DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (46% lower; 1.85x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥Gemini 3 Flash Preview vs DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus
Pick DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus for lower cost; pick Gemini 3 Flash Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus for lower cost; pick Gemini 3 Flash Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is estimated at $0.74 vs $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview, saving $1.25 (62.7% lower).
Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.1 Terminus
Context-first pickGemini 3 Flash Preview
Sample savings$1.2562.7%
10x traffic gap$12.55
Gemini 3 Flash Preview has more context, but DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus saves $1.25 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $12.55. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemini 3 Flash Preview | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | $4 | $1.83 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | $3.5 | $1.22 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | $15.5 | $5.02 |
DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $2.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (68.3% lower; 3.16x difference).
Gemini 3 Flash Preview has 884.74K more context (6.4x larger).
DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $1.25 cheaper on the standard workload (62.7% 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 V3.1 Terminus has the lower input price; DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus has the lower output price; Gemini 3 Flash Preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview and $0.74 for DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus.
Choose Gemini 3 Flash Preview when you care most about larger context window.
Choose DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is estimated at $0.74 vs $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview, saving $1.25 (62.7% lower).
- DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $1.25 cheaper on the standard workload (62.7% lower).
- DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (46% lower; 1.85x difference).
- DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is $2.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (68.3% lower; 3.16x difference).
- Gemini 3 Flash Preview has 884.74K more context (6.4x larger).
| Feature | 🔥Gemini 3 Flash Preview (Google) | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus (DeepSeek) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.5 | $0.27 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $3 | $0.95 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2 | $0.74 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 163.84K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #7 | #91 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus is estimated at $0.74 vs $2 for Gemini 3 Flash Preview, saving $1.25 (62.7% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemini 3 Flash Preview | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3 Flash Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3 Flash Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3 Flash Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3 Flash Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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DeepSeek-V3.1 Terminus is an update to [DeepSeek V3.1](/deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3.1) that maintains the model's original capabilities while addressing issues reported by users, including language consistency and agent capabilities, further optimizing the model's...