DeepSeek-R1 vs Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning
Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.
On price, Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning is roughly 3.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning also accepts a larger context window (2,000,000 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
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning
- cost matters — it's about 3.5x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 2,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
0 reported for DeepSeek-R1 · 0 for Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning
DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoningdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($0.55/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 4.4x more expensive than Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-R1 is more expensive than Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning accepts 2,000,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-R1's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning is limited to 30,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1 does not.
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-R1
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1 is licensed under MIT, while Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning 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 Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning was released on 2025-11-17.
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning is 10 months newer than DeepSeek-R1.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
Nov 17, 2025
10 months ago
10mo 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. Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning is available from xAI.
DeepSeek-R1
Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs Grok-4.1 Fast Non-Reasoning.