text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite are both current text models, from DeepSeek and Google. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 17% cheaper per 1M input tokens than DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, $0.25 vs $0.30. On GPQA Diamond, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 89.8% and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite 81.8% (Epoch AI, measured October 12, 2026). Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Data verified October 12, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-12
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.30 | $0.25 (better) |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $1.20 (better) | $1.50 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $5.40 (better) | $5.50 |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.8% (#25 of 37) (better) | 81.8% (#33 of 37) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 67.4% (#22 of 37) (better) | 27.7% (#33 of 37) |
| Arena Text | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) | Not measured |
| Provider | DeepSeek | |
| Release date | September 10, 2026 | May 7, 2026 |
| Access | API and open weights | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 tokens | 65,536 tokens |
| Input | text, image | text, image, audio, video |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
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
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Best for
- High-volume multimodal extraction and translation
Watch out for
- The published price for audio input differs from the listed text, image, and video input price
- Google's earliest published shutdown date is 2027-05-07; migrate to gemini-3.5-flash-lite.
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 17% cheaper per 1M input tokens than DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, $0.25 vs $0.30. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $5.40 and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite $5.50 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 89.8% to 81.8%; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 67.4% to 27.7%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Can I run DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite myself?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
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