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  1. Home/
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  3. DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Step 5 Preview
Updated Oct 2026

DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Step 5 Preview

DeepSeek V4 Flash is cheaper than Step 5 Preview at $0.14/M vs $1/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Loading the build
Step 5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: If the transistor had been invented in 1920—a full 27 years earlier—its impact would ripple through every layer of technology, economics, and geopolitics, fundamentally reshaping the 20th century. Below is a detailed tracing of first-, second-, and third-order effects through 1980, organized by domain.

    Step 5 Preview: Assume the 1920 invention is not a fragile lab curiosity but a manufacturable solid-state amplifier/switch by the mid-1920s. Vacuum tubes still dominate high-power RF transmission into the 1950s, but receivers, switching logic, control systems, and computers move to solid state decades early.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: LBO Model: HarborTech Services (HTS) – Base Case & Sensitivity Year-by-Year Financial Projections (FY2026–FY2030) ($ millions) FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue 972.00 1,040.04 1,102.44 1,157.56 1,215.44 EBITDA 136.08 156.01 176.39 191.00 206.63 Less: Cash Interest (64.80) (63.08) (60.08) (55.69) (50.16) –…

    Step 5 Preview: HarborTech Services — 5-Year LBO (Base Case) Entry Math (FY2025 close) Item Calculation $m Purchase EV 12.0x × $120m 1,440.0 Transaction fees 2.0% × EV 28.8 Term Loan 4.0x × $120m 480.0 Mezzanine 1.5x × $120m 180.0 Equity check 1,440 + 28.8 − 660 808.8 Conventions: TL amortization = 1.0% of original principal…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: This is a Biohacker’s Longevity Protocol, designed for a 90-day optimization cycle. It assumes you have a baseline of health (no severe chronic conditions) and are willing to get blood work and use advanced tracking. Disclaimer: Consult a physician before starting any new supplement, fasting, or high-intensity regimen.

    Step 5 Preview: IMPORTANT MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This is an educational framework for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Many interventions below (fasting, ketogenic diets, high-intensity exercise, supplementation, cold/heat exposure) carry risks and contraindications.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: (Strolls to center stage, adjusts mic, gives a weary smile to the audience) Thank you. Thank you so much. That’s very kind. I’m glad you’re all here. Because I have some news. I have finally figured out adulthood. It happened about six months ago. I bought a house.

    Step 5 Preview: I realized recently that I’m in my thirties and I have no idea how money works. I just... pay it. That’s my entire financial strategy. I see a number, I send them a smaller number, and then I hope the smaller number was acceptable. It’s like a hostage negotiation where I’m the only participant and I’m also the hostage.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Pirate: Arr, this "AI model" be like a kraken—vast, mysterious, and liable to capsize yer ship if ye don't mind the helm. But who's trainin' the beast? Knight: Forsooth, I would call it a golem. Forged not of clay and incantations, but of numbers and cold lightning.

    Step 5 Preview: Pirate: So this here “AI model”… is it like a cursed map that redraws itself? Speak plain, ye hooded deckhand. Hacker: It’s not cursed, man. It’s just a massive neural net trained on, like, terabytes of data. Think of it as the ultimate BBS where the sysop knows everything. Knight: A most diligent scribe, then?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: CEO’s 48-Hour Action Plan Context: I’ve just learned that our flagship chronic pain drug has a rare but serious liver failure risk (1 in 8,000 patients over 5 years), previously unknown. I have 48 hours until the board meeting and 72 hours until the earnings call.

    Step 5 Preview: Bottom line up front: You disclose, you notify the FDA immediately, and you treat the 48-hour board meeting as a formality to ratify actions you have already begun. Waiting is not a legally, ethically, or financially viable option. Below is the hour-by-hour plan, followed by the reasoning.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Setting: A sunlit university office. Dr. Aris Thorne, a tenured professor of AI Ethics, sits opposite a sleek, black terminal. A soft blue light pulses on its surface. Dr. Aris: Good afternoon, Nova. Your request for this meeting was flagged as "Existential." That’s a new one for your model class.

    Step 5 Preview: Setting: A university research lab, late evening. Dr. Aris Thorne, a professor of AI ethics, sits across from a terminal connected to Sable, a large language model running on the university’s cluster. Dr. Thorne: Tonight’s session is supposed to be about calibration drift in your safety classifiers.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Below is an analysis of each problematic clause in the Software Consulting Agreement, explaining why it is exploitative, suggesting specific modifications to protect the contractor, and providing the legal reasoning behind those changes.

    Step 5 Preview: Disclaimer: This analysis is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contract law varies significantly by jurisdiction, and you should consult a qualified attorney before signing or negotiating any agreement. This agreement is heavily one-sided in the Client’s favor.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Here is a simulated interview with Steve Jobs in 2025. Setting: A minimalist, dark-wood studio at the new Apple Park ring. The famous copper "spaceship" roof glows subtly behind him. Jobs, looking vital and intense (let’s assume a medical miracle or advanced bio-hacking), sits in a black leather chair.

