Alibaba vs 
DeepSeek
Verdict
- Their flagships are level: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 64.0 vs Qwen3.8 Max 63.3.
- DeepSeek has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- Alibaba's fastest ranked model (Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct, 244 tok/s) beats DeepSeek's (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, 195 tok/s).
- Alibaba publishes more open-weights models (48 vs 24).
- Alibaba ships more often: one model every 7 days against every 37.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | Alibaba | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next 60.3$0.230/M | DeepSeek V4 Flash max 59.4$0.175/M |
| Under $2/M | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next 60.3$0.230/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
| Under $10/M | Qwen3.8 Max max 63.3$3.00/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
| Any price | Qwen3.8 Max max 63.3$3.00/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Alibaba | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 63.3 | 64.0 |
| Ranked models | 54 | 22 |
| Open-weights models | 48 | 24 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.060 | $0.068 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 244 | 195 |
| Release cadence, days | 7 | 37 |
| Last release | 17 Sept 2026 | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Next expected | 21 Sept 2026 – 26 Sept 2026 | 8 Nov 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |