Pick DeepSeek V4-Flash for exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens or mit-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a western host. Pick Hunyuan Hy3 for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost or runs a 295b model at the cost of a 21b — only 21b parameters active per token. On a tight budget at scale, Hunyuan Hy3 is the value pick.
DeepSeek V4-Flash (DeepSeek) and Hunyuan Hy3 (Tencent) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. DeepSeek V4-Flash is deepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens. Hunyuan Hy3 is a 295B Apache-2.0 open MoE that reaches frontier reasoning quality while running at roughly 21B active-parameter cost. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Context window: DeepSeek V4-Flash holds 3.9× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 256K (~384 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Recency: DeepSeek V4-Flash is the newer model by about 25 days (released July 31, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Specifications
Spec
DeepSeek V4-Flash
Hunyuan Hy3
Provider
DeepSeek (China)
Tencent (China)
Released
July 31, 2026
July 6, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens
Open weight (self-host / free)
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
Yes — self-hostable
Modalities
text, code
text, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Exceptional value — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens: DeepSeek V4-Flash — Its 1M window holds about 3.9× more than Hunyuan Hy3's 256K in a single prompt.
MIT-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a Western host: DeepSeek V4-Flash — DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens — and it carries the larger 1M context.
1M-token context window: DeepSeek V4-Flash — DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens — and it is the newer of the two.
Frontier-level reported reasoning and science (GPQA Diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost: Hunyuan Hy3 — DeepSeek V4-Flash is comparatively weak here — below the top frontier models on overall intelligence
Runs a 295B model at the cost of a 21B — only 21B parameters active per token: Hunyuan Hy3 — DeepSeek V4-Flash is comparatively weak here — text and code focused — not a full multimodal model
Clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out: Hunyuan Hy3 — Hunyuan Hy3 lists clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Flash does not.
Lowest cost at scale: Hunyuan Hy3 — Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of DeepSeek V4-Flash's $0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input: DeepSeek V4-Flash — Its 1M window is about 3.9× larger than Hunyuan Hy3's 256K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: Hunyuan Hy3 — At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts DeepSeek V4-Flash, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: DeepSeek V4-Flash — Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens: DeepSeek V4-Flash — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost: Hunyuan Hy3 — That is its strongest area.
DeepSeek V4-Flash: where it fits
DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens. Released July 31, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for exceptional value — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens, mIT-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a Western host, 1M-token context window, and strong coding and agentic performance for the price (DeepSeek reports 82.7 on Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Its trade-offs are real: coding/agentic figures like Terminal-Bench 82.7 are DeepSeek's own, not independently reproduced, text and code focused — not a full multimodal model, deepSeek's own hosted API stores data in China; self-host or use a Western host for privacy, and below the top frontier models on overall intelligence. At $0.14 in / $0.28 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Hunyuan Hy3: where it fits
A 295B Apache-2.0 open MoE that reaches frontier reasoning quality while running at roughly 21B active-parameter cost. Released July 6, 2026 by Tencent, it is built for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (GPQA Diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost, runs a 295B model at the cost of a 21B — only 21B parameters active per token, clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out, and broad day-one ecosystem support plus an FP8 checkpoint.
Its trade-offs: benchmarks are largely self-reported, and the ultra-low hosted pricing is a limited promotion, and the hosted API is China-jurisdiction, and self-hosting a 295B MoE still needs serious hardware. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
The bottom line for this matchup
DeepSeek V4-Flash and Hunyuan Hy3 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Hunyuan Hy3 costs less per token; DeepSeek V4-Flash holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — DeepSeek V4-Flash for exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens, Hunyuan Hy3 for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, DeepSeek V4-Flash leans toward exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens while Hunyuan Hy3 leans toward frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3?
Hunyuan Hy3 is cheaper — $0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens vs Open weight (self-host / free).
Which has the bigger context window?
DeepSeek V4-Flash — 1M vs 256K, about 3.9× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Flash and Hunyuan Hy3 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Flash, Hunyuan Hy3 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3?
DeepSeek V4-Flash — released July 31, 2026, about 25 days after Hunyuan Hy3.
DeepSeek V4-Flash vs Hunyuan Hy3
DeepSeek · China | Tencent · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick DeepSeek V4-Flash for exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens or mit-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a western host. Pick Hunyuan Hy3 for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost or runs a 295b model at the cost of a 21b — only 21b parameters active per token. On a tight budget at scale, Hunyuan Hy3 is the value pick.
