deepseek-flash vs deepseek-v4-pro
Fourteen priced metrics for the same 2,000-in / 300-out call, with and without provider caching, and what TokenZero's cascade would do with the pair.
At list prices as of 2026-10-26, deepseek-flash costs $0.42 per million blended tokens on a 2,000-in / 300-out call against $1.66 for deepseek-v4-pro, 74.9% less. With the static prefix cached both drop further: $0.52 versus $1.91 per thousand calls. TokenZero routes only prompts its classifier scores simple and holds a 99.8% parity floor.
· Source: provider list prices verified in pricing table 2026-10-26; costs computed by the same code that signs TokenZero receipts
At a glance
- Cheaper per blended token
- deepseek-flash by 74.9% (computed)
- deepseek-flash blended $/1M
- $0.42 (computed)
- deepseek-v4-pro blended $/1M
- $1.66 (computed)
- Input $/1M
- $0.30 vs $1.32
- Output $/1M
- $1.20 vs $3.96
- Cached input $/1M
- $0.006 vs $0.044
- Cache discount
- 98% vs 97% (computed)
- Monthly at 100k calls
- $96 vs $383 (computed)
- Saved per 1M calls
- $2,868 (computed)
- Providers
- deepseek vs deepseek
- Lifecycle
- active, no retirement announced vs active, no retirement announced
- Parity floor for routing
- 99.8% (shadow-eval breaker)
deepseek-flash vs deepseek-v4-pro: list prices and the same workload on both (USD, table 2026-10-26)
| Metric | deepseek-flash | deepseek-v4-pro | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider · tier | deepseek · fast | deepseek · mid | same provider |
| Input $/1M | $0.30 | $1.32 | 77.3% gap |
| Output $/1M | $1.20 | $3.96 | 69.7% gap |
| Cached input $/1M | $0.006 | $0.044 | 98% / 97% off input |
| Cache write $/1M | no surcharge | no surcharge | |
| Minimum cacheable prefix | 1024 tokens | 1024 tokens | |
| Effective blended $/1M (2,000 in / 300 out) | $0.42 | $1.66 | deepseek-flash 74.9% less |
| Per call | $0.00096 | $0.00383 | $0.00287 |
| Per month at 100k calls | $96 | $383 | $287 |
| …with the 1,500-token prefix cached | $52 | $191 | $139 |
| Long-context threshold | single tier | single tier | |
| Processing tiers | standard only | standard only | |
| Lifecycle | active, no retirement announced | active, no retirement announced | |
| Cheaper sibling (cascade target) | — | deepseek-flash | |
| TokenZero cascade recommendation | deepseek-v4-pro → deepseek-flash | $2,868 saved per 1M calls if every call moved; $1,147 at a 40% simple-prompt share | 99.8% parity floor, breaker on |
Use either model through TokenZero
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://tokenzero.sh/v1
# keep your own keys; cache formatting on, routing advisory, signed receipt per callFree up to $500/month of routed spend; paid plans take 15% of verified savings with a 3x-ROI-or-$0 rule.
What is not on this page
Third-party quality scores (coding ELO, extraction accuracy, reasoning benchmarks) and per-model latency are not shown because TokenZero does not measure them; the numbers above are prices and the arithmetic on them. The latency benchmark shows what the gateway does measure.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, deepseek-flash or deepseek-v4-pro?
deepseek-flash. At list prices as of 2026-10-26 it costs $0.42 per million blended tokens versus $1.66 for deepseek-v4-pro, a 74.9% gap on a 2,000-input / 300-output call. Per month at 100,000 calls that is $96 versus $383.
How much does prompt caching change the deepseek-flash vs deepseek-v4-pro gap?
Cached input costs $0.006 on deepseek-flash and $0.044 on deepseek-v4-pro per million. With a 1,500-token static prefix cached, 100,000 calls cost $52 and $191 respectively; TokenZero's formatter places the breakpoints and sets prompt_cache_key automatically.
Can TokenZero route deepseek-v4-pro traffic to deepseek-flash safely?
Yes, within deepseek: with X-TokenZero-Cascade: auto the classifier scores each prompt and only simple ones move; shadow evaluation re-runs a sample on deepseek-v4-pro and a pair below 99.8% parity is auto-disabled. Moving every call would save $2,868 per million calls; at a 40% simple share it is $1,147.
Is deepseek-flash or deepseek-v4-pro being retired?
deepseek-flash: active, no retirement announced. deepseek-v4-pro: active, no retirement announced. TokenZero audits flag retired ids and the gateway warns in X-TokenZero-Warning with the provider's replacement.
Related
Price your own workload on deepseek-flash and deepseek-v4-pro