DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs Grok-4.1 Thinking
Comparing DeepSeek-R1-0528 and Grok-4.1 Thinking across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-R1-0528 and Grok-4.1 Thinking trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.
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.
Grok-4.1 Thinking also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-R1-0528
- cost matters — it's about 6.6x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-4.1 Thinking
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-R1-0528 and Grok-4.1 Thinkingdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($0.50/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($2.15/1M tokens) is 7.0x cheaper than Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking 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
Grok-4.1 Thinking accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-R1-0528's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-R1-0528 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Thinking is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok-4.1 Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1-0528 does not.
Grok-4.1 Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Grok-4.1 Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is licensed under MIT, while Grok-4.1 Thinking uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-R1-0528 was released on 2025-05-28, while Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17.
Grok-4.1 Thinking is 6 months newer than DeepSeek-R1-0528.
May 28, 2025
1.2 years ago
Nov 17, 2025
9 months ago
5mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita. Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI.
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1-0528 and Grok-4.1 Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs Grok-4.1 Thinking.