Model comparison
DeepSeek V4 Flash vs GPT-4.1
Head-to-head evidence from 4 shared benchmark results across 4 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V4 Flash #61 (Estimated); GPT-4.1 #108 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. DeepSeek V4 Flash and GPT-4.1 share 4 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 18 results are unique to DeepSeek V4 Flash; 16 to GPT-4.1.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 4
- DeepSeek V4 Flash only
- 18
- GPT-4.1 only
- 16
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Pick DeepSeek V4 Flash if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 4 shared benchmark results across 4 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 51.11. 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 4.1. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 73.7% to 54.6%. GPT-4.1 does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
GPT-4.1 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $2.00 input / $8.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.14 input / $0.28 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V4 Flash. That is roughly 28.6x on output cost alone.
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 V4 Flash | Δ | GPT-4.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | DeepSeek V4 Flash40.8 | Margin← 36.7 | GPT-4.14.1 |
| Knowledge | DeepSeek V4 Flash38.8 | Margin→ 27.5 | GPT-4.166.3 |
| Coding | DeepSeek V4 Flash64.2 | Margin← 9.6 | GPT-4.154.6 |
| Agentic | DeepSeek V4 Flash49.1 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1Not measured |
| Inst. Following | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.187.4 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 73.7%B 54.6%Winner: DeepSeek V4 FlashΔ 19.1SWE-bench Verified: DeepSeek V4 Flash scored 73.7%; GPT-4.1 scored 54.6%. DeepSeek V4 Flash wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 71.2%B 66.3%Winner: DeepSeek V4 FlashΔ 4.9GPQA: DeepSeek V4 Flash scored 71.2%; GPT-4.1 scored 66.3%. 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 V4 Flash | GPT-4.1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | DeepSeek V4 Flash$0.14 input / $0.28 output | GPT-4.1$2 input / $8 output | DeepSeek V4 Flash has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot available | GPT-4.1108 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | DeepSeek V4 FlashNot available | GPT-4.11.02 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | DeepSeek V4 Flash1M | GPT-4.11M | Listed context windows are equal. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic6 benchmarks
CodingDeepSeek V4 Flash wins5 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGPT-4.1 wins13 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash | GPT-4.1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-ProSource | 83% | — | Not comparable |
| SimpleQASource | 23.1% | — | Not comparable |
| Chinese-SimpleQASource | 71.5% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQASource | 71.2% | 66.3% | DeepSeek V4 Flash leads |
| GPQA-DSource | 71.2% | — | Not comparable |
| HLESource | 8.1% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLUSource | — | 90.2% | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | — | 19.4% | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | — | 66.6% | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | — | 4.6% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | — | -36.2% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | — | 24.2% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | — | 79.6% | Not comparable |
MathDeepSeek V4 Flash wins6 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, DeepSeek V4 Flash or GPT-4.1?
DeepSeek V4 Flash is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 58.88 to 51.11. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 73.7% and 54.6%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V4 Flash or GPT-4.1?
GPT-4.1 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 66.3 versus 38.8. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V4 Flash or GPT-4.1?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 64.2 versus 54.6. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, DeepSeek V4 Flash or GPT-4.1?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 40.8 versus 4.1. GPT-4.1 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
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