High-volume, cost-sensitive work
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs 30% less on a typical mix of three input tokens for every output token ($0.53 against $0.75 per million tokens).
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Mistral Large 4: price, context and capabilities
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation and the hardest reasoning tasks. Choose Mistral Large 4 for self-hosting and data control.
In short
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 30% cheaper than Mistral Large 4 at the headline price ($0.525 / 1M tokens vs $0.75 / 1M tokens).
- Both accept 1M tokens per request.
- Only DeepSeek V4.1 Flash offers reasoning, prompt caching.
- Only Mistral Large 4 offers self-hostable.
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Writing and code generation
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash charges $1.20 per million output tokens, against $1.50 for Mistral Large 4. Output dominates the bill when answers are long.
Hardest reasoning tasks
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash scores 45.1 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, against 38.4 for Mistral Large 4.
Reasoning over long documents
Either one
They are practically level on Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) (82.7% and 81.3%).
Self-hosting and data control
Choose Mistral Large 4
Mistral Large 4 has open weights, so you can run it on your own servers; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is only available through its provider.
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Mistral Large 4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype: 1M input, 250K output tokens | $0.60 | $0.88 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, $0.28 less |
| Production: 20M input, 5M output tokens | $12.00 | $17.50 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, $5.50 less |
| Scale: 500M input, 100M output tokens | $270.00 | $400.00 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, $130.00 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Mistral Large 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | Mistral AI |
| Category | Language models | Language models |
| Status | Generally available | Preview |
| Headline price | $0.525 / 1M tokens | $0.75 / 1M tokens |
| Input | $0.30 / 1M tokens | $0.50 / 1M tokens |
| Output | $1.20 / 1M tokens | $1.50 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input | $0.006 / 1M tokens | No data |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Max output | 384k | No data |
| Released | October 2026 | October 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | No data | No data |
| Licence | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Capabilities | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching | Vision, Tool calling, Structured output, Self-hostable |
| API model id | deepseek-flash | mistral-large-4 |
Benchmarks side by side
Leader in bold.
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | Mistral Large 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Index | 45.1 | 38.4 |
| SciCode | 55.9% | 54.2% |
| Humanity's Last Exam | 43.3% | 35% |
| MMMU-Pro (visual reasoning) | 80.6% | 76.4% |
| Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 82.7% | 81.3% |
Independent evaluations by Artificial Analysis, run the same way for every model, at the reasoning setting shown. Percentages unless marked as an index.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Mistral Large 4?
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation and the hardest reasoning tasks. Choose Mistral Large 4 for self-hosting and data control.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Mistral Large 4?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 30% cheaper than Mistral Large 4 at the headline price ($0.525 / 1M tokens vs $0.75 / 1M tokens).
Which has the larger context window, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or Mistral Large 4?
Both accept 1M tokens per request.
What is the difference between DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Mistral Large 4?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is made by DeepSeek and Mistral Large 4 by Mistral AI. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is 30% cheaper than Mistral Large 4 at the headline price ($0.525 / 1M tokens vs $0.75 / 1M tokens). Both accept 1M tokens per request. Only DeepSeek V4.1 Flash offers reasoning, prompt caching. Only Mistral Large 4 offers self-hostable.
How much do DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Mistral Large 4 cost per month?
At 20 million input and 5 million output tokens a month, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash costs $12.00 and Mistral Large 4 costs $17.50, at standard rates.