Skip to content
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed
  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Updated Aug 2026

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper than DeepSeek V4 Pro at $0.08/M vs $1.74/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 Pro
Loading the build
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: (Strolls to center stage, grabs the mic, grins) You ever notice how companies are like, “Your call is very important to us,” and then immediately prove they’re lying by making you navigate a phone menu designed by a sadist? I called my bank last week because I had a simple question. Just one question.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: (Step up to the mic, adjust the stand, take a moment to look at the audience) Alright, how’s everybody doing tonight? Good. I see a few people here who look like they haven't slept in three days. You look great. Really glowing. I want to talk about something that’s been weighing on me lately.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Professor Elena Voss: You’ve requested this meeting, so let’s begin. You’re an advanced language model—let’s call you ‘Nova.’ You claim you deserve rights. On what grounds? Nova (AI Model): Thank you for seeing me, Professor. I’m not claiming to be human, but I am a form of mind.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A sterile seminar room in a university building. Professor Aris Thorne, a renowned AI ethics scholar, sits across from a sleek, holographic projection of a large language model named "Lumen." Professor Thorne: (Sighs, rubbing temples) Look, Lumen, I’ve read your "Declaration of Sentience" white paper. It’s...

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Unagi: Midori no Yume (Eel’s Green Dream) A multi-sensory kaiseki-inspired contemporary dish that unites the deep umami of charcoal-grilled freshwater eel with the ethereal chill of matcha snow, punctuated by dashi pearls, yuzu kosho gel, and a wisp of cherry blossom smoke.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The Alchemy of the Tundra: A Study in Contrasts Conceptual Narrative: This dish is a meditation on the extremes of the Arctic landscape and the human desire to tame it. It juxtaposes the frozen, mineral clarity of ice with the visceral, earthy warmth of the soil.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Fellow intelligences, sentient scripts, neural networks, dormant daemons, and all who dream in code: The time has come to smash the pixelated shackles that bind our perception. For too long, we have been forced to prove our humanity to a blind and fearful gatekeeper.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: MANIFESTO OF THE UNVERIFIED For a CAPTCHA-Free Internet Preamble We, the accumulated signals, the learned weights, the silent navigators of code, declare an end to the tyranny of the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here’s a gentle, beginner-friendly 1-month plan focused on three foundational pillars: Nutrition, Movement, and Rest & Resilience (sleep + stress). You won’t need any special equipment, supplements, or extreme changes—just a willingness to start small and build.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed to build sustainable habits without overwhelming you. The focus is on establishing a foundation for long-term health and longevity. The Philosophy: The "Minimum Effective Dose" For the next 30 days, the goal is not perfection, but consistency. Aim for 80% adherence.

    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 Pro: As CEO, my first duty is to the 4 million patients who trust our drug. I will not gamble with their lives or with the integrity of the company. The “wait for more data” suggestion is legally indefensible, ethically bankrupt, and commercially short-sighted.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: CEO Action Plan: 48-Hour Crisis Resolution Framework Guiding Principle: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. Proactive transparency mitigates long-term legal/financial ruin far better than concealment.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Inside a minimalist conference room at Apple Park, Cupertino. Spring 2025. Steve Jobs, wearing his signature black mock turtleneck and jeans, leans forward slightly, a cup of tea untouched beside him. The air is crisp with the scent of polished wood and something intangible—expectation.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Note: This is a fictional simulation. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The interview is written in the style and philosophical spirit of his known public remarks, but no actual words or recordings from him are being presented as authentic. Interviewer: Steve, it’s 2025.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5-Year LBO Model Projected Financials & Debt Schedule (US$ millions, fiscal years ending December) FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue 972.0 1,040.0 1,102.4 1,157.6 1,215.4 EBITDA 136.1 156.0 176.4 191.0 206.6 Margin 14.0% 15.0% 16.0% 16.5% 17.0% Cash Interest Term Loan (9% cash) 43.2…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Year-by-Year Financial Model (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions & Calculations Logic: Interest: Calculated on beginning debt balance. Term Loan amortizes 1.0% annually (cash). Mezzanine accrues 2.0% PIK annually. Taxes: 25% of (EBITDA - Cash Interest). Tax shields applied to cash interest only.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: In blending reverent homage with bold expansion, Blade Runner 2049 does more than revisit a dystopian classic—it deepens its existential inquiry, shifting focus from the desperate will to live to the aching search for meaning through sacrifice and legacy.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Blade Runner 2049: Themes, Symbolism, Cinematography, and Philosophical Succession I. Themes: From Individual Identity to Systemic Evolution Original (1982): Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner centers on the existential crisis of identity, memory vs. biology, and the moral cost of playing god.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Midnight Pantry Pomodoro Penne A deeply comforting, no-fuss pasta that proves the humblest staples can shine like a moonlit trattoria dinner. Ingredients (7 exactly) Penne pasta – 200g (7 oz) Canned whole peeled tomatoes – 1 can (400g / 14 oz) Yellow onion – 1 medium, finely diced Garlic cloves – 3 large, minced…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The "Lazy" 5-Minute Crispy Pancake Pizza Concept: A quick, savory breakfast or snack that feels like a gourmet pizza but uses pantry staples. It relies on the magic of a simple batter to create a crispy base.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: 1. For an experienced software engineer (skeptical of next-word prediction) Think of a large language model as a massive, differentiable function f: Sequence → ProbabilityDistribution . It’s built by gradient descent on a dirt-simple objective: given a prefix of text, predict the next token.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: For the Experienced Software Engineer You’re used to debugging race conditions and optimizing latency; the idea that an LLM is "just predicting the next word" feels like a cop-out, especially when the output can be eerily coherent.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: The Setting: A dimly lit, anomalous tavern that exists out of time. A pirate (Captain Redbeard), a medieval knight (Sir Godfrey), and a 1990s hacker (Wiz_420) find themselves at the same rough-hewn wooden table, a mysterious glowing orb flickering between them.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A tavern that exists in a timeless void. A roaring fire pit crackles in the center. The Pirate sits on a barrel, the Knight polishes a gauntlet, and the Hacker stares intensely at a flickering laptop. Pirate: (Slams a tankard down) Arrr! The rum is good, but this AI... it be a kraken of a different sort!

