DeepSeek API Price Increase Confirmed: Peak and Off-Peak Billing from August 16, Peak Output Costs Nearly 5x

DeepSeek’s official API pricing page has been updated, confirming that billing will change from August 16 at 16:00 UTC, moving from a single price to two-tier peak and off-peak rates. Off-peak rates are half of peak rates, but overall costs rise sharply compared with current pricing: deepseek-v4-flash output tokens approach 5x at peak hours.

How much is DeepSeek raising API prices?

According to the official pricing page, deepseek-v4-flash output tokens rise from $0.28 to $0.66 off-peak and $1.32 peak per 1M tokens; input tokens (cache miss) rise from $0.14 to $0.22 off-peak and $0.44 peak; input tokens (cache hit) rise from $0.0028 to $0.007 off-peak and $0.014 peak.

For deepseek-v4-pro, output tokens rise from $0.87 to $1.98 off-peak and $3.96 peak per 1M tokens; input tokens (cache miss) rise from $0.435 to $0.66 off-peak and $1.32 peak; input tokens (cache hit) rise from $0.003625 to $0.022 off-peak and $0.044 peak.

How are peak and off-peak hours defined?

Official peak hours are 01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC daily; all other hours are off-peak. Off-peak prices are half of peak prices.

How large is the increase?

Based on official figures, even at off-peak hours deepseek-v4-flash output costs rise from $0.28 to $0.66, about 2.4x, and reach $1.32 at peak, about 4.7x. deepseek-v4-pro off-peak output rises from $0.87 to $1.98, and $3.96 at peak, about 4.6x. In practice the increase depends on usage hours, with applications carrying heavier loads during peak hours seeing the largest cost impact.

Billing rules

DeepSeek states that the fee equals the number of tokens multiplied by the price, deducted directly from the account balance; when both topped-up and granted balances exist, granted balance is used first. Product prices may vary and DeepSeek reserves the right to adjust them. The company recommends topping up based on actual usage and regularly checking the pricing page for the latest information.

FAQ

When does the DeepSeek API price increase take effect?

The new rates take effect August 16, 2026 at 16:00 UTC.

Is the off-peak rate cheaper than the current price?

According to the official pricing page, even off-peak rates are higher than current prices for most items; off-peak is simply half of peak, not below the current price. For example, v4-flash output at $0.66 off-peak is still above the current $0.28.

Which hours are peak?

01:00-04:00 and 06:00-10:00 UTC daily; all other hours are off-peak.

Source: DeepSeek API Docs – Models & Pricing