MiniMax-M3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
Which one to choose
Pick MiniMax M3 for agents that plan across very long inputs, where MiniMax Sparse Attention keeps long contexts workable. Pick DeepSeek V4 Pro for math, STEM and knowledge-heavy questions, for JSON output, and when you want to turn thinking off for routine calls. Both are open-weight text models with tool calling in this setup, so the decision is long-input agent planning against selectable reasoning depth and structured output.
Pricing comparison
| MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Model maker | MiniMax | DeepSeek |
| Delivery availability | Available | Available |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Max output | 512K | 384K |
| Official price | Input$0.30per 1M tokensOutput$1.20per 1M tokens | Input$0.66per 1M tokensOutput$1.98per 1M tokens |
| TokenLab price | — | — |
| Model performance | Collecting data |
|
| Capabilities | Prompt CacheTool use | JSON modePrompt CacheTool use |
Choose MiniMax-M3 when
- Your agent reads very long inputs, such as large codebases or document sets, and has to plan over them.
- You want a model built around task decomposition, tool invocation and multi-step reasoning.
- You compare M-series and V4 open-weight releases before choosing which to self-host.
Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro when
- You need responses in JSON that your code can parse directly.
- Your tasks are math, STEM or debugging problems that benefit from a max-effort thinking mode.
- You want the same model to answer simple prompts without thinking and hard ones with it.
How they differ
| Aspect | MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Long inputs | MiniMax Sparse Attention reduces per-token compute on very long inputs compared with the previous M generation. | Million-token class context in the V4 generation, with the heavier V4 Pro tuned for depth rather than speed. |
| Thinking control | Reasoning is part of the model, and long reasoning on long inputs makes requests slower than the highspeed M2.x models. | Thinking and non-thinking modes, with low, high and max effort in thinking mode. |
| Agent design | Targets autonomous task decomposition, tool invocation and multi-step reasoning. | Targets agentic coding, with native Responses API support for Codex-style agents. |
| Structured output | Tool calling is supported, but schema-checked JSON output is not listed. | Supports JSON output and tool calls. |
| Knowledge and reasoning | MiniMax focuses on coding, agentic work and long-context tasks. | DeepSeek says its world knowledge trails only Gemini 3.1 Pro and aims it at math and STEM. |
Summary
- MiniMax-M3: Input $0.30 / Output $1.20 per 1M tokens; DeepSeek V4 Pro: Input $0.66 / Output $1.98 per 1M tokens. Rates depend on the billing unit, specification, and usage. Compare matching conditions in the model's detailed pricing; a single rate does not determine the total cost.
- MiniMax-M3 supports 1.4x more output tokens
FAQ
Which is better for long-context agents, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
MiniMax M3 is designed around cheap compute on very long inputs and agent planning, so start there for long-context agents. DeepSeek V4 Pro gives you more reasoning depth when the task is hard rather than long.
Can MiniMax M3 return structured JSON?
Schema-checked JSON output is not part of its listing. If your code depends on parseable JSON, DeepSeek V4 Pro is the safer pick for that step.
Do they both take images?
Both are used here as text models. For image input, choose a model that lists vision support and keep these two for text and tool work.
Are both open weights?
Yes. MiniMax describes M3 as open-weight and DeepSeek V4 Pro has open weights, so both can later be self-hosted if you outgrow hosted use. Check each license first.
Which is cheaper, MiniMax-M3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
MiniMax-M3: Input $0.30 / Output $1.20 per 1M tokens; DeepSeek V4 Pro: Input $0.66 / Output $1.98 per 1M tokens. Rates depend on the billing unit, specification, and usage. Compare matching conditions in the model's detailed pricing; a single rate does not determine the total cost.
What are the key differences between MiniMax-M3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro?
DeepSeek V4 Pro: JSON mode
Sources
Reviewed Oct 2, 2026