Comparison / reviewed August 2, 2026
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 vs GPT-5.6 Luna
A source-led view of two models positioned for high-volume work. Availability, pricing, tool support, and reported benchmark conditions all matter more than a single headline score.
Evidence matrix
Comparable on context; materially different in access, input modalities, and published price units.
| Dimension | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | GPT-5.6 Luna |
|---|---|---|
| Provider positioning | DeepSeek’s July 31 note calls this the official V4-Flash API release, with upgraded agent capabilities. Source ↗ | OpenAI positions Luna as the cost-sensitive, high-volume member of the GPT-5.6 family. Source ↗ |
| Context / output | Official DeepSeek documentation lists 1M context and up to 384K output tokens. Source ↗ | OpenAI’s model page lists 1.05M context and 128K maximum output tokens. Source ↗ |
| Modalities | Published model details describe text API capabilities; verify vision needs against the current documentation. Source ↗ | OpenAI’s model page lists text and image input, with text output. Source ↗ |
| Published price unit | DeepSeek’s live table lists CNY per 1M tokens, with separate cache-hit, uncached-input, and output rates. Source ↗ | OpenAI lists $1.00 input / $0.10 cached input / $6.00 output per 1M tokens on its model page. Source ↗ |
| Independent snapshot | Artificial Analysis / community reporting place the updated Flash around 50 on the tracker’s Intelligence Index; verify the live entry before buying. Source ↗ | Artificial Analysis reports 51 for GPT-5.6 Luna (max); its page notes the reported API and benchmark configuration. Source ↗ |
Decision lens
Compare total task cost, not a price label.
Token prices use different currencies and do not include the same operational variables. A fair evaluation controls prompt length, tool calls, retries, cache behavior, effort settings, and the success criterion for each task.
For text-only agent workflows, begin with a matched tool-use suite. For image input or OpenAI-hosted tools, Luna’s published modality/tool surface may be a deciding constraint. For DeepSeek-specific agent integrations and a high output ceiling, test the official DeepSeek route directly.
Method & sources
Use the source closest to the claim.
DeepSeek data: release note and pricing documentation.
OpenAI data: GPT-5.6 Luna model page. Independent index context: Artificial Analysis’s model page. Prices, limits, and rankings can change after this review date.