you enable can be called; others return 403
- Project budget — credits are allocated down org → workspace → project, so the allocation is the cap
- Per-request logs and one bill — model, key, project and credits for every call, across both vendors
from openai import OpenAI
# one project key; both ids must be on the project's allowlist
client = OpenAI(base_url="https://api.atptoken.ai/v1", api_key="atp-•••")
def ask(model, prompt):
r = client.chat.completions.create(
model=model, messages=[{"role": "user", "content": prompt}]
)
return r.choices[0].message.content
draft = ask("qwen-3-7-flash", "Summarize this ticket…")
final = ask("deepseek-v4-pro", "Review: " + draft)
# both calls: same log, same credit balance, same budgetOrganization Northwind Labs · 9,842 credits Workspace Product 62% support-bot models: qwen-3-7-flash, deepseek-v4-pro 38% web-app models: gpt-5.5, deepseek-v4-flash Workspace Media lab 100% video-lab limit reached models: seedance-2-0, kling-v3-pro
Questions teams ask
FAQ
- Which is cheaper, Qwen or DeepSeek?
- At ATP prices (USD per 1M tokens), Qwen runs from $0.03 / $0.13 on qwen-3-7-flash to $1.29 / $7.71 on qwen-3-6-max; DeepSeek runs from $0.20 / $0.40 on deepseek-v4-flash to $2.40 / $4.80 on deepseek-v4-pro. Which one costs less for you depends on your input/output mix and which tier you need — the calculator on this page prices the same workload on every model.
- How does Qwen's tiered pricing work on ATP?
- For Qwen models with input bands, the band is chosen by each request's total input tokens (cached tokens included) and applies to that whole request, output included. Short requests stay in the lowest band; very long ones move to a higher rate. The calculator here picks the band from the input size you enter.
- Which has the longer context window, Qwen or DeepSeek?
- Documented context windows — Qwen: no primary source on file. DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Pro 1M, DeepSeek V4 Flash 1M. —: not published by the vendor.
- Can I use Qwen and DeepSeek with one API key?
- Yes. On ATP both families sit behind the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint (https://api.atptoken.ai/v1), and Anthropic-format clients can use /v1/messages. One project key calls any model on that project's allowlist; every request lands in the same per-request log and debits the same credit balance.
- How do I keep a team on the models we approved?
- Use the project's model allowlist: enable only the model ids you approved, and calls to any other id are refused with 403. Give the project its own credit allocation so the budget is the ceiling, and review spend per model in the per-request logs.
Where the claims come from
Rates, capabilities and context on this page come from the ATP model catalog. Other claims cite the sources below.
Other comparisons
- textDeepSeek vs ClaudeVolume-priced V4 vs Anthropic's Haiku-to-Fable lineup — rates, context, same-workload cost.
- textGemini vs GPTGoogle's Pro / Flash / Flash-Lite vs OpenAI's GPT-5.4 to 5.6 tiers — rates, context, same-workload cost.
- textKimi vs ClaudeMoonshot's open-weight K2 line and K3 vs Claude — agent swarms, coding specialists, rates and cost.
- videoKling vs SeedanceSame prompts, real outputs side by side — plus per-second rates for every Kling and Seedance tier.
Keep reading
Try both on one key — start with USD 5.
Issue a project key, allowlist the models you want to test, and compare them on your own traffic.