Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, GPT-5 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,558 vs 1,490), while DeepSeek V4 Flash leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (71.2%), while DeepSeek V4 Flash is more budget-friendly at $0.28/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
DeepSeek Jul 31 2026 price-performance SKU. Public listings put it near $0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens.
OpenAI flagship reasoning model for 2025–26. Strong general preference Elo and multimodal coverage.
Currently comparing DeepSeek V4 Flash vs GPT-5. Alternative family tiers available.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 68 Arena Elo pts
142 tok/s
$0.28 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash | GPT-5 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +68 | ||
| Coding Elo | +24 | ||
| LiveBench | +2% | ||
| SWE-bench | +2.8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +3.6% | ||
| Time to first token | +125 ms | ||
| Output speed | 142 tok/s | 78 tok/s | +64 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.14/1M | +$4.86/1M | |
| Output price | $0.28/1M | +$19.72/1M | |
| Context window | +240k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
DeepSeek V4 Flash is estimated to save $465.90/month ($5,591/year).
Higher SWE-bench (71.2%).
Lower output list price ($0.28/1M).
Lower TTFT (165 ms).
Larger window (400k).
GPT-5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Higher SWE-bench (71.2%). |
| High-volume chat | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Lower output list price ($0.28/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Lower TTFT (165 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | GPT-5 | Larger window (400k). |
| Screenshots / vision | GPT-5 | GPT-5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Public listings put Flash near $0.14/$0.28 per 1M. That is a batch SKU, not a chatbot crown.
Still a common compare target. 5.6 Sol replaced it as the buy; GPT-5 stays for old URLs.
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