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DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 vs Qwen3 Max Thinking

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 leads the LLM Stats Score 51.2 to 32.6. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is 4.6x cheaper per token.

DeepSeek · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 51.2 to 32.6, ranking #15 overall.

In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is roughly 4.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 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-V4.1-Flash-1017

  • overall performance matters — it scores 51.2 and ranks #15 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
  • cost matters — it's about 4.6x 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 Oct 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Qwen3 Max Thinking

  • you want predictable pricing at $1.20/M input and $6.00/M output

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
DeepSeek
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
51.2
#15
32.6
#125
Reasoning
48.8
#18
33.7
#113
Coding
39.3
#14
16.0
#147
Agents
38.7
#8
9.9
#142
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
1 of 1
0 of 1
Input price
$0.30 / M
$1.20 / M
Output price
$1.20 / M
$6.00 / M
Context window
1,048,576
256,000

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

2 shared
Index
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Math
31.8#69
31.6#71
Tool use
31.3#6
3.2#184
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

11 reported for DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 · 34 for Qwen3 Max Thinking

1 shared

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam (no tools, text-only)), while Qwen3 Max Thinking is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Oct 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 ($0.30/1M tokens) is 4.0x cheaper than Qwen3 Max Thinking ($1.20/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 ($1.20/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Qwen3 Max Thinking ($6.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3 Max Thinking is more expensive than DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Oct 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerDeepSeek
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Input tokens$1.20
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

236.8B diff

Qwen3 Max Thinking has 236.8B more parameters than DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, making it 31.0% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
763.2Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 Max Thinking
1.0Tparameters
763.2B
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
1000.0B
Qwen3 Max Thinking

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3 Max Thinking's 256,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 can generate longer responses up to 393,216 tokens, while Qwen3 Max Thinking is limited to 256,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output393,216 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Input256,000 tokens
Output256,000 tokens
Sat Oct 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 Max Thinking does not.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 Max Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 Max Thinking uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017

MIT

Open weights

Qwen3 Max Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 was released on 2026-10-17, while Qwen3 Max Thinking was released on 2026-02-13.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is 8 months newer than Qwen3 Max Thinking.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017

Oct 17, 2026

3 days ago

8mo newer
Qwen3 Max Thinking

Feb 13, 2026

8 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is available from DeepSeek. Qwen3 Max Thinking is available from DeepInfra.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M

Qwen3 Max Thinking

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 and Qwen3 Max Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017
✓ Preferred
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 vs Qwen3 Max Thinking.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 or Qwen3 Max Thinking?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 leads the LLM Stats Score 51.2 to 32.6. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is made by DeepSeek and Qwen3 Max Thinking is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 compare to Qwen3 Max Thinking in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 scores BabyVision: 92.5%, Chartography: 83.0%, DeepSWE 1.1: 77.0%, NL2Repo: 68.2%, AutomationBench: 60.5%. Qwen3 Max Thinking scores C-Eval: 93.7%, IFEval: 93.4%, AIME 2026: 93.3%, MMLU-Redux: 92.8%, GPQA: 87.4%.

Is DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 cheaper than Qwen3 Max Thinking?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is 4.0x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via deepseek. Qwen3 Max Thinking costs $1.20/M input and $6.00/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 and Qwen3 Max Thinking?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 supports 1.0M tokens and Qwen3 Max Thinking supports 256K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 and Qwen3 Max Thinking?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (51.2 vs 32.6), context window (1.0M vs 256K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $1.20/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 and Qwen3 Max Thinking?

DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 is developed by DeepSeek and Qwen3 Max Thinking is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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