tokevenDeepSeekvsAlibaba (Qwen)
DeepSeek R1 vs Qwen 3.8 Flash
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
DeepSeek R1
Mid-tierQwen 3.8 Flash
Fast / BudgetInput $/MTok
$0.55
$0.15
Output $/MTok
$2.19
$0.47
Cache discount
75% off
89% off
Context
128K
1M
Quality
Task confidence comparison
Confidence score from zero to one hundred by task type, where higher is better.
Code Generation
0
vs
0
Code Review
0
vs
0
Summarization
0
vs
0
Q&A
0
vs
0
Extraction
0
vs
0
Reasoning
0
vs
0
Classification
0
vs
0
Creative Writing
0
vs
0
DeepSeek R1
Qwen 3.8 Flash
Guidance
When to use DeepSeek R1 vs Qwen 3.8 Flash
Choose DeepSeek R1 when...
- Similar performance; consider provider preference or ecosystem fit.
Choose Qwen 3.8 Flash when...
- -Cost matters: 73% cheaper on input tokens
- -You need a larger context window (1M vs 128K)
At scale
Cost at scale
Estimated cost assuming a seventy percent input and thirty percent output token split.
DeepSeek R1
Qwen 3.8 Flash
100K tokens
$0.10
$0.02Cheaper
1M tokens
$1.04
$0.25Cheaper
10M tokens
$10.42
$2.46Cheaper
FAQ
When should I use DeepSeek R1 instead of Qwen 3.8 Flash?
DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Flash perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.
Is Qwen 3.8 Flash cheaper than DeepSeek R1?
Yes. Qwen 3.8 Flash input costs $0.15/MTok vs $0.55/MTok for DeepSeek R1, saving 73% on input.
What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Flash?
DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window. Qwen 3.8 Flash has a 1M token context window.
Go deeper on either model
Per-call cost calculators, provider lineups, and price history for both models on this page.
Other comparisons
How DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Flash stack up against the rest of the field.
Track your real costs
Comparisons show estimated costs at list price. The dashboard reveals your real spend and savings.