DEEPSEEK · FRONTIER FLAGSHIP: DEEPSEEK V4.1-FLASH & V4-PRO · CHECKED 2026-11-05
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1-Flash & V4-Pro & 2026 Buyer's Verdict
DeepSeek last shipped DeepSeek V4.1-Flash-1017 on Oct 17, 2026, 20 days ago. Its last 4 release gaps were 98, 13, 28, 37 days, so a typical gap is about 32 days. Next announced model: DeepSeek V4.1-Pro.
1. SOURCED 2026 RELEASE TIMELINE (5 RELEASES)
Every 2026 DeepSeek Release With Primary Source
Only public API and open-weight releases count toward the cadence calculation. Gated previews and app-only launches are listed for context and marked accordingly.
| RELEASE DATE | MODEL | RELEASE TYPE | GAP FROM PRIOR PUBLIC DROP | PRIMARY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-24 | DeepSeek V4 Preview (V4-Pro, V4-Flash) | open weights | First 2026 baseline | api-docs.deepseek.com ↗ |
| 2026-07-31 | DeepSeek V4-Flash-0731 | API release | 98d [source] | api-docs.deepseek.com ↗ |
| 2026-08-13 | DeepSeek V4-Pro-0813 | open weights | 13d [source] | api-docs.deepseek.com ↗ |
| 2026-09-10 | DeepSeek V4.1-Flash | open weights | 28d [source] | api-docs.deepseek.com ↗ |
| 2026-10-17 | DeepSeek V4.1-Flash-1017 | open weights | 37d [source] | api-docs.deepseek.com ↗ |
2. CURRENT MODELS, BENCHMARKS & API PRICING
Current DeepSeek Models a Buyer Can Use Today
Every score and price links directly to its source (LMArena text leaderboard (Oct 27, 2026), Epoch AI, Artificial Analysis, or official lab documentation). Unpublished metrics are left as "Not published".
| MODEL & RELEASE DATE | INPUT / OUTPUT ($/1M) | CONTEXT | ARENA TEXT ELO | GPQA DIAMOND | OUTPUT SPEED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DeepSeek V4.1-Flash ↗
FRONTIER FLAGSHIP
Released 2026-09-10
· Effort: low · high · max (
thinking={"type": "enabled" | "disabled"}, reasoning_effort="low" | "high" | "max" (medium and xhigh map to high) docs ↗)
Best at: Fastest output we track (174 tok/s, Artificial Analysis) and the lowest list price ($0.15 / $0.60 off-peak); MIT open weights. ↗
Additional evals: DeepSWE v1.1: 77.0% (Oct 17 update; 74.2% on Sep 10) (DeepSeek) ↗
|
$0.15 / $0.60 ↗
Off-peak price (cache hit $0.003 / 1M). Peak hours (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, weekdays): $0.30 / $1.20 (cache hit $0.006 / 1M).
|
1M ↗ | 1476 (Sep 10 version) ↗ | 90.9% (DeepSeek) ↗ | 174 tok/s (AA) ↗ |
|
DeepSeek V4-Pro ↗
TIER MODEL
Released 2026-08-13
· Effort: low · high · max (
thinking={"type": "enabled" | "disabled"}, reasoning_effort="low" | "high" | "max" (medium and xhigh map to high) docs ↗)
Best at: Higher GPQA Diamond than V4.1-Flash (92.4% vs 90.9%, DeepSeek); MIT open weights. ↗
Additional evals: SWE-bench Verified: 80.6% (April V4 preview card, Max) (DeepSeek) ↗
|
$0.66 / $1.98 ↗
Off-peak price (cache hit $0.022 / 1M). Peak hours (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, weekdays): $1.32 / $3.96 (cache hit $0.044 / 1M). API continues until V4.1-Pro launches.
|
1M ↗ | 1465 (0813 release) ↗ | 92.4% (DeepSeek) ↗ | Not published |
3. NEXT-RELEASE FORECAST & PLAIN-LANGUAGE METHOD
How We Estimate the Next DeepSeek Release Window
Plain-language method: We take the last 4 public release gaps for DeepSeek:
The shortest of those 4 gaps is 13 days, the median is 32 days, and the longest is 98 days. Adding those intervals to DeepSeek V4.1-Flash-1017 (2026-10-17) places the historical cadence window between 2026-10-30 and 2027-01-23 (median date: 2026-11-18). Rough estimate from 4 gaps ranging 13 to 98 days. Labs do not follow schedules.
Official Statements & Labeled Rumors
- Official (Sep 10, 2026): DeepSeek says V4-Pro API service continues until V4.1-Pro launches. It has given no date. [api-docs.deepseek.com ↗]