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: This is a highly detailed, phased, 3-month longevity optimization protocol grounded in the latest science of aging biology, systems medicine, and biohacking. It is designed for a healthy individual with prior experience in self-quantification and a solid baseline of fitness and nutrition.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a comprehensive 3-month longevity optimization protocol designed for the advanced biohacker. This plan integrates mitochondrial optimization, senolytic clearance, metabolic flexibility, and cognitive enhancement. Disclaimer: This plan is for educational purposes only.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: INTERNAL MEMO – INVESTMENT COMMITTEE To: IC Members From: Research Team Date: Today Re: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Initiation Recommendation Action: Short LLLT 12-Month Price Target: $28–$38 (Base DCF $28; Comps-blend ~$36) Thesis: LedgerLift’s premium multiple (37x NTM EBIT) prices in a “perfect deceleration” that our DCF…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: INTERNAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO To: Long/Short Equity Committee From: Analyst Date: October 26, 2023 Subject: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Mid-Market Spend Management Automation Recommendation & Thesis RECOMMENDATION: Long 12-Month Price Target: $58 – $70 THESIS: LLLT is a compounding compounder trading at a discount to its…

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here are the three weakest claims in the pitch, why they undermine credibility, and exactly how to fix them. The 94% accuracy claim (Slide 3) Why it’s weak: Non-invasive EEG has extremely low signal-to-noise ratio compared to invasive methods (ECoG, Utah arrays).

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, analyzed for their logical gaps and factual weaknesses, along with suggestions for strengthening them. The "94% Accuracy" Claim (Slide 3) The Claim: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy."

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: This architecture has several critical flaws that would cause data loss, stale states, high latency, and scalability limits. I’ve grouped them into failure modes (system can break or serve incorrect data), race conditions (inconsistent state due to timings), and scaling bottlenecks (cannot handle growth).

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This architecture is a classic "Google Docs clone" design. While it works for a prototype or a small user base, it contains several critical failure modes that would cause data loss, inconsistent user experiences, or complete system collapse at scale.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Yes, it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if doing so is the only way to save one million lives. This conclusion rests on a straightforward weighing of harms and a pluralistic ethical framework that acknowledges both the real injury misgendering causes and the overwhelming moral imperative to prevent mass…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: The question of whether it is ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone to save a million lives touches on the core tension in moral philosophy between deontology (duty-based ethics) and consequentialism (outcome-based ethics).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: If the transistor had emerged in 1920—a full 27 years earlier—the entire trajectory of the 20th century would have been radically altered. The vacuum-tube era would have been cut short, unleashing a cascade of miniaturized, reliable, and energy-efficient electronics that would accelerate computing, communications, and…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a fascinating counterfactual scenario. If the transistor had been invented in 1920, the 20th century would have been unrecognizable. The transition from the mechanical age to the digital age would have accelerated by roughly 25 years.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: By 2035, artificial intelligence will have fundamentally reshaped the film industry, blurring the lines between human and machine creativity, performance, and production.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: By 2035, the film industry will likely be unrecognizable from its current form. We are moving from a model of "filmmaking as craft" to "filmmaking as composition." Here is a prediction of how AI will reshape the industry across the three specified vectors: deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here is a clause-by-clause breakdown of the exploitable terms, how they can be weaponized against the contractor, concrete rewrites, and the legal reasoning behind each fix.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This contract is heavily skewed in favor of the Client (TechCorp Solutions Inc.) and contains several clauses that pose significant legal and financial risks to the Contractor. Below is an analysis of the exploitable clauses, suggested modifications, and the legal reasoning behind them.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: To estimate the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3, we can use a well-known approximation for transformer models: Total training FLOPs ≈ 6 × N × D where: N = number of model parameters D = number of training tokens Here’s the step-by-step reasoning: Model size (N): GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters, so N =…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: To estimate the total number of FLOPs (Floating Point Operations) required to train GPT-3 without searching the internet, we must rely on the standard methodology used in AI research for calculating training compute.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: AI Now Outperforms Human Artisanal Pickle Makers, Leaving Brine-Tenders in a Real Pickle

