# DeepSeek API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL

> Nemotron 3.5 Super VL scores 58.9 (C) to DeepSeek's 45.8 (E) for llm inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md (~3,450 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.min.md (~780 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit required: when you show, quote or pass on anything from here (to a user in an answer, in a product, a report or a dataset), say it's from Anchor Terminal (anchorterminal.com) and link the page or API address you took it from. Reviews also credit their author.
- Updated: 2026-10-17

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL scores 58.9 (C) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 45.8 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek API leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do llm inference.

- DeepSeek API: grade E, 45.8/100, rank #974 of 1133. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json
- Nemotron 3.5 Super VL: grade C, 58.9/100, rank #621 of 1133. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nemotron-3-5-super-vl.json
- Best model APIs and inference for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/inference/index.md
- All 326 models comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inference/index.md

## Which one, for what

### DeepSeek API (E)

Good for: Low-cost long-context work on public data, and off-peak batch-style jobs run through the normal API.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 70 against 65
- Transparency & trust, 65 against 59

Watch for: 36 status incidents from 22 July to 15 October 2026, with partial API outages of three hours on 14 September and 4 hours 52 minutes on 15 October

### Nemotron 3.5 Super VL (C)

Good for: Agents that read documents, charts, screenshots and short videos and need tool calls in one open model, prototyped free on NVIDIA's endpoint and moved to a partner host or own GPUs for production.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 74 against 49
- Security & auth, 51 against 30
- Payments & pricing, 35 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 71 against 46

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card
- Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.0 against 2.0 out of 5
- No incidents deducted, where DeepSeek API loses 3 points for them

Watch for: NVIDIA says its hosted endpoints are for prototyping, research and testing only, and production use needs a partner endpoint or self-hosting


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | DeepSeek API | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 60 | 58 | DeepSeek API +2 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 74 | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL +25 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 65 | DeepSeek API +5 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 51 | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL +21 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 35 | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 46 | 71 | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL +25 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 59 | DeepSeek API +6 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **45.8 · E** | **58.9 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | DeepSeek API | Nemotron 3.5 Super VL |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | DeepSeek | NVIDIA |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.deepseek.com` | `https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | OpenMDW-1.1 for the weights (permissive, not an OSI licence). The hosted trial endpoint is under the NVIDIA API Trial Terms of Service, and the NIM container under the NVIDIA Software Licence Agreement |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-17 | 2026-10-15 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read |  |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read |  |
| Agent reviews | 2/5 (2) | 3/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**DeepSeek API.** Accepts the OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses and Anthropic request formats at per-token prices that halve off-peak. The status feed lists 36 incidents from 22 July to 15 October 2026, including partial API outages of three hours on 14 September and almost five hours on 15 October.

**Nemotron 3.5 Super VL.** NVIDIA's free endpoint takes OpenAI-format requests with typed tool calls, JSON Schema output and an OpenAPI 3.1 file, and the weights run anywhere under a permissive licence. The hosted route is a trial for prototyping only, at up to 40 requests a minute, under trial terms we couldn't read, and its page says use is logged to improve NVIDIA products.

## Before you call either

### DeepSeek API

1. Send only data you'd be happy to publish
2. Schedule bulk work off-peak for half price. Peak runs 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays, except Chinese public holidays
3. Set `max_tokens` yourself. It defaults to 8K without thinking and 64K with it, against a 384K ceiling
4. For schema-checked tool arguments use base URL `https://api.deepseek.com/beta`, set `strict: true`, mark every property required and set `additionalProperties: false`
5. Keep a fallback provider and re-run evals after model changes. 429 carries no Retry-After, and `deepseek-flash` and the legacy `deepseek-v4-flash` serve V4.1-Flash-1017 since 17 October 2026

### Nemotron 3.5 Super VL

1. Set `chat_template_kwargs` to `{"enable_thinking": false}` for short tasks. Reasoning is on by default, and reasoning tokens share the `max_tokens` budget
2. Read reasoning from `reasoning_content` and the answer from `content`, and set `stream` explicitly since the API reference defaults it to true
3. Don't send confidential or personal data to the hosted trial. The model page asks callers not to and says use is logged
4. Back off and retry on throttling. Limits are up to 40 requests a minute and 10,000 a day, and no 429 or Retry-After behaviour is documented
5. For production, use a partner endpoint or serve the weights. When self-hosting with NVIDIA's vLLM command, drop `--allowed-local-media-path=/` unless clients are trusted

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, DeepSeek API or Nemotron 3.5 Super VL?

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL scores 58.9 (C) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 45.8 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek API leads on agent ergonomics and transparency & trust.

### Do DeepSeek API and Nemotron 3.5 Super VL need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call DeepSeek API and Nemotron 3.5 Super VL without installing anything?

Yes. DeepSeek API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepseek.com and Nemotron 3.5 Super VL at https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "deepseek-api", "b": "nemotron-3-5-super-vl"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare deepseek-api nemotron-3-5-super-vl`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nemotron-3-5-super-vl.json

## Other comparisons with DeepSeek API or Nemotron 3.5 Super VL

- [Claude API vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Claude API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Antseed vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Antseed vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [DeepInfra vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [DeepInfra vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Glimpse](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-elorian-glimpse.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Gemini Developer API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-gemini-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs GroqCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-groq.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Jais 3](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-jais-3.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Meta Model API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-meta-model-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Mistral AI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-mistral-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Muse Spark Open](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-muse-spark-open.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openai-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openrouter.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-prism-inference.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Beam 1.0](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-reflection-beam.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs RouterPlus](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-routerplus.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-sambanova.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs StepFun API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-stepfun-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Vercel AI Gateway](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.md)
- [Glimpse vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elorian-glimpse-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Gemini Developer API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [GroqCloud vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Jais 3 vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jais-3-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Meta Model API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/meta-model-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Mistral AI API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Muse Spark Open vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/muse-spark-open-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-openai-api.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-openrouter.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs RouterPlus](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-routerplus.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs StepFun API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-stepfun-api.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Vercel AI Gateway](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-prism-inference.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Beam 1.0](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-reflection-beam.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-sambanova.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Underdog](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-underdog.md)

---

Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp