text model comparison
DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Gemini 3.6 Flash
DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Gemini 3.6 Flash are both current text models, from DeepSeek and Google. DeepSeek-V4-Pro is 12% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.6 Flash, $1.32 vs $1.50. On Arena Text, DeepSeek-V4-Pro scores 1465 Elo and Gemini 3.6 Flash 1482 Elo (Arena, measured October 8, 2026). Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Data verified October 13, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-13
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | DeepSeek-V4-Pro | Gemini 3.6 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $1.32 (better) | $1.50 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $3.96 (better) | $7.50 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $21.12 (better) | $30 |
| Arena Text | 1465 Elo (#29 of 49) | 1482 Elo (#14 of 49) (better) |
| GPQA Diamond | 91.7% (#19 of 40) | 94.1% (#8 of 40) (better) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 64.6% (#26 of 40) (better) | 58.9% (#29 of 40) |
| SimpleQA Verified | 52.9% (#18 of 36) | 66.2% (#11 of 36) (better) |
| Provider | DeepSeek | |
| Release date | August 13, 2026 | July 21, 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 | text, image, audio, video |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
DeepSeek-V4-Pro
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
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Best for
- Current multimodal agentic evaluations balancing speed and capability
Watch out for
- Not in the pinned LiveBench snapshot; its independent scores here come from Epoch AI's own GPQA Diamond, FrontierMath and SimpleQA Verified runs
DeepSeek-V4-Pro vs Gemini 3.6 Flash FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-V4-Pro or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
DeepSeek-V4-Pro is 12% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Gemini 3.6 Flash, $1.32 vs $1.50. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, DeepSeek-V4-Pro costs $21.12 and Gemini 3.6 Flash $30 at standard rates.
Which scores higher on independent benchmarks, DeepSeek-V4-Pro or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on Arena Text, 1482 Elo to 1465 Elo; Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on GPQA Diamond, 94.1% to 91.7%; DeepSeek-V4-Pro leads on FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2), 64.6% to 58.9%. Scores are independent evaluations, not either vendor's launch figures.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek-V4-Pro or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Both accept about 1.05M tokens of context (1,048,576 and 1,000,000).
Can I run DeepSeek-V4-Pro or Gemini 3.6 Flash myself?
DeepSeek-V4-Pro is released as open weights you can run yourself; Gemini 3.6 Flash is available through its provider's API only.
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Production evaluation
Choosing between DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Gemini 3.6 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