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Together AI vs DeepSeek

DeepSeek serves its own MIT-licensed models at low first-party prices, hosted in China. Together serves DeepSeek V4 alongside dozens of other open models, with training and dedicated capacity.

By The Subconscious Team · Updated

Together AI vs DeepSeek: key differences

DeepSeek is a lab with a two-model API: V4.1 Flash at $0.30 in and $1.20 out at peak, V4 Pro at $1.32 in and $3.96 out, both with 1M context and 384K output. Off-peak hours cost exactly half, and cache hits run a few cents per million or less. Together is a host rather than a lab, and DeepSeek V4 is one entry in a catalog that also includes Kimi K3, GLM 5.2, Qwen 3.8 and MiniMax M3. DeepSeek notes that most hosts serve its weights, often below its own list.

The hard constraint is data location. DeepSeek stores hosted API data in China, which stops many enterprises before price enters the conversation. DeepSeek also retires and reprices models often; the August 2026 change more than doubled V4 Flash output off-peak. Together adds what a lab API lacks: fine-tuning, dedicated deployments with rollout controls and GPU clusters. For cost-sensitive jobs that can shift into off-peak windows and where China hosting is acceptable, go direct. For enterprise traffic or multi-model setups, Together is the safer route to the same weights.

What Together AI and DeepSeek do

Together AI

Together AI is the broadest open-model platform in the category. One bill covers per-token serverless inference, batch at up to 50% off, provisioned throughput with a 99% SLA, dedicated deployments, raw GPU clusters, managed fine-tuning and code sandboxes for agents. The text catalog runs past thirty open models, including DeepSeek V4, Kimi K3, GLM 5.2, Qwen 3.8 and MiniMax M3, plus image, video, speech and embedding models. Token prices sit at parity with Fireworks and Baseten.

Example models: Kimi K3, DeepSeek V4 Pro

Full Together AI profile

DeepSeek

DeepSeek is the Chinese lab whose open-weight models reset price expectations for the whole market. Its API now serves two models, both with 1M context and 384K max output. V4.1 Flash shipped September 10, 2026 with built-in image understanding at $0.30 in and $1.20 out at peak. V4 Pro, generally available since August 13, costs $1.32 in and $3.96 out at peak. Cache hits cost a few cents per million or less, and the weights ship on Hugging Face under an MIT license.

Example models: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, DeepSeek V4 Pro

Full DeepSeek profile

Should you choose Together AI or DeepSeek?

Together AI

Choose Together AI for

  • DeepSeek weights without the China-hosted first-party API
  • Switching between DeepSeek, Kimi and GLM on one key
  • Fine-tuning DeepSeek on proprietary data

DeepSeek

Choose DeepSeek for

  • Batch work scheduled into half-price off-peak hours
  • Agents rereading long prefixes with very cheap cache hits
  • First-party access to new DeepSeek releases

Together AI vs DeepSeek at a glance

AttributeTogether AIDeepSeek
Model accessOpen weightsOpen weights (MIT)
Flagship modelsKimi K3, DeepSeek V4, GLM 5.2, Qwen 3.8DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, V4 Pro
Speed0.99s TTFT on DeepSeek V4 Pro~35 tok/s on V4 Pro
PriceParity with Fireworks and BasetenOff-peak hours at half price
CustomizationLoRA and full SFT; RL in betaOpen weights to fine-tune
DeploymentServerless, dedicated, GPU clustersFirst-party API, Hugging Face weights
Long context512K on DeepSeek V4 Pro1M, 384K max output

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Together AI and DeepSeek?

DeepSeek serves its own MIT-licensed models at low first-party prices, hosted in China. Together serves DeepSeek V4 alongside dozens of other open models, with training and dedicated capacity.

When should I choose Together AI over DeepSeek?

DeepSeek weights without the China-hosted first-party API; Switching between DeepSeek, Kimi and GLM on one key; Fine-tuning DeepSeek on proprietary data.

When should I choose DeepSeek over Together AI?

Batch work scheduled into half-price off-peak hours; Agents rereading long prefixes with very cheap cache hits; First-party access to new DeepSeek releases.

Is Together AI or DeepSeek cheaper?

Together AI: Parity with Fireworks and Baseten. DeepSeek: Off-peak hours at half price. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

Which has more context, Together AI or DeepSeek?

Together AI: 512K on DeepSeek V4 Pro. DeepSeek: 1M, 384K max output.

Related comparisons

Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.

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