text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro are both current text models, from DeepSeek. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 77% cheaper per 1M input tokens than DeepSeek-V4-Pro, $0.30 vs $1.32. On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 1476 Elo and DeepSeek-V4-Pro 1465 Elo (Arena, measured October 28, 2026). Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context.
- Higher Arena Text
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash1476 Elo against 1465 Elo
- Lower price per 1M input tokens
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash$0.30 against $1.32
- Newer release
- DeepSeek-V4.1-FlashSep 2026 against Aug 2026
Data verified November 3, 2026 · Dataset 2026-11-03
Side by side
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro, line by line
Prices in effect today, compared at the same tier wherever both list one. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.30 (better) | $1.32 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $1.20 (better) | $3.96 |
| Independent benchmarks | ||
| Arena Text | 1476 Elo (#21 of 51) (better) | 1465 Elo (#27 of 51) |
| Arena WebDev | 1665 Elo (#12 of 45) (better) | 1582 Elo (#26 of 45) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 71.2% (#23 of 42) (better) | 64.6% (#29 of 42) |
| GPQA Diamond | 93.2% (#16 of 41) (better) | 91.7% (#20 of 41) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 42.5% (#27 of 38) | 52.9% (#19 of 38) (better) |
| Specs | ||
| Provider | DeepSeek | DeepSeek |
| Release date | September 10, 2026 | August 13, 2026 |
| Access | API and open weights | API and open weights |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 tokens | 384,000 tokens |
| Input | text, image | text |
| Output | text | text |
Charts
Against every current text model
Where DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro land among the current models of their task, on every independent benchmark, on price and on context.
Where each stands
On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash ranks #21 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro #27 of 51 current models. Each bar is the share of current models it beats: on score, price and context.
Independent benchmarks
Arena Text
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#21of 51
1,476 Elo · ahead of 58%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#27of 51
1,465 Elo · ahead of 46%
Arena WebDev
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#12of 45
1,665 Elo · ahead of 75%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#26of 45
1,582 Elo · ahead of 41%
FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2)
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#23of 42
71.2% · ahead of 46%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#29of 42
64.6% · ahead of 32%
GPQA Diamond
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#16of 41
93.2% · ahead of 63%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#20of 41
91.7% · ahead of 53%
SimpleQA Verified
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#27of 38
42.5% · ahead of 30%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#19of 38
52.9% · ahead of 51%
Price and context
Price per 1M input tokens
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#11of 52
$0.30 · cheaper than 75%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#26of 52
$1.32 · cheaper than 51%
Price per 1M output tokens
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#10of 52
$1.20 · cheaper than 76%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#24of 52
$3.96 · cheaper than 55%
Context window
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash:#26of 64
1M tokens · longer than 22%
DeepSeek-V4-Pro:#26of 64
1M tokens · longer than 22%
Quality against price
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 1,476 at $0.525; DeepSeek-V4-Pro scores 1,465 at $1.98 (blended price per 1M tokens). The line joins the current models no other beats on both price and Arena Text score; hover any point to name it.
Quality against price: the data
| Model | Provider | Blended price per 1M tokens | Arena Text (Elo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 4 Argon | $4 | 1,520 | |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $8 | 1,509 |
| Muse Wonder | Meta | $8 | 1,507 |
| Claude Fable 5 | Anthropic | $20 | 1,504 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Anthropic | $20 | 1,504 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $1.50 | 1,496 | |
| Muse Spark 1.3 | Meta | $2 | 1,495 |
| Claude Opus 5 | Anthropic | $10 | 1,492 |
| Kimi K3 | Moonshot Kimi | $6 | 1,488 |
| GPT-5.6 Sol | OpenAI | $8 | 1,485 |
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | $3 | 1,483 | |
| GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | $11 | 1,482 |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Anthropic | $10 | 1,482 |
| Qwen3.8-Max | Alibaba Qwen | $3 | 1,482 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | OpenAI | $4 | 1,481 |
| GLM-5.3 | Z.ai | $2.15 | 1,481 |
| MiMo-V2.6-Pro | Xiaomi MiMo | $0.54 | 1,480 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Anthropic | $4 | 1,477 |
| GLM-5.3-Flash | Z.ai | $0.24 | 1,477 |
| GPT-6 Astra | OpenAI | $20 | 1,476 |
| DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash | DeepSeek | $0.52 | 1,476 |
| GPT-5.4 | OpenAI | $5.63 | 1,475 |
| Gemini 3 Flash Preview | $1.13 | 1,473 | |
| Grok 4.20 | xAI | $1.56 | 1,472 |
| GPT-5.6 Terra | OpenAI | $4.50 | 1,467 |
| Grok 4.5 | xAI | $3 | 1,465 |
| DeepSeek-V4-Pro | DeepSeek | $1.98 | 1,465 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | $4 | 1,462 |
| GPT-6 Sol | OpenAI | $4 | 1,458 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | $0.85 | 1,456 | |
| Grok 4.6 | xAI | $3 | 1,455 |
| GPT-5.6 Luna | OpenAI | $0.45 | 1,453 |
| MiMo-V2.6-Flash | Xiaomi MiMo | $0.18 | 1,448 |
| Step 5 Preview | StepFun | $1.43 | 1,448 |
| Grok 4.3 | xAI | $1.56 | 1,442 |
| GPT-6 Luna | OpenAI | $0.20 | 1,441 |
| Grok 4.7 | xAI | $3 | 1,441 |
| Mistral Large 4 | Mistral AI | $1.05 | 1,432 |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 | Anthropic | $0.20 | 1,425 |
| GPT-4.1 | OpenAI | $3.50 | 1,415 |
| Solar Pro 4 | Upstage | $0.52 | 1,388 |
| GPT-4.1 mini | OpenAI | $0.70 | 1,383 |
| GPT-4.1 nano | OpenAI | $0.18 | 1,322 |
Cost
What each costs
Example workloads at each provider's listed rates, then every other rate either one lists. The cheaper figure in each row is highlighted.
