The direct route keeps the provider relationship in your hands. AIWave adds one gateway account, one USD balance, and one request-level billing record. Compare the work and test the same payload on the path you may use.
This is an operating-path comparison, not a permanent price or quality ranking.
Account, billing, client, evidenceOpen and fund the provider account directly.
Follow the provider contract, limits, and billing surface.
Keep the direct route and provider evidence in your application.
Review the current upstream rate page before use.
Fund one AIWave USD balance.
Use the documented OpenAI-compatible route.
Keep model ID, token classes, status, group, and charge together.
Review the current gateway rate card before use.
DeepSeek official pricing checked 2026-08-29 listed separate off-peak and peak rows. These are upstream references, not AIWave gateway prices.
api-docs.deepseek.com · checked 2026-08-29| Official route | Cache hit / 1M | Cache miss / 1M | Output / 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $0.007 / $0.014 | $0.22 / $0.44 | $0.66 / $1.32 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | $0.022 / $0.044 | $0.66 / $1.32 | $1.98 / $3.96 |
Source: DeepSeek API pricing, checked 2026-08-29. Confirm the current upstream page before relying on these historical rows.
These AIWave rows come from the dated snapshot used by /pricing. The effective request group controls the multiplier, and the gateway record is the evidence after a call.
AIWave snapshot · 2026-08-27 · listed base rate| Route | Input / 1M | Cache hit / 1M | Output / 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| deepseek-v4-flash | $0.638 | $0.0202884 | $1.914 |
| deepseek-v4-pro | $1.914 | $0.0637362 | $5.742 |
Save the source date, model ID, response, error path, and final charge. Choose from the record, not from a generic winner label.