AI Models. DeepSeek
Reasoning / generalist / open-weight / self-host

DeepSeek

V4-Pro/Flash, DSA, MIT, legacy sunset

DeepSeek V4-Pro and V4-Flash (04/24/2026) replace earlier V3.x variants: Dynamic Sparse Attention (DSA) architecture, MIT license, high reasoning and code performance. Older V3/R1 models planned for sunset. Distilled variants still available for self-host on a limited budget.

Verified: 2026-05-22

Purchase decision (when to choose / when to avoid)

Choose if...

  • Priority is reasoning/code at low token cost (high volume).
  • You want MIT / no MAU clauses — easier legal compliance for self-host.
  • You're building batch processing and optimizing cache/costs.

Avoid if...

  • You need the largest enterprise ecosystem and ready EU integrations.
  • You have use cases requiring top Polish quality — consider Bielik or top models with PL tests.

Cost in practice (scenarios)

High volume

Usually very competitive token cost; caching pays off.

  • batch
  • automations
Self-host

MIT simplifies legal; cost is GPU + maintenance.

  • MLOps
These are estimates/scenarios (not an invoice). Actual cost depends on context length, number of users, limits and retention policies.

Deployment / data / enterprise

Deployment channels

  • DeepSeek API (OpenAI-compatible)
  • Self-host (MIT) — depending on variant and resources

Data policy

Training on data
Depends on mode (API vs self-host).
Retention
API: depends on terms; self-host: on your side.
Data residency
Depends on region/service.
For companies: key are retention policies and regions — check sources.

Enterprise readiness

Admin
API + billing; enterprise depends on offering.
SSO/SCIM
Depends on offering.
Audit
Depends on offering.
DPA
Depends on agreement.
Certifications
Depends on agreement.
Great for volume reasoning/code, but enterprise integrations can be modest.

Best use cases

  • reasoning tasks (math, logic, code) on a limited budget
  • self-host with full data control — MIT license, no MAU clauses
  • batch pipelines with high volume — V4-Flash cost-efficient.

Strengths

  • V4-Pro/Flash: hybrid reasoning with DSA; MIT — full commercial freedom, self-host, modifications.
  • Significantly cheaper than closed-source frontier models at comparable reasoning/code quality.
  • Distilled variants (70B, 14B, 8B) for smaller GPUs; OpenAI-compatible API.

Weaknesses / risks

  • Sunset of older V3/R1 — requires migration of existing pipelines.
  • Industry controversies around distillation; smaller integration ecosystem than OpenAI.

Current models (examples)

  • DeepSeek V4-Pro / V4-Flash (04/24/2026) — generalist + reasoning, DSA, MIT.
  • DeepSeek-R1, V3.x (legacy, sunset) — R1 Distill Llama 70B, Qwen 14B/8B.

Alternatives (if this model doesn't fit)