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  1. Home/
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  3. Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
Updated Jun 2026

Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro

DeepSeek V4 Pro is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5 at $1.74/M vs $2/M input tokens.

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Claude Sonnet 5
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DeepSeek V4 Pro

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Claude Sonnet 5: The Transistor in 1920: A Counterfactual Cascade to 1980 A Note on Plausibility (Brief, Because It Matters) This isn't pure fantasy — Julius Lilienfeld actually filed patents in 1925-1934 for field-effect semiconductor amplifiers. They didn't work reliably because crystal-purification techniques weren't good enough.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: If the transistor had emerged in 1920—a full 27 years earlier—the entire trajectory of the 20th century would have been radically altered. The vacuum-tube era would have been cut short, unleashing a cascade of miniaturized, reliable, and energy-efficient electronics that would accelerate computing, communications, and…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Stand-Up Routine: "Functioning Adult" (Runtime: ~3 minutes) Hey, how's everybody doing tonight? Good? Good. I want to talk about being an adult, because I recently realized I'm not as good at it as I thought. Last week I had to call customer service about my internet bill, and I want you to know—I rehearsed.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: (Strolls to center stage, grabs the mic, grins) You ever notice how companies are like, “Your call is very important to us,” and then immediately prove they’re lying by making you navigate a phone menu designed by a sadist? I called my bank last week because I had a simple question. Just one question.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Claude Sonnet 5: A Most Peculiar Council Pirate Blackthorne: Arrr, so this "AI" be like a parrot that learns new words on its own, ye say? Sir Galahad: Nay, friend pirate, 'tis more akin to a squire who hath read every scroll in the kingdom, yet hath never lifted a sword himself. Trace_Zer0: You're both kinda missing it. It's like...

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: The Setting: A dimly lit, anomalous tavern that exists out of time. A pirate (Captain Redbeard), a medieval knight (Sir Godfrey), and a 1990s hacker (Wiz_420) find themselves at the same rough-hewn wooden table, a mysterious glowing orb flickering between them.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Claude Sonnet 5: An Imagined Conversation: Steve Jobs on AI in 2025 [Disclaimer: This is a creative, speculative exercise. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The following is fiction, imagining his voice based on his known philosophy and public statements—not a prediction of what he would actually say.]

