API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewFlint (free) vs DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731

Pick Flint (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-10-21T21:07:30Z Data confirmed: 2026-10-21T22:07:19Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Flint (free) for lower cost; pick DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Flint (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, saving $0.11 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickFlint (free)

Context-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash 0731

Sample savings$0.11100%

10x traffic gap$1.11

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 has more context, but Flint (free) saves $0.11 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.11. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Flint (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Flint (free)	DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Flint (free)	$0	$0.29
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Flint (free)	$0	$0.18
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Flint (free)	$0	$0.71

Cheaper input Flint (free) $0 vs $0.0444 / 1M

Flint (free) is free for input tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Flint (free) $0 vs $0.1333 / 1M

Flint (free) is free for output tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 costs $0.13 per 1M tokens.

Larger context DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 262.14K vs 1.05M

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

Sample workload Flint (free) $0 vs $0.11

Flint (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.11.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Flint (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 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

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

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Flint (free) and $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731.

Best Fit

Choose Flint (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

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

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Flint (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, saving $0.11 (100% lower).
Flint (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.11.
Flint (free) is free for input tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 costs $0.04 per 1M tokens.
Flint (free) is free for output tokens while DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 costs $0.13 per 1M tokens.
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewFlint (free) (Recursive)	DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (DeepSeek)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0	$0.0444
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0	$0.1333
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0	$0.11
Context Window	262.14K	1.05M
Release Date	2026-10-19	2026-07-31

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 $0.11 for DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, saving $0.11 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	Flint (free)	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents 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 Flash 0731	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (free) can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.07.
DeepSeek Flash Latest can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.

Larger context near this budget

Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 · DeepSeek · #3
MiMo-V2.6-Flash · Xiaomi · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

Recursive catalog

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

Open Recursive models

DeepSeek catalog

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

Open DeepSeek models

Flint (free)

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 Flash 0731

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....