Simulating realistic Agentic workflow parameters (40,000 in / 1,500 out with 65% cache reuse). DeepSeek V4 Pro delivers a 60% cost reduction over GPT-5.4 Workhorse.
| Traffic Volume Tier | GPT-5.4 Workhorse Monthly | DeepSeek V4 Pro Monthly | Monthly Savings by picking DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 reqs/mo (Dev/Testing) | $64.00 | $25.564 | Save $38.436 / mo |
| 10,000 reqs/mo (Small App) | $640.00 | $255.64 | Save $384.36 / mo |
| 100,000 reqs/mo (Growth Production) | $6,400.00 | $2,556.40 | Save $3,843.60 / mo |
| 1,000,000 reqs/mo (Scale SaaS) | $64,000.00 | $25,564.00 | Save $38,436.00 / mo |
DeepSeek V4 Pro is 60% cheaper for Agentic workflow workloads. At standard Agentic workflow parameter ratios (40,000 input tokens, 1,500 output tokens, 65% cache hit), DeepSeek V4 Pro costs $0.0256 per request compared to $0.064 on GPT-5.4 Workhorse.
GPT-5.4 Workhorse offers a context window of 256,000 tokens (max output: 32,768), while DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1,000,000 tokens (max output: 384,000).
At 100,000 requests per month, using DeepSeek V4 Pro saves $3,843.60 every month (or $46,123.20 annually) compared to GPT-5.4 Workhorse.
Prompt caching is the single biggest lever — each step re-reads prior context. Summarize or prune tool outputs before appending them to the transcript. Cap the step budget; runaway loops are the #1 surprise on agent invoices.