DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Qwen3.8 Flash Next
Too close to call on our weighted score (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 72, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70). The right pick depends on what you value most.
DeepSeekDeepSeek V4.1 Flash
72/100- ECI155.0
- Price$0.15 / $0.60
- Context1M
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3.8 Flash Next
70/100- ECI—
- Price$0.20 / $0.50
- Context262K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 72/100, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash on price and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceDeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek V4.1 Flash $0.263 · Qwen3.8 Flash Next $0.275 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextDeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1,000,000 · Qwen3.8 Flash Next 262,144 tokens
- Widest inputsQwen3.8 Flash NextDeepSeek V4.1 Flash: Text, Images · Qwen3.8 Flash Next: Text, Images, Video
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Qwen3.8 Flash Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 77 | 76 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 80 |
| Context window | 20% | 60 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 72/100 | 70/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | DeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek | Qwen3.8 Flash NextAlibaba (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 155.0 | — |
| ECI rank | #29 of 148 | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.15 (best) | $0.20 |
| Output | $0.60 | $0.50 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.003 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.263 (best) | $0.275 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official DeepSeek API | Median of 5 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens (best) | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 tokens (best) | 131,072 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yeslow · high · max | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | OpenMIT | Openqwen-community-1.0 |
| API model ID | deepseek-flash | — |
| API providers | 50 (best) | 5 |
| Released | Sep 10, 2026 | Aug 27, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | May 2025 | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash$2.70
- Qwen3.8 Flash Next$3.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Qwen3.8 Flash Next?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 72/100, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash on price and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Qwen3.8 Flash Next?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is cheaper at $0.15 input / $0.60 output per million tokens (official DeepSeek API price). Qwen3.8 Flash Next costs $0.20 input / $0.50 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.263 per million tokens for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash versus $0.275 for Qwen3.8 Flash Next (1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash has an ECI of 155.0 and Qwen3.8 Flash Next has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Qwen3.8 Flash Next yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 262,144 for Qwen3.8 Flash Next. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash up to 384,000, Qwen3.8 Flash Next up to 131,072 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash accepts text and images; Qwen3.8 Flash Next accepts text, images and video. Qwen3.8 Flash Next handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (MIT and qwen-community-1.0), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is the newest, released Sep 10, 2026. Qwen3.8 Flash Next came out Aug 27, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash May 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
Related comparisons
- Add GLM-5.3-FlashThree-way comparison
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs GLM-5.3-FlashZ.ai (Zhipu) · ECI 151.9
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs GPT-5.6 LunaOpenAI · ECI 156.5
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.6 FlashGoogle · ECI 154.3
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Inkling SmallThinking Machines · ECI 150.2
- Qwen3.8 Flash Next vs MiniCPM5-2BOpenBMB
- Qwen3.8 Flash Next vs DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision ExpDeepSeek
