API cost decision in 10 seconds

DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest vs Hy3 (free)

Pick Hy3 (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-08-23T07:07:52Z Data confirmed: 2026-08-23T11:07:50Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Hy3 (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest, saving $0.11 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickHy3 (free)

Context-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash Latest

Sample savings$0.11100%

10x traffic gap$1.05

DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest has more context, but Hy3 (free) saves $0.11 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.05. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Hy3 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest	Hy3 (free)
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Hy3 (free)	$0.27	$0
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Hy3 (free)	$0.17	$0
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Hy3 (free)	$0.69	$0

Cheaper input Hy3 (free) $0.04 vs $0 / 1M

Hy3 (free) is free for input tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Hy3 (free) $0.13 vs $0 / 1M

Hy3 (free) is free for output tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest costs $0.13 per 1M tokens.

Larger context DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest 1.31M vs 262.14K

DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest has 1.05M more context (5x larger).

Sample workload Hy3 (free) $0.11 vs $0

Hy3 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.11.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest Calculating… Estimated API cost

Hy3 (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Hy3 (free) has the lower input price; Hy3 (free) has the lower output price; DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Hy3 (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest and $0 for Hy3 (free).

Best Fit

Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Hy3 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest, saving $0.11 (100% lower).
Hy3 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.11.
Hy3 (free) is free for input tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.
Hy3 (free) is free for output tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest costs $0.13 per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest has 1.05M more context (5x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest (deepseek)	Hy3 (free) (Tencent)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.04	$0
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.13	$0
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.11	$0
Context Window	1.31M	262.14K
Release Date	2026-08-01	2026-07-06

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Hy3 (free)	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest, saving $0.11 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	Hy3 (free)	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Hy3 (free)	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.

Larger context near this budget

No larger-context model is currently tracked within a close sample-cost band.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
Hy3 · Tencent · #3
Ox Alpha · stealth · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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deepseek catalog

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Tencent catalog

Check other Tencent models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the DeepSeek V4 Flash family.

Hy3 (free)

Hy3 is a 295B-parameter Mixture-of-Experts model from Tencent (21B active, 192 experts with top-8 routing) built for reasoning, agentic workflows, and real-world production use. It supports a configurable reasoning effort:...