Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs DeepSeek-R1-0528

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 6.6x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4.6 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (BrowseComp, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-R1-0528 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 7.0x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($2.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$2.15
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude Sonnet 4.6 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 4.6 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1-0528 does not.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

DeepSeek-R1-0528

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4.6 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.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

DeepSeek-R1-0528

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17, while DeepSeek-R1-0528 was released on 2025-05-28.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 9 months newer than DeepSeek-R1-0528.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

1 months ago

8mo newer
DeepSeek-R1-0528

May 28, 2025

10 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available from Anthropic. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita.

Claude Sonnet 4.6

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

DeepSeek-R1-0528

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.15/1M
deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.55/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.19/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.70/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher BrowseComp score (74.7% vs 8.9%)
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 81.0%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (49.0% vs 17.7%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (79.6% vs 44.6%)
DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs DeepSeek-R1-0528

Claude Sonnet 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic and DeepSeek-R1-0528 is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores Tau2 Telecom: 97.9%, Tau2 Retail: 91.7%, GPQA: 89.9%, MMMLU: 89.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 79.6%. DeepSeek-R1-0528 scores MMLU-Redux: 93.4%, SimpleQA: 92.3%, AIME 2024: 91.4%, AIME 2025: 87.5%, MMLU-Pro: 85.0%.
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 6.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs $0.50/M input and $2.15/M output via deepinfra.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens and DeepSeek-R1-0528 supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (200K vs 131K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.50/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and DeepSeek-R1-0528 is developed by DeepSeek.