text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs GPT-5.4
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and GPT-5.4 are both current text models, from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 88% cheaper per 1M input tokens than GPT-5.4, $0.30 vs $2.50. On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash scores 1475 Elo and GPT-5.4 1475 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 2026). GPT-5.4 has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
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 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.30 (better) | $2.50 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $1.20 (better) | $15 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $5.40 (better) | $55 |
| Arena Text | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) | 1475 Elo (#18 of 39) |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.8% (#25 of 37) | 93.3% (#13 of 37) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 67.4% (#22 of 37) | 78.6% (#15 of 37) (better) |
| SimpleQA Verified | Not measured | 45.1% (#23 of 34) |
| LiveBench Overall | Not measured | 77.97 points (#3 of 5) |
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI |
| Release date | September 10, 2026 | March 5, 2026 |
| Access | API and open weights | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Input | text, image | text, image |
| Output | text | text |
Scores:Arena · 2026-10-12Epoch AI · 2026-10-12LiveBench · 2026-06-25
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
GPT-5.4
Best for
- Long-context coding and professional-work evaluations
Watch out for
- Prompts above the provider long-context threshold use higher token rates; reproduce cost and quality on the target workload
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs GPT-5.4 FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or GPT-5.4?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 88% cheaper per 1M input tokens than GPT-5.4, $0.30 vs $2.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash costs $5.40 and GPT-5.4 $55 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or GPT-5.4?
Both score 1475 Elo on Arena Text; GPT-5.4 leads on GPQA Diamond, 93.3% to 89.8%; GPT-5.4 leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 78.6% to 67.4%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or GPT-5.4?
GPT-5.4 has the larger context window, 1,050,000 vs 1,000,000 tokens.
Can I run DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash or GPT-5.4 myself?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; GPT-5.4 is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and GPT-5.4?
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