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Model comparison

DeepSeek V3 vs GPT-5.4 nano

Data verified

Head-to-head evidence from 17 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.

DeepSeek
44.97/100
Margin
21.8pts
winning →
66.79/100
1 category wins1 category wins

Public leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V3 #147 (Supported); GPT-5.4 nano #25 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.

Evidence parity. DeepSeek V3 and GPT-5.4 nano share 17 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 5 results are unique to DeepSeek V3; 12 to GPT-5.4 nano.

Updated July 23, 2026
Shared results
17
DeepSeek V3 only
5
GPT-5.4 nano only
12
Comparable categories
2 / 8

Pick GPT-5.4 nano if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.

Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 17 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.

Why this result

GPT-5.4 nano is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 66.79 to 44.97. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

GPT-5.4 nano's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 21 against 1.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 1.724% to 25.860%. DeepSeek V3 does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.

GPT-5.4 nano is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.20 input / $1.25 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.27 input / $1.10 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V3. GPT-5.4 nano is the reasoning model in the pair, while DeepSeek V3 is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. GPT-5.4 nano gives you the larger context window at 400K, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.

Category breakdown

Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.

Category scores and score margins for DeepSeek V3 and GPT-5.4 nano
CategoryDeepSeek V3ΔGPT-5.4 nano
KnowledgeDeepSeek V372.7Margin 28.9GPT-5.4 nano43.8
MathDeepSeek V31.7Margin 19.3GPT-5.4 nano21.0
AgenticDeepSeek V3Not measuredMarginNo overlapGPT-5.4 nano42.9
CodingDeepSeek V338.9MarginNo overlapGPT-5.4 nanoNot measured
MultimodalDeepSeek V3Not measuredMarginNo overlapGPT-5.4 nano66.1
Inst. FollowingDeepSeek V386.1MarginNo overlapGPT-5.4 nanoNot measured

Decisive benchmark drivers

The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.

More
A · DeepSeek V3B · GPT-5.4 nano
  1. FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)

    Math
    Source ↗
    A 1.724%B 25.860%
    Winner: GPT-5.4 nanoΔ 24.1
    FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): DeepSeek V3 scored 1.724%; GPT-5.4 nano scored 25.860%. GPT-5.4 nano wins this benchmark.
  2. GPQA

    Knowledge
    Source ↗
    A 59.1%B 82.8%
    Winner: GPT-5.4 nanoΔ 23.7
    GPQA: DeepSeek V3 scored 59.1%; GPT-5.4 nano scored 82.8%. GPT-5.4 nano wins this benchmark.

Operational comparison

Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.

MetricDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoComparison
Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokensDeepSeek V3$0.27 input / $1.1 outputGPT-5.4 nano$0.2 input / $1.25 outputDeepSeek V3 has the lower combined listed price.
Generation speedtokens per secondDeepSeek V3Not availableGPT-5.4 nano191 tok/sA complete speed comparison is not available.
First-answer latencyseconds to first tokenDeepSeek V3Not availableGPT-5.4 nano3.64 sA complete latency comparison is not available.
Context windowmaximum listed tokensDeepSeek V3128KGPT-5.4 nano400KGPT-5.4 nano lists the larger context window.

Benchmark Deep Dive

Agentic
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
AA Agentic IndexSource 1.6%27.5%GPT-5.4 nano leads
τ²-bench resultsSource 22.8%76%GPT-5.4 nano leads
GDPval-AASource 0.0%30.0%GPT-5.4 nano leads
GDPval-AASource 2171100GPT-5.4 nano leads
Terminal-Bench 2.0Source 46.3%Not comparable
OSWorld-VerifiedSource 39%Not comparable
MCP AtlasSource 56.1%Not comparable
ToolathlonSource 35.5%Not comparable
APEX-Agents-AASource 24.9%Not comparable
Coding
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
LiveCodeBenchSource 37.6%Not comparable
SWE-bench VerifiedSource 42%Not comparable
AA Coding IndexSource 23.0%56.1%GPT-5.4 nano leads
AA-SciCodeSource 35.4%46.9%GPT-5.4 nano leads
Vibe Code BenchSource 26.10%Not comparable
Reasoning
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
AA-LCRSource 29.0%66.0%GPT-5.4 nano leads
CritPtSource 0.0%9.3%GPT-5.4 nano leads
KnowledgeDeepSeek V3 wins
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
GPQASource 59.1%82.8%GPT-5.4 nano leads
MMLU-ProSource 75.9%Not comparable
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource 14.2%38.2%GPT-5.4 nano leads
AA-GPQA DiamondSource 55.7%81.7%GPT-5.4 nano leads
AA-HLESource 3.6%26.5%GPT-5.4 nano leads
AA-Omniscience IndexSource -41.3%-29.5%GPT-5.4 nano leads
AA-Omniscience AccuracySource 25.4%25.4%Tie
AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource 89.4%73.6%GPT-5.4 nano leads
HLESource 37.7%Not comparable
HLE w/o toolsSource 24.3%Not comparable
MathGPT-5.4 nano wins
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source 1.724%25.860%GPT-5.4 nano leads
FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)Source 6.250%Not comparable
Multimodal
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
Design Arena WebsiteSource 1150Not comparable
MMMU-ProSource 66.1%Not comparable
MMMU-Pro w/ PythonSource 69.5%Not comparable
AA-MMMU-ProSource 65.4%Not comparable
Inst. Following
BenchmarkDeepSeek V3GPT-5.4 nanoResult
IFEvalSource 86.1%Not comparable
AA-IFBenchSource 34.8%75.9%GPT-5.4 nano leads
Frequently Asked Questions (3)

Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-5.4 nano?

GPT-5.4 nano is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 66.79 to 44.97. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 1.724% and 25.860%.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-5.4 nano?

DeepSeek V3 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.7 versus 43.8. Inside this category, AA-GPQA Diamond is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for math, DeepSeek V3 or GPT-5.4 nano?

GPT-5.4 nano has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 21 versus 1.7. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Self-host vs API cost

Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.

DeepSeek V3
API / mo$1,028
Self-host / mo$18,221
Break-even1.2B/day
GPT-5.4 nano
API / mo$1,088
Self-host / moNot listed
Break-even
Proprietary model — self-hosting not applicable.
Model the full break-even

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Last updated: July 23, 2026

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