DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max vs GPT-5.6 Terra Max compared

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and GPT-5.6 Terra Max are level on the intelligence index (32.6 and 32.3). Benchmarks, sample bills, speed and a verdict.

Metric	DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)	GPT-5.6 Terra (Max)
Intelligence Index	32.6	32.3
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.30	$2.00
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$1.20	$12.00
Output speed (tokens/s)	162	116
Time to first token	1.2s	3.4 min
Release date	2026-10-17	2026-07-09

Metric

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)

GPT-5.6 Terra (Max)

Intelligence Index

32.6

32.3

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.30

$2.00

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$1.20

$12.00

Output speed (tokens/s)

162

116

Time to first token

1.2s

3.4 min

Release date

2026-10-17

2026-07-09

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max) from DeepSeek and GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) from OpenAI land within 0.3 points of each other on the intelligence index. The sharpest difference is price: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max costs $1.20 per million output tokens, against $12.00 for GPT-5.6 Terra Max. Everything below is read from the benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's catalogue; nothing here comes from a hands-on test.

Cost: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is cheaper

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max lists $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens; GPT-5.6 Terra Max lists $2.00 and $12.00. For output tokens, GPT-5.6 Terra Max is 10 times the price of DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max.

A reference job of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens costs $0.54 with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and $4.40 with GPT-5.6 Terra Max, so DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max saves $3.86. A bigger example, summarising 1,000 documents of 8,000 tokens into 400-token summaries, costs $2.88 on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and $20.80 on GPT-5.6 Terra Max: a gap of $17.92.

Overall capability: effectively tied

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max scores 32.6 on the intelligence index and GPT-5.6 Terra Max scores 32.3. A gap that small is inside the range where one aggregate cannot name a winner.

Across the 109 active models with an intelligence score in the catalogue, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max ranks 45th and GPT-5.6 Terra Max ranks 46th.

The catalogue does not yet split either model's score into coding and math indexes.

Is the price in proportion?

A blunt value measure, blended price over intelligence score, puts DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max at $0.016 and GPT-5.6 Terra Max at $0.14 per point. With scores this close, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is simply the cheaper way to buy the same capability.

When they came out

The release dates are July 9, 2026 for GPT-5.6 Terra Max and October 17, 2026 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max, about 3 months apart.

Waiting time

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max generates about 162 tokens per second and GPT-5.6 Terra Max about 116 tokens per second. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is ahead by 40% on throughput. Time to first token is 1.2 seconds for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and 3.4 minutes for GPT-5.6 Terra Max. GPT-5.6 Terra Max waits 168 times as long before its first token. A first-token wait of that length suits background work better than live conversation.

Put together, a 1,000-token answer would take about 7.4 seconds from DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and 3.6 minutes from GPT-5.6 Terra Max, counting the first-token wait.

Common questions about DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and GPT-5.6 Terra Max

Is GPT-5.6 Terra Max better than DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max leads on every measure the catalogue separates: they are level on the intelligence index (32.6 and 32.3); DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is 88% cheaper on blended price; and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max streams output 1.4 times as fast.

How much do DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and GPT-5.6 Terra Max cost?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is cheaper on a blended basis. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max lists $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens; GPT-5.6 Terra Max lists $2.00 and $12.00. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $0.54 against $4.40.

Who makes DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and GPT-5.6 Terra Max?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is made by DeepSeek and GPT-5.6 Terra Max by OpenAI. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max was released on October 17, 2026 and GPT-5.6 Terra Max on July 9, 2026.

Does DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max respond faster than GPT-5.6 Terra Max?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max generates output faster, at 162 tokens per second against 116 tokens per second. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max reaches its first token sooner (1.2 seconds against 3.4 minutes).

Which is newer, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max or GPT-5.6 Terra Max?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is newer. It was released on October 17, 2026, about 3 months after GPT-5.6 Terra Max (July 9, 2026).

Final whistle

Short answer: on these numbers DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is the clear pick over GPT-5.6 Terra Max. Pick GPT-5.6 Terra Max only if your own tests show an advantage the recorded data does not. Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max if cost matters ($1.20 against $12.00 per million output tokens) and users are waiting on the first word.

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 GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.