API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewFlint (free) vs New🔥DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
Pick Flint (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 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 Flint (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Flint (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.45 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, saving $0.45 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickFlint (free)
Context-first pickDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
Sample savings$0.45100%
10x traffic gap$4.5
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 has more context, but Flint (free) saves $0.45 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Flint (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Flint (free) | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Flint (free) | $0 | $1.05 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Flint (free) | $0 | $0.75 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Flint (free) | $0 | $3.15 |
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
Flint (free) has the lower input price, Flint (free) has the lower output price, and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Flint (free) and $0.45 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017.
Choose Flint (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 when you care most about larger context window.
| Feature | NewFlint (free) (Recursive) | New🔥DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (DeepSeek) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.15 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $0.6 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $0.45 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1.05M |
| Release Date | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-17 |
| Popularity | #2 |
Flint is an open-weight mixture-of-experts model from Recursive, with about 2.5B active parameters out of 40B total, built by Recursive's autoresearch system Eureka Machine for coding agents. It is suited...
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is the October 17, 2026 snapshot of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, served by DeepSeek under the `deepseek-flash` API model name. V4.1 Flash is a sparse mixture-of-experts model...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Flint (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Flint (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.45 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, saving $0.45 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Flint (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Flint (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |