DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks): API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for DeepSeek V4 Flash (DeepSeek) and Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) (Fireworks AI). 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
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Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: DeepSeek V4 Flash at $2.80/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestDeepSeek V4 Flash | DeepSeek | $2.80 | $0.000280 | $1.40 | $1.40 | 37.8% | Alerts coming soon |
Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) | Fireworks AI | $4.50 | $0.000450 | $1.50 | $3.00 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.14/M | $0.15/M | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
| Output | $0.28/M | $0.60/M | DeepSeek V4 Flash |
| Cached input | N/A | $0.08/M | — |
| Batch input | N/A | $0.08/M | — |
| Batch output | N/A | $0.30/M | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-10 – 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.
| Volume | DeepSeek V4 FlashMonthly | Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)Monthly | DeepSeek V4 FlashPer request | Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)Per request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $0.28 | $0.45 | $0.000280 | $0.000450 |
| 10K requests/mo | $2.80 | $4.50 | $0.000280 | $0.000450 |
| 100K requests/mo | $28.00 | $45.00 | $0.000280 | $0.000450 |
| 1M requests/mo | $280.00 | $450.00 | $0.000280 | $0.000450 |
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 tokensWhen 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 Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)
by Fireworks AI
- Document summarization
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.15/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.60/M
Context window
262,144
Tier
mid
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.
| Capability | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 384,000 tokens | 8,192 tokens |
| Performance tier | Budget | Mid |
| Vision / image input | No | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | No | Yes |
| Batch API (50% discount) | No | Yes |
| Extended reasoning | Yes | No |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) notes
Fireworks serverless pricing. Vision/multimodal capable. Cached input 50% discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek V4 Flash cheaper than Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $28.00/month versus $45.00/month for Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) — a 38% 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 Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)?
DeepSeek V4 Flash has a larger context window at 1,048,576 tokens, compared to 262,144 tokens for Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks). A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do DeepSeek V4 Flash and Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) support the Batch API?
Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while DeepSeek V4 Flash does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus DeepSeek V4 Flash's standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) supports prompt caching at $0.08/M for cached input, while DeepSeek V4 Flash does not offer prompt caching. For RAG applications or chatbots with large, repeated context, Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)'s caching capability can substantially reduce effective costs.
What are the best use cases for DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)?
Both models are well-suited for General chatbot. DeepSeek V4 Flash is particularly strong for overlapping tasks. Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) is favored for Document summarization. At the same quality level, the lower-cost model is usually preferable; use this page's calculator to compare total monthly spend at your volume.
What is the cost per request for DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks)?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.000280 per request and Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) costs $0.000450 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $28.00 and $45.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks): Summary
When comparing DeepSeek V4 Flash and Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) 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 $45.00/month for Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks).
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. Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) charges $0.15/M input and $0.60/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.
Prompt caching is supported by Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) but not DeepSeek V4 Flash. For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context — such as RAG pipelines or multi-turn conversations with a fixed knowledge base — prompt caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%, which may change the cost ranking between these two models at your specific usage pattern.
Context window capacity differs between the two: DeepSeek V4 Flash supports up to 1,048,576 tokens in a single request, versus 262,144 tokens for Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks). 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.
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Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where DeepSeek V4 Flash or Qwen3 VL 30B (Fireworks) is recommended.