DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Gemini 3.1 Pro (2026): Which AI Model Is Better?

Both are popular language models. Here is how DeepSeek V4 Pro and Gemini 3.1 Pro stack up on price, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

DeepSeek V4 Pro

DeepSeek's MIT-licensed V4 models with 1M-token context and very low API prices

8.0 /10

Pricing: Open source

Pros

Open weights under the MIT licence, commercial use allowed
1M-token context and up to 384K output tokens
Off-peak API output prices of about $0.60 (Flash) and $1.98 (V4 Pro) per million tokens
Free chat app with an Expert Mode on V4 Pro

Cons

V4 Pro has no vision input; only the Flash model reads images
Peak-hour API prices are double the off-peak rates
Self-hosting V4 Pro (1.6T parameters) needs data-centre hardware
Data processed on the hosted service is subject to Chinese jurisdiction, a concern for some clients

Visit DeepSeek V4 Pro ↗

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Google's Gemini models (3.1 Pro, 3.8 Flash) in the Gemini app, NotebookLM and the Gemini API

8.7 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $4.99/mo

Pros

Gemini 3.8 Flash API price is $0.75 in / $3.75 out per million tokens until end of 2026
Free tier in the Gemini app and a free (rate-limited) API tier in AI Studio
Google AI Plus starts at $4.99 per month in the US
Same account unlocks Nano Banana images and Flow video

Cons

Gemini 3.5 Pro was announced in May 2026 but has not shipped; the Pro tier is still 3.1
Free API tier content may be used to improve Google's products
Gemini 3.8 Flash price doubles after 31 December 2026
Frequent Flash versions (3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 in four months) make pinning outputs harder

Visit Gemini 3.1 Pro ↗

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Gemini 3.1 Pro at a glance

	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Gemini 3.1 Pro
Editor score	8.0 / 10	8.7 / 10
Pricing model	Open source	Freemium
Starting price	Free	$4.99/mo
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	llm, open-weights, mit	llm, google, gemini
Makes	Blog posts & articles, Ad & marketing copy, Scripts & outlines, Emails & newsletters	Blog posts & articles, Ad & marketing copy, Emails & newsletters, Scripts & outlines
Maker	DeepSeek	Google DeepMind
Latest release	2026-08	2026-02
Apps offering it	2	10

Our pick

Gemini 3.1 Pro edges it with a score of 8.7 versus 8.0. Gemini 3.1 Pro is the better fit if you value: gemini 3.8 flash api price is $0.75 in / $3.75 out per million tokens until end of 2026, free tier in the gemini app and a free (rate-limited) api tier in ai studio. Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro instead if you need: open weights under the mit licence, commercial use allowed, 1m-token context and up to 384k output tokens.