DeepSeek API pricing
For technical teamsDeepSeek is priced per use rather than per month; the rate for each option is in the table below. Checked Nov 10, 2026 against the official pricing page.
Very low-cost frontier-class models. Since 10 Sep 2026 the workhorse is V4.1 Flash on the deepseek-flash API id at $0.15–$0.30 in / $0.60–$1.20 out per 1M (off-peak/peak), with image input and MIT open weights; V4 Pro requests route to V4.1 Flash from 14 Sep 2026.
DeepSeek is still one of the lowest-cost ways to run a capable model through an API, with both OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible endpoints. Pricing now depends on the time of day, so batch work you can schedule off-peak costs half as much.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| deepseek-flashOur pick | Usage-basedDeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017. Input cache-miss $0.15 off-peak/$0.30 peak; cache-hit $0.003/$0.006; output $0.60/$1.20. Peak 01:00-04:00 & 06:00-10:00 UTC Mon-Fri. Legacy ids deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp still accepted at the Flash price. | 1M context, 384K max output, vision supported
|
| deepseek-v4-pro | Usage-basedDeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813. Input cache-miss $0.66 off-peak/$1.32 peak; cache-hit $0.022/$0.044; output $1.98/$3.96. | 1M context, no vision
|
Pick this tier: deepseek-flash
The Flash model is the cheapest DeepSeek option and covers most workloads. Schedule batch jobs off-peak to halve the bill.
What works
- Very low per-token prices compared with the frontier labs
- Off-peak hours bill at half the peak rate
- Cache hits cost a small fraction of fresh input
- Drop-in compatible with OpenAI and Anthropic API clients
What to watch
- Peak and off-peak billing makes cost forecasting harder
- Model names and routing change quickly; check which model an ID now serves
- Data-location requirements rule it out for some businesses
Skip it if
- Your data must stay with a provider in your own region
- You need a chat subscription rather than an API
- You cannot tolerate model IDs being retired and rerouted at short notice
Best for
DeepSeek pricing questions
- How much does DeepSeek cost in 2026?
- DeepSeek is priced per use rather than per month; the rate for each option is in the table below. Checked Nov 10, 2026 against the official pricing page.
- Does DeepSeek API pricing change by time of day?
- Yes. DeepSeek bills a peak rate and an off-peak rate, and off-peak is half of peak. Peak hours are 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays; every other hour bills off-peak.
- What happened to deepseek-v4-flash?
- DeepSeek retired the deepseek-v4-flash model ID on 2026-09-10. Calls to it now route to V4.1 Flash and bill at the V4.1 Flash rates.
- Is DeepSeek's API compatible with OpenAI and Anthropic clients?
- Yes. DeepSeek offers OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible endpoints, so most existing client libraries work by changing the base URL and key.
- How do I pay less for the DeepSeek API?
- Run non-urgent jobs in off-peak hours, which bill at half the peak rate, and reuse prompt prefixes so input is billed at the much lower cache-hit rate.
Reviewed Sep 11, 2026 by the Dapols team. Report a price change
Our evidence on this tool
- Catalog status
- Recommended — can be a primary pick in a plan
- Price last checked
- Nov 10, 2026
- Capability last reviewed
- Sep 11, 2026
- Evidence confidence
- Medium — verified, but the vendor changes plans often
- Official documentation
- Read the vendor docs
Re-checked in batches. We date every check and never take payment for placement. How we rank tools
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