DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) is 2.8x cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash on our example workload, at list prices.
Side by side
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) | Gemini 3.8 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.300 | $0.750 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $1.20 | $3.75 |
| Output price ÷ input price | 4.0x | 5.0x |
| Blended / 1M (3:1) | $0.525 | $1.50 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| ≈ English words that fit | 750,000 | 750,000 |
| 1,000 calls (2000+500 tok) | $1.20 | $3.38 |
| AA Intelligence Index | 33 | 31 |
| LMArena Text | 1476 | 1496 |
| Blended $ per AA index point | $0.016 | $0.048 |
List prices from official pages (DeepSeek, Google), verified 2026-11-04. Benchmarks from public leaderboards (Artificial Analysis, LMArena), not run by us. Word counts use the rough 0.75 words per token rule for English. "$ per index point" is our own arithmetic (blended price ÷ index score), a rough value-for-money signal, not a benchmark.
What real workloads cost
Four example request shapes, priced at list rates with no caching or batch discounts. Monthly figures assume 100,000 requests.
| Workload | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) | Gemini 3.8 Flash | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support chat reply a short system prompt, recent chat history and a reply | $0.00120 each $120.00 / mo | $0.00337 each $337.50 / mo | 2.8x |
| RAG answer a question plus about 20K tokens of retrieved documents, and a cited answer | $0.00696 each $696.00 / mo | $0.0180 each $1,800.00 / mo | 2.6x |
| 10-step agent task an agent loop of 10 model calls, each re-reading about 8K tokens of context and emitting a 400-token tool call | $0.0288 each $2,880.00 / mo | $0.0750 each $7,500.00 / mo | 2.6x |
| Long-report summary one 200K-token document summarized into about 2K tokens | $0.0624 each $6,240.00 / mo | $0.1575 each $15,750.00 / mo | 2.5x |
When to pick each
- Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) when cost is the main constraint: at list prices it is 2.8x cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash on a typical 2,000-in / 500-out call ($1.20 vs $3.38 per 1,000 calls).
- Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) when answer quality matters more than price: it scores 33 vs 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, and is also the cheaper model here, so it wins on both counts.
- They come from different providers (DeepSeek and Google), so switching means a second API key, SDK and billing account, and tool-calling formats differ. Our schema converter outputs both formats from one JSON Schema.
Context and pricing limits
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017): 1M tokens of context. Gemini 3.8 Flash: 1M. Same size.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017): API model deepseek-flash. Peak-hour cache-miss price; off-peak is half. The prices above are this tier; check the official pricing page before committing.
- Gemini 3.8 Flash: Promo price through Dec 31, 2026; $1.50/$7.50 from Jan 1, 2027. The prices above are this tier; check the official pricing page before committing.
- Cached input, batch and off-peak discounts can cut real bills a lot and differ by provider; they are not included here.
FAQ
Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash?
Yes, on our 2000-in / 500-out example call it costs $0.00120 vs $0.00337, 2.8x less.
Which has the larger context window?
Neither: both accept 1M tokens.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) scores 33 vs 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. On LMArena Text, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) has 1476 and Gemini 3.8 Flash 1496. Benchmarks are averages; test both on your own prompts.
Run your own numbers in the token cost estimator · DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (1017) pricing · Gemini 3.8 Flash pricing · All comparisons