Model Comparison
DeepSeek-R1 vs Devstral Small 1.1Which is better in 2026?
Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and Devstral Small 1.1 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: DeepSeek-R1 vs Devstral Small 1.1 — which is better?
DeepSeek-R1 (by DeepSeek) and Devstral Small 1.1 (by Mistral AI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
On price, Devstral Small 1.1 is roughly 6.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-R1 also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek-R1 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
Choose Devstral Small 1.1 if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.4x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-R1 and Devstral Small 1.1don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($0.55/1M tokens) is 5.5x more expensive than Devstral Small 1.1 ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 7.3x more expensive than Devstral Small 1.1 ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-R1 is more expensive than Devstral Small 1.1.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-R1 has 647.0B more parameters than Devstral Small 1.1, making it 2695.8% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-R1 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Devstral Small 1.1's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Devstral Small 1.1 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1 is licensed under MIT, while Devstral Small 1.1 uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-R1 was released on 2025-01-20, while Devstral Small 1.1 was released on 2025-07-11.
Devstral Small 1.1 is 6 months newer than DeepSeek-R1.
Jan 20, 2025
1.4 years ago
Jul 11, 2025
11 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 is available from DeepSeek, DeepInfra, Together, Fireworks. Devstral Small 1.1 is available from Mistral AI.
DeepSeek-R1
Devstral Small 1.1
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
DeepSeek-R1
View detailsDeepSeek
Devstral Small 1.1
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs Devstral Small 1.1.