Model Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4 vs DeepSeek-R1-0528Which is better in 2026?
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 6.6x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4 vs DeepSeek-R1-0528 — which is better?
Claude Sonnet 4 (by Anthropic) and DeepSeek-R1-0528 (by DeepSeek) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench), while DeepSeek-R1-0528 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
On price, DeepSeek-R1-0528 is roughly 6.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Sonnet 4 also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
Choose DeepSeek-R1-0528 if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.6x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench), while DeepSeek-R1-0528 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 7.0x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($2.15/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4 is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude Sonnet 4 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-R1-0528's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-R1-0528 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Claude Sonnet 4 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1-0528 does not.
Claude Sonnet 4 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude Sonnet 4
DeepSeek-R1-0528
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude Sonnet 4 is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-R1-0528 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Sonnet 4 was released on 2025-05-22, while DeepSeek-R1-0528 was released on 2025-05-28.
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 0 month newer than Claude Sonnet 4.
May 22, 2025
1.1 years ago
May 28, 2025
1.1 years ago
6d newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita.
Claude Sonnet 4
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude Sonnet 4
View detailsAnthropic
DeepSeek-R1-0528
View detailsDeepSeek
Claude Sonnet 4DeepSeek-R1-0528Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4 and DeepSeek-R1-0528 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4 vs DeepSeek-R1-0528.