DeepSeek V3 Base vs DeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek V3 Base (2024) and DeepSeek V4 Flash (2026) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek. DeepSeek V3 Base ships a 128k-token context window, while DeepSeek V4 Flash ships a 1m-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
DeepSeek V4 Flash fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and DeepSeek V3 Base for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3 Base | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysis |
| Decision fit | Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 1m |
| Cheapest output | - | $0.12/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 0 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3 Base for Long context.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash uniquely exposes Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V4 Flash for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek V3 Base
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
DeepSeek V4 Flash
$76.26
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for DeepSeek V3 Base and DeepSeek V4 Flash; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash adds Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for DeepSeek V4 Flash and DeepSeek V3 Base; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2026-04-24 |
| Context window | 128k | 1m |
| Parameters | 671B total, 37B active (MoE) | 284B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Mixture of Experts |
| License | MITOSI-approved | MITOSI-approved |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Weights | Unknown | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-07 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 Base | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - |
|
| Output price | - |
|
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 Base | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-03. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.