DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Seed 2.1 Pro
Seed 2.1 Pro comes out ahead, 50 to 45 on our weighted score.
DeepSeekDeepSeek V4 Pro
45/100- ECI—
- Price$1.32 / $3.00
- Context1M
- Our pick
ByteDance SeedSeed 2.1 Pro
50/100- ECI—
- Price$0.891 / $4.45
- Context256K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Seed 2.1 Pro is our pick
Seed 2.1 Pro is the better all-round choice, scoring 50/100 against DeepSeek V4 Pro (45). It leads on inputs & features. DeepSeek V4 Pro wins on context window. 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 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro $1.74 · Seed 2.1 Pro $1.78 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextDeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro 1,000,000 · Seed 2.1 Pro 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSeed 2.1 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro: Text · Seed 2.1 Pro: Text, Images, Video
- Self-hostingDeepSeek V4 ProPublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | DeepSeek V4 Pro | Seed 2.1 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 38 | 38 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 45 | 80 |
| Context window | 20% | 60 | 36 |
| Overall | 100% | 45/100 | 50/100 |
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 ProDeepSeek | Seed 2.1 ProByteDance Seed |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.32 | $0.891 (best) |
| Output | $3.00 (best) | $4.45 |
| Cached input | — | $0.178 |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.74 (best) | $1.78 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 49 providers | Official Volcengine Ark API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens (best) | 256,000 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 tokens (best) | 256,000 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |
| API model ID | — | doubao-seed-2-1-pro-260628 |
| API providers | 52 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Apr 24, 2026 | Jun 23, 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 Pro$19.20
- Seed 2.1 Pro$17.81
Which should you choose?
Which is better: DeepSeek V4 Pro or Seed 2.1 Pro?
Seed 2.1 Pro is the better all-round choice, scoring 50/100 against DeepSeek V4 Pro (45). It leads on inputs & features. DeepSeek V4 Pro wins on context window. 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 Pro or Seed 2.1 Pro?
DeepSeek V4 Pro is cheaper at $1.32 input / $3.00 output per million tokens (median across 49 API providers). Seed 2.1 Pro costs $0.891 input / $4.45 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.74 per million tokens for DeepSeek V4 Pro versus $1.78 for Seed 2.1 Pro (1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. DeepSeek V4 Pro has not been scored yet and Seed 2.1 Pro has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek V4 Pro and Seed 2.1 Pro 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 Pro has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 256,000 for Seed 2.1 Pro. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek V4 Pro up to 384,000, Seed 2.1 Pro up to 256,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
DeepSeek V4 Pro accepts text; Seed 2.1 Pro accepts text, images and video. Seed 2.1 Pro handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
DeepSeek V4 Pro publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Seed 2.1 Pro is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Seed 2.1 Pro is the newest, released Jun 23, 2026. DeepSeek V4 Pro came out Apr 24, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: DeepSeek V4 Pro 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.
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