API cost decision in 10 seconds

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)

Pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.18 vs $0.28 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch), saving $0.1 (35.7% lower).

Cost-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Context-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)
Sample savings$0.135.7%
10x traffic gap$1

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) has more context, but Nemotron 3.5 Lightning saves $0.1 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickNemotron 3.5 LightningDeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputNemotron 3.5 Lightning$0.5$0.84
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputNemotron 3.5 Lightning$0.28$0.42
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputNemotron 3.5 Lightning$1.08$1.54
Cheaper input Nemotron 3.5 Lightning $0.08 vs $0.14 / 1M

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.06 cheaper per 1M input tokens (42.9% lower; 1.75x difference).

Cheaper output Nemotron 3.5 Lightning $0.2 vs $0.28 / 1M

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (28.6% lower; 1.4x difference).

Larger context DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) 262.14K vs 1.05M

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Nemotron 3.5 Lightning $0.18 vs $0.28

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.1 cheaper on the standard workload (35.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning Calculating… Estimated API cost
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) 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

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower input price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower output price; DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.18 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and $0.28 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch).

Best Fit

Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.18 vs $0.28 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch), saving $0.1 (35.7% lower).
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.1 cheaper on the standard workload (35.7% lower).
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.06 cheaper per 1M input tokens (42.9% lower; 1.75x difference).
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (28.6% lower; 1.4x difference).
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch) has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNemotron 3.5 Lightning
(NVIDIA)		DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)
(DeepSeek)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.08$0.14
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0.2$0.28
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.18$0.28
Context Window262.14K1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionNemotron 3.5 LightningOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.18 vs $0.28 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch), saving $0.1 (35.7% lower).
High-volume input processingNemotron 3.5 LightningLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsNemotron 3.5 LightningLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workDeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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NVIDIA catalog

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DeepSeek catalog

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

Open DeepSeek models
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is an open mixture-of-experts model from NVIDIA, with 3B active parameters out of 30B total. It is suited for high-throughput agentic workloads and specialized tasks that...

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (batch)

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 is a sparse mixture-of-experts model from DeepSeek, with 13B active parameters out of 284B total. This re-post-trained revision is suited for coding, reasoning, and agent workflows....