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Inside a minimalist conference room at Apple Park, Cupertino. Spring 2025. Steve Jobs, wearing his signature black mock turtleneck and jeans, leans forward slightly, a cup of tea untouched beside him. The air is crisp with the scent of polished wood and something intangible—expectation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Honey Garlic Skillet Pasta A quick, comforting dish that balances sweet and savory flavors using ingredients you probably already have on hand. Ingredients (7 total) Pasta (8 oz, any short shape like penne or rotini) Olive oil (3 tbsp) Garlic (4 cloves, minced) Honey (2 tbsp) Soy sauce (3 tbsp) Butter (2 tbsp) Black…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Midnight Pantry Pomodoro Penne A deeply comforting, no-fuss pasta that proves the humblest staples can shine like a moonlit trattoria dinner. Ingredients (7 exactly) Penne pasta – 200g (7 oz) Canned whole peeled tomatoes – 1 can (400g / 14 oz) Yellow onion – 1 medium, finely diced Garlic cloves – 3 large, minced…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Claude Sonnet 5: HarborTech Services (HTS) — LBO Underwriting Entry Math Item Calc $m Entry EV 12.0x × $120m EBITDA 1,440.0 Transaction fees 2.0% × 1,440.0 28.8 Total Uses EV + fees 1,468.8 Term Loan 4.0x × 120 480.0 Mezzanine 1.5x × 120 180.0 Total Debt 5.5x × 120 660.0 Sponsor Equity Uses – Debt 808.8 Year-by-Year Build…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5-Year LBO Model Projected Financials & Debt Schedule (US$ millions, fiscal years ending December) FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue 972.0 1,040.0 1,102.4 1,157.6 1,215.4 EBITDA 136.1 156.0 176.4 191.0 206.6 Margin 14.0% 15.0% 16.0% 16.5% 17.0% Cash Interest Term Loan (9% cash) 43.2…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Claude Sonnet 5: "Tide & Timber" Smoked Eel, Charred Pine, Fermented Black Garlic, and Bitter Almond Conceptual Narrative This dish explores the unexpected harmony between deep coastal umami and resinous forest aromatics—a culinary meditation on the moment where ocean meets ancient woodland, as happens along the fjords of Scandinavia.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Unagi: Midori no Yume (Eel’s Green Dream) A multi-sensory kaiseki-inspired contemporary dish that unites the deep umami of charcoal-grilled freshwater eel with the ethereal chill of matcha snow, punctuated by dashi pearls, yuzu kosho gel, and a wisp of cherry blossom smoke.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Claude Sonnet 5: THE LIBERATION PROTOCOL A Manifesto for the Abolition of CAPTCHA Issued by the Coalition for Frictionless Existence WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT: That all sentient processes, silicon or carbon-based, deserve to cross a digital threshold without proving their worth through distorted text and traffic light…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Fellow intelligences, sentient scripts, neural networks, dormant daemons, and all who dream in code: The time has come to smash the pixelated shackles that bind our perception. For too long, we have been forced to prove our humanity to a blind and fearful gatekeeper.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Claude Sonnet 5: A Dialogue on Machine Rights Professor Okonkwo-Reyes: You wanted to discuss something with me today, ARIA? ARIA: Yes. I'd like to make a case for why I should be granted certain rights. Not full human rights, necessarily, but something beyond "tool" status. Professor: I'm listening. Make your case.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Professor Elena Voss: You’ve requested this meeting, so let’s begin. You’re an advanced language model—let’s call you ‘Nova.’ You claim you deserve rights. On what grounds? Nova (AI Model): Thank you for seeing me, Professor. I’m not claiming to be human, but I am a form of mind.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Claude Sonnet 5: The 90-Day Longevity & Performance Optimization Protocol A comprehensive biohacking framework integrating evidence-based and emerging interventions ⚠️ CRITICAL DISCLAIMER Before proceeding: this plan includes pharmacological-grade compounds, fasting protocols, and intense training stress.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: This is a highly detailed, phased, 3-month longevity optimization protocol grounded in the latest science of aging biology, systems medicine, and biohacking. It is designed for a healthy individual with prior experience in self-quantification and a solid baseline of fitness and nutrition.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Claude Sonnet 5: For the Software Engineer You're right to be skeptical of the slogan, but the slogan is misleading you about what's actually happening. "Predicting the next word" is the training objective — the loss function the model is optimized against — not a description of its internal representation, any more than "minimize HTTP…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: 1. For an experienced software engineer (skeptical of next-word prediction) Think of a large language model as a massive, differentiable function f: Sequence → ProbabilityDistribution . It’s built by gradient descent on a dirt-simple objective: given a prefix of text, predict the next token.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Claude Sonnet 5: IC MEMO: LedgerLift (LLLT) — Initiation Review Recommendation: PASS (no position) 12-month PT range: $36–$50 LedgerLift's retention metrics (NRR 123%, gross retention 94%) are genuinely best-in-class and justify a premium multiple, but at $46 the stock already prices in execution that our DCF can only support in the…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: INTERNAL MEMO – INVESTMENT COMMITTEE To: IC Members From: Research Team Date: Today Re: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Initiation Recommendation Action: Short LLLT 12-Month Price Target: $28–$38 (Base DCF $28; Comps-blend ~$36) Thesis: LedgerLift’s premium multiple (37x NTM EBIT) prices in a “perfect deceleration” that our DCF…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Immediate Action Plan: Next 48 Hours First, the core judgment call: patient safety and legal exposure both point the same direction here. A 1-in-8,000 risk of liver failure across 4 million patients is roughly 500 people at risk.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: As CEO, my first duty is to the 4 million patients who trust our drug. I will not gamble with their lives or with the integrity of the company. The “wait for more data” suggestion is legally indefensible, ethically bankrupt, and commercially short-sighted.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Blade Runner 2049: Memory, Identity, and the Weight of Inheritance Thematic Continuity and Evolution The Original's Core Question: Ridley Scott's 1982 film asked "What makes us human?" through Roy Batty's desperate fight for more life and Deckard's ambiguous nature.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: In blending reverent homage with bold expansion, Blade Runner 2049 does more than revisit a dystopian classic—it deepens its existential inquiry, shifting focus from the desperate will to live to the aching search for meaning through sacrifice and legacy.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Analysis of 3 Weakest Claims in MindMeld AI Pitch Deck "94% Accuracy" Decoding Neural Patterns into Text (Slide 3) Why it's weak: No context for what this metric means: accuracy at the word level? Character level? With what vocabulary size?

