DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs GPT-6 Astra: pricing and benchmarks
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 97% cheaper on input tokens ($0.30 vs $10.00 per 1M). DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 98% cheaper on output tokens ($1.20 vs $50.00 per 1M). On our document Q&A workload (50,000 questions a month), DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $156.00 a month versus $5,500 for GPT-6 Astra, 97% less. GPT-6 Astra scores 166.4 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 155.6 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
Prices verified October 29, 2026.
Which should you choose?
GPT-6 Astra scores 166.4 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 155.6 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
GPT-6 Astra scores 93.7% on FrontierMath (Tiers 1–3) vs 67.4% for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $0.525 per 1M tokens (3:1 input-to-output mix) vs $20.00 for GPT-6 Astra, 97% less.
A trade-off: GPT-6 Astra is 10.8 ECI points more capable but costs 38.1x as much as DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
Pricing and specs
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | GPT-6 Astra | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI |
| API model ID | deepseek-flash | gpt-6-astra |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.30 | $10.00 |
| Cached input / 1M tokens | $0.006 | $1.00 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $1.20 | $50.00 |
| Long-context rates | — | $20.00 in / $75.00 out on long-context requests |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 384K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Batch discount | — | 50% off |
Benchmarks
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | GPT-6 Astra | |
|---|---|---|
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 155.6 | 166.4 |
| GPQA Diamond· Science reasoning | 89.8% | 95.8% |
| FrontierMath (Tiers 1–3)· Advanced math | 67.4% | 93.7% |
| SimpleQA Verified· Factual accuracy | 42.9% | 75.6% |
| ARC-AGI-2· Abstract reasoning | 72.9% | 95.0% |
| DeepSWE· Coding | — | 74.1% |
| APEX-Agents· Agentic work | 39.5% | 64.7% |
Source: Epoch AI, best recorded result per model (CC BY 4.0). A dash means no published score. See all benchmarks
Monthly cost for real workloads
| Workload | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | GPT-6 Astra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Support chatbot 100,000 replies a month, ~1,500 input tokens (system prompt + history) and ~400 output tokens each. | $93.00 | $3,500 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 97% cheaper |
Document Q&A (RAG) 50,000 questions a month with ~8,000 tokens of retrieved context and ~600 output tokens each. | $156.00 | $5,500 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 97% cheaper |
Coding agent 10,000 agent steps a month, ~40,000 input tokens each (70% read from the prompt cache) and ~2,000 output tokens. | $61.68 | $2,480 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 98% cheaper |
Estimates use standard list prices and ignore cache-write surcharges. Different tokenizers can count the same text differently, so test with your own prompts.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs GPT-6 Astra cost calculator
- $156.00/mo$0.0031 / request
- GPT-6 AstraOpenAI$5,500/mo$0.11 / request
Standard-tier list prices. Long-context rates apply automatically where the provider publishes a threshold. Excludes cache-write surcharges, taxes, batch and volume discounts.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash pricing notes
DeepSeek’s low-cost model with thinking and non-thinking modes, tool calls and vision input.
- Prices shown are peak rates. Off-peak rates are half: peak hours are 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday.
- Compatible with both OpenAI-format and Anthropic-format APIs.
- Served by model version DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017; the legacy names deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp route to it at the same price.
- Web Search and Fetch cost $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests each; calls made through Claude Code, Codex or DeepSeek Harness are free until November 1, 2026.
GPT-6 Astra pricing notes
OpenAI’s most capable model, built for the hardest end-to-end reasoning and coding work.
- Cache writes are billed at $12.50 per 1M tokens.
- Fast mode costs 2x the standard rate; Flex costs half.
- Regional (data residency) endpoints add a 10% uplift.
Frequently asked questions
- Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash cheaper than GPT-6 Astra?
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 97% cheaper on input tokens ($0.30 vs $10.00 per 1M). DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 98% cheaper on output tokens ($1.20 vs $50.00 per 1M). On our document Q&A workload (50,000 questions a month), DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $156.00 a month versus $5,500 for GPT-6 Astra, 97% less.
- Which is more capable, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or GPT-6 Astra?
- GPT-6 Astra scores 166.4 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 155.6 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
- How much does DeepSeek V4.1 Flash cost per 1M tokens?
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $1.20 per 1M output tokens, and $0.006 per 1M cached input tokens on DeepSeek’s standard tier.
- How much does GPT-6 Astra cost per 1M tokens?
- GPT-6 Astra costs $10.00 per 1M input tokens and $50.00 per 1M output tokens, and $1.00 per 1M cached input tokens on OpenAI’s standard tier.
- Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or GPT-6 Astra?
- GPT-6 Astra has the larger context window: 1.05M tokens versus 1M for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.