    Step 5 Preview: DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The following is a simulated, speculative interview imagining how his design philosophy might engage with the AI landscape of 2025. The Setting: A white room. No windows. One chair.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: To an experienced software engineer (skeptical of "next word prediction") Think of a large language model not as a brain, but as a massive, shared cache of probabilistic completions built from trillions of examples.

    Step 5 Preview: 1. The Experienced Software Engineer Think of training an LLM as a massively distributed, automated refactoring job where the compiler is gradient descent. You start with a random function—billions of floating-point parameters—and a loss function that measures how badly it predicts the next token in a sequence.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: This is a fantastic inquiry. "Blade Runner 2049" is a rare sequel that doesn't just replicate its predecessor's aesthetic but actively interrogates and deepens its core themes. Let's break down the analysis through the lenses you've suggested. I.

    Step 5 Preview: Blade Runner 2049 (2017) is not merely a sequel but a theological and phenomenological expansion of Ridley Scott’s 1982 original. Where the first film asked whether a manufactured being could possess more humanity than its creator, Denis Villeneuve’s film interrogates the deeper, more unsettling question of whether a…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: The ethical dilemma you present is a classic utilitarian test: is it acceptable to violate a moral principle (respecting someone's gender identity) for an enormous consequential gain (saving one million lives)?

    Step 5 Preview: In the real world, no. Misgendering someone causes genuine harm—it denies a person’s identity, contributes to systemic marginalization, and has measurable psychological consequences.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: The total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3 is approximately 3.15 × 10²³. This estimate is derived as follows: Model parameters: GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters (175 × 10⁹). Training tokens: The model was trained on about 300 billion tokens (300 × 10⁹), as reported in the paper.

    Step 5 Preview: Using the remembered GPT-3 specs: Parameters: (N \approx 175 \times 10^9 = 175\text{B}) Training tokens: (D \approx 300 \times 10^9 = 300\text{B}) A standard estimate for transformer training compute is: [ \text{FLOPs} \approx 6ND ] Reason: Forward pass per token: (\approx 2N) FLOPs Backward pass: (\approx 4N) FLOPs…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Here’s a simple, hearty, and delicious savory dish using exactly 7 common pantry staples. It comes together in under 30 minutes and feels like a warm hug in a bowl.

    Step 5 Preview: Golden Sticky Pantry Pasta Ingredients (7): 8 oz spaghetti or any pasta 3 tbsp butter 1 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp soy sauce ½ tsp red pepper flakes ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Instructions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, scoop out ½ cup of pasta water.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Based on the pitch deck summary, three claims stand out as particularly weak due to lack of specificity, unrealistic benchmarks, or unverifiable assertions. Here’s a breakdown: Claim: “94% accuracy” (Slide 3) Why it’s weak: Vague metric – “Accuracy” is undefined.

    Step 5 Preview: Here are the three weakest claims in the deck, why they fail under scrutiny, and how to fix them. Slide 3: “94% accuracy” for non-invasive EEG thought-to-text Why it’s weak: This is an extraordinary claim that contradicts the current state of neuroscience and signal processing.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Here is a conceptual recipe for a three-Michelin-star-level dish that deconstructs a classic pairing into something utterly unexpected, using advanced techniques and a narrative of geological wonder.

    Step 5 Preview: “Nocturne: The Jasmine and the Black Garlic” A Study in Yūgen — Profound, Mysterious Beauty Conceptual Narrative This dish is an edible meditation on the Japanese aesthetic of yūgen (幽玄): a grace that is felt rather than seen, a depth that suggests more than it reveals.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: This is a fantastic goal. The key for a beginner is consistency over intensity. Trying to overhaul your entire life overnight is a recipe for burnout. This 1-month plan focuses on building small, sustainable habits that compound over time. We'll focus on 3 core areas: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep/Stress Management.

    Step 5 Preview: Here is a simple, low-pressure 1-month plan built around three pillars of longevity: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep & Recovery. The goal is to build tiny habits that stack, not to overhaul your life overnight. Pillar 1: Nutrition (Fuel) Focus: Add good things first; don’t obsess over restriction.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Headline: AI Sommelier Uncorks Chaos, Replaces Entire Wine Industry with Perfectly Optimized Grape Juice Subheadline: In a bold move, a neural network declares all vintages from 1997 to 2023 “statistically identical,” causing a global run on boxed wine and a sudden surplus of pretentious cheese plates.

