ByteDance vs 
DeepSeek
Verdict
- DeepSeek's flagship leads: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 at 64.0 vs Dola Seed 2.0 Pro at 58.5.
- DeepSeek has the better model in 4 of 4 price bands.
- DeepSeek's fastest ranked model (DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, 195 tok/s) beats ByteDance's (Seed-OSS-36B-Instruct, 38 tok/s).
- DeepSeek publishes more open-weights models (24 vs 1).
- DeepSeek ships more often: one model every 37 days against every 83.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | ByteDance | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Seed-OSS-36B-Instruct 46.8$0.300/M | DeepSeek V4 Flash max 59.4$0.175/M |
| Under $2/M | Seed-OSS-36B-Instruct 46.8$0.300/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
| Under $10/M | Seed-OSS-36B-Instruct 46.8$0.300/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
| Any price | Seed-OSS-36B-Instruct 46.8$0.300/M | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 max 64.0$0.525/M |
Line-up
| Metric | ByteDance | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 58.5 | 64.0 |
| Ranked models | 3 | 22 |
| Open-weights models | 1 | 24 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.300 | $0.068 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 38 | 195 |
| Release cadence, days | 83 | 37 |
| Last release | 14 Feb 2026 | 17 Oct 2026 |
| Next expected | 4 Apr 2026 – 10 Jun 2026 | 8 Nov 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |