DeepSeek-R1 vs Nova Micro
Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and Nova Micro across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
DeepSeek · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-R1 and Nova Micro trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.
On price, Nova Micro is roughly 16.7x 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
- 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 Nova Micro
- cost matters — it's about 16.7x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-R1 and Nova Microdon'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 18.3x more expensive than Nova Micro ($0.03/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 15.6x more expensive than Nova Micro ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-R1 is more expensive than Nova Micro.*
* 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 Nova Micro's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Nova Micro is limited to 128,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1 is licensed under MIT, while Nova Micro 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 Nova Micro was released on 2024-11-20.
DeepSeek-R1 is 2 months newer than Nova Micro.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
2mo newerNov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge 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. Nova Micro is available from Bedrock.
DeepSeek-R1
Nova Micro
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1 and Nova Micro side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs Nova Micro.