DeepSeek V4-Pro vs Reka Flash 3.1

DeepSeek · China  |  Reka AI · US · Updated June 2026

Quick verdict

Pick DeepSeek V4-Pro for open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable or 1m-token context with up to 384k output tokens. Pick Reka Flash 3.1 for a 21b-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists) or strong base for fine-tuning agentic tasks - notably improved coding since the original flash 3. On a tight budget at scale, Reka Flash 3.1 is the value pick.

DeepSeek V4-Pro (DeepSeek, China) and Reka Flash 3.1 (Reka AI, US) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. DeepSeek V4-Pro is deepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. Reka Flash 3.1 is reka AI's compact 21B open-weight reasoning model - small enough to run locally, from a team of DeepMind and Meta alumni. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.

Key differences at a glance

Side-by-side specs

SpecDeepSeek V4-ProReka Flash 3.1
ProviderDeepSeek (China) Reka AI (US)
ReleasedApril 24, 2026 July 2025
Context window1M (~1,500 pages) 32K (~49 pages)
Price (in/out)$0.66/$1.98 per 1M tokens Open weight (self-host / free)
Open weight?Yes — self-hostable Yes — self-hostable
Modalitiestext, code text, code
SWE-Bench VerifiedNot published Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1MNot published Not published

Who wins what

Open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable

DeepSeek V4-Pro

DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices — and it carries the larger 1M context.

1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Its 1M window holds about 31× more than Reka Flash 3.1's 32K in a single prompt.

Permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Reka Flash 3.1 is comparatively weak here — a relatively small 32K context window next to million-token frontier models

A 21B-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists)

Reka Flash 3.1

Reka Flash 3.1 lists a 21B-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists) among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Strong base for fine-tuning agentic tasks - notably improved coding since the original Flash 3

Reka Flash 3.1

Reka Flash 3.1 lists strong base for fine-tuning agentic tasks - notably improved coding since the original Flash 3 among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Fully open weights (Apache 2.0) from a frontier-caliber research team

Reka Flash 3.1

Reka Flash 3.1 lists fully open weights (Apache 2.0) from a frontier-caliber research team among its strengths; DeepSeek V4-Pro does not.

Lowest cost at scale

Reka Flash 3.1

Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of DeepSeek V4-Pro's $0.66/$1.98 per 1M tokens.

Largest single-prompt input

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Its 1M window is about 31× larger than Reka Flash 3.1's 32K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.

Which should you pick?

A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume

Reka Flash 3.1

At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts DeepSeek V4-Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.

Someone analysing very long documents or codebases

DeepSeek V4-Pro

Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.

Anyone whose priority is open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable

DeepSeek V4-Pro

It is specifically built for that.

Anyone whose priority is a 21b-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists)

Reka Flash 3.1

That is its strongest area.

An enterprise with regional data-residency rules

Reka Flash 3.1 or DeepSeek V4-Pro

Origin (China vs US) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.

DeepSeek V4-Pro: where it fits

DeepSeek's 1.6-trillion-parameter open-weight model at $0.435/$0.87 — strong open-weight coding and a 1M context at a fraction of flagship prices. Released April 24, 2026 by DeepSeek, it is built for open-weight 1.6T MoE (~49B active) — DeepSeek's largest, self-hostable, 1M-token context with up to 384K output tokens, permanent low pricing at $0.435/$0.87 per million, set May 2026, and sources place it near the top of open-weight coding, around 80 on SWE-Bench Verified.

Its trade-offs are real: independent SWE-Bench Verified placement is inconsistent across sources, pro and Pro-Max variants are quoted with different scores, text and code only — no image, audio or video, and overlaps DeepSeek V4 and V3.2 already in this comparison. At $0.66 in / $1.98 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.

Reka Flash 3.1: where it fits

Reka AI's compact 21B open-weight reasoning model - small enough to run locally, from a team of DeepMind and Meta alumni. Released July 2025 by Reka AI, it is built for a 21B-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists), strong base for fine-tuning agentic tasks - notably improved coding since the original Flash 3, fully open weights (Apache 2.0) from a frontier-caliber research team, and built by alumni from Google DeepMind and Meta's AI labs.

Its trade-offs: a relatively small 32K context window next to million-token frontier models, smaller and less capable overall than flagship frontier models from major labs, and reka's broader roadmap has shifted toward robotics/world models after merging with Moonvalley in June 2026, raising questions about ongoing LLM investment. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.

The bottom line for this matchup

This is less "which is smarter" and more "which ecosystem fits." DeepSeek V4-Pro (China) and Reka Flash 3.1 (US) differ on pricing philosophy, data-residency, and tooling as much as on raw scores. Reka Flash 3.1 is the cheaper option, which matters at volume. The pragmatic move is to run one real task through both and judge the outputs against your own constraints — including where your data is allowed to be processed.

Want both DeepSeek V4-Pro and Reka Flash 3.1 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.

See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek V4-Pro or Reka Flash 3.1 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-Pro leans toward open-weight 1.6t moe (~49b active) — deepseek's largest, self-hostable while Reka Flash 3.1 leans toward a 21b-parameter reasoning model, small enough for local/on-device deployment (a 3.5-bit quantized build exists), and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4-Pro or Reka Flash 3.1?

Reka Flash 3.1 is cheaper — $0.66/$1.98 per 1M tokens vs Open weight (self-host / free).

Which has the bigger context window?

DeepSeek V4-Pro — 1M vs 32K, about 31× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.

Can I use both DeepSeek V4-Pro and Reka Flash 3.1 together?

Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you DeepSeek V4-Pro, Reka Flash 3.1 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-Pro or Reka Flash 3.1?

DeepSeek V4-Pro — released April 24, 2026, about 10 months after Reka Flash 3.1.

Related comparisons

Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.