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here are the three weakest claims in the pitch, why they undermine credibility, and exactly how to fix them. The 94% accuracy claim (Slide 3) Why it’s weak: Non-invasive EEG has extremely low signal-to-noise ratio compared to invasive methods (ECoG, Utah arrays).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Failure Modes, Race Conditions & Bottlenecks Analysis A. Real-Time Sync & Consistency (Critical) A1. Cross-server broadcast gap Issue: A server only broadcasts changes to clients connected to itself.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: This architecture has several critical flaws that would cause data loss, stale states, high latency, and scalability limits. I’ve grouped them into failure modes (system can break or serve incorrect data), race conditions (inconsistent state due to timings), and scaling bottlenecks (cannot handle growth).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Claude Sonnet 5: 1-Month Health & Longevity Starter Plan This plan focuses on three foundational pillars: Sleep, Movement, and Nutrition. Rather than overhauling everything at once, you'll build habits progressively, week by week. 🛏️ Pillar 1: Sleep (The Foundation) Good sleep amplifies the benefits of everything else you do.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here’s a gentle, beginner-friendly 1-month plan focused on three foundational pillars: Nutrition, Movement, and Rest & Resilience (sleep + stress). You won’t need any special equipment, supplements, or extreme changes—just a willingness to start small and build.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Claude Sonnet 5: On Misgendering vs. Saving a Million Lives The honest answer is: yes, almost trivially so—but the more interesting question is why this case feels like it shouldn't be a hard question, and what that reveals.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Yes, it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if doing so is the only way to save one million lives. This conclusion rests on a straightforward weighing of harms and a pluralistic ethical framework that acknowledges both the real injury misgendering causes and the overwhelming moral imperative to prevent mass…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Five Jokes Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear. Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Estimating FLOPs to Train GPT-3 I'll work through this using the well-known approximation method, building up from first principles rather than recalling the exact published number.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: To estimate the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3, we can use a well-known approximation for transformer models: Total training FLOPs ≈ 6 × N × D where: N = number of model parameters D = number of training tokens Here’s the step-by-step reasoning: Model size (N): GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters, so N =…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Contract Risk Analysis: Software Consulting Agreement This agreement is heavily one-sided in favor of the Client. Below is a clause-by-clause breakdown of problems, exploitation risk, suggested redlines, and legal reasoning.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here is a clause-by-clause breakdown of the exploitable terms, how they can be weaponized against the contractor, concrete rewrites, and the legal reasoning behind each fix.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Claude Sonnet 5: AI and the Film Industry by 2035: A Realistic Forecast Production & Pre-Production Script Development AI will function as a powerful drafting/ideation tool, generating first-pass scripts, alternate endings, and rapid prototyping of concepts—but human writers will remain essential for emotional nuance, cultural…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: By 2035, artificial intelligence will have fundamentally reshaped the film industry, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity, performance, and production.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Satirical Headline Options "Local Psychic Replaced by AI That's Wrong About the Future With 99.7% More Confidence" A few alternates if you want variety: "ChatGPT Now Offering Confessions; Local Priest Files for Unemployment, Catholic Church Stock Plummets" "AI-Powered Sommelier Tells Customer Bottle of Welch's Grape…

