GPT-5.4 nano vs DeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek V4 Flash comes out ahead, 71 to 68 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
OpenAIGPT-5.4 nano
68/100- ECI145.8
- Price$0.20 / $1.25
- Context400K
- Our pick
DeepSeekDeepSeek V4 Flash
71/100- ECI146.1
- Price$0.14 / $0.28
- Context1M
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Make it a three-way comparison.
DeepSeek V4 Flash is our pick
DeepSeek V4 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 against GPT-5.4 nano (68). It leads on price and context window. GPT-5.4 nano wins on inputs & features. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
- CapabilityDeepSeek V4 FlashCapabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V4 Flash 146.1 · GPT-5.4 nano 145.8
- Lowest priceDeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeek V4 Flash $0.175 · GPT-5.4 nano $0.463 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextDeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeek V4 Flash 1,000,000 · GPT-5.4 nano 400,000 tokens
- Widest inputsGPT-5.4 nanoGPT-5.4 nano: Text, Images · DeepSeek V4 Flash: Text
- Self-hostingDeepSeek V4 FlashPublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | GPT-5.4 nano | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI) | 50% | 73 | 73 |
| Price | 25% | 66 | 86 |
| Inputs & features | 15% | 70 | 45 |
| Context window | 10% | 44 | 60 |
| Overall | 100% | 68/100 | 71/100 |
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | GPT-5.4 nanoOpenAI | DeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 145.8 | 146.1 (best) |
| ECI rank | #75 of 148 | #71 of 148 (best) |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 78.5% | — |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics | 44.9% | — |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 87.8% | — |
| SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions | 11.7% | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.20 | $0.14 (best) |
| Output | $1.25 | $0.28 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.02 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.463 | $0.175 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official OpenAI API | Median of 42 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 400,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens | 384,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yeslow · medium · high · xhigh | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | gpt-5.4-nano | — |
| API providers | 26 | 48 (best) |
| Released | Mar 17, 2026 | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Aug 31, 2025 | 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.
- GPT-5.4 nano$4.50
- DeepSeek V4 Flash$1.96
Which should you choose?
Which is better: GPT-5.4 nano or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V4 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 against GPT-5.4 nano (68). It leads on price and context window. GPT-5.4 nano wins on inputs & features. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 nano or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V4 Flash is cheaper at $0.14 input / $0.28 output per million tokens (median across 42 API providers). GPT-5.4 nano costs $0.20 input / $1.25 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.175 per million tokens for DeepSeek V4 Flash versus $0.463 for GPT-5.4 nano (2.6× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
DeepSeek V4 Flash scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): DeepSeek V4 Flash 146.1 (#71 of 148) and GPT-5.4 nano 145.8 (#75 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (143.6–147.9 vs 143.2–147.7), so treat the gap as small.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-5.4 nano and DeepSeek V4 Flash yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, DeepSeek V4 Flash leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 400,000 for GPT-5.4 nano. Maximum output per response: GPT-5.4 nano up to 128,000, DeepSeek V4 Flash up to 384,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
GPT-5.4 nano accepts text and images; DeepSeek V4 Flash accepts text. GPT-5.4 nano handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
DeepSeek V4 Flash publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; GPT-5.4 nano is proprietary.
Which is newer?
DeepSeek V4 Flash is the newest, released Apr 24, 2026. GPT-5.4 nano came out Mar 17, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.4 nano Aug 31, 2025, DeepSeek V4 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.
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