DeepSeek V4-Pro is DeepSeek's best model for long-context work — it scores 90/100 vs 87/100 for DeepSeek V4-Flash, at $0.435/1M input tokens. Across all providers, Claude Fable 5 still leads long-context work at 99/100 — worth considering if you're not committed to DeepSeek.
The shortest way to see the safest default, the lower-cost option, and the specialist pick before you read deeper.
DeepSeek V4-Pro is the safest overall answer here when you want the strongest default instead of the lowest list price.
Mistral: Mistral Nemo is the lower-cost option to start with when you still need useful output at scale.
DeepSeek V4-Flash is the better pick when large documents, transcripts, or knowledge-heavy work lead the decision.
DeepSeek V4-Pro leads DeepSeek's lineup for long-context work at 90/100 ($0.435/1M input, 1M context).
DeepSeek V4-Flash is the value pick at $0.14/1M input with a long-context work score of 87/100.
Claude Fable 5 (Anthropic) is the overall long-context work leader at 99/100 if provider choice is open.
Choose DeepSeek V4-Pro when long-context work quality is the priority and you're staying on DeepSeek.
Choose DeepSeek V4-Flash when token volume matters more than peak quality.
Teams open to other providers should also evaluate Claude Fable 5 before committing.
Switch the scoring lens to see whether the top answer changes when you care more about cost, speed, or long-document work.
DeepSeek / Budget / Aug 6, 2026
Best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
Ranks models by the broadest mix of coding, writing, research, and long-context usefulness.
You need vision input, verified agentic performance, or predictable pricing (surge pricing and an announced increase loom).
The fastest way to see where the recommendation shifts when your priority changes.
Best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
Best agentic capability per dollar in the directory.
GPT-4o-class coding quality at under $0.30/1M — the best value in the directory.
Open-source o1-class reasoning at a fraction of the cost.
80.6% SWE-bench Verified (self-reported) — reported as tied with Gemini 3.1 Pro
93.5% LiveCodeBench and Codeforces 3206 — elite competitive-coding results
1M context with 384K max output at $0.87/1M output — an order of magnitude cheaper than closed frontier models
Independent harnesses report much lower agentic scores than the self-reported numbers; trails GPT-5.6 and Opus-class on hard agentic evals
Peak-hour surge pricing doubles rates, a price increase is announced, and it's text-only (no vision)
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DeepSeek V4-Pro — it scores 90/100 on long-context work in this directory, ahead of DeepSeek V4-Flash at 87/100. Best open-weights flagship — near-frontier coding at a tenth of the price.
Not overall. Claude Fable 5 (Anthropic) leads the directory for long-context work at 99/100 vs DeepSeek V4-Pro's 90/100. DeepSeek V4-Pro is the best pick if you're staying within DeepSeek's ecosystem.
DeepSeek V4-Flash at $0.14/1M input tokens (long-context work score: 87/100). Use it for volume work and reserve DeepSeek V4-Pro for the tasks where quality matters most.
$0.435/1M input tokens and $0.87/1M output tokens via the API. Context window: 1M tokens.