DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.8 Flash

API pricing, context window and capabilities for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.

Verdict

computed from the published numbers

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins on price. Gemini 3.8 Flash wins on intelligence. Benchmark data is unavailable for one or both models.

Price
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
Terminal-Bench
Not called
Intelligence
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Context window
Tied

Key takeaways

who wins on what, from the published numbers

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash wins

  • Cheaper input ($0.01 vs $0.75 /1M)
  • Cheaper output ($0.60 vs $3.75 /1M)
  • Higher max output (1M vs 66K)
  • More serving providers (12 vs 5)

Gemini 3.8 Flash wins

  • Supports audio
  • Has web search
Cheaper overall
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
$0.01 + $0.60 /1M
Larger context
Tied
More providers
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
12 providers

Pricing & specs

cheapest listed route · per 1M tokens
On-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower.
DeepSeek V4.1 FlashGemini 3.8 Flash
Input $/1M$0.01via Coralbricks best$0.75via Google
Output $/1M$0.60via Sail best$3.75via Google
Context window1M 1M
Max output1M best66K
Serving providers12 best5
DateReleased Sep 10, 2026 Released Sep 2, 2026

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores, side by side
DeepSeek V4.1 FlashGemini 3.8 Flash
Intelligence39.5 40.9 best
Terminal-BenchNot available 88%
GPQA DiamondNot available 95%
Output speed187 t/s best145 t/s
Latency (TTFT)0.96s best24.48s

Cost calculator

choose a serving route for each side
Input tokens / month
Output tokens / month
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
via Coralbricks
$1.25
Gemini 3.8 Flash
via Vertex AI
$7.50

Capabilities

feature support, side by side
FeatureDeepSeek V4.1 FlashGemini 3.8 Flash
Vision✓✓
Tool use✓✓
Reasoning✓✓
Audio—✓
Prompt caching✓✓
Structured output✓✓
Web search—✓

Related comparisons

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Gemini 3.8 Flash?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is cheaper for input ($0.01 vs $0.75 per 1M tokens) from Coralbricks. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is cheaper for output ($0.60 vs $3.75 per 1M tokens) from Sail.
What is the context window difference between DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash?
Both DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash have about a 1M-token context window.
How do DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, Gemini 3.8 Flash leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026

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