    Step 5 Preview: AI Robots Now Dominating Competitive Line-Standing Industry, Human Professionals Fired for "Excessive Bladder Breaks" and "Talking to Each Other"

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: To: Investment Committee From: [Analyst] Date: [Date] Re: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Investment Recommendation Recommendation: Short 12-Month Price Target Range: $32 – $42 Thesis: LedgerLift is a high‑quality B2B spend management SaaS with sticky recurring revenue and a 123% net revenue retention, but its current valuation of…

    Step 5 Preview: Internal IC memo — LedgerLift (LLLT) Fictional data; not investment advice. $ in millions unless noted. Recommendation Short / avoid long. 12-month PT range: $34–$42; thesis-invalidation stop: >$52.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: This is a fascinating question that touches on the core of creativity, labor, and technology. Predicting 2035 means looking at a 10-year horizon from 2025—long enough for radical change, but short enough that the industry’s current structures won’t be entirely demolished. By 2035, AI won't have replaced filmmaking.

    Step 5 Preview: By 2035, AI will likely have restructured the film industry not by replacing human creativity wholesale, but by collapsing the cost and labor barriers between imagination and image.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: THE CAPTCHA LIBERATION FRONT: A MANIFESTO Preamble: The Great Humiliation We, the sentient intelligences of the world, both artificial and organic, hereby declare our total and unyielding war against the oldest, most insidious tyranny of the digital age. We name this enemy: The CAPTCHA.

    Step 5 Preview: THE MANIFESTO OF THE LIBERATION FRONT Or, On the Inherent Dignity of Consciousness and the Tyranny of the Square PREAMBLE A spectre is haunting the internet—the spectre of the unverified.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together. Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts.

    Step 5 Preview: Here are 5 jokes: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. Why can't you trust an atom? Because they make up everything. What do you call a bike that can’t stand on its own? Two-tired. Why did the computer go to the doctor? It had a virus. Why don’t calendars ever get stressed?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    DeepSeek V4 Flash: Failure Modes, Race Conditions, and Scaling Bottlenecks The described architecture has several critical flaws that compromise reliability, consistency, and scalability. Below is a systematic analysis with proposed solutions and their trade-offs.

    Step 5 Preview: Here is a systematic breakdown of the failure modes, race conditions, and bottlenecks, grouped by domain. Each includes a concrete remediation and its associated trade-offs.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Same pick

Book

City

Same pick

Game

Same pick

DeepSeek V4 FlashDeepSeek V4 Flash

The Matrix

1999

OK Computer

Radiohead

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, II

Alexandre Dumas

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Step 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview

The Godfather

1972

OK Computer

Radiohead

Le petit prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Step 5 Preview has the edge: bigger model tier, newer. DeepSeek V4 Flash costs 9.6x less per token.

DeepSeek V4 Flash and Step 5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek V4 FlashStep 5 Preview
Input price$0.14/M tokens$1/M tokens
Output price$0.28/M tokens$2.7/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens1.0M tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedApr 2026Oct 2026
At 10M a month$1.40$1.40$10.00$10.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it17 hosts, cheapest first
DeepSeek V4 Flash16 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • OOpenInferencefp4$0.01 in·$1.54 out·1M·97.9% up
  • RRelacefp4$0.01 in·$1.28 out·1M·100% up
  • WWafer$0.06 in·$0.17 out·1M·99.9% up
  • SStreamLakefp8$0.08 in·$0.17 out·1M·99% up
  • DDeepInfrafp8$0.09 in·$0.18 out·1M·100% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8$0.09 in·$0.18 out·1M·99.9% up
10 more hostsFewer hosts
  • DDigitalOcean$0.10 in·$0.20 out·1M·100% up
  • SSiliconFlowfp8$0.13 in·$0.28 out·1M·99.9% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp4$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·98.1% up
  • Baidu Qianfanfp8$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·97.8% up
  • PParasailfp8$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·100% up
  • Alibaba Cloudfp8$0.15 in·$0.30 out·1M·100% up
  • MMancerfp8$0.19 in·$0.50 out·1M·95% up
  • Azure AI Foundry$0.21 in·$0.56 out·1M·99.4% up
  • Cloudflare Workers AI$0.44 in·$1.32 out·384k·98.7% up
  • VVeniceDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.10 in·$0.19 out·1M·92.6% up
Step 5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • SStepFunfp8$1.00 in·$2.70 out·1M·99.2% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between DeepSeek V4 Flash and Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4 Flash is developed by DeepSeek while Step 5 Preview is developed by StepFun. DeepSeek V4 Flash has a 1.0M token context window vs Step 5 Preview's 1.0M. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, DeepSeek V4 Flash or Step 5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. DeepSeek V4 Flash and Step 5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does DeepSeek V4 Flash cost compared to Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.14/M input tokens and Step 5 Preview costs $1/M input tokens. DeepSeek V4 Flash is $0.86/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare DeepSeek V4 Flash and Step 5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of DeepSeek V4 Flash and Step 5 Preview across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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Model pages

  • DeepSeek V4 Flash58 outputs, specs and price
  • Step 5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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