LLM Reference

DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3.6-27B

DeepSeek V4 Flash (2026) and Qwen3.6-27B (2026) compare a standalone API model against a coding-specialized model. DeepSeek V4 Flash ships a 1m-token context window, while Qwen3.6-27B ships a 262k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V4 Flash leads by 0.2 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V4 Flash ranges from $0.22 to $0.44/1M input tokens by tier; Qwen3.6-27B costs $0.32/1M input tokens. This page treats the result as workflow and deployment fit, not a universal model winner.

Treat this as a product-type comparison: DeepSeek V4 Flash is standalone API model, while Qwen3.6-27B is coding-specialized model. Choose based on workflow fit before reading any benchmark or price row as decisive.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-27B
Product typeStandalone API modelCoding-specialized model
Best forreasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysiscustom coding agents, code generation, and tool loops
Decision fitCoding, RAG, and AgentsCoding, RAG, and Agents
Context window1m262k
Cheapest output$0.12/1M tokens$3.20/1M tokens
Provider routes5 tracked4 tracked
Shared benchmarksMMLU PRO leader6 shared

Decision tradeoffs

Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash when...
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 0.2 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.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
Choose Qwen3.6-27B when...
  • Qwen3.6-27B holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Pro, ahead by 0.9 points.
  • Qwen3.6-27B uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags Qwen3.6-27B 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.

Lower estimate DeepSeek V4 Flash

DeepSeek V4 Flash

$76.26

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter

Qwen3.6-27B

$1,056

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter

Estimated monthly gap: $980. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

DeepSeek V4 Flash -> Qwen3.6-27B
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Qwen3.6-27B is $3.08/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
  • Qwen3.6-27B adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
Qwen3.6-27B -> DeepSeek V4 Flash
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash is $3.08/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash adds Structured outputs in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2026-04-242026-04-27
Context window1m262k
Parameters284B27B
ArchitectureMixture of ExpertsDecoder Only
LicenseMITOSI-approvedApache 2.0OSI-approved
OpennessOpen sourceOpen source
WeightsAvailableAvailable
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: permittedCommercial use: permitted
Knowledge cutoff--

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-27B
Input price
Off-peak
$0.22/1M tokens
All UTC hours outside DeepSeek's peak windows. Cache-hit input: $0.007 per 1M tokens; cache-miss input: $0.22 per 1M; output: $0.66 per 1M.
Peak
$0.44/1M tokens
01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC. Cache-hit input: $0.014 per 1M tokens; cache-miss input: $0.44 per 1M; output: $1.32 per 1M.
$0.32/1M tokens
Output price
Off-peak
$0.66/1M tokens
All UTC hours outside DeepSeek's peak windows. Cache-hit input: $0.007 per 1M tokens; cache-miss input: $0.22 per 1M; output: $0.66 per 1M.
Peak
$1.32/1M tokens
01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC. Cache-hit input: $0.014 per 1M tokens; cache-miss input: $0.44 per 1M; output: $1.32 per 1M.
$3.20/1M tokens
Providers
DeepSeek PlatformOpenRouterMicrosoft FoundryVercel AI GatewayNovita AI
OpenRouterAlibaba Cloud PAI-EASVercel AI GatewayNovita AI

Capabilities

CapabilityDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-27B
VisionNoYes
MultimodalNoYes
ReasoningYesYes
JSON / Tool useYesYes
Structured outputsYesNo
Code executionNoNo
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-27B
MMLU PRO86.486.2
SWE-bench Verified79.077.2
SWE-bench Pro52.653.5
Google-Proof Q&A88.187.8
LiveCodeBench91.683.9
Humanity's Last Exam34.824.0

Continue comparing

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Last reviewed: 2026-07-03. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.