DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs GPT-4.1 mini
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and GPT-4.1 mini are closely matched at 13.3 and 14.3 on the LLM Stats Score. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is 5.2x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and GPT-4.1 mini are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 13.3 and 14.3.
The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.
On price, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is roughly 5.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-4.1 mini also accepts a larger context window (1,047,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
- your work emphasizes coding — it leads those capability indexes
- cost matters — it's about 5.2x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-4.1 mini
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,047,576 token context window
- 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 32B · 28 for GPT-4.1 mini
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2024), while GPT-4.1 mini 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
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B ($0.12/1M tokens) is 3.3x cheaper than GPT-4.1 mini ($0.40/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B ($0.18/1M tokens) is 8.9x cheaper than GPT-4.1 mini ($1.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.1 mini is more expensive than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4.1 mini accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-4.1 mini is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4.1 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B does not.
GPT-4.1 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
GPT-4.1 mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is licensed under MIT, while GPT-4.1 mini 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 32B was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14.
GPT-4.1 mini is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
Apr 14, 2025
1.4 years ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's cutoff date.
—
May 2024
Provider Availability
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is available from DeepInfra. GPT-4.1 mini is available from OpenAI.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
GPT-4.1 mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and GPT-4.1 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs GPT-4.1 mini.