Model comparison
DeepSeek V3 vs DeepSeek V4 Flash
Head-to-head evidence from 4 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V3 #147 (Supported); DeepSeek V4 Flash #61 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek V4 Flash share 4 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 18 results are unique to DeepSeek V3; 18 to DeepSeek V4 Flash.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 4
- DeepSeek V3 only
- 18
- DeepSeek V4 Flash only
- 18
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Pick DeepSeek V4 Flash if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 4 shared benchmark results across 3 evidence categories; 3 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
DeepSeek V4 Flash is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 58.88 to 44.97. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
DeepSeek V4 Flash's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 40.8 against 1.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 42% to 73.7%. DeepSeek V3 does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
DeepSeek V3 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.27 input / $1.10 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.14 input / $0.28 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V4 Flash. That is roughly 3.9x on output cost alone. DeepSeek V4 Flash gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | DeepSeek V3 | Δ | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | DeepSeek V31.7 | Margin→ 39.1 | DeepSeek V4 Flash40.8 |
| Knowledge | DeepSeek V372.7 | Margin← 33.9 | DeepSeek V4 Flash38.8 |
| Coding | DeepSeek V338.9 | Margin→ 25.3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash64.2 |
| Agentic | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 Flash49.1 |
| Inst. Following | DeepSeek V386.1 | MarginNo overlap | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 42%B 73.7%Winner: DeepSeek V4 FlashΔ 31.7SWE-bench Verified: DeepSeek V3 scored 42%; DeepSeek V4 Flash scored 73.7%. DeepSeek V4 Flash wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 59.1%B 71.2%Winner: DeepSeek V4 FlashΔ 12.1GPQA: DeepSeek V3 scored 59.1%; DeepSeek V4 Flash scored 71.2%. DeepSeek V4 Flash wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 75.9%B 83%Winner: DeepSeek V4 FlashΔ 7.1MMLU-Pro: DeepSeek V3 scored 75.9%; DeepSeek V4 Flash scored 83%. DeepSeek V4 Flash wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | DeepSeek V3$0.27 input / $1.1 output | DeepSeek V4 Flash$0.14 input / $0.28 output | DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | DeepSeek V3Not available | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | DeepSeek V3Not available | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | DeepSeek V3128K | DeepSeek V4 Flash1M | DeepSeek V4 Flash lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 1.6% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 22.8% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 0.0% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 217 | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 49.1% | Not comparable |
| MCP AtlasSource | — | 64% | Not comparable |
| ToolathlonSource | — | 40.7% | Not comparable |
| Claw-EvalSource | — | 57.8% | Not comparable |
| Gert LabsSource | — | 54.35% | Not comparable |
CodingDeepSeek V4 Flash wins7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBenchSource | 37.6% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 42% | 73.7% | DeepSeek V4 Flash leads |
| AA Coding IndexSource | 23.0% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-SciCodeSource | 35.4% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench ProSource | — | 49.1% | Not comparable |
| SWE MultilingualSource | — | 69.7% | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 49.1% | Not comparable |
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeDeepSeek V3 wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 59.1% | 71.2% | DeepSeek V4 Flash leads |
| MMLU-ProSource | 75.9% | 83% | DeepSeek V4 Flash leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 14.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 55.7% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | 3.6% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -41.3% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 25.4% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 89.4% | — | Not comparable |
| SimpleQASource | — | 23.1% | Not comparable |
| Chinese-SimpleQASource | — | 71.5% | Not comparable |
| GPQA-DSource | — | 71.2% | Not comparable |
| HLESource | — | 8.1% | Not comparable |
MathDeepSeek V4 Flash wins5 benchmarks
Multimodal1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1150 | 1238 | DeepSeek V4 Flash leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V4 Flash is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 58.88 to 44.97. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 42% and 73.7%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V3 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.7 versus 38.8. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 64.2 versus 38.9. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, DeepSeek V3 or DeepSeek V4 Flash?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 40.8 versus 1.7. DeepSeek V3 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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