LLM APIs · Comparison
DeepSeek API vs Mistral AI API vs OpenAI API
3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | DeepSeek API | Mistral AI API | OpenAI API |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceA 1M-token-context model billed per token, with automatic cache hits at 98% off and half-price off-peak hours. | Worth the priceLow per-token prices on small open-weight models, with EU or US processing you can choose yourself and spending caps per workspace. | Saves engineering timeOne API key for OpenAI's GPT-6 models and hosted tools, priced per token with published batch, flex and caching discounts. |
| Overall score | 3.2 | 7.4Best | 7.1 |
| Free option | Paid only | Free plan | –Not measured |
| Card to start | –Not measured | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $0.30/1M input tokens | $0.10/1M input tokens | $0.10/1M input tokens |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| How you pay | Prepaid balance (PayPal, card, Alipay, WeChat Pay); top-ups do not expire | Prepaid pay-as-you-go credits, optional auto recharge | Prepaid credits ($5 minimum), expire after 1 year |
| Free option | None stated; a "granted balance" is mentioned with no amount | Free mode, no card; allowance not stated publicly | No free allowance stated |
| Reference scenario (100M in + 20M out tokens/mo) | $54 on deepseek-flash at peak ($27 off-peak), computed | $12 on ministral-3b-2512, computed | $20 on gpt-6-luna, computed |
| Batch, cache and other discounts | No batch API; cache hits 98% off (automatic); off-peak 50% off | Batch 50% off; cached input 90% off | Batch and Flex 50% off; cached input 90% off |
| Trained on API data | May be used, de-identified, unless you opt out | Unless you opt out (Free mode and paid) | No, unless you opt in |
| Default retention | No number of days ("as long as you have an account") | 30 rolling days for abuse monitoring | Abuse logs up to 30 days |
| Zero data retention | Not stated | By approval, pay-as-you-go, stateless endpoints only | By approval, through sales |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | Not stated | Both, stated in the help center | Both, covering the API |
| HIPAA BAA | Not stated | Not stated | Standard BAA accepted in the API Platform, if eligible |
| Data regions | No choice; processed and stored in the PRC | EU and US endpoints at +10% | 10 storage regions by approval; processing in US, EU, UAE |
| Official SDKs | None of its own; docs use the OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs | Python, TypeScript | Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java (beta), Go (beta), C#, Ruby |
| Console SSO | Not stated | SAML on the Enterprise plan | Custom/Enterprise billing plan |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, DeepSeek API has short, clear token prices, automatic 98%-off cache hits and half-price off-peak hours. Data is processed in China, training use is opt-out, and no compliance documents are stated. | From its public pages, the Mistral AI API has the lowest reference price in this comparison, EU or US endpoints you can pick yourself and spending caps. Training use is an opt-out, rate limits sit behind sign-in, and ZDR and SSO need approval or the Enterprise plan. | From its public pages, the OpenAI API has a complete per-token price list, published batch, flex and caching discounts, and audit reports that cover the API. Stricter data controls, residency and SSO go through sales, and a few docs pages lag behind the price list. |
Evidence: DeepSeek API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Mistral AI API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; OpenAI API: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our DeepSeek API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick DeepSeek API when
- You want a 1M-token context, cache hits at 98% off and both OpenAI- and Anthropic-format endpoints.
- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B), a 50% batch discount, EU or US regional endpoints and stated SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001.
From our DeepSeek API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick DeepSeek API when
- You want half-price off-peak hours without a separate tier, an Anthropic-format endpoint and a balance that does not expire.
- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($20 on GPT-6 Luna), API data kept out of training by default, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 reports and hard spend limits.
From our Mistral AI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B against $20 on GPT-6 Luna), a free mode with no card, and EU or US endpoints without a sales call.
- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want API data kept out of training by default, published rate limits, official SDKs in six languages and a HIPAA BAA path.
From our Mistral AI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You need a batch discount, spending limits, a DPA with the terms and EU or US processing; DeepSeek says data is stored in the PRC.
- Pick DeepSeek API when
- You want a 1M-token context on the low-cost model and off-peak rates at half price.
From our OpenAI API review
Checked Oct 15, 2026- Pick OpenAI API when
- You want API data kept out of training by default, published rate limits and a HIPAA BAA path.
- Pick Mistral AI API when
- You want a lower scenario price ($12 on Ministral 3 3B), a free mode with no card, and EU or US regional endpoints at +10%.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- DeepSeek APIdeepseek-flash$0.30/1M input tokens$1.20 per 1M output tokens at the peak rate; cache hits $0.006; off-peak rates are half
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
- 1M context, up to 384K output
- Tool calls, JSON output, vision
- Concurrency limit 2,500
- Mistral AI APIPro$14.99/moExcluding taxes; one plan across Vibe, Studio and API usage
- $25.5 /mo in API credits
- Chat and email support
- Usage beyond the plan at API rates
- OpenAI APIGPT-6 Luna$0.10/1M input tokens$0.50 per 1M output tokens; cached input $0.01, cache writes $0.125; prompts over 272K input tokens cost 2x input and 1.5x output
- 1,050,000-token context window
- Batch and Flex at 50% of standard rates
- Fast mode at 2x
- EU data residency at +10%
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: DeepSeek API 2026-10-15, Mistral AI API 2026-10-15, OpenAI API 2026-10-15.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- Mistral AI APISelf-serve sign-up, no card needed; the highest score of the 3 self-serve products here (7.4/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- Mistral AI APIFree plan, no card needed; scored 7.4/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Mistral AI API$0.10/1M input tokens for the Ministral 3 3B plan. DeepSeek API and OpenAI API list no comparable paid price.
- Highest overall score
- Mistral AI API7.4/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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