Last Updated: 2026-08-27 | Verified Sources: DeepSeek Official API Pricing Page + Official Announcements + Third-party Comparison
๐ฅ August 2026 Pricing Changes
- Aug 17: DeepSeek launched peak/valley pricing โ peak hours are 2x valley rates
- Aug 23: Further optimization โ weekends (Sat/Sun) now all-day valley pricing, no peak/valley distinction
๐ Price Comparison (After Cache Hit)
| Model | Old Price (CNY/1M tokens) | Peak Price (CNY/1M tokens) | Valley Price (CNY/1M tokens) | Weekend Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V4-Pro | Input 0.025 / Output 0.1 | Input 0.30 / Output 0.90 | Input 0.15 / Output 0.45 | Same as valley |
| V4-Flash | Input 0.02 / Output 0.06 | Input 0.24 / Output 0.72 | Input 0.12 / Output 0.36 | Same as valley |
| V4-Coder | Input 0.02 / Output 0.06 | Input 0.24 / Output 0.72 | Input 0.12 / Output 0.36 | Same as valley |
๐ก Increase up to 1100% (V4-Pro peak vs old price)
โฐ Peak/Valley Hours (Weekdays)
- Peak Hours: 9:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00 (Beijing Time)
- Valley Hours: 12:00-14:00, 18:00-9:00 next day
- Weekends (Sat/Sun): All-day valley pricing, no peak/valley distinction
๐ ๏ธ Developer Savings Strategies
1. Enable Prompt Caching (Most Effective)
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
base_url="https://api.deepseek.com"
)
# Long System Prompt auto-caches
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="deepseek-chat",
messages=[
{"role": "system", "content": "You are a senior Python engineer, expert in algorithm optimization and system design..."},
{"role": "user", "content": "Help me write an optimized quicksort"}
],
cache_control="enable" # Enable caching
)
After cache hit, input token cost drops 80-90%, significantly offsetting peak/valley difference
2. Off-Peak Calling
- Weekday Valley: 12:00-14:00, 18:00-9:00 next day
- Weekend All-Day: No peak/valley, unified valley rate
- Batch Tasks: Schedule for weekends or late night
3. Model Selection Guide
| Scenario | Recommended Model | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Code Generation/Agent | V4-Coder | Coding specialist, best cost-performance |
| Daily Chat/RAG | V4-Flash | Fast, low cost |
| Complex Reasoning/Multi-step | V4-Pro | Best performance, but higher price |
โ ๏ธ Important Notes
- Full price when cache miss: Ensure System Prompt is long enough (>1K tokens) to trigger cache
- Weekend pricing applies to all days: Sat/Sun unified valley rate, holidays subject to official announcement
- Free for personal users: DeepSeek web/app chat still completely free, only API charges
- Pricing is non-reversible: New prices effective after Aug 17, historical orders settled at old rates
๐ Official Resources
- DeepSeek API Docs: https://platform.deepseek.com
- Pricing Page: https://platform.deepseek.com/api-docs/pricing/
- Official Changelog: https://platform.deepseek.com/api-docs/changelog/
Next Step: Need more free API options? Check out Zhipu GLM-4.7-Flash Free Forever API or MiniMax August Limited-Time Free Event.
๐ Get Started: One-Click Free API Access
Want to call all the free models above with a single API key, no need to sign up for each provider? Apishare.cc provides a unified API Key โ one key, 100+ models, free models at zero cost.
๐ Register on Apishare.cc โ Get your unified API Key
๐ Want to see more free model rankings? Check out the Sep 2026 Free LLM API Rankings โ
About the Free API Aggregator
The models covered in this guide are all served through the APIShare free API aggregator, which gives you one key for the whole catalog.
- Full model catalog: APIShare free API directory
- Sign up for a free trial key: Register and claim your API key