DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.07 cheaper per 1M input tokens (37% lower; 1.59x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥DeepSeek V4 Flash vs 🔥Grok 4.1 Fast
Pick DeepSeek V4 Flash for lower cost; pick Grok 4.1 Fast only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick DeepSeek V4 Flash for lower cost; pick Grok 4.1 Fast only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Flash is estimated at $0.25 vs $0.45 for Grok 4.1 Fast, saving $0.2 (44% lower).
Cost-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash
Context-first pickGrok 4.1 Fast
Sample savings$0.244%
10x traffic gap$1.98
Grok 4.1 Fast has more context, but DeepSeek V4 Flash saves $0.2 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.98. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (49.6% lower; 1.98x difference).
Grok 4.1 Fast has 951.42K more context (1.91x larger).
DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.2 cheaper on the standard workload (44% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower input price; DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower output price; Grok 4.1 Fast offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V4 Flash is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.25 for DeepSeek V4 Flash and $0.45 for Grok 4.1 Fast.
Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Grok 4.1 Fast when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Flash is estimated at $0.25 vs $0.45 for Grok 4.1 Fast, saving $0.2 (44% lower).
- DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.2 cheaper on the standard workload (44% lower).
- DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.07 cheaper per 1M input tokens (37% lower; 1.59x difference).
- DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (49.6% lower; 1.98x difference).
- Grok 4.1 Fast has 951.42K more context (1.91x larger).
| Feature | 🔥DeepSeek V4 Flash (DeepSeek) | 🔥Grok 4.1 Fast (xAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.126 | $0.2 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.252 | $0.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.25 | $0.45 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 2M |
| Release Date | 2026-04-24 | 2025-11-19 |
| Popularity Rank current rank | #4 | #18 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | DeepSeek V4 Flash | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V4 Flash is estimated at $0.25 vs $0.45 for Grok 4.1 Fast, saving $0.2 (44% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Grok 4.1 Fast | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
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