DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max vs Gemini 3.8 Flash High

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max leads the intelligence index 32.6 to 30.8. Benchmarks, sample bills, speed and a verdict.

Metric	DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)	Gemini 3.8 Flash (High)
Intelligence Index	32.6	30.8
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.30	$0.75
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$1.20	$3.75
Output speed (tokens/s)	162	121
Time to first token	1.2s	27s
Release date	2026-10-17	2026-09-02

Metric

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)

Gemini 3.8 Flash (High)

Intelligence Index

32.6

30.8

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.30

$0.75

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$1.20

$3.75

Output speed (tokens/s)

162

121

Time to first token

1.2s

27s

Release date

2026-10-17

2026-09-02

If you only looked at the intelligence index, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max) and Gemini 3.8 Flash (High) would be hard to tell apart. The widest gap is the wait for the first token: 1.2 seconds for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max against 27 seconds for Gemini 3.8 Flash High. This page is written automatically from catalogue numbers only: benchmark scores, list prices and measured speed.

How fast they respond

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max generates about 162 tokens per second and Gemini 3.8 Flash High about 121 tokens per second. That makes DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max roughly 1.3 times as fast at writing. Before any text appears, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max takes 1.2 seconds and Gemini 3.8 Flash High 27 seconds. Gemini 3.8 Flash High waits 22 times as long before its first token.

Add the two numbers up for a 2,000-token reply and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max finishes first: 14 seconds for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max, 44 seconds for Gemini 3.8 Flash High.

Overall capability: 1.8 points apart

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max comes out ahead on the intelligence index, 32.6 to 30.8. The lead is visible but narrow, so it should not decide the choice on its own. Put another way, Gemini 3.8 Flash High would need 6% more on this index to draw level.

Among 109 active scored models, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max sits 45th and Gemini 3.8 Flash High 50th.

For coding or maths work specifically, the catalogue has no dedicated index on either side yet.

Release timing

Gemini 3.8 Flash High came first, on September 2, 2026; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max followed on October 17, 2026. They are effectively contemporaries.

What they cost

Per million tokens, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max charges $0.30 for input and $1.20 for output, while Gemini 3.8 Flash High charges $0.75 and $3.75. That makes DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max's output 68% cheaper.

A reference job of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens costs $0.54 with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and $1.50 with Gemini 3.8 Flash High, so DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max saves $0.96. For a support assistant answering 10,000 conversations of 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max would come in 64% lower: $12.00 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max against $33.75 for Gemini 3.8 Flash High.

Cost per point of intelligence

Dividing the blended price by the intelligence index gives a rough cost per point: $0.016 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and $0.049 for Gemini 3.8 Flash High, per million tokens. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max scores higher and costs less per point, so on price per point there is nothing to trade off.

Common questions about DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and Gemini 3.8 Flash High

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash High better than DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max leads on every measure the catalogue separates: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 32.6 to 30.8; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is 65% cheaper on blended price; and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max streams output 1.3 times as fast.

Who makes DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and Gemini 3.8 Flash High?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is made by DeepSeek and Gemini 3.8 Flash High by Google. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max was released on October 17, 2026 and Gemini 3.8 Flash High on September 2, 2026.

Which model has lower latency?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max generates output faster, at 162 tokens per second against 121 tokens per second. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max reaches its first token sooner (1.2 seconds against 27 seconds).

Was this comparison tested by hand?

The figures are the recorded benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's model catalogue. This page is written from that data automatically; neither model was tested by hand for it.

When were DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and Gemini 3.8 Flash High released?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is newer. It was released on October 17, 2026, about a month after Gemini 3.8 Flash High (September 2, 2026).

Final whistle

Bottom line: on these numbers DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is the clear pick over Gemini 3.8 Flash High. Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max if users are waiting on the first word and cost matters ($1.20 against $3.75 per million output tokens). Pick Gemini 3.8 Flash High only if your own tests show an advantage the recorded data does not.

Where the numbers come from

The scores, speed and prices in this comparison come from independent third-party model evaluations that Franklin AI syncs each day, and the article was written from a snapshot of them. For the latest results, open the DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max) and Gemini 3.8 Flash (High) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max vs Gemini 3.8 Flash High compared

Pick it for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 · Max

Pick it for Gemini 3.8 Flash · High

By the numbers