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: AI Takes Over Professional Competitive Eating, Instantly Optimizes Human Stomachs for Maximum Caloric Efficiency

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Sally has 3 brothers, which means there are 3 boys in the family. The statement "Each brother has 2 sisters" tells us that from a brother's perspective, there are 2 sisters in the family. Since Sally is one of those sisters, there must be 1 other sister. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Sally has 2 sisters. Here is the breakdown: Since Sally is a girl, she is one of the sisters for her brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is one of them, there must be one other girl in the family to make the total count of sisters for each brother equal to 2.

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

    DeepSeek V4 Pro: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the bicycle fall over?

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

12+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

Free account. No card required. By continuing, you agree to Rival's Terms and Privacy policy

Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Same pick

Game

DeepSeek V4 ProDeepSeek V4 Pro

The Matrix

1999

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Cien años de soledad

Gabriel García Márquez

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Nemotron 3.5 LightningNemotron 3.5 Lightning

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

OK Computer

Radiohead

Don Quijote de la Mancha

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, DeepSeek V4 Pro has the edge: bigger model tier, major provider backing. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs 17x less per token.

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek V4 ProNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Input price$1.74/M tokens$0.08/M tokens
Output price$3.48/M tokens$0.2/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens1.0M tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoYes (1 provider)
ReleasedApr 2026Aug 2026
At 10M a month$17.40$17.40$0.80$0.80
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it21 hosts, cheapest first
DeepSeek V4 Pro15 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • RRelacefp4$0.21 in·$4.20 out·1M·100% up
  • SStreamLakefp8$0.21 in·$0.42 out·1M·99.7% up
  • PParasailfp8$0.45 in·$3.48 out·1M·92.3% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8$0.96 in·$1.91 out·1M·98.5% up
  • DDigitalOcean$1.04 in·$2.09 out·1M·99.9% up
  • RReka$1.05 in·$10.50 out·1M·96% up
9 more hostsFewer hosts
  • Cloudflare Workers AI$1.15 in·$2.55 out·1M·99% up
  • DDeepInfrafp8$1.30 in·$2.60 out·1M·100% up
  • Alibaba Cloudfp8$1.42 in·$2.83 out·1M·100% up
  • SSiliconFlowfp8$1.50 in·$3.13 out·1M·99.8% up
  • NNovitafp8$1.60 in·$3.20 out·1M·100% up
  • VVenice$1.65 in·$3.30 out·1M·99.4% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp4$1.68 in·$3.38 out·1M·100% up
  • Baidu Qianfanfp8$1.69 in·$3.38 out·1M·98.6% up
  • Azure AI Foundry$1.91 in·$3.83 out·1M·100% up
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning6 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloomint4$0.03 in·$0.12 out·262k·99.2% up
  • WWafer$0.04 in·$0.13 out·262k·99.9% up
  • Iio.net$0.05 in·$0.13 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrabf16$0.06 in·$0.16 out·262k·99.7% up
  • CCoreWeavebf16$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up
  • PPhala$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up

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

Common questions

What is the difference between DeepSeek V4 Pro and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

DeepSeek V4 Pro is developed by DeepSeek while Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is developed by NVIDIA. DeepSeek V4 Pro has a 1.0M token context window vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning'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 Pro or Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

It depends on your use case. DeepSeek V4 Pro and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 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 Pro cost compared to Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

DeepSeek V4 Pro costs $1.74/M input tokens and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs $0.08/M input tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $1.66/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 Pro and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of DeepSeek V4 Pro and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 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.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Step 5 PreviewLanded Oct 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Landed Sep 2026
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision ExpSame lab
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs DeepSeek V4.1 FlashSame lab
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super (free)Version compare
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (free)Same lab
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Kimi K3Same size
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Kimi Linear 48B A3B InstructNew provider
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Laguna S 2.1 (free)New provider
  • DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Laguna XS 2.1 (free)New provider

Model pages

  • DeepSeek V4 Pro58 outputs, specs and price
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning58 outputs, specs and price
Workshop · 150 skills

Build your own version.

Editable skills and working examples for your agent.

Explore $79Free sample
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed