AI Models · Open-Source vs Paid

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Open vs GPT-6 Sol Paid

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs GPT-6 Sol compared — price per token, context window, multimodality, openness and which to choose. Can the open-source model replace the paid one? Full 2026 breakdown.

Prices & specs refreshed from live data · olud.ai

Open-model prices = cheapest provider via OpenRouter; official maker rates may be higher.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017OpenDeepSeek
$0.15 /M input
$0.6 /M outputNo per-token fees if you self-host
TypeOpen-weight
Context window1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostYes
GPT-6 SolPaidOpenAI
$2 /M input
$10 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window1.1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose GPT-6 Sol if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs GPT-6 Sol specs

SpecDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017GPT-6 SolWinner
MakerDeepSeekOpenAI–
TypeOpen-weightProprietaryDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
Context window1M tokens1.1M tokensGPT-6 Sol
Input price$0.15/M · free self-host$2/MDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
Output price$0.6/M · free self-host$10/MDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
Vision / multimodalYesYes= Tie
Tool / function callingYesYes= Tie
Self-hostableYesNo (API only)DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
LicenseMITProprietaryDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017

Price gap & when to choose each

17×cheaper per output token

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is ~17× cheaper than GPT-6 Sol on output tokens ($0.6 vs $10 per M tokens).

Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 if…
  • You want to self-host or run on your cloud
  • You prioritize data privacy & control
  • You want the lowest operating costs
  • You are building open or reproducible AI
Choose GPT-6 Sol if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You need the longer 1.1M context window
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure

Feature comparison

CapabilityDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017GPT-6 Sol
Open weights (downloadable)✓✗
Self-hostable✓✗
Runs fully offline✓✗
Vision / multimodal✓✓
Tool / function calling✓✓
1M+ context window✓✓

Benchmarks: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs GPT-6 Sol

Independent benchmark scores measured by Artificial Analysis. Higher is better (except latency).

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 delivers 7.2× more intelligence per dollar.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
GPT-6 Sol
Intelligence index
45.1
47.6
Humanity's Last Exam
43.3%
47.9%
Long Context Reasoning
82.7%
83.7%
SciCode
55.9%
57.6%
Speed
216.7 tok/s
0 tok/s
Latency
1.08s
0s
Intelligence per $
85.9
11.9

Benchmark data by Artificial Analysis.

How DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 and GPT-6 Sol score

🏆 Best value & openness: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (5.0 vs 3.2 / 5)
CriterionDeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017GPT-6 Sol
Cost-efficiency5.03.5
Context window5.05.0
Openness5.01.5
Self-hosting5.01.0
Multimodality5.05.0

Scores come from live data — output price (cost), context length, open vs closed weights (openness & self-hosting) and vision/tool support (multimodality). Raw task quality isn't scored here; it depends on your benchmark — see the verdict.

What each model is

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Open

DeepSeek · Open-weight

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is the October 17, 2026 snapshot of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, served by DeepSeek under the `deepseek-flash` API model name. V4.1 Flash is a sparse mixture-of-experts model...

GPT-6 Sol Paid

OpenAI · Proprietary

GPT-6 Sol is the cost-efficient high-end model in OpenAI's GPT-6 series, positioned below the flagship GPT-6 Astra and above the fast GPT-6 Luna tier. It is suited for demanding professional...

Other models in these families

These variants are tracked but not compared here — one page per family keeps the comparison readable.

Other variants tracked
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch)DeepSeek V4.1 FlashDeepSeek V4 Pro 0813DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731DeepSeek V3.2 ExpDeepSeek V3.2DeepSeek V3.1 TerminusDeepSeek V3.1R1 0528DeepSeek V3 0324DeepSeek V3DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 as good as GPT-6 Sol?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 is open-weight and competitive on many tasks, but GPT-6 Sol may still lead on the hardest reasoning and agentic work. The gap keeps narrowing — benchmark both on your actual use case before deciding.

Can I run DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 locally?

Yes. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 has open weights, so you can self-host it on your own GPUs or run it via a low-cost API. GPT-6 Sol is API-only and cannot be self-hosted.

How much cheaper is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 costs $0.6/M output vs $10/M for GPT-6 Sol — roughly 17x cheaper via API, and free if you self-host.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 vs GPT-6 Sol — which should I pick in 2026?

Choose DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose GPT-6 Sol if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

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