DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Fugu Max
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
DeepSeek V4 Pro (DeepSeek) and Fugu Max (Sakana AI), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 DeepSeek V4 Pro | Fugu Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | Sakana AI |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥341.32 | ¥357.4 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥684.42 | ¥1,072.2 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥684 | ¥894 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Release date | 4/24/2026 | 9/11/2026 |
| Input modalities | text | text, image, file |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | #57 · ELO 1,457 | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | #22 · ELO 1,462 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #65 · ELO 1,501 | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, DeepSeek V4 Pro: ¥684.42 per 1M output tokens, 36% less than Fugu Max.
- For long documents, DeepSeek V4 Pro: a 1,048,576-token context window against 1,000,000 for Fugu Max.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
DeepSeek V4 Pro
The word is "strawberry". Let's count the occurrences of the letter 'r' step by step:
1. Write the word: s t r a w b e r r y
2. Examine each character:
- s: not an 'r'
- t: not an 'r'
- r: is an 'r' → count 1
- a: not an 'r'
- w: not an 'r'
- b: not an 'r'
- e: not an 'r'
- r: is an 'r' → count 2
- r: is an 'r' → count 3
- y: not an 'r'
3. Total number of 'r's = 3.
Therefore, there are **3** 'r's in "strawberry".
7.3s1136 output tokens
Fugu Max
The word **“strawberry”** has **3** letters **“r”**.
Step by step:
1. Write the word: **s t r a w b e r r y**
2. Check each letter:
- s — no
- t — no
- **r** — yes, 1st
- a — no
- w — no
- b — no
- e — no
- **r** — yes, 2nd
- **r** — yes, 3rd
- y — no
So, the total number of **‘r’s** in **“strawberry”** is **3**.
3.7s261 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
DeepSeek V4 Pro
The error is occurring because `users` is `undefined` when the component renders, and you're trying to call `.map()` on it. This typically happens when the data hasn't been loaded yet or wasn't passed correctly to the component.
## Here are several ways to fix this:
### 1. **Add a default value with empty array (Simplest fix)**
```javascript
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
### 2. **Add a conditional check**
```javascript
function UserList({ users }) {
if (!users) {
return <div>No users found</div>;
}
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}<…
6.9s442 output tokens
Fugu Max
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `users.map(...)` throws:
```js
function UserList({ users }) {
// if `users` is not passed, this is undefined
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
Common causes:
1. Parent renders `<UserList />` without the `users` prop.
2. State is initialized as `undefined`:
```js
const [users, setUsers] = useState();
```
3. Async data hasn’t loaded yet, but the component already renders.
4. The API returned something unexpected, e.g. `undefined`, an object, or an error response.
## Fixes
### 1. Default the prop to an empty array
```jsx
function UserList({ use…
10.6s1293 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
DeepSeek V4 Pro
Here’s a review of your `get_data` function, highlighting issues and suggesting improvements.
## Overall Observations
- The function works but has several readability, robustness, and maintainability issues.
- Imports are inside the function, bare `except` hides errors, and the filtering logic is not Pythonic.
- No type hints or docstring, making it harder to use and understand.
## Specific Improvements
### 1. Move Imports to the Top of the Module
**Why:** Imports inside a function are executed every time the function is called, which is slightly slower and violates PEP 8 style guidelines.
**Before:**
```python
def get_data(url, retries=3):
import requests
import time
# ...
`…
40.5s2277 output tokens
Fugu Max
Here’s a review with concrete improvements.
## Main issues
1. **Bare `except:`**
- Catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors.
- Catch `requests.RequestException` instead, plus `ValueError` for JSON parsing if needed.
2. **Retries everything, including non-retryable errors**
- A `404` or `401` will be retried even though retrying will not help.
- Retry only transient failures: network errors, `429`, and `5xx`.
3. **Fixed 2-second sleep**
- No exponential backoff. Repeated retries can hammer the server.
- Use exponential backoff, optionally with jitter.
4. **Silent failure**
- Returning `[]` after all retries makes it hard…
24.7s3795 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Fugu Max?
- Per 1M output tokens, DeepSeek V4 Pro is ¥684.42 and Fugu Max is ¥1,072.2 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so DeepSeek V4 Pro is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of DeepSeek V4 Pro and Fugu Max compare?
- DeepSeek V4 Pro takes 1,048,576 tokens; Fugu Max takes 1,000,000.
- Can I use DeepSeek V4 Pro and Fugu Max with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "deepseek-v4-pro" or "fugu-max" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call DeepSeek V4 Pro and Fugu Max from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.