Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Grok 4.6 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,592 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.
xAI Aug 12 2026 post-training refresh of Grok 4.5. Same $2/$6 API price, 500k context, stronger agentic traces.
Currently comparing DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Grok 4.6. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 102 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 | Grok 4.6 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +102 | ||
| Coding Elo | +52 | ||
| LiveBench | +3.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +2.1% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +3% | ||
| Time to first token | +30 ms | ||
| Output speed | 142 tok/s | 118 tok/s | +24 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.14/1M | +$1.86/1M | |
| Output price | $0.28/1M | +$5.72/1M | |
| Context window | +340k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
DeepSeek V4 Flash is estimated to save $150.90/month ($1,811/year).
Higher SWE-bench (71.2%).
Lower output list price ($0.28/1M).
Lower TTFT (165 ms).
Larger window (500k).
Grok 4.6 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 | Grok 4.6 | Larger window (500k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Grok 4.6 | Grok 4.6 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Brand hub remaps to top xAI vs top OpenAI. After Aug 12 that is Grok 4.6 vs Sol.
xAI’s Aug 12 2026 refresh of Grok 4.5. 500k context. The Grok vs ChatGPT hub remaps here.
Public listings put Flash near $0.14/$0.28 per 1M. That is a batch SKU, not a chatbot crown.
2025-07 row. 4.6 is the buy. We keep 4 so upgrade pairs and old inbound links resolve.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
compare · Aug 12, 2026
Grok vs ChatGPT: price and Elo, not a personality contest
launch · Aug 12, 2026
Grok 4.6 (Aug 12): post-training refresh, same $2/$6 list
price · Jul 31, 2026
DeepSeek V4 Flash (Jul 31): the $0.14/$0.28 price-performance SKU
launch · Jul 10, 2025
Grok 4 remains the previous xAI flagship on this catalog