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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Seed 2.1 Pro vs DeepSeek V4 Pro

Seed 2.1 Pro comes out ahead, 50 to 45 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    ByteDance Seed

    Seed 2.1 Pro

    Released Jun 23, 2026

    50/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.891 / $4.45
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove Seed 2.1 Pro

  2. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek V4 Pro

    Released Apr 24, 2026

    45/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$1.32 / $3.00
    • Context1M
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek V4 Pro

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

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 ProSeed 2.1 Pro: Text, Images, Video · DeepSeek V4 Pro: Text
  • Self-hostingDeepSeek V4 ProPublishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightSeed 2.1 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro
Price50%3838
Inputs & features30%8045
Context window20%3660
Overall100%50/10045/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Seed 2.1 Pro vs DeepSeek V4 Pro specifications side by side
SpecificationSeed 2.1 ProByteDance SeedDeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.891 (best)$1.32
Output$4.45$3.00 (best)
Cached input$0.178—
Blended (3:1)$1.78$1.74 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Volcengine Ark APIMedian of 49 providers
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens1,000,000 tokens (best)
Max output256,000 tokens384,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · maxYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model IDdoubao-seed-2-1-pro-260628—
API providers252 (best)
ReleasedJun 23, 2026Apr 24, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—May 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Seed 2.1 Pro$17.81
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro$19.20
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Seed 2.1 Pro or DeepSeek V4 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, Seed 2.1 Pro or DeepSeek V4 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. Seed 2.1 Pro has not been scored yet and DeepSeek V4 Pro has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Seed 2.1 Pro and DeepSeek V4 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: Seed 2.1 Pro up to 256,000, DeepSeek V4 Pro up to 384,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Seed 2.1 Pro accepts text, images and video; DeepSeek V4 Pro accepts text. 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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