DeepSeek merges v4-flash and vision-exp into cheaper Flash V4.1
What happened
Between the Sep 7, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026 captures of DeepSeek's pricing page, Pulse recorded one change: DeepSeek merged v4-flash and vision-exp into one deepseek-flash (V4.1) model at lower cache-hit/miss and output prices; new footnote confirms V4 Pro pricing stays unchanged past Sept 14, 2026. Pulse files it as a packaging change (package change) with a neutral 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 2 days after DeepSeek's previous change, "DeepSeek reverses V4 Pro retirement, keeps API billing unchanged past Sept 14" (Sep 12, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "DeepSeek slashes Flash pricing up to 57%, retires V4 Pro Sept 14" (Sep 11, 2026), "DeepSeek adds vision model, exempts weekends from peak pricing" (Aug 24, 2026) and "DeepSeek: API pricing restructured to peak/off-peak billing, prices roughly double" (Aug 17, 2026). DeepSeek has been tracked since 2026-05-16.
In the same window OpenAI, Google, X, Metabase and Mistral AI also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- V4 Pro · PackagingPackage change
DeepSeek merged v4-flash and vision-exp into one deepseek-flash (V4.1) model at lower cache-hit/miss and output prices; new footnote confirms V4 Pro pricing stays unchanged past Sept 14, 2026.
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V4 Pro | Packaging | DeepSeek merged v4-flash and vision-exp into one deepseek-flash (V4.1) model at lower cache-hit/miss and output prices; new footnote confirms V4 Pro pricing stays unchanged past Sept 14, 2026. | Package change | |
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 Sep 7, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026; the change is marked near the top of the page.
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DeepSeek, the last 90 days
Full history- Oct 17, 2026packagingDeepSeek launches Search and Fetch APIs at $0.75 per 1,000 requests
- Sep 21, 2026packagingDeepSeek: peak-hour billing now excludes Chinese public holidays
- Sep 20, 2026packagingDeepSeek extends 50% off-peak API discount to Chinese public holidays all day
- Sep 14, 2026packagingDeepSeek merges v4-flash and vision-exp into cheaper Flash V4.1 · this change
- 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
- 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- OpenAISep 11OpenAI quietly drops 20x usage option from Pro, rewrites plan taglines
- GoogleSep 7Google Workspace: promo discount cut from 50% to 30%/20% off
- 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
Questions about this change
Did DeepSeek raise prices in September 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Sep 7, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: package change.
What changed on DeepSeek's pricing page between Sep 7, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026?
DeepSeek merged v4-flash and vision-exp into one deepseek-flash (V4.1) model at lower cache-hit/miss and output prices; new footnote confirms V4 Pro pricing stays unchanged past Sept 14, 2026. Pulse compared the captures it took on Sep 7, 2026 and Sep 14, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does DeepSeek change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 6 other pricing-page changes for DeepSeek in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "DeepSeek reverses V4 Pro retirement, keeps API billing unchanged past Sept 14" on Sep 12, 2026; DeepSeek has been tracked since 2026-05-16.