DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Qwen3.8 Flash
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Qwen3.8 Flash are closely matched at 51.8 and 49.1 on the LLM Stats Score. Qwen3.8 Flash is 1.4x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Qwen3.8 Flash are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 51.8 and 49.1.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Qwen3.8 Flash is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,040,000 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
- your work emphasizes coding and agents — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 5 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,040,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Qwen3.8 Flash
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
20 reported for DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash · 22 for Qwen3.8 Flash
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash outperforms in 3 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, NL2Repo), while Qwen3.8 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (Agents' Last Exam, GPQA).
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash ($0.22/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Qwen3.8 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash ($0.66/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than Qwen3.8 Flash ($0.47/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is more expensive than Qwen3.8 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash has 638.2B more parameters than Qwen3.8 Flash, making it 510.6% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash accepts 1,040,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.8 Flash's 1,000,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash can generate longer responses up to 393,216 tokens, while Qwen3.8 Flash is limited to 131,072 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Qwen3.8 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
Qwen3.8 Flash
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3.8 Flash uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash was released on 2026-09-10, while Qwen3.8 Flash was released on 2026-08-26.
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is 1 month newer than Qwen3.8 Flash.
Sep 10, 2026
1 weeks ago
2w newerAug 26, 2026
3 weeks ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita. Qwen3.8 Flash is available from Novita.
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash
Qwen3.8 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash and Qwen3.8 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash vs Qwen3.8 Flash.