DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) vs Qwen3.6 Flash
Price and specs side by side · USD per 1M tokens · verified 2026-10-23
// side by side
| metric | DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) | Qwen3.6 Flash |
|---|
| input / 1M | $0.15 | $0.25 |
| output / 1M | $0.60 | $1.50 |
| blended (3:1) | $0.2625 | $0.5625 |
| cache read / 1M | $0.003 | $0.025 |
| context | 1.05M | 1M |
| max output | 393.2K | 65.5K |
| input types | text · image | text · image · video |
| reasoning | yes | yes |
| tool calling | yes | yes |
| structured output | yes | yes |
| open weights | yes | no |
| released | 2026-10-17 | 2026-04-27 |
| knowledge cutoff | 2025-05 | n/a |
| lab | DeepSeek | Alibaba (Qwen) |
// monthly cost scenarios
| workload | tokens in / out | DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) | Qwen3.6 Flash |
|---|
| Chatbot | 10M / 2M | $2.70 | $5.50 |
| RAG app | 50M / 5M | $10.50 | $20.00 |
| Coding agent | 20M / 10M | $9.00 | $20.00 |
// verdict
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) is 53.3% cheaper than Qwen3.6 Flash on a blended 3:1 input/output basis.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) has the larger context window (1.05M vs 1M tokens).
- Chatbot (10M input / 2M output tokens per month): DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) costs $2.70 vs $5.50 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $2.80 per month.
- RAG app (50M input / 5M output tokens per month): DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) costs $10.50 vs $20.00 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $9.50 per month.
- Coding agent (20M input / 10M output tokens per month): DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) costs $9.00 vs $20.00 for Qwen3.6 Flash, saving $11.00 per month.
// DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) or Qwen3.6 Flash: which one to choose
- Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) for cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads.
- Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) for long documents and large codebases (1.05M-token context).
- Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash (1-flash-1017) if you want open weights you can self-host.