API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥DeepSeek V4 Flash vs 🔥Hy3 preview

Pick Hy3 preview for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Hy3 preview for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for DeepSeek V4 Flash, saving $0.01 (6.7% lower).

Cost-first pickHy3 preview
Context-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash
Sample savings$0.016.7%
10x traffic gap$0.12

DeepSeek V4 Flash has more context, but Hy3 preview saves $0.01 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.12. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Hy3 preview, balanced workload favors DeepSeek V4 Flash, and output-heavy chatbot favors DeepSeek V4 Flash.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickDeepSeek V4 FlashHy3 preview
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputHy3 preview$0.54$0.42
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputDeepSeek V4 Flash$0.27$0.27
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputDeepSeek V4 Flash$0.99$1.11
Cheaper input Hy3 preview $0.09 vs $0.063 / 1M

Hy3 preview is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).

Cheaper output DeepSeek V4 Flash $0.18 vs $0.21 / 1M

DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.03 cheaper per 1M output tokens (14.3% lower; 1.17x difference).

Larger context DeepSeek V4 Flash 1.05M vs 262.14K

DeepSeek V4 Flash has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Hy3 preview $0.18 vs $0.17

Hy3 preview is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (6.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek V4 Flash Calculating… Estimated API cost
Hy3 preview 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 preview has the lower input price; DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower output price; DeepSeek V4 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Hy3 preview is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.18 for DeepSeek V4 Flash and $0.17 for Hy3 preview.

Best Fit

Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Hy3 preview when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for DeepSeek V4 Flash, saving $0.01 (6.7% lower).
  • Hy3 preview is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (6.7% lower).
  • Hy3 preview is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30% lower; 1.43x difference).
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.03 cheaper per 1M output tokens (14.3% lower; 1.17x difference).
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Feature🔥DeepSeek V4 Flash
(DeepSeek)
🔥Hy3 preview
(Tencent)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.09$0.063
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.18$0.21
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.18$0.17
Context Window1.05M262.14K
Release Date
Popularity#1#2

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionHy3 previewOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Hy3 preview is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for DeepSeek V4 Flash, saving $0.01 (6.7% lower).
High-volume input processingHy3 previewLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDeepSeek V4 FlashLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workDeepSeek V4 FlashA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
Larger context near this budget
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

DeepSeek catalog

Review all tracked DeepSeek models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open DeepSeek models

Tencent catalog

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

Open Tencent models
DeepSeek V4 Flash

DeepSeek V4 Flash is an efficiency-optimized Mixture-of-Experts model from DeepSeek with 284B total parameters and 13B activated parameters, supporting a 1M-token context window. It is designed for fast inference and...

Hy3 preview

Hy3 preview is a high-efficiency Mixture-of-Experts model from Tencent designed for agentic workflows and production use. It supports configurable reasoning levels across disabled, low, and high modes, allowing it to...