DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Grok-3
DeepSeek V4 Flash (2026) and Grok-3 (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from DeepSeek and xAI. DeepSeek V4 Flash ships a 1m-token context window, while Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V4 Flash leads by 6.5 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
DeepSeek V4 Flash fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Grok-3 for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysis | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1m | 131k |
| Cheapest output | $0.12/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 5 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 5 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V4 Flash holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 6.5 points.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.12/1M tokens.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V4 Flash for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Grok-3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 25 points.
- Grok-3 uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 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 V4 Flash
$76.26
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Grok-3
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Estimated monthly gap: $1,164. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok-3 is $2.28/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok-3 adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash is $2.28/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-24 | 2025-02-17 |
| Context window | 1m | 131k |
| Parameters | 284B | — |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | - |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Weights | Available | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2025-04 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price |
| $0.80/1M tokens |
| Output price |
| $2.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Grok-3 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 86.4 | 79.9 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 88.1 | 84.6 |
| LiveCodeBench | 91.6 | 79.4 |
| HumanEval | 69.5 | 94.5 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1437.0 | 1405.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.