DeepSeek-V4-Flash vs Grok 3 mini
DeepSeek-V4-Flash is cheaper for every workload modelled here.
List prices checked
Specifications and rates
| Property | DeepSeek-V4-Flash | Grok 3 mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $0.140 | $0.300 |
| Output per 1M | $0.280 | $0.500 |
| Cached input per 1M | $0.0028 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.175 | $0.350 |
| Context window | 1M | 131K |
| Max output | 384K | — |
| Inputs accepted | text | text |
Source: DeepSeek pricing (August 2026) · xAI pricing (May 2026). Published list prices only — committed-use discounts, regional variation, and per-request charges are not included. Not yet independently re-checked against the vendor’s page.
Monthly cost by workload
Identical token volumes through both rate cards. Output-heavy profiles are where the ranking flips.
| Workload | DeepSeek-V4-Flash | Grok 3 mini | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-app chat assistantA support or help assistant handling a few thousand conversations a month, with short prompts and short answers. | $4.20 | $8.50 | DeepSeek-V4-Flashsaves $4.30/mo (51%) |
| RAG over documentsRetrieval-augmented answering where each request stuffs several retrieved passages into the prompt, so input dominates. | $46 | $98 | DeepSeek-V4-Flashsaves $51/mo (53%) |
| Coding agentAn agentic loop that reads files and writes patches, generating heavy output and re-sending large context on every turn. | $84 | $170 | DeepSeek-V4-Flashsaves $86/mo (51%) |
What each one is for
DeepSeek-V4-Flash
by DeepSeek
A million-token context window at a fraction of any Western model's price, with cache-hit input billed at a fiftieth of the base rate. DeepSeek has published notice of a significant price rise, so treat these rates as a floor rather than a plan.
Grok 3 mini
by xAI
An unusually cheap reasoning model, with output priced below most competitors' input rates — which matters because reasoning models are output-heavy by nature.
Common questions
- Is DeepSeek-V4-Flash or Grok 3 mini cheaper in 2026?
- DeepSeek-V4-Flash, for every workload modelled here. On a blended 3:1 basis it costs $0.175 per million tokens against Grok 3 mini's $0.350.
- Which has the larger context window?
- DeepSeek-V4-Flash, at 1M tokens against 131K. A larger window only helps if you can afford to fill it — the cost of one full-context request is in the table above.
- Which is cheaper for output-heavy work like agents?
- DeepSeek-V4-Flash, at $0.280 per million output tokens against $0.500. Reasoning tokens bill as output, so for agentic loops this axis usually decides the invoice regardless of what the input rates look like.
- What is not included in these figures?
- Batch-processing discounts, fine-tuning, long-context surcharges above a provider's standard tier, and any enterprise agreement. These are published pay-as-you-go list prices, checked against each provider's own pricing page on the date shown.
- Is switching from Grok 3 mini to DeepSeek-V4-Flash worth it?
- On price alone it is about 50% cheaper on a blended basis. Whether that survives contact with your workload depends on output quality and on retry rate — a cheaper model that needs two attempts is not cheaper. Model the specific volumes in the calculator before you migrate.