The same work, priced
For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4-Pro costs 3.9 times as much as DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, at each provider's listed rates.
10M input and 2M output tokens
DeepSeek-V4-Pro costs 3.9× as much
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
- $5.40
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro
- $21.12
The same, with 9M of the input tokens cached
DeepSeek-V4-Pro costs 3.5× as much
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
- $2.75
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro
- $9.64
| Workload or rate | DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash | DeepSeek-V4-Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Example workloads | ||
| 10M input and 2M output tokens | $5.40 (better) | $21.12 |
| The same, with 9M of the input tokens cached | $2.75 (better) | $9.64 |
| Other listed rates | ||
| 1M input tokens, cached | $0.006 (better) | $0.044 |
| 1M input tokens, off peak | $0.15 (better) | $0.66 |
| 1M output tokens, off peak | $0.60 (better) | $1.98 |
| 1M input tokens, off-peak, cached | $0.003 (better) | $0.022 |
Your own bill will differ. These figures use list prices and example workloads. The AI Model Cost Audit reviews your real usage, shortlists models that score as well for each task for less, and estimates the savings.
Launch price $100, regular price $150
Verdict
When to choose each
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
Where it leads
- Lower input and output prices, $0.30 and $1.20 vs $1.32 and $3.96 per 1M tokens
- Higher Arena Text score, 1476 Elo vs 1465 Elo
- Higher Arena WebDev score, 1665 Elo vs 1582 Elo
- Higher FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) score, 71.2% vs 64.6%
- Higher GPQA Diamond score, 93.2% vs 91.7%
- Accepts image input
- Cheaper cached input, $0.006 vs $0.044 per 1M tokens
Best for
- High-volume agent and multimodal workloads where per-token cost dominates
- Teams that want a frontier-adjacent model they can also self-host under MIT terms
Watch out for
- The recorded API rates are the peak-hour prices; DeepSeek charges half outside 01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC on weekdays
- Running the open weights moves cost to your own infrastructure, which the token rates here do not represent
- Epoch AI and Arena WebDev scored build 1017, which the API serves; Arena Text has rated only the September build so far
DeepSeek-V4-Pro
Where it leads
- Higher SimpleQA Verified score, 52.9% vs 42.5%
Best for
- Agentic coding and terminal tasks
- Long-context jobs that need very long outputs
Watch out for
- The recorded rates are peak-hour prices (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays)
- No image input on the DeepSeek API, where the cheaper deepseek-flash has it
- DeepSeek had planned to retire it in September before extending service, so check its status before a long commitment
From benchmark to production
Building on DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
Public scores rarely hold on your own data. We test both models on your real tasks, then build the agent or pipeline around the one that wins.
AI Model Cost AuditLaunch price $100, regular price $150What the audit includes
FAQ
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 77% cheaper per 1M input tokens than DeepSeek-V4-Pro, $0.30 vs $1.32. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $5.40 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro $21.12 at standard rates.
Which is cheaper with prompt caching, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash charges $0.006 per 1M cached input tokens, 98% below its standard input rate, and DeepSeek-V4-Pro $0.044, 97% below. With 9M of 10M input tokens cached and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $2.75 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro $9.64.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on Arena Text, 1476 Elo to 1465 Elo; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on Arena WebDev, 1665 Elo to 1582 Elo; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 71.2% to 64.6%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context. Both return up to 384,000 tokens per response.
How do DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro differ in features?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash takes text and image input; DeepSeek-V4-Pro takes text.
Further reading
More on DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro
Articles on DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017: What Changed and Why Chips FellOctober 19, 2026
Related comparisons
- Claude Haiku 5.5 vs DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Mistral Large 4
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs GPT-6 Luna
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs GLM-5.3
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs GPT-6 Sol
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Grok 4.20
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.7 Flash
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Grok 4.3
- DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
- DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Kimi K3
Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty