DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- Input / 1M tokens
- $0.30
- Output / 1M tokens
- $1.20
API models · Side by side
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5.5
Compare DeepSeek and Claude for a text or image application. The token budget, file handling and developer controls are more concrete than broad claims about which model is best.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
- Input / 1M tokens
- $2.00
- Output / 1M tokens
- $10.00
The short answer
DeepSeek and Sonnet both accept text and images here. Sonnet also accepts files. A document-heavy integration should account for that input difference alongside the cost of repeated calls.
Compare the details
Compare context, supported inputs and usage costs. Highlighted rows show a difference.
| Feature | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Claude Sonnet 5.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input formats | image, text | file, image, text |
| Output formats | text | text |
| Context / position limit | 1,048,576 | 1,000,000 |
| Maximum output tokens | 943,718 | 128,000 |
| Developer features | frequency penalty, Reasoning output, logit bias, logprobs, Output limit, min p, presence penalty, Reasoning controls, Thinking effort, repetition penalty, Response format, Seed, Stop sequences, Structured output, Temperature, Tool selection, Tool calling, top k, top logprobs, Sampling controls | Reasoning output, Completion limit, Output limit, Reasoning controls, Thinking effort, Response format, Stop sequences, Structured output, Tool selection, Tool calling, Response length |
| Cached input / 1M tokens | $0.006000 | $0.10 |
| Cache write / 1M tokens | Unknown | $2.50 |
| USD input / 1M tokens | $0.30 | $2.00 |
| USD output / 1M tokens | $1.20 | $10.00 |
| Model identifier | deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash | anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5 |
API pricing
Prices are in USD per million tokens. Input is what you send; output is what the model generates. Claude and ChatGPT subscriptions are billed separately.
Tools, images and additional reasoning can add charges. The examples below cover input and output tokens only.
Compare local modelsWhat those prices mean in practice
Each example uses the same token budget for both models. These are calculations, not measured workloads. Cache discounts, media, tools and extra reasoning are excluded.
| Workload | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Claude Sonnet 5.5 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 short requestsPer request: 2,000 input + 500 output tokens | $1.20 | $9.00 |
| 100 document summariesPer request: 20,000 input + 1,000 output tokens | $0.72 | $5.00 |
| 10 long-document requestsPer request: 300,000 input + 2,000 output tokens | $0.92 | $6.20 |
Estimate = requests × (input tokens × input price + output tokens × output price) ÷ 1,000,000. Long-prompt rates are applied where the pricing data provides them. Real requests can use different amounts of output.
Beyond the price tag
A document pipeline
Sonnet’s file input can simplify the path from an uploaded document to a model request. With DeepSeek’s text and image inputs, your application must decide how to prepare the same document. Preserve the information required by the task rather than treating a text conversion as automatically equivalent.
Price the output
Short labels, rewritten paragraphs and full reports need different answer budgets. A large rate difference becomes meaningful only after you specify how much input and output a task uses. The cost table below provides three explicit examples instead of inventing a typical monthly workload.
Tools and response contracts
Use the feature row to compare supported controls before moving a tool-driven integration. Your application still needs to validate returned arguments and handle failed actions. The available metadata establishes features and prices; it does not establish reliability on every task or replace a review of the outputs your workflow consumes.
Common questions
Are these monthly subscription prices?
No. The table compares token charges for using these models in an application. Consumer subscriptions have their own prices and usage rules.
Do the cost examples include everything?
They include input and output token charges under the stated assumptions. Media, tools, additional reasoning and cache operations can add different charges.