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ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (DeepSeek) and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (Google) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 28 September 2026

As of 28 September 2026, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#11 vs #28); DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 4.2× cheaper per output token ($0.60/1M vs $2.50/1M); and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #11 against #28 (79.4 vs 71.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.60/1M output tokens against $2.50/1M, about 4.2× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.03/1M against $0.30/1M.
  • you want to self-host: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash ships open weights while Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 26 listed API providers against 2.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1532 against 1503.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 39.5 against 22.2.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 39.2% against 18.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — DeepSeek V4.1 Flash was listed 10 September 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 21 July 2026.

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite leads DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for this pair.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
FieldDeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeekGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGoogle
ModelCap Index position#11#28
Index score79.471.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.03$0.30
Output price / 1M tokens$0.60$2.50
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens944K66K
API providers listed262
Weight accessOpen weightsAPI only
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image, Video, File, Audio
First listed10 September 202621 July 2026
PublisherDeepSeekGoogle

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite

Public benchmark boards where DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite has a published result
BoardDeepSeek V4.1 FlashGemini 3.5 Flash LiteLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15321519–1546Max15031496–1510DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
LMArena AgentLMArena4.1%3.5%–4.7%Max—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—10.3%HighOnly one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis39.5Max22.2ReasoningDeepSeek V4.1 Flash
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis39.2%Reasoning, Max Effort18.8%ReasoningDeepSeek V4.1 Flash

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: common questions

Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash better than Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 28 September 2026: #11 against #28. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $0.60/1M against $2.50/1M. Input tokens are $0.03/1M for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and $0.30/1M for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $0.36 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash versus $1.85 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs 80.6% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?

Arena coding: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1532, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 1503 — DeepSeek V4.1 Flash leads.

Are DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite open-weight models?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash: Open weights. Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: API only. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?

ModelCap currently lists 26 API providers for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and 2 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 28 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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