DeepSeek adds vision model, exempts weekends from peak pricing
What happened
Between the Aug 17, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026 captures of DeepSeek's pricing page, Pulse recorded 2 changes: Peak-hours footnote now specifies peak pricing applies Monday through Friday only, so weekends are always billed at off-peak rates; previously the schedule applied every day; New deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model added to the pricing table, priced identically to deepseek-v4-flash ($0.22 off-peak / $0.44 peak per 1M cache-miss input tokens, $0.66 off-peak / $1.32 peak per 1M output tokens, 2500 c. In detail: New deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model added to the pricing table, priced identically to deepseek-v4-flash ($0.22 off-peak / $0.44 peak per 1M cache-miss input tokens, $0.66 off-peak / $1.32 peak per 1M output tokens, 2500 concurrency); a new footnote states images are converted to tokens by dimension and billed as input tokens, and FIM Completion is not supported. Pulse files it as a pricing change (discount change, new plan) with an upward direction. Pulse's latest capture (Oct 19, 2026) lists DeepSeek Flash at $0.15 per 1M input tokens (cache miss) + $0.3 per 100M input tokens (cache hit) and DeepSeek V4 Pro at $0.66 per 1M input tokens (cache miss) + $2.2 per 100M input tokens (cache hit).
It lands 7 days after DeepSeek's previous change, "DeepSeek: API pricing restructured to peak/off-peak billing, prices roughly double" (Aug 17, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "DeepSeek: dropped peak/off-peak pricing plan, warns of broader increase" (Aug 11, 2026) and "DeepSeek: announced peak/off-peak surge pricing (2x during peak hours)" (Aug 3, 2026). DeepSeek has been tracked since 2026-05-16.
In the same window X, Metabase, Mistral AI, OpenAI and Anthropic also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- — · DiscountDiscount change
Peak-hours footnote now specifies peak pricing applies Monday through Friday only, so weekends are always billed at off-peak rates; previously the schedule applied every day.
- — · PlanAdded
BeforeNot listed
Afterdeepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Discount | Peak-hours footnote now specifies peak pricing applies Monday through Friday only, so weekends are always billed at off-peak rates; previously the schedule applied every day. | Discount change | |
| — | Plan | Not listed | deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model | Added |
Values as written on DeepSeek's public pricing page in the two captures Pulse compared; where the page states no number, the cells give the wording before and after.
Evidence
The two captures Pulse comparedFull-page captures of DeepSeek's pricing page (deepseek.com) from Aug 17, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026; the change is marked in the lower part of the page, where deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model now appears.
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The two full-page captures with this change marked up are free with an account.
DeepSeek, the last 90 days
Full history- Sep 14, 2026packagingDeepSeek merges v4-flash and vision-exp into cheaper Flash V4.1
- Sep 12, 2026packagingDeepSeek reverses V4 Pro retirement, keeps API billing unchanged past Sept 14
- Sep 11, 2026packagingDeepSeek slashes Flash pricing up to 57%, retires V4 Pro Sept 14
- Aug 24, 2026packagingDeepSeek adds vision model, exempts weekends from peak pricing · this change
- Aug 17, 2026increaseDeepSeek: API pricing restructured to peak/off-peak billing, prices roughly double
- Aug 11, 2026packagingDeepSeek: dropped peak/off-peak pricing plan, warns of broader increase
- Aug 3, 2026packagingDeepSeek: announced peak/off-peak surge pricing (2x during peak hours)
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- XAug 24X drops grok-4.5, adds Imagine image/video models and free Playground perk
- MetabaseAug 24Metabase quietly reveals Enterprise-only paid air-gapped deployment option
- Mistral AIAug 17Mistral AI folds Education into Pro, adds bundled API credits to entry plans
- OpenAIJul 25OpenAI: ChatGPT plan taglines reframed to 'Best for X' audience framing
- AnthropicJul 23Anthropic: Fable model + context window disclosed in comparison table
Questions about this change
Did DeepSeek raise prices in August 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Aug 17, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a pricing change: discount change, new plan.
What changed on DeepSeek's pricing page between Aug 17, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026?
Peak-hours footnote now specifies peak pricing applies Monday through Friday only, so weekends are always billed at off-peak rates; previously the schedule applied every day; plan: Not listed → deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp model, added. Pulse compared the captures it took on Aug 17, 2026 and Aug 24, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does DeepSeek change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 3 other pricing-page changes for DeepSeek in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "DeepSeek: API pricing restructured to peak/off-peak billing, prices roughly double" on Aug 17, 2026; DeepSeek has been tracked since 2026-05-16.