DeepSeek API Implements Peak/Off-Peak Pricing and Massive Cache Hit Increases
August 13, 2026
DeepSeek is moving to a tiered billing model effective August 16, 2026, with peak rates doubling off-peak costs. V4-Pro cache hit prices will increase by up to 1,114%, rising from $0.003625 to $0.044 during peak windows.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
●
builderYou must re-calculate your inference margins and optimize request timing to avoid peak-hour surcharges.
●
founderThis significantly erodes the cost advantage DeepSeek held for long-context and repetitive query workloads.