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DeepInfra vs DeepSeek
DeepSeek's own API against a host that often undercuts it on DeepSeek weights. Price favors DeepInfra. Caching and data location decide the rest.
By The Subconscious Team · Updated
DeepInfra vs DeepSeek: key differences
This pairing is unusual because DeepInfra serves DeepSeek's own models. DeepSeek builds them, releases the weights under an MIT license and runs a first-party API. DeepInfra runs those weights, among 200+ others, at floor prices. On V4 Flash the gap is plain: DeepInfra lists $0.09 in and $0.18 out, while DeepSeek's V4 Flash output alone went to $0.66 off-peak after its August 2026 repricing, with peak hours at double. DeepSeek's newer V4.1 Flash costs $0.30 in and $1.20 out at peak. Its bill also depends on the clock, with peak windows on weekday mornings UTC and every other hour at half price.
DeepSeek's API wins on fidelity. Both of its models carry the full 1M context and 384K max output, and cache hits cost a few cents per million or less, a real saving for agents that reread long prefixes. DeepInfra now serves V4 Pro in FP8 with the full 1M context at $1.30 in and $2.60 out, though some reviewers see weaker output on its other endpoints unless they pin FP8 variants. Data location may settle it for enterprises: DeepSeek stores hosted API data in China, which pushes many teams toward third-party hosts running the same open weights.
What DeepInfra and DeepSeek do
DeepInfra
DeepInfra is the price floor for open-model inference. Developers treat it as the reference point for what a token should cost, with small models like Llama 3.1 8B at $0.02 per million and DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.09 in and $0.18 out. The catalog covers 200+ open models across text, image and speech behind a fully OpenAI compatible API. There are no minimums, setup fees or contracts on the shared API.
Example models: DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B
Full DeepInfra profileDeepSeek
DeepSeek is the Chinese lab whose open-weight models reset price expectations for the whole market. Its main model is V4.1 Flash, with 1M context and 384K max output, which shipped September 10, 2026 with built-in image understanding at $0.30 in and $1.20 out at peak. An updated checkpoint, V4.1-Flash-1017, replaced it on October 17 at the same price. DeepSeek had planned to route deepseek-v4-pro requests to V4.1 Flash from September 14 but reversed course, and still serves V4 Pro at $1.32 in and $3.96 out at peak until a V4.1 Pro launches. Cache hits cost a few cents per million or less, and the weights ship on Hugging Face under an MIT license.
Example models: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
Full DeepSeek profileShould you choose DeepInfra or DeepSeek?
DeepInfra
Choose DeepInfra for
- The cheapest per-token DeepSeek V4 Flash for bulk jobs
- Mixing DeepSeek with other open model families on one key
- V4 Pro at full 1M context for $1.30 in and $2.60 out
DeepSeek
Choose DeepSeek for
- Full 1M context and 384K output on V4.1 Flash
- Cache-heavy agents that reread long prefixes every turn
- Batch jobs scheduled into off-peak hours at half price
DeepInfra vs DeepSeek at a glance
| Attribute | DeepInfra | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights (MIT) |
| Flagship models | DeepSeek V4 Flash, Llama 3.1 8B | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash |
| Speed | Unknown | ~209 tok/s on V4.1 Flash |
| Price | From $0.02 per 1M | Off-peak hours at half price |
| Customization | No managed fine-tuning | Open weights to fine-tune |
| Deployment | Shared API, no contracts | First-party API, Hugging Face weights |
| Long context | 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro | 1M, 384K max output |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between DeepInfra and DeepSeek?
DeepSeek's own API against a host that often undercuts it on DeepSeek weights. Price favors DeepInfra. Caching and data location decide the rest.
When should I choose DeepInfra over DeepSeek?
The cheapest per-token DeepSeek V4 Flash for bulk jobs; Mixing DeepSeek with other open model families on one key; V4 Pro at full 1M context for $1.30 in and $2.60 out.
When should I choose DeepSeek over DeepInfra?
Full 1M context and 384K output on V4.1 Flash; Cache-heavy agents that reread long prefixes every turn; Batch jobs scheduled into off-peak hours at half price.
Is DeepInfra or DeepSeek cheaper?
DeepInfra: From $0.02 per 1M. DeepSeek: Off-peak hours at half price. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.
Which has more context, DeepInfra or DeepSeek?
DeepInfra: 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro. DeepSeek: 1M, 384K max output.
Related comparisons
Running long-horizon agents?
If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious. Our inference stack treats a long-horizon trace as the primary workload, so speed, cost, and accuracy hold up deep into the trace.