Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro

Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro side by side: specs, capabilities, parameters, and live pricing from the EmpirioLabs catalog.

Moonshot AI DeepSeek Text Generation

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro at a glance

Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI and DeepSeek V4 Pro from DeepSeek are both in the Text Generation category, available through the EmpirioLabs API.

Key differences

  • Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); DeepSeek V4 Pro was released on Apr 24, 2026.
  • Both models have a context window of 1M tokens.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro returns up to 393,216 output tokens per response, Kimi K3 up to 131,072.
  • Input types only Kimi K3 accepts: Image, Video.
  • Capabilities listed only for Kimi K3: multimodal, agentic coding, web search.
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro lists the lower rate for Input (per 1M prompt tokens) and Output (per 1M generated tokens).

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: specs

SpecKimi K3DeepSeek V4 Pro
Model IDkimi-k3deepseek-v4-pro
AuthorMoonshot AIDeepSeek
ReleasedJul 15, 2026Apr 24, 2026
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output131,072 tokens393,216 tokens
Input
Text Image Video
Text
Output
Text
Text
Structured outputJSON SchemaJSON Schema
RegionInternationalGermany
Endpoints
POST /v1/chat/completions POST /v1/responses POST /v1/messages POST /v1beta/models/kimi-k3:generateContent
POST /v1/chat/completions POST /v1/responses POST /v1/messages POST /v1beta/models/deepseek-v4-pro:generateContent
Capabilities
reasoning function calling multimodal agentic coding web search
reasoning function calling

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: API pricing

Live rates from the EmpirioLabs catalog for both models. Each rate card always matches what the API charges.

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: API parameters

Request parameters each model lists on EmpirioLabs, with the allowed values or range where one applies. A dash marks a parameter the model does not list.

ParameterKimi K3DeepSeek V4 Pro
max_tokens1 to 1048576 Default: 1310721 to 393216
stopstringstring
reasoning_effortlow, high, max Default: maxnone, low, medium, high, max Default: medium
tool_web_searchboolean Default: false-
max_tool_calls1 to 20 Default: 5-
response_formatenumenum
temperature-0 to 2 Default: 0.7
top_p-0 to 1 Default: 0.9
enable_thinking-boolean Default: true
thinking_budget-1 to 393216 Default: 32768
web_search_linkup-boolean Default: false
disable_formatting-boolean Default: false

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: limits and notes

Kimi K3

Supports text, image, and video inputs with a 1M token context, function calling, JSON schema structured output, and built-in web search at $0.015 per invoked call. Thinking is always on; reasoning depth is tunable with the reasoning_effort control (max is recommended) and reasoning tokens are billed as output tokens. Temperature and other sampling settings are fixed by the model service. Multi-step function calling through the API must replay the assistant message with its reasoning_content field intact.

How to call Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro

Kimi K3 serves the OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions API. Point any OpenAI SDK at https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1 with your EmpirioLabs API key and use the model id kimi-k3. Both models are called through the same endpoint. Set model to kimi-k3 or deepseek-v4-pro. Get an API key from the EmpirioLabs dashboard.

cURL
curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "kimi-k3",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Write a haiku about the ocean."}
    ]
  }'

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: tests and guides

Prompt tests and comparison runs that cover both models.

Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro: common questions

What is the difference between Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro?

Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); DeepSeek V4 Pro was released on Apr 24, 2026. Both models have a context window of 1M tokens. DeepSeek V4 Pro returns up to 393,216 output tokens per response, Kimi K3 up to 131,072. The specs, rate cards, and parameters on this page come from the live EmpirioLabs catalog.

Which is newer, Kimi K3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?

Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); DeepSeek V4 Pro was released on Apr 24, 2026.

Which has the lower rate, Kimi K3 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?

DeepSeek V4 Pro lists the lower rate for Input (per 1M prompt tokens) and Output (per 1M generated tokens). Both live rate cards are on this page and always match what the API charges.

Can I switch between Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro without rebuilding my integration?

Yes. Both models use POST /v1/chat/completions with the same EmpirioLabs API key, so most integrations switch by changing the model value. Check the parameters table on this page first if you rely on a model-specific parameter.

Can I try Kimi K3 and DeepSeek V4 Pro in the browser before integrating?

Yes. Open each model in the EmpirioLabs playground and run the same prompt on both, with the parameters the API exposes.

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