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Model comparison

DeepSeek V3.1 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

DeepSeek against Google, compared on context, price, and verified benchmark results.

Catalog record checked September 26, 2026Individual provider fields may changeEvidence confidence: High — see receipts below

DeepSeek

DeepSeek V3.1

Budget · Open weights

vs

Google

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Budget

AI model capability comparison
SpecificationDeepSeek V3.1Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
ProviderDeepSeekGoogle
TierBudgetBudget
Context window128KWinner: 1.05M
Max outputNot verifiedUnverified66K
Input / 1M tokens$0.25$0.25
Output / 1M tokensWinner: $0.95$1.50
WeightsOpenClosed
Parameters671B total / 37B active (MoE)Not disclosedUnverified
Reasoning levelslow, high, maxNot verifiedUnverified
Modalitiestexttext, image, video, audio, pdf
LicenseMITNot disclosedUnverified
API model idNot publishedUnverifiedgemini-3.1-flash-lite
ReleasedAugust 21, 2025May 7, 2026
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (2026-09-26)13.5Winner: 15.6

Prices are USD per million tokens at standard rates, excluding batch and caching discounts. Bold indicates the better figure where one is objectively better. Values we could not confirm from the provider are shown as “Not verified” rather than estimated.

Benchmark receipts

Where each score comes from, and how far it can be compared across models.

  • 2026-09-26
    Artificial Analysis

    Composite index blending reasoning, knowledge, and coding evals into one 0–100 score.

    Comparable with caveatOnly same-version scores are comparable. v4.3.2 was rebaselined (the top score fell from 66 on v4.1.1 to ~58), so v4.1.1 figures must not be compared with v4.3.2 figures — check measuredAt.

Pricing tiers

DeepSeek V3.1: No first-party API: DeepSeek moved the deepseek-chat alias to V3.1-Terminus on 2025-09-22 (the alias itself was retired on 2026-07-24). Third-party hosts listed ~$0.25/$0.95 per MTok (secondary, last checked 2026-08-29) — verify with your host.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: $0.25 input (text, image, video; $0.50 audio) / $1.50 output per MTok; cached input $0.025. GA 2026-05-07 after a 2026-03-03 preview; shutdown no earlier than 2027-05-07.

BudgetOpen weightsRecord checked September 26, 2026

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1 is a legacy open-weight (MIT) 671B/37B MoE with a 128K context — superseded by V3.1-Terminus, V3.2 and then V4.

Best for

  • Cost-sensitive hosted agents
  • High-volume coding assist
  • Open-weight deployments

Watch out

Legacy: DeepSeek's own API stopped serving V3.1 when deepseek-chat moved to V3.1-Terminus on 2025-09-22; hosted rates differ by provider and self-hosting needs datacentre VRAM.

BudgetRecord checked September 26, 2026

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is Google's cheapest current Gemini API model for high-volume, latency-sensitive pipelines.

Best for

  • High-volume extraction
  • Classification
  • Cheap multimodal input

Watch out

Google recommends 3.5 Flash-Lite for new work, and 3.1 Flash-Lite's earliest shutdown date is 2027-05-07; well behind Flash models on reasoning.

When the cheaper one wins

DeepSeek V3.1 is cheaper on output at $0.95 per million tokens against $1.50 for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite — about 1.6×. Use the cheaper tier for classification, extraction, summarisation, and any task where the expensive model’s extra score does not change the accepted output. The expensive one only pays if your hardest task actually fails on the cheap tier. These are standard-tier API rates, excluding batch and cache discounts.

Run the model picker

Evidence confidence: High

How strong and complete the evidence behind this comparison is — not a prediction of which model is better.

  • Pricing verified on both sides — Input and output rates are verified for both models.
  • 2/5 core specs verified on both sides — Not published for at least one side: max output, parameter count, reasoning levels.
  • 1 shared named benchmark with differing scores — Measured on: Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.
  • Verified within the last 90 days — Newest catalog check was 2 days ago.
  • Both models carry source citations — Each side has at least two catalog sources on record.

Source receipts

Each catalog figure was checked against the provider or an independent second source on the date shown.

Related comparisons

Diving deeper on one model? DeepSeek V3.1 · Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Common questions

DeepSeek V3.1 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Answered from the verified figures on this page rather than general guidance.

Is DeepSeek V3.1 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper for input?
Both cost $0.25 per million input tokens at standard rates, so input price is not a deciding factor between them.
Is DeepSeek V3.1 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper for output?
DeepSeek V3.1 is cheaper at $0.95 per million output tokens, against $1.50 for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite — roughly 1.6× the price. Output tokens usually dominate a real bill, so weigh the output rate more heavily than the input rate. These are base rates; DeepSeek V3.1 has tiered pricing: No first-party API: DeepSeek moved the deepseek-chat alias to V3.1-Terminus on 2025-09-22 (the alias itself was retired on 2026-07-24). Third-party hosts listed ~$0.25/$0.95 per MTok (secondary, last checked 2026-08-29) — verify with your host. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has tiered pricing: $0.25 input (text, image, video; $0.50 audio) / $1.50 output per MTok; cached input $0.025. GA 2026-05-07 after a 2026-03-03 preview; shutdown no earlier than 2027-05-07.
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek V3.1 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite accepts 1.05M tokens against 128K for DeepSeek V3.1. This only matters if you routinely send very long documents or large codebases.
Should I use DeepSeek V3.1 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Both sit in the budget tier, so the choice usually comes down to price and context rather than capability. DeepSeek V3.1 suits cost-sensitive hosted agents; Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite suits high-volume extraction.
Can I self-host DeepSeek V3.1 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
DeepSeek V3.1 publishes open weights, but self-hosting and third-party provider access depend on the licence, hardware, serving support, and availability. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is a closed model whose supported access paths are controlled by its provider.

Next step

Choosing between them

The verified figures that separate this pair, computed from the catalog rather than restated boilerplate.

  • Context: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite takes 1.05M against 128K for DeepSeek V3.1 — only decisive if your prompts approach the smaller window.
  • Deployment: DeepSeek V3.1 publishes weights you can self-host; the other is API-only.
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