DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs Kimi K3.
Verdict by category, tale of the tape, shared benchmarks only, and cost at three workloads — all from the tracked data.
Verdict by category
| Category | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | Kimi K3 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| League Score | 72.8 | 70.6 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 |
| Coding (SWE-bench %) | — | — | — |
| Reasoning (GPQA %) | — | 93.5 | — |
| Context (tokens) | 1000000 | 1048576 | Kimi K3 |
| Speed (tok/s) | — | 44.8 | — |
| Price (blended $/1M) | $0.52 | $6.00 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (cheaper) |
Tale of the tape
| Spec | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | DeepSeek | Moonshot AI |
| Released | Oct 17, 2026 | Jul 16, 2026 |
| League Score | 73 | 71 |
| Context | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Max output | 384,000 | 131,072 |
| $/1M input | $0.30 | $3.00 |
| $/1M output | $1.20 | $15.00 |
| Weights | Open | Open |
| Speed | — | 44.8 t/s |
Head-to-head benchmarks (shared only)
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| LiveBench overall | 72.9 | 64.6 |
Cost at three workloads
| Workload | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Light — 1M in / 250K out | $0.60 | $6.75 |
| Standard — 10M in / 2.5M out | $6.00 | $67.50 |
| Long-context — 50M in / 5M out | $21.00 | $225.00 |
The pick
Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 if you want the higher overall League Score; you want the lower running cost.
Pick Kimi K3 if you need the bigger context window.
All figures from the model database — sources and dates on each model page. Cost your own workload or compare a different pair.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better overall, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Kimi K3?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 leads on overall League Score, 73 to 71 — a gap of 2 points on a composite of sourced benchmarks. That is overall form, not every category: check the per-category verdicts before choosing.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Kimi K3?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is cheaper: $0.52 vs $6.00 blended per 1M tokens (3:1 input/output mix) — about 11.4x less per token.
Which has the bigger context window, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 or Kimi K3?
Kimi K3, with 1M of context against 1M for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017.
Are DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 and Kimi K3 open source?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is open weights — it can be downloaded and self-hosted; Kimi K3 is open weights — it can be downloaded and self-hosted.