LLM Reference

DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3.6-35B-A3B

DeepSeek V4 Flash (2026) and Qwen3.6-35B-A3B (2026) compare a standalone API model against a coding-specialized model. DeepSeek V4 Flash ships a 1m-token context window, while Qwen3.6-35B-A3B ships a 262k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V4 Flash leads by 1.2 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek V4 Flash ranges from $0.22 to $0.44/1M input tokens by tier; Qwen3.6-35B-A3B costs $0.15/1M 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 Qwen3.6-35B-A3B 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 FlashQwen3.6-35B-A3B
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$1/1M tokens
Provider routes5 tracked2 tracked
Shared benchmarksMMLU PRO leader5 shared

Decision tradeoffs

Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash when...
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 1.2 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 Reasoning and Structured outputs in local model data.
Choose Qwen3.6-35B-A3B when...
  • Qwen3.6-35B-A3B uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags Qwen3.6-35B-A3B 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

Qwen3.6-35B-A3B

$370

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter

Estimated monthly gap: $294. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

DeepSeek V4 Flash -> Qwen3.6-35B-A3B
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Qwen3.6-35B-A3B is $0.88/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
  • Qwen3.6-35B-A3B adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
Qwen3.6-35B-A3B -> DeepSeek V4 Flash
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.88/1M 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 Reasoning and Structured outputs in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2026-04-242026-04-16
Context window1m262k
Parameters284B35B
ArchitectureMixture of ExpertsMixture of Experts
LicenseMITOSI-approvedApache 2.0OSI-approved
OpennessOpen sourceOpen source
WeightsAvailableAvailable
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: permittedCommercial use: permitted
Knowledge cutoff--

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-35B-A3B
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.
$0.15/1M 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.
$1/1M tokens
Providers
DeepSeek PlatformOpenRouterMicrosoft FoundryVercel AI GatewayNovita AI
OpenRouterNovita AI

Capabilities

CapabilityDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-35B-A3B
VisionNoYes
MultimodalNoYes
ReasoningYesNo
JSON / Tool useYesYes
Structured outputsYesNo
Code executionNoNo
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkDeepSeek V4 FlashQwen3.6-35B-A3B
MMLU PRO86.485.2
SWE-bench Verified79.073.4
SWE-bench Pro52.649.5
Google-Proof Q&A88.186.0
LiveCodeBench91.680.4

Continue comparing

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