DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs GPT-5 mini
GPT-5 mini leads the LLM Stats Score 27.4 to 13.2. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is 5.1x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5 mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 27.4 to 13.2, ranking #142 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-5 mini wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is roughly 5.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5 mini also accepts a larger context window (400,000 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
- cost matters — it's about 5.1x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-5 mini
- overall performance matters — it scores 27.4 and ranks #142 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 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 · 5 for GPT-5 mini
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5 mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
GPT-5 mini significantly outperforms across most 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 2.1x cheaper than GPT-5 mini ($0.25/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B ($0.18/1M tokens) is 11.1x cheaper than GPT-5 mini ($2.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5 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-5 mini accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-5 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B does not.
GPT-5 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
GPT-5 mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is licensed under MIT, while GPT-5 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-5 mini was released on 2025-08-07.
GPT-5 mini is 7 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
Aug 7, 2025
1.1 years ago
6mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-30, 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-5 mini is available from OpenAI.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
GPT-5 mini
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and GPT-5 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs GPT-5 mini.