Cost and performance comparison
DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
Model ADeepSeek
DeepSeek V3
- Cost / 1M Tokens
- $0.52
- 70% in · 30% out mix
- Value Index (score÷cost)
- 158.7
- Higher = better value
- Speed
- 85/100
- Context
- 128K
- Tier
- Fast Tier
Last list price before the model was retired.
Across the 25 languages we measured, it needs about 21% more tokens than OpenAI's for the same text. Costs by language
Model BDeepSeek
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- Cost / 1M Tokens
- $0.57
- 70% in · 30% out mix
- Value Index (score÷cost)
- 153.1
- Higher = better value
- Speed
- 93/100
- Context
- 1.0M
- Tier
- Fast Tier
List price from the DeepSeek pricing page, verified October 12, 2026.
Across the 25 languages we measured, it needs about 21% more tokens than OpenAI's for the same text. Costs by language
Check the sourceIn-depth analysis
DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash: Detailed Comparison
DeepSeek V3 is DeepSeek's lightweight-tier language model with a 128K-token context window, excelling at data extraction. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash from DeepSeek is a lightweight-tier model supporting 1.0M tokens in context, with standout performance in reasoning.
Price is not the deciding factor here. For the same text, DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash land within 9% of each other, which is inside the margin your own input/output ratio will move anyway. Pick on capability, context, or latency instead — the monthly bill will look much the same either way. DeepSeek V3 is priced at $0.27/M input tokens and $1.10/M output tokens. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output.
On iOPTERA's editorial scores, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash leads with 88/100 for coding and 89/100 for reasoning, against DeepSeek V3's 84/100 and 84/100.
Capability breakdown
Across the five core benchmark categories, here is how DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash stack up head to head:
Best model by task
- coding: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins with 88/100
- reasoning: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins with 89/100
- data extraction: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins with 88/100
- creative tasks: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins with 84/100
Estimated monthly cost at scale
For 10M + 2M tokens of text a month (counted the way OpenAI's tokenizer counts), DeepSeek V3 runs about $5.00 while DeepSeek V4.1 Flash runs about $5.51 — DeepSeek V3 saves roughly $0.51 (9%) every month.
What actually decides it
Both models come from DeepSeek, so they share a tokenizer, an API surface, and a billing account. Switching between them is a model-string change and nothing else — no new SDK, no re-tokenizing your prompts to re-estimate cost, no second vendor to onboard. That makes routing between them far cheaper to implement than a cross-vendor split.
These are the same lab's model at the same tier, 21 months apart — so this is an upgrade question, not a choice between alternatives. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is the current entry; DeepSeek V3 is here because plenty of production traffic still runs on it. If you are starting something new there is little reason to pick the older one, and if you are already on it the question is whether the migration cost is worth the gain.
The context gap is the largest single difference on this pair: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash takes 1.0M tokens against 128K for DeepSeek V3, roughly 7.8x. That is the difference between feeding in a whole repository or a full contract set and having to chunk it. If your work involves documents you cannot split cleanly, this decides it on its own.
Throughput is close enough to ignore — 93/100 versus 85/100. Neither model will feel noticeably quicker in an interactive product, so latency is not a reason to choose between them.
With prices this close (9% apart), pick on fit rather than cost. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash holds the benchmark edge; weigh that against where each one is weakest — creative tasks and creative tasks respectively — and use the calculator above with your own token mix.
What you actually pay
The list price is only the start. Prompt caching, batch processing and long prompts change the bill, and each provider sets them differently. Prices per 1M tokens.
| Pricing term | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| List price (input / output) | $0.27 / $1.10 | $0.30 / $1.20 |
| Cached input | — | $0.0062% of the input price |
| Batch API | — | Not on the price page |
| Long prompts | — | No surcharge across the 1M window |
| Off-peak | — | 50% off outside 01:00–04:00, 06:00–10:00 UTC on weekdays |
| Input with 80% cache hits | — | $0.065 |
The last row assumes 80% of input tokens are read from the cache, as in a chat app that re-sends a long system prompt or RAG over the same documents. Cache-write and storage charges are not included.
Checked on October 8, 2026 against the pricing pages of DeepSeek.
Capability scores
iOPTERA editorial scores across 5 categories — informed by public benchmarks, not measured by us
Coding
Reasoning
Extraction
Creative
Vision
Speed Score
Context Window
What Is a Token?
Models don't read words — they process tokens.
A token is roughly 4 characters of English text (~¾ of a word). Your API bill is priced per million tokens — understanding this directly reduces your costs.
Short phrase
"Hello, world!"
- DeepSeek V3
- $0.11
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- $0.12
Business email
One typical email (~200 words)
- DeepSeek V3
- $7.44
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- $8.26
Code file
50-line Python script
- DeepSeek V3
- $11.02
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- $12.24
Prices shown are for 100,000 runs of each workload — one run costs a fraction of a cent on both DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, so the number only becomes meaningful at production volume. Input tokens only; add your output volume in the calculator below.
How to check your token usage
response.usage.total_tokensEvery API response includes a usage object. Sum total_tokens across all calls to get your monthly figure, then use the calculator below.
Your Cost Calculator
Enter your actual monthly token usage to see real savings
Quick Presets
DeepSeek V3
$15.88/mo
$190.58/yr
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
$17.44/mo
$209.30/yr
Annual Savings
$18.73 saved per year
DeepSeek V3 cheaper · $1.56/mo
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