DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs V4 Flash (2026): One Week Apart, a Full Price Table Apart
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs V4 Flash in 2026: price tables, native vision, Pro redirect, and what changes for cached workloads - with a clear decision rule.
V4.1 Flash is the only current entry of the Flash line: same context, roughly a third of the price, native vision in one ID, stable name. V4 Flash survives as the August price table behind the redirect and as a historical snapshot for reproducible evaluations. Decision rule: count the tiers separately (peak 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC, otherwise half price), let the deepseek-flash pin do its job, and budget on the new table — the old Pro assumptions are no longer true since 14.09.2026.
Detailed Comparison
A side-by-side analysis of key factors to help you make the right choice.
| Factor | V4.1 Flash — current stable API name, native multimodality, lower price tableRecommended | V4 Flash — temporary August build, retired and redirecting to deepseek-flash | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input Price | Cache-hit $0.003, cache-miss $0.15 off-peak (double at peak) | Cache-hit $0.007, cache-miss $0.22 off-peak (double at peak) | |
| Output Price | $0.60 per 1M tokens off-peak, $1.20 at peak | $0.66 off-peak, $1.32 at peak | |
| Multimodality | Native image understanding inside the single deepseek-flash ID | Image support only via separate deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp ID (now retired) | |
| Context Window | 1M-token context, 384K max output | 1M-token context, 384K max output | |
| Api Name Stability | Stable, official API name in the current price table | Temporary build, replaced on 10.09.2026 — name no longer resolves on its own | |
| Pro Plan Effect | From 14.09.2026 every deepseek-v4-pro request is billed at the V4.1-Flash table (about 77% cheaper cache-miss, 70% cheaper output) | No separate effect — the old Pro price table is fully superseded | |
| Peak Offpeak Tiering | Off-peak is exactly half of peak; peak = Mon-Fri 01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC | Same two-tier logic, just at the higher August prices | |
| Local Deployment | Open MIT weights, 552B MoE with 8B active in / 16B out, MXFP4, about 510 GB full stack | Same architecture family and licence; smaller weight snapshot on disk | |
| Total Score | 5/ 8 | 0/ 8 | 3 ties |
Key Statistics
Real data from verified industry sources to support your decision.
DeepSeek changelog
DeepSeek changelog
Apidog price overview
Apidog price overview
Coursiv / WorldofAI test log
DeepSeek changelog
All statistics come from verified third-party sources. Source, year, and direct link are shown on each metric.
When to Choose Each Option
Clear guidance based on your specific situation and needs.
Choose V4.1 Flash — current stable API name, native multimodality, lower price table when...
- You run production agents on the paid API and forecast costs by the minute.
- You need image understanding and text in a single, stable model ID.
- You have cached workloads - the cache-hit rate now applies at $0.003 per 1M.
- You want the September 14 Pro redirect to do its work without touching code.
Choose V4 Flash — temporary August build, retired and redirecting to deepseek-flash when...
- You reproduce an August 2026 evaluation and need the old price snapshot for it.
- You run the older local weight snapshot with the smaller disk footprint.
- You document the price history of the Flash line as its own step.
- Your stack still resolves the retired IDs and you want the redirect behaviour verified.
Our Recommendation
V4.1 Flash is the only current entry of the Flash line: same context, roughly a third of the price, native vision in one ID, stable name. V4 Flash survives as the August price table behind the redirect and as a historical snapshot for reproducible evaluations. Decision rule: count the tiers separately (peak 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC, otherwise half price), let the deepseek-flash pin do its job, and budget on the new table — the old Pro assumptions are no longer true since 14.09.2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison answered.
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