Can I run DeepSeek V3 or Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b cheaper on another provider?

Some models are available on inference providers like Together AI, Groq, and Fireworks AI at lower prices. Check each model's pricing page for the full provider comparison.

What is the context window difference between DeepSeek V3 and Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b?

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b has a larger context window at 131K tokens vs 131K. This matters for long documents, large codebases, and extended conversation histories.

Compare

DeepSeek V3 vs Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

Pricing is only the shared seller matrix below. Best rates and catalog map are separate sections, so no chart is embedded in pricing. Open the calculator for the same workload on each side.

Deepseek

Model

DeepSeek V3

Tool calling

Best $0.200 in · $0.200 out

Context window 131K

Pricing

AlibabaDeepSeek R1

Model

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

Best $0.100 in · $0.100 out

Context window 131K

Pricing

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b is cheaper across the board — 64% cheaper on input and 76% cheaper on output.

Estimate cost

Pricing matrix

Shared sellers only. Each row is a host that lists both models. Dollar amounts are per 1M tokens. Lowest in each pair of columns is emphasized.

Provider	DeepSeek V3 in	DeepSeek V3 out	Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b in	Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b out
Azure	$1.14	$4.56	N/A	N/A
DeepInfra	$0.380	$0.890	N/A	N/A
Deepseek	$0.280	$0.420	N/A	N/A
Fireworks AI	$0.900	$0.900	$0.100	$0.100
Hyperbolic	$0.200	$0.200	N/A	N/A
Nebius	$0.500	$1.50	N/A	N/A
Novita	$0.400	$1.30	N/A	N/A
Openrouter	$0.320	$0.890	N/A	N/A
Replicate	$1.45	$1.45	N/A	N/A
Together AI	$1.25	$1.25	N/A	N/A
Vercel Ai Gateway	$0.900	$0.900	N/A	N/A

Best listed rates (this pair)

Same "best row in current pricing" logic as model pages: a compact view of the lowest input and output we show for each side. This is not the seller matrix.

Catalog map · Deepseek · Alibaba

Each chart uses real catalog rows that include both list input and list output ($/1M). Larger green dots are the models on this comparison page; accent dots are other active models from that provider.

Deepseek · input vs output

Scatter chart: X = input $/M, Y = output $/M. This page's models are labeled on the green dots; hover others for detail.

ListedoutputUSD/1M

One dot per catalog row that has both list prices. Green dots are labeled with the models on this page; hover any dot for name and prices. Upper-right means higher cost on both axes ($/1M).

Alibaba · input vs output

ListedoutputUSD/1M

One dot per catalog row that has both list prices. Green dots are labeled with the models on this page; hover any dot for name and prices. Upper-right means higher cost on both axes ($/1M).

Specifications

Each column header is the full model name. Tint marks the favorable value where we compute a winner.

Spec

DeepSeek V3

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

Context window: 131,072 tokens; 131,072 tokens
Max output tokens: 8,192 tokens; 131,072 tokens
Vision: No; No
Function calling: Yes; No
Streaming: No; No
Release date: Dec 2024; N/A

Cost calculator

Same requests, input tokens, and output tokens for both columns. Pick the provider row that matches how you buy.

DeepSeek V3

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

Requests / day

Input tokens

Output tokens

DeepSeek V3

Monthly

$230

Annual

$2.8K

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

Monthly

$45

Annual

$548

Save $185/month with Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b

When to pick which

Short takeaways: no cards, just the points. Validate with your own workloads.

High-volume text generation
Use Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b. Output tokens are 76% cheaper, which compounds significantly at scale.
Long output (reports, code files)
Use Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b. Its 131K max output limit reduces the need to split requests.

Frequently asked questions

Deepseek R1 Distill Qwen 1p5b is cheaper on both input and output tokens.

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