DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp vs Sonar
Updated October 21, 2026. 3 benchmarks have a result for both. Coding is ranked on the Vibe Coding Index; every other board is shown as published.
Decision reading
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp has the edge where the context window is larger, 1.05M against 127K tokens.
- Shared results
- 3
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp only
- 11
- Sonar only
- 2
- Like-for-like categories
- 2 of 9
Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results only one model has describe coverage, not superiority.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp leads, 34.8 against 7.7.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp has a AA Agentic Index result, 47.5.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp takes 1.05M tokens against 127K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp $0.0011, Sonar $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp not benchmarked, Sonar not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Reasoning, 36.9 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run): DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp 91.3% against Sonar 47.1%, 44.2 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp $1.32 against Sonar $1.00 per million output tokens, 1.3x apart.
- Context window
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp takes 1.05M tokens, Sonar 127K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Bars | Sonar | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 2 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 3 | 0 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench coding | 37.6% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| AA Coding Index | 65.0 | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 29.5% | Only Sonar measured |
| SciCode | 49.7% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 34.8 | 7.7 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 47.5 | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| LiveBench research | 69.2% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| LiveBench browser | 64.0% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| LiveBench long agentic | 39.0% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench reasoning | 85.4% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 91.3% | 47.1% | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 34.5% | 4.9% | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 68.9% | Only Sonar measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench design | 70.7% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 8 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench data analysis | 79.5% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 81.3% | Not measured | Only DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 44 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | Perplexity Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | DeepSeek | Perplexity |
| Weights | Open weights | No public weights listed |
| Released | August 21, 2026 | January 27, 2025 |
| Context window | 1.05M | 127K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.44 | $1.00 |
| Output $/Mtok | $1.32 | $1.00 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 1 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp better than Sonar for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp has the edge where the context window is larger, 1.05M against 127K tokens.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp or Sonar?
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp costs $0.44 per million input tokens and $1.32 per million output tokens; Sonar costs $1.00 and $1.00. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp or Sonar?
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp, with 1.05M tokens against 127K.
How many benchmarks is the DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp vs Sonar comparison based on?
3 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp's coding index rests on 1 independent benchmark and Sonar's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.