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DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max vs GPT-5 Medium

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium are closely matched at 39.1 and 29.7 on the LLM Stats Score. DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is 30.6x cheaper per token.

DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 39.1 and 29.7.

In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-5 Medium wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is roughly 30.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

  • cost matters — it's about 30.6x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GPT-5 Medium

  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Core performance indexes
39.1
#59
29.7
#123
39.8
#54
28.6
#125
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
0 of 1
1 of 1
Input price
$0.09 / M
$1.25 / M
Output price
$0.18 / M
$10.00 / M
Context window
1,048,576
400,000

Individual benchmarks

19 reported for DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max · 2 for GPT-5 Medium

1 shared

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5 Medium is better at 0 benchmarks.

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Wed Sep 09 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max ($0.09/1M tokens) is 13.9x cheaper than GPT-5 Medium ($1.25/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max ($0.18/1M tokens) is 55.6x cheaper than GPT-5 Medium ($10.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5 Medium is more expensive than DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Sep 09 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max
Input tokens$0.09
Output tokens$0.18
Best providerDeepinfra
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input tokens$1.25
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to GPT-5 Medium's 400,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while GPT-5 Medium is limited to 128,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Wed Sep 09 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

GPT-5 Medium supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max does not.

GPT-5 Medium can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-5 Medium

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is licensed under MIT, while GPT-5 Medium uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

MIT

Open weights

GPT-5 Medium

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max was released on 2026-04-23, while GPT-5 Medium was released on 2025-08-07.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is 9 months newer than GPT-5 Medium.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

Apr 23, 2026

4 months ago

8mo newer
GPT-5 Medium

Aug 7, 2025

1.1 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5 Medium has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-09-30, while DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5 Medium's training data extends to 2024-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max's cutoff date.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

GPT-5 Medium

Sep 2024

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek. GPT-5 Medium is available from OpenAI.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.09/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.18/1M
deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.28/1M

GPT-5 Medium

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max
✓ Preferred
GPT-5 Medium
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max vs GPT-5 Medium.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max or GPT-5 Medium?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium are closely matched on the LLM Stats Score at 39.1 and 29.7. DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is made by DeepSeek and GPT-5 Medium is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max compare to GPT-5 Medium in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max scores CodeForces: 100.0%, HMMT Feb 26: 94.8%, LiveCodeBench: 91.6%, IMO-AnswerBench: 88.4%, GPQA: 88.1%. GPT-5 Medium scores AIME 2025: 88.9%, GPQA: 88.1%.

Is DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max cheaper than GPT-5 Medium?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is 13.9x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max costs $0.09/M input and $0.18/M output via deepinfra. GPT-5 Medium costs $1.25/M input and $10.00/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max supports 1.0M tokens and GPT-5 Medium supports 400K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (39.1 vs 29.7), context window (1.0M vs 400K), input pricing ($0.09 vs $1.25/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max and GPT-5 Medium?

DeepSeek-V4-Flash-Max is developed by DeepSeek and GPT-5 Medium is developed by OpenAI.