DeepSeek V4 Pro vs MiniMax M3
Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)
DeepSeek V4 Pro (DeepSeek) and MiniMax M3 (MiniMax), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 DeepSeek V4 Pro |  MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | MiniMax |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥341.32 | ¥53.61 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥684.42 | ¥214.44 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥684 | ¥161 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Release date | 4/24/2026 | 5/31/2026 |
| Input modalities | text | text, image, video |
| Arena · overall | #49 · ELO 1,457 | #68 · ELO 1,444 |
| Arena · Japanese | #18 · ELO 1,462 | #49 · ELO 1,414 |
| Arena · coding | #54 · ELO 1,502 | #59 · ELO 1,498 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, MiniMax M3: ¥214.44 per 1M output tokens, 69% less than DeepSeek V4 Pro.
- On the Overall arena board, DeepSeek V4 Pro ranks higher (#49; MiniMax M3 is #68).
- On the Japanese arena board, DeepSeek V4 Pro ranks higher (#18; MiniMax M3 is #49).
- On the Coding arena board, DeepSeek V4 Pro ranks higher (#54; MiniMax M3 is #59).
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
DeepSeek V4 Pro
The word is "strawberry". Let's count the occurrences of the letter 'r' step by step:
1. Write the word: s t r a w b e r r y
2. Examine each character:
- s: not an 'r'
- t: not an 'r'
- r: is an 'r' → count 1
- a: not an 'r'
- w: not an 'r'
- b: not an 'r'
- e: not an 'r'
- r: is an 'r' → count 2
- r: is an 'r' → count 3
- y: not an 'r'
3. Total number of 'r's = 3.
Therefore, there are **3** 'r's in "strawberry".
7.3s1136 output tokens
MiniMax M3
# Counting 'r's in "strawberry"
Let me go through the word letter by letter:
**s** - t - **r** - a - w - b - e - **r** - **r** - y
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | s | No |
| 2 | t | No |
| 3 | **r** | ✓ (1st) |
| 4 | a | No |
| 5 | w | No |
| 6 | b | No |
| 7 | e | No |
| 8 | **r** | ✓ (2nd) |
| 9 | **r** | ✓ (3rd) |
| 10 | y | No |
## Answer: **3**
The word "strawberry" contains **three 'r's** — one at position 3, and two consecutive 'r's at positions 8 and 9.
25.6s455 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
DeepSeek V4 Pro
The error is occurring because `users` is `undefined` when the component renders, and you're trying to call `.map()` on it. This typically happens when the data hasn't been loaded yet or wasn't passed correctly to the component.
## Here are several ways to fix this:
### 1. **Add a default value with empty array (Simplest fix)**
```javascript
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
### 2. **Add a conditional check**
```javascript
function UserList({ users }) {
if (!users) {
return <div>No users found</div>;
}
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}<…
6.9s442 output tokens
MiniMax M3
# Error Analysis
The error `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` tells you that **`users` is `undefined`** when your component runs. JavaScript can't call `.map()` on `undefined`, so it throws this error.
The component itself is fine syntactically — the problem is that the `users` prop isn't being passed, or hasn't loaded yet.
## Common Causes
**1. The prop isn't passed at all:**
```jsx
<UserList /> // No users prop → users is undefined
```
**2. Data is still loading (async fetch):**
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially
```
**3. API returns undefined:**
```jsx
const { data } = await fetch('/api/users').then(r => r.json());
setUsers(data);…
32.8s710 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
DeepSeek V4 Pro
Here’s a review of your `get_data` function, highlighting issues and suggesting improvements.
## Overall Observations
- The function works but has several readability, robustness, and maintainability issues.
- Imports are inside the function, bare `except` hides errors, and the filtering logic is not Pythonic.
- No type hints or docstring, making it harder to use and understand.
## Specific Improvements
### 1. Move Imports to the Top of the Module
**Why:** Imports inside a function are executed every time the function is called, which is slightly slower and violates PEP 8 style guidelines.
**Before:**
```python
def get_data(url, retries=3):
import requests
import time
# ...
`…
40.5s2277 output tokens
MiniMax M3
## Code Review
This function works for the happy path, but it has several issues around error handling, retries, and readability. Here's a breakdown.
### 🐛 Bugs & Correctness Issues
| # | Issue | Why It Matters |
|---|-------|----------------|
| 1 | `except:` with no exception type | Swallows `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and *everything else* (typos, `MemoryError`). You lose visibility into real failures. |
| 2 | Retries on every non‑200, including `4xx` | A `404` or `401` will never succeed by retrying — it just wastes time and rate-limit budget. |
| 3 | `if item["active"] == True` | Both linters (PEP 8 E712) and Python idiom prefer `if item["active"]:`. |
| 4 | `item["active"]` (…
33.4s3977 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4 Pro or MiniMax M3?
- Per 1M output tokens, DeepSeek V4 Pro is ¥684.42 and MiniMax M3 is ¥214.44 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so MiniMax M3 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of DeepSeek V4 Pro and MiniMax M3 compare?
- DeepSeek V4 Pro takes 1,048,576 tokens; MiniMax M3 takes 1,048,576.
- Which ranks higher, DeepSeek V4 Pro or MiniMax M3?
- DeepSeek V4 Pro ranks higher on the public arena (DeepSeek V4 Pro #18, MiniMax M3 #49). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use DeepSeek V4 Pro and MiniMax M3 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "deepseek-v4-pro" or "minimax-m3" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call DeepSeek V4 Pro and MiniMax M3 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.