What is the difference between DeepSeek and Fireworks AI?

DeepSeek and Fireworks AI are both cloud GPU providers offering different pricing models, features, and GPU availability. Use our comparison tool to see real-time pricing and feature differences.

Which is cheaper: DeepSeek or Fireworks AI?

Pricing varies by GPU model and usage requirements. Check our real-time comparison table to find the best deals for your specific needs.

Can I switch between DeepSeek and Fireworks AI?

Yes, both providers offer flexible cloud GPU services. However, consider factors like data transfer costs, setup time, and specific features when switching between providers.

DeepSeek vs Fireworks AI

Compare LLM inference API pricing between DeepSeek and Fireworks AI. Find the best rates for AI training, inference, and ML workloads.

DeepSeek

Provider 1

Models Available

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Fireworks AI

Provider 2

Models Available

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Comparison Overview

Total LLM Models

DeepSeek Models

Fireworks AI Models

Direct Comparisons

LLM API Pricing Comparison

Total models: 9Both available: 1DeepSeek: 2Fireworks AI: 8

Showing 9 of 9 models

Prices per 1M tokens · Last updated: 10/24/2026, 11:31:26 PM

Model ↑	DeepSeek	Fireworks AI	Input Diff ↕
DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek	$1.32 in $3.96 out	Not available	—
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash DeepSeek	$0.300 in $1.20 out	$0.300 in $1.20 out	$0.0000
GLM-5.3 Z.ai	Not available	$1.40 in $4.40 out	—
GLM-5.3-Flash Z.ai	Not available	$0.150 in $0.500 out	—
Inkling Thinking Machines Lab	Not available	$1.00 in $4.05 out	—
Kimi K3 Moonshot AI	Not available	$3.00 in $15.00 out	—
MiniMax-M3.1-Flash MiniMax	Not available	$0.150 in $0.600 out	—
Muse Spark Open Meta	Not available	$1.25 in $4.25 out	—
Qwen 3.8 Max Alibaba	Not available	$2.00 in $6.00 out	—

Features Comparison

DeepSeek

OpenAI and Anthropic formats
The same models are served on an OpenAI-compatible base URL and an Anthropic-compatible one
Thinking mode
Models support thinking and non-thinking modes selected per request
Context caching
Repeated prompt prefixes are billed at a cache-hit rate well below the cache-miss input rate
Off-peak pricing
Rates are halved outside the published weekday peak hours and on weekends
JSON output and tool calls
Structured JSON output, tool calling, chat prefix completion and FIM completion (beta)

Fireworks AI

100+ Open-Source Models
Text, vision, audio, image, and embedding models, including recent releases such as Kimi K3, GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4, MiniMax M3, and Qwen3.7 Plus
Blazing Fast Inference
Industry-leading throughput and latency with fast inference engine
Fine-Tuning Suite
SFT, DPO, and reinforcement fine-tuning of models up to 1T+ parameters, from guided runs through writing your own trainer and RL loop
OpenAI- and Anthropic-Compatible API
Drop-in replacement for closed-model APIs - change the base URL to migrate, with the same SFT data format for fine-tuning
On-Demand GPUs
H100, H200, B200, B300, and GB300 deployments with per-second billing and autoscaling
Batch Processing
Async bulk inference jobs run at scale for less than standard serverless requests

Pros & Cons

DeepSeek

Advantages

First-party rates for DeepSeek's own models
Cache-hit input billed at a fraction of the cache-miss rate
Off-peak hours cut every rate in half
Compatible with OpenAI and Anthropic client libraries

Considerations

Only DeepSeek's own models are offered
Rates depend on time of day, which complicates cost forecasting
Per-account concurrency limits apply

Fireworks AI

Advantages

Lightning-fast inference with industry-leading response times
Easy-to-use API with OpenAI and Anthropic compatibility
Wide variety of optimized open-source models
Discounted pricing for cached tokens and batch inference

Considerations

Limited capacity with some serverless model limits
Primarily focused on language models over image/video generation
BYOC only available for major enterprise customers

Compute Services

DeepSeek

Fireworks AI

Pricing Options

DeepSeek

Per token, peak

Cache-hit input, cache-miss input and output billed per 1M tokens during weekday peak hours

Per token, off-peak

Half the peak rates at all other times

Fireworks AI

Serverless Inference

Pay-per-token pricing across Standard, Priority, and Fast serverless tiers with postpaid billing and no cold starts

Cached tokens

Cached input tokens billed at a reduced rate on supported models

Batch processing

Async bulk inference billed at a discount to standard serverless requests

Embeddings

Embedding models billed per 1M input tokens, tiered by model parameter count

Fine Tuning

Supervised and preference fine tuning billed per 1M training tokens with LoRA or full-parameter options; reinforcement fine tuning billed per GPU hour

Serverless Training API

Shared always-on trainer pool for LoRA training with no provisioning or idle cost, billed per token prefilled, sampled, and trained

On-demand GPUs

Per-second billing for H100, H200, B200, B300, and GB300 GPU deployments with no start-up charges; region-restricted deployments in the US or Europe are priced at 1.25x the standard rate

Reserved capacity

Guaranteed capacity with higher rate limits and earliest access to new hardware, arranged through sales

Getting Started

DeepSeek

Get Started

1
Create an account
Sign up on the DeepSeek Platform and top up a balance
2
Create an API key
Generate a key in the platform's API keys page
3
Call the API
Point an OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible client at api.deepseek.com

Fireworks AI

Get Started

1
Explore Model Library
Browse 100+ models at fireworks.ai/models
2
Test in Playground
Experiment with prompts interactively without coding
3
Generate API Key
Create an API key from user settings in your account
4
Make first API call
Use OpenAI-compatible endpoints or Fireworks SDK
5
Scale to production
Transition to on-demand GPU deployments for production workloads

Support & Global Availability

DeepSeek

Support

Documentation, API status page, and FAQ

Fireworks AI

Global Regions

18+ global regions across 8 cloud providers with multi-region deployments and BYOC support for enterprise

Support

Documentation, Discord community, status page, email support, and dedicated enterprise support with SLAs