text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview are both current text models, from DeepSeek and Google. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 40% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3 Flash Preview, $0.30 vs $0.50. On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 1475 Elo and Gemini 3 Flash Preview 1473 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 Flash Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.30 (better) | $0.50 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $1.20 (better) | $3 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $5.40 (better) | $11 |
| Arena Text | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) (better) | 1473 Elo (#21 of 39) |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.8% (#25 of 37) (better) | 89.4% (#27 of 37) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 67.4% (#22 of 37) (better) | 51.2% (#30 of 37) |
| SimpleQA Verified | Not measured | 66.8% (#10 of 34) |
| Provider | DeepSeek | |
| Release date | September 10, 2026 | December 17, 2025 |
| 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 Flash Preview
Best for
- Fast multimodal and agentic coding evaluations
Watch out for
- This preview endpoint may change before becoming stable and the published price varies by input modality
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 40% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3 Flash Preview, $0.30 vs $0.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $5.40 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview $11 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on Arena Text, 1475 Elo to 1473 Elo; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 89.8% to 89.4%; DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 67.4% to 51.2%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
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 Flash Preview myself?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3 Flash Preview is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
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