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DeepSeek V4 Flash vs o4-mini (Azure): API Cost Comparison

Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V4 Flash (DeepSeek) and o4-mini (Azure) (Azure OpenAI). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.

Prices verified Apr 30, 2026

Interactive Cost Calculator

DeepSeekDeepSeek V4 FlashAzure OpenAIo4-mini (Azure)

Fills in typical token counts for a workload type

Tokens in each prompt sent to the model

Tokens generated in each response

Total API calls per month

Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: DeepSeek V4 Flash at $2.80/month.

Cheapest: DeepSeek V4 Flash at $2.80/mo — save 91.5% vs o4-mini (Azure)
Alert
BestDeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek$2.80$0.000280$1.40$1.4091.5%Alerts coming soon
o4-mini (Azure)
Azure OpenAI$33.00$0.003300$11.00$22.00Alerts coming soon

Monthly Cost Comparison

Price Comparison at a Glance

All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.

Pricing TypeDeepSeek V4 Flasho4-mini (Azure)Cheaper
Input (standard)$0.14/M$1.10/MDeepSeek V4 Flash
Output$0.28/M$4.40/MDeepSeek V4 Flash

Prices last verified: 2026-03-11 – 2026-04-30

Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume

Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.

VolumeDeepSeek V4 FlashMonthlyo4-mini (Azure)MonthlyDeepSeek V4 FlashPer requesto4-mini (Azure)Per request
1K requests/mo$0.28$3.30$0.000280$0.003300
10K requests/mo$2.80$33.00$0.000280$0.003300
100K requests/mo$28.00$330.00$0.000280$0.003300
1M requests/mo$280.00$3,300.00$0.000280$0.003300

Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.

Price History

Input price per 1M tokens

When to Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash

by DeepSeek

  • General chatbot

Input / 1M tokens

$0.14/M

Output / 1M tokens

$0.28/M

Context window

1,048,576

Tier

budget

When to Choose o4-mini (Azure)

by Azure OpenAI

  • Code generation
  • Text classification
  • Rag Retrieval

Input / 1M tokens

$1.10/M

Output / 1M tokens

$4.40/M

Context window

200,000

Tier

reasoning

Key Differences Beyond Price

Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.

CapabilityDeepSeek V4 Flasho4-mini (Azure)
Context window1,048,576 tokens200,000 tokens
Max output tokens384,000 tokens100,000 tokens
Performance tierBudgetReasoning
Vision / image inputNoYes
Function callingYesYes
JSON modeYesYes
Prompt cachingNoNo
Batch API (50% discount)NoNo
Extended reasoningYesYes
Fine-tuningNoNo

o4-mini (Azure) notes

o4-mini reasoning model via Azure OpenAI Service. Cost-efficient reasoning for enterprise workloads. Excellent for coding and analytical tasks at scale on Azure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DeepSeek V4 Flash cheaper than o4-mini (Azure)?

At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $28.00/month versus $330.00/month for o4-mini (Azure) — a 92% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.

Which model has a larger context window, DeepSeek V4 Flash or o4-mini (Azure)?

DeepSeek V4 Flash has a larger context window at 1,048,576 tokens, compared to 200,000 tokens for o4-mini (Azure). A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.

Do DeepSeek V4 Flash and o4-mini (Azure) support the Batch API?

Neither DeepSeek V4 Flash nor o4-mini (Azure) currently supports a batch API with discounted pricing. For batch-eligible alternatives, consider models from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google that include batch API support.

Which model offers better prompt caching?

Neither DeepSeek V4 Flash nor o4-mini (Azure) currently supports prompt caching. For prompt-caching capable alternatives, consider Claude models from Anthropic or GPT-4o from OpenAI.

What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V4 Flash vs o4-mini (Azure)?

DeepSeek V4 Flash is best suited for General chatbot, while o4-mini (Azure) is optimized for Code generation, Text classification, Rag Retrieval. Choose based on which use case matches your primary workload — and validate with the cost calculator above to confirm the total monthly spend fits your budget.

What is the cost per request for DeepSeek V4 Flash vs o4-mini (Azure)?

At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.000280 per request and o4-mini (Azure) costs $0.003300 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $28.00 and $330.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.

DeepSeek V4 Flash vs o4-mini (Azure): Summary

When comparing DeepSeek V4 Flash and o4-mini (Azure) for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. DeepSeek V4 Flash offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $28.00/month, compared to $330.00/month for o4-mini (Azure).

Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. DeepSeek V4 Flash charges $0.14/M for input tokens and $0.28/M for output tokens. o4-mini (Azure) charges $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.

Context window capacity differs between the two: DeepSeek V4 Flash supports up to 1,048,576 tokens in a single request, versus 200,000 tokens for o4-mini (Azure). A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.

Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.

Explore other model comparisons from the same providers or performance tiers.

Related Provider Pages

View complete pricing tables and model lineups for the providers behind these models.

Relevant Use Cases

See cost recommendations for workloads where DeepSeek V4 Flash or o4-mini (Azure) is recommended.