DeepSeek-R1 vs GPT-4 Turbo
Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and GPT-4 Turbo across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-R1 and GPT-4 Turbo trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.
On price, DeepSeek-R1 is roughly 15.6x 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.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-R1
- cost matters — it's about 15.6x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-4 Turbo
- you want predictable pricing at $10.00/M input and $30.00/M output
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-R1 and GPT-4 Turbodon'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 ($0.55/1M tokens) is 18.2x cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo ($10.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 13.7x cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo ($30.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4 Turbo is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-R1 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-4 Turbo's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-4 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1 is licensed under MIT, while GPT-4 Turbo 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 was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-4 Turbo was released on 2024-04-09.
DeepSeek-R1 is 10 months newer than GPT-4 Turbo.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
9mo newerApr 9, 2024
2.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while DeepSeek-R1's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4 Turbo's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-R1's cutoff date.
—
Dec 2023
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-R1 is available from DeepSeek, DeepInfra, Together, Fireworks. GPT-4 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI.
DeepSeek-R1
GPT-4 Turbo
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1 and GPT-4 Turbo side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs GPT-4 Turbo.