Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b vs DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp

Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b (Novita AI, 30,000-token context) versus DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp (Novita AI, 163,840-token context). DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp is cheaper by 3% on a blended token mix. Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b uniquely supports vision input. DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp uniquely supports structured output (json schema). Use the live calculator below to plug your real usage shape into both, then route the winner via Agent Command Center for shadow A/B without code changes.

Bottom line — Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b vs DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp

Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b and DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp are priced within 3% of each other, so cost alone is not the deciding factor. The comparison comes down to capabilities, context window, and benchmark performance on the specific task shape your workload demands.

DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp ships a 163,840-token context window, 5.5x larger than Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b's 30,000 tokens. That headroom matters for long-document RAG pipelines, multi-turn agent sessions that accumulate tool-call history, and codebases where the entire repository needs to fit in a single prompt. If your average prompt stays under 30,000 tokens, the extra context on DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp is insurance you may never use — and Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b may win on other axes.

On capability surface area, the models diverge: Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b supports vision input where the other does not; DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp supports structured output (json schema) where the other does not. These differences are binary — either your workload needs the capability or it does not. Check whether any critical path in your agent pipeline depends on a capability only one model provides before committing to a migration.

For teams evaluating both models, the recommended path is a shadow A/B test: route production traffic through an OpenAI-compatible gateway, mirror a percentage to the candidate model, score both responses with an automated evaluator (faithfulness, tool-call correctness, latency), and compare cohort-level metrics over two weeks. Future AGI Agent Command Center supports this pattern with a single `base_url` change and built-in evaluators from the ai-evaluation SDK.

Side-by-side cost

Live workload comparison

Same workload run through both models. The cheaper one is highlighted.

3,000
0163,840
400
065,536
5,000
01,000,000
Novita AI
$98.01/mo
Input $0.140/M · Output $0.560/M
Novita AI
$148/mo
Input $0.270/M · Output $0.410/M
At this workload, Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b is 34% cheaper than DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp — a savings of $50.22/month ($603/year).
Crossover: Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b is cheaper when output/input ≤ 0.87 (input-heavy workloads — RAG, retrieval). DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp wins above (long-form generation).
Current workload ratio: 0.13 (400/3000)
Production recipe — Agent Command Center
strategy: cost-optimized
primary:
  model: baidu-ernie-4-5-vl-28b-a3b
  provider: novita-ai
fallback:
  model: deepseek-deepseek-v3-2-exp
  provider: novita-ai
shadow: { sample_rate: 0.05 }   # mirror 5% of traffic to compare quality live
Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp
Input price $0.140/M $0.270/M
Output price $0.560/M $0.410/M
Context window 30,000 163,840
Max output 8,000 65,536
Function calling
Vision
Audio input
Reasoning
Prompt caching
Structured output
Pricing verified Aug 6, 2026 Aug 6, 2026
Cheaper option
~3% cheaper than the priciest in this pair
Larger context
163,840 tokens
More capabilities
3 of 6 capability flags advertised

Cost at scale: monthly spend at three usage volumes

Estimated monthly cost assuming 1,000 input + 200 output tokens per request — a realistic chat-agent shape. Adjust your own usage in the calculator at the top of this page for an exact number.

Scale Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp Delta
Startup
10K requests/day
$75.60 /mo $106 /mo $30.00/mo
Mid-market
100K requests/day
$756 /mo $1,056 /mo $300/mo
Enterprise
1M requests/day
$7,560 /mo $10,560 /mo $3,000/mo

At enterprise scale (1M requests/day), a difference of even ~10% in unit price compounds into thousands of dollars per month. Cached input pricing and batch tiers can shift this further — both are surfaced on each model's own page.

When to choose which

Picked from the data above — not vendor marketing. Match the rules to your workload, not the other way around.

Choose DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp

Your workload needs long context — DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp fits 163,840 tokens versus the other model's 30,000, enough headroom for full books, large codebases, or 100+ page documents in one shot.

Choose Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b

Your inputs include screenshots, diagrams, or product photos — Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b accepts image input natively, the other doesn't.

Capability diff — what you gain and lose on the swap

A specific list of what each model has that the other doesn't. If your workload depends on a row in Only Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b, switching to DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp means re-architecting that path (and vice versa).

Only on Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b
  • • Vision input
Only on DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp
  • • Structured output (JSON schema)
Capabilities both share (4)
  • ✓ Function calling
  • ✓ Parallel tool calls
  • ✓ Streaming
  • ✓ Native reasoning mode

Migration considerations

Concrete differences to wire through your stack before you flip traffic from one to the other.

  • Context window changes up 446% when moving from Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b (30,000) to DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp (163,840). Re-check any prompt that relies on cramming long history or documents.
  • Max output tokens differ: 8,000 on Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b vs 65,536 on DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp. Long-form generation tasks may truncate differently — adjust streaming UI and chunking accordingly.
  • Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b has capabilities DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp lacks: Vision input. Switching to DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp means re-architecting any flow that depends on these.
  • DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp has capabilities Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b lacks: Structured output (JSON schema). Worth wiring through the agent design before commit.

How to A/B test Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b vs DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp in production

If you're stuck between the two, run them side-by-side on real traffic. Four steps the Future AGI team uses internally:

  1. 1. Point your existing OpenAI SDK at https://gateway.futureagi.com/v1. No code change beyond base_url and a virtual key.
  2. 2. Mark Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b primary, mirror 20% of traffic to DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp in shadow mode. Both responses are logged; only the primary is served to users.
  3. 3. Score every shadow response with an evaluator — faithfulness, tool-call correctness, response latency, cost. Built-in evaluators in ai-evaluation cover the common axes.
  4. 4. Compare cohort-level metrics after two weeks. Switch primary when the candidate wins on what matters to your workload — and stays within your latency budget.

Full walkthrough on the Agent Command Center page.

FAQ — Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b vs DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp

Which is cheaper, Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b or DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp?

DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp is cheaper by roughly 3% on a blended input + output token mix. Input prices are $0.140/M for Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b versus $0.270/M for DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp; output prices are $0.560/M versus $0.410/M. The exact savings depend on your input:output ratio — use the live calculator above to plug in your own request shape.

What is the context window of Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b versus DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp?

Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b supports up to 30,000 tokens of context. DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp supports up to 163,840 tokens. DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp has the larger window by a factor of 5.5x, which matters for long-document RAG, multi-turn agent sessions, and tasks that need to keep an entire codebase in working memory.

Do Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b and DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp both support tool calling?

Yes — both Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b and DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp support native function calling. Both also support structured output via JSON schema, so an agent can be ported between them with the same tool definitions.

Can Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b and DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp process images?

Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b accepts native image input. DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp does not — you would need to route image-heavy workloads through Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b or add a separate vision model in front of DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp.

When should I choose Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b over DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp?

Your inputs include screenshots, diagrams, or product photos — Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b accepts image input natively, the other doesn't.

When should I choose DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp over Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b?

Your workload needs long context — DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp fits 163,840 tokens versus the other model's 30,000, enough headroom for full books, large codebases, or 100+ page documents in one shot.

How do I A/B test Baidu Ernie 4.5 VL 28B A3b against DeepSeek DeepSeek V3.2 exp in production?

Route both through an OpenAI-compatible gateway like Future AGI Agent Command Center with shadow mode enabled. Send 100% of traffic to your primary model, mirror 10–20% to the candidate, score every response with an evaluator (faithfulness, tool-call correctness, response time), and compare cohort-level metrics for two weeks. Switch when the candidate wins on the metrics that matter to your workload and stays within your latency budget.