Qwen3.8-Max vs DeepSeek-V4-Pro
A side-by-side look at Qwen3.8-Max from Alibaba (Qwen) and DeepSeek-V4-Pro from DeepSeek: list prices, context windows, licensing and capabilities, with monthly costs worked out for three common workloads.
The short version
- Lower list price: DeepSeek-V4-Pro, about 1.5× cheaper on a blended basis (three parts input to one part output).
- Larger context window: DeepSeek-V4-Pro (1M vs 1M tokens).
- Open weights: only DeepSeek-V4-Pro can be downloaded and self-hosted (MIT).
- Inputs: Qwen3.8-Max accepts text, images; DeepSeek-V4-Pro accepts text.
- Newer release: Qwen3.8-Max (August 2, 2026).
Specs side by side
| Qwen3.8-Max | DeepSeek-V4-Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba (Qwen) | DeepSeek |
| Released | Aug 2, 2026 | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Status | Current | Current |
| Weights and license | Closed Proprietary | Open weights MIT |
| Tier | Frontier | Frontier |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Max output | — | 375K |
| Input per 1M tokens | $2 | $1.32 |
| Output per 1M tokens | $6 | $3.96 |
| Cached input per 1M | — | $0.044 |
| Input types | Text, Images | Text |
| Reasoning mode | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Parameters | 2.4T total, 95B active | 1.6T total, 49B active |
Highlighted cells are better on that line: lower price or larger limit. List prices, standard tier, checked October 10, 2026.
What they cost for real workloads
| Workload (monthly) | Qwen3.8-Max | DeepSeek-V4-Pro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support chatbot30,000 conversations a month, 2,000 input and 400 output tokens each | $192 | $127 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro saves $65 |
| Document summaries2,000 documents a month, 12,000 input and 800 output tokens each | $58 | $38 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro saves $20 |
| Coding agent1,000 tasks a month, 60,000 input and 6,000 output tokens each | $156 | $103 | DeepSeek-V4-Pro saves $53 |
Standard rates without caching or batch discounts. Try your own volumes.
Choose Qwen3.8-Max if
- you mainly need it for enterprise, which Alibaba (Qwen) emphasizes for this model
- your inputs include images
- 1M-token context with a flat price tier
- thinking and non-thinking modes plus built-in tools
Choose DeepSeek-V4-Pro if
- cost per token is a deciding factor
- you need more than 1M tokens of context in one request
- you need to self-host, fine-tune or keep data inside your own network
- mIT-licensed weights at 1.6T scale
- 1M-token context and up to 384K output tokens
Our take
Both are positioned for agents, coding, long documents. On list price the gap is about 1.5×, which matters most for high-volume, input-heavy workloads. Quality differences shift with every release, so treat this page as a shortlist tool: run 20-50 of your real tasks through both, score the outputs, and divide the bill by the number of tasks each one got right.
Read the full profiles: Qwen3.8-Max and DeepSeek-V4-Pro. For help designing that test, see how to read LLM benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Qwen3.8-Max or DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
DeepSeek-V4-Pro has the lower list price: $1.32 input and $3.96 output per million tokens, versus $2 and $6. Discounts for caching and batch processing can change the real bill, so price your own token mix.
Which has the bigger context window?
DeepSeek-V4-Pro accepts 1M tokens, compared with 1M for Qwen3.8-Max.
Can I run Qwen3.8-Max or DeepSeek-V4-Pro on my own hardware?
Qwen3.8-Max is closed, so only through hosted APIs. DeepSeek-V4-Pro is open-weight (MIT), so yes, with enough GPU memory.
Is Qwen3.8-Max better than DeepSeek-V4-Pro?
It depends on the task. Public benchmarks and arena rankings move with every release and rarely match a specific workload. Use the specs here to shortlist, then test both on your own prompts and compare accuracy, latency and cost per correct answer.
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