text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash are both current text models, from DeepSeek and Google. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 60% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.8 Flash, $0.30 vs $0.75. On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 1475 Elo and Gemini 3.8 Flash 1497 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 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 3.8 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.30 (better) | $0.75 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $1.20 (better) | $3.75 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $5.40 (better) | $15 |
| Arena Text | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) | 1497 Elo (#4 of 39) (better) |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.8% (#25 of 37) | 95.4% (#3 of 37) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 67.4% (#22 of 37) | 68.4% (#21 of 37) (better) |
| SimpleQA Verified | Not measured | 69.7% (#7 of 34) |
| Provider | DeepSeek | |
| Release date | September 10, 2026 | September 2, 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 3.8 Flash
Best for
- High-volume agentic and coding workloads where per-token cost dominates the decision
- Multimodal pipelines that need audio, video and PDF input in one model
Watch out for
- The listed price is promotional and ends 31 December 2026; on 1 January 2027 input and output both double, to $1.50 and $7.50, and cached input goes from $0.075 to $0.15
- Output pricing is billed inclusive of thinking tokens, so reasoning-heavy prompts cost more than the output length suggests
- Google’s published comparisons are against its own previous Flash release and were not independently reproduced here
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3.8 Flash FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.8 Flash?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 60% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.8 Flash, $0.30 vs $0.75. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $5.40 and Gemini 3.8 Flash $15 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.8 Flash?
Gemini 3.8 Flash leads on Arena Text, 1497 Elo to 1475 Elo; Gemini 3.8 Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 95.4% to 89.8%; Gemini 3.8 Flash leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 68.4% to 67.4%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.8 Flash?
Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Can I run DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3.8 Flash myself?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3.8 Flash is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash?
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