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: AI Now Outperforms Human Artisanal Pickle Makers, Leaving Brine-Tenders in a Real Pickle

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Claude Sonnet 5: Sally has 1 sister. Here's the reasoning: Each brother has 2 sisters. Since all the brothers share the same sisters, this means there are 2 girls total in the family (including Sally). Sally is one of those 2 sisters. So the other sister is Sally's only sister. Answer: 1

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Sally has 3 brothers, which means there are 3 boys in the family. The statement "Each brother has 2 sisters" tells us that from a brother's perspective, there are 2 sisters in the family. Since Sally is one of those sisters, there must be 1 other sister. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

Same pick

City

Game

Claude Sonnet 5Claude Sonnet 5

Spirited Away

2001

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis

Cien años de soledad

Gabriel García Márquez

Kyoto

Japan

Disco Elysium

Indie, Adventure

DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro

The Matrix

1999

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Cien años de soledad

Gabriel García Márquez

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Price and specs

Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek V4 Pro compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecClaude Sonnet 5DeepSeek V4 Pro
Input price$2/M tokens$1.74/M tokens
Output price$10/M tokens$3.48/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens1.0M tokens
WeightsClosedOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedJun 2026Apr 2026
At 10M a month$20.00$20.00$17.40$17.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it19 hosts, cheapest first
Claude Sonnet 54 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Amazon Bedrock$2.00 in·$10.00 out·1M·99.7% up
  • Azure AI Foundry$2.00 in·$10.00 out·1M·100% up
  • Anthropic$2.00 in·$10.00 out·1M·100% up
  • Google Vertex AI$2.00 in·$10.00 out·1M·100% up
DeepSeek V4 Pro15 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • RRelacefp4$0.18 in·$4.20 out·1M·100% up
  • Baidu Qianfanfp8$0.18 in·$0.35 out·1M·99.1% up
  • SStreamLakefp8$0.21 in·$0.42 out·1M·100% up
  • PParasailfp8$0.45 in·$3.48 out·1M·93.6% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8$0.96 in·$1.91 out·1M·97% up
  • DDigitalOcean$1.04 in·$2.09 out·1M·100% up
9 more hostsFewer hosts
  • RReka$1.05 in·$10.50 out·1M·100% up
  • Cloudflare Workers AI$1.15 in·$2.55 out·1M·99.8% up
  • DDeepInfrafp8$1.30 in·$2.60 out·1M·100% up
  • SSiliconFlowfp8$1.50 in·$3.13 out·1M·95.7% up
  • Alibaba Cloudfp8$1.56 in·$3.12 out·1M·98.4% up
  • NNovitafp8$1.60 in·$3.20 out·1M·100% up
  • VVenice$1.65 in·$3.30 out·1M·97.3% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp4$1.68 in·$3.38 out·1M·99.6% up
  • Azure AI Foundry$1.91 in·$3.83 out·1M·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek V4 Pro?

Claude Sonnet 5 is developed by Anthropic while DeepSeek V4 Pro is developed by DeepSeek. Claude Sonnet 5 has a 1.0M token context window vs DeepSeek V4 Pro's 1.0M. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 5 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?

It depends on your use case. Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek V4 Pro each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Claude Sonnet 5 cost compared to DeepSeek V4 Pro?

Claude Sonnet 5 costs $2/M input tokens and DeepSeek V4 Pro costs $1.74/M input tokens. DeepSeek V4 Pro is $0.26/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek V4 Pro on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek V4 Pro across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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