DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs GPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 leads the LLM Stats Score 18.2 to -2.8.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4.1 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 18.2 to -2.8, ranking #203 overall.
The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-4.1
- overall performance matters — it scores 18.2 and ranks #203 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B · 29 for GPT-4.1
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2024), while GPT-4.1 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-4.1 specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 specifies output context (32,768 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4.1 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B does not.
GPT-4.1 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
GPT-4.1
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is licensed under MIT, while GPT-4.1 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 Distill Qwen 1.5B was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-4.1 was released on 2025-04-14.
GPT-4.1 is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
Apr 14, 2025
1.4 years ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and GPT-4.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs GPT-4.1.