DeepSeek V4-Flash (DeepSeek) and Hunyuan Hy3 (Tencent) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. DeepSeek V4-Flash is deepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens. Hunyuan Hy3 is a 295B Apache-2.0 open MoE that reaches frontier reasoning quality while running at roughly 21B active-parameter cost. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Context window: DeepSeek V4-Flash holds 3.9× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 256K (~384 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Recency: DeepSeek V4-Flash is the newer model by about 25 days (released July 31, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
DeepSeek V4-Flash
Hunyuan Hy3
Provider
DeepSeek (China)
Tencent (China)
Released
July 31, 2026
July 6, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens
Open weight (self-host / free)
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
Yes — self-hostable
Modalities
text, code
text, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Exceptional value — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens
DeepSeek V4-Flash
Its 1M window holds about 3.9× more than Hunyuan Hy3's 256K in a single prompt.
MIT-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a Western host
DeepSeek V4-Flash
DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens — and it carries the larger 1M context.
1M-token context window
DeepSeek V4-Flash
DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens — and it is the newer of the two.
Frontier-level reported reasoning and science (GPQA Diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost
Hunyuan Hy3
DeepSeek V4-Flash is comparatively weak here — below the top frontier models on overall intelligence
Runs a 295B model at the cost of a 21B — only 21B parameters active per token
Hunyuan Hy3
DeepSeek V4-Flash is comparatively weak here — text and code focused — not a full multimodal model
Clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out
Hunyuan Hy3
Hunyuan Hy3 lists clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Flash does not.
Lowest cost at scale
Hunyuan Hy3
Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of DeepSeek V4-Flash's $0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input
DeepSeek V4-Flash
Its 1M window is about 3.9× larger than Hunyuan Hy3's 256K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Hunyuan Hy3
At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts DeepSeek V4-Flash, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ DeepSeek V4-Flash
Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens
→ DeepSeek V4-Flash
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost
→ Hunyuan Hy3
That is its strongest area.
DeepSeek V4-Flash: where it fits
DeepSeek's MIT-licensed open-weight model — arguably the best value-per-intelligence available, scoring 52 on the independent AA Index at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens. Released July 31, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for exceptional value — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens, mIT-licensed open weights — free to self-host or run via a Western host, 1M-token context window, and strong coding and agentic performance for the price (DeepSeek reports 82.7 on Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Its trade-offs are real: coding/agentic figures like Terminal-Bench 82.7 are DeepSeek's own, not independently reproduced, text and code focused — not a full multimodal model, deepSeek's own hosted API stores data in China; self-host or use a Western host for privacy, and below the top frontier models on overall intelligence. At $0.14 in / $0.28 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Hunyuan Hy3: where it fits
A 295B Apache-2.0 open MoE that reaches frontier reasoning quality while running at roughly 21B active-parameter cost. Released July 6, 2026 by Tencent, it is built for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (GPQA Diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost, runs a 295B model at the cost of a 21B — only 21B parameters active per token, clean, unrestricted Apache-2.0 license with no geographic carve-out, and broad day-one ecosystem support plus an FP8 checkpoint.
Its trade-offs: benchmarks are largely self-reported, and the ultra-low hosted pricing is a limited promotion, and the hosted API is China-jurisdiction, and self-hosting a 295B MoE still needs serious hardware. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
The bottom line for this matchup
DeepSeek V4-Flash and Hunyuan Hy3 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Hunyuan Hy3 costs less per token; DeepSeek V4-Flash holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — DeepSeek V4-Flash for exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens, Hunyuan Hy3 for frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both DeepSeek V4-Flash and Hunyuan Hy3 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Is DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, DeepSeek V4-Flash leans toward exceptional value — artificial analysis intelligence index 52 at just $0.14/$0.28 per million tokens while Hunyuan Hy3 leans toward frontier-level reported reasoning and science (gpqa diamond 90.4) at low active-parameter cost, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3?
Hunyuan Hy3 is cheaper — $0.14/$0.28 per 1M tokens vs Open weight (self-host / free).
Which has the bigger context window?
DeepSeek V4-Flash — 1M vs 256K, about 3.9× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Flash and Hunyuan Hy3 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Flash, Hunyuan Hy3 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, DeepSeek V4-Flash or Hunyuan Hy3?
DeepSeek V4-Flash — released July 31, 2026, about 25 days after Hunyuan Hy3.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.