DeepSeek lists 25 models and Inference.net 2. Inference.net is cheaper on a typical model ($0.08 per 1M tokens median). Below: line-up, price tiers, the cheapest model for each capability, and what each costs for five real workloads.
| DeepSeek | Inference.net | |
|---|---|---|
| Models listed | 25 | 2 |
| Models with published pricing | 24 | 2 |
| Typical price (median, 3:1 blend per 1M) | $0.45 | $0.08 |
| Cheapest paid model | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) |
| Longest context | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 (1.0M) | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small (128K) |
| Free models | 1 | 0 |
| Newest model | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (2026-10-17) | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small (2026-09-12) |
| Price changes in the last 90 days | 249 | 0 |
For each workload: the cheapest model from each provider that can actually do it (fits the context window; tool calling required for the agent), and its monthly cost at list price.
| Workload (per month) | DeepSeek | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-support chatbot 50,000 conversations — each a 6-turn conversation | $6.75 with DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $5.25 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo |
| RAG search over documents 20,000 questions — each a question answered from ~8 retrieved passages | $7.50 with DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $5.10 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo |
| Coding / tool-using agent 2,000 tasks — each a multi-step task with tool calls and file context | $7.80 with DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | no suitable model |
| Batch summarisation 10,000 documents — each a 6,000-word report summarised to a page | $4.90 with DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $3.30 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo |
| Long-document analysis 500 documents — each a 150-page contract or codebase read in one pass | $2.65 with DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | $1.65 with Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo |
| You need | DeepSeek | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| Any model | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) |
| With tool calling | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | none listed |
| With image input | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | none listed |
| With reasoning mode | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | none listed |
| 128K+ context | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo ($0.06) |
| 1M+ context | DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) ($0.08) | none listed |
| Model type | DeepSeek | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| text+image->text | 5 | 0 |
| text->text | 20 | 2 |
| Price per 1M (3:1 blend) | DeepSeek | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 | 0 |
| Under $0.50 | 13 | 2 |
| $0.50 – $3 | 10 | 0 |
| $3 – $10 | 0 | 0 |
| $10 and up | 0 | 0 |
Inference.net is cheaper on a typical model: a median of $0.08 per 1M tokens (3:1 input/output) against $0.45 for DeepSeek. The cheapest paid models are DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) at $0.08 and Inference.net: Schematron V2 Turbo at $0.06.
It depends on the job: DeepSeek offers the broader line-up (25 models vs 2), Inference.net the lower typical price, DeepSeek the longest context (1.0M tokens). The workload table above shows which wins for chat, RAG, agents, batch jobs and long documents.
DeepSeek: DeepSeek lists 25 models and Inference.net lists 2.
DeepSeek: DeepSeek's longest is DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 at 1.0M tokens; Inference.net's is Inference.net: Schematron V2 Small at 128K.
DeepSeek: 1 free model (e.g. DeepSeek: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (free)). Inference.net: none.
DeepSeek: 5 of 25 models accept images. Inference.net: 0 of 2.