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DeepSeek V4.1-Flash vs DeepSeek V4-Pro
Two DeepSeek models, on sourced numbers only. Green marks the higher (or cheaper) value on each row; the text below only calls a lead when the gap is bigger than measurement noise.
| DeepSeek V4.1-Flash | DeepSeek V4-Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Arena Elo | 1476 source ↗ | 1465 source ↗ |
| GPQA Diamond | 90.9% source ↗ | 92.4% source ↗ |
| $ per 1M in / out | $0.15 / $0.60 source ↗ | $0.66 / $1.98 source ↗ |
| Blended $ per 1M (3:1) | $0.26 source ↗ | $0.99 source ↗ |
| Context window | 1M source ↗ | 1M source ↗ |
| Output speed | 174 tok/s source ↗ | not published |
| Released | Sep 10, 2026 source ↗ | Aug 13, 2026 source ↗ |
| Open weights | Yes source ↗ | Yes source ↗ |
| Reasoning effort tiers | low · high · max (default: high) | low · high · max (default: high) |
| API effort control | thinking={"type": "enabled" | "disabled"}, reasoning_effort="low" | "high" | "max" (medium and xhigh map to high) source ↗ | thinking={"type": "enabled" | "disabled"}, reasoning_effort="low" | "high" | "max" (medium and xhigh map to high) source ↗ |
| Additional benchmarks | DeepSWE v1.1: 77.0% (Oct 17 update; 74.2% on Sep 10) source ↗ | SWE-bench Verified: 80.6% (April V4 preview card, Max) source ↗ |
| Best for (workload) | Fastest output we track (174 tok/s, Artificial Analysis) and the lowest list price ($0.15 / $0.60 off-peak); MIT open weights. source ↗ | Higher GPQA Diamond than V4.1-Flash (92.4% vs 90.9%, DeepSeek); MIT open weights. source ↗ |
Arena Elo from the arena.ai text leaderboard as of Oct 27, 2026 source ↗. Speed measured by Artificial Analysis and varies by provider.
Which one should I use?
For high-volume work where cost matters most, DeepSeek V4.1-Flash is about 3.8 times cheaper per token. Both are DeepSeek models. DeepSeek is at day 20 of a typical ~32-day gap between releases (MID-CYCLE).
Key differences from the sourced numbers
- DeepSeek V4.1-Flash is the cheaper option: $0.26 vs $0.99 per 1M tokens at a 3:1 input-to-output mix (about 3.8 times less).
- On the Arena text leaderboard they are close (1476 vs 1465): a gap under 20 points is within the leaderboard's margin of error.
- On GPQA Diamond they are close (90.9% vs 92.4%).
- DeepSeek V4.1-Flash pricing note: 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).
- DeepSeek V4-Pro pricing note: 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek V4-Pro better?
DeepSeek V4.1-Flash is the cheaper option: $0.26 vs $0.99 per 1M tokens at a 3:1 input-to-output mix (about 3.8 times less). On the Arena text leaderboard they are close (1476 vs 1465): a gap under 20 points is within the leaderboard's margin of error. On GPQA Diamond they are close (90.9% vs 92.4%). DeepSeek V4.1-Flash pricing note: 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). DeepSeek V4-Pro pricing note: 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.
Which one should I use: DeepSeek V4.1-Flash or DeepSeek V4-Pro?
For high-volume work where cost matters most, DeepSeek V4.1-Flash is about 3.8 times cheaper per token. Both are DeepSeek models. DeepSeek is at day 20 of a typical ~32-day gap between releases (MID-CYCLE).
How much does DeepSeek V4.1-Flash cost compared with DeepSeek V4-Pro?
DeepSeek V4.1-Flash lists at $0.15 / $0.60 per 1M input/output tokens ($0.26/1M blended at 3:1). DeepSeek V4-Pro lists at $0.66 / $1.98 per 1M input/output tokens ($0.99/1M blended at 3:1).
Facts checked Nov 5, 2026 against official sources. Every number links to its source. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].