Model Comparison

DeepSeek-R1 vs o4-mini

Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and o4-mini across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

DeepSeek-R1 and o4-mini don'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

DeepSeek-R1 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($0.55/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o4-mini is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Apr 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input tokens$0.55
Output tokens$2.19
Best providerDeepSeek
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o4-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-R1's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sat Apr 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

o4-mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1 does not.

o4-mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-R1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

o4-mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-R1 is licensed under MIT, while o4-mini uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek-R1

MIT

Open weights

o4-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-R1 was released on 2025-01-20, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.

o4-mini is 3 months newer than DeepSeek-R1.

DeepSeek-R1

Jan 20, 2025

1.2 years ago

o4-mini

Apr 16, 2025

12 months ago

2mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

o4-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while DeepSeek-R1's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm o4-mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-R1's cutoff date.

DeepSeek-R1

—

o4-mini

May 2024

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-R1 is available from DeepSeek, DeepInfra, Together, Fireworks. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.

DeepSeek-R1

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.55/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.19/1M
deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.85/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $7.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $7.00/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $8.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $8.00/1M

o4-mini

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
DeepSeekDeepSeek-R1
OpenAIo4-mini
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Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
OpenAI
o4-mini

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs o4-mini

DeepSeek-R1 (DeepSeek) and o4-mini (OpenAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.
o4-mini scores AIME 2024: 93.4%, AIME 2025: 92.7%, MathVista: 84.3%, MMMU: 81.6%, GPQA: 81.4%.
DeepSeek-R1 is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-R1 costs $0.55/M input and $2.19/M output via deepseek. o4-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via openai.
DeepSeek-R1 supports 131K tokens and o4-mini supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (131K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.55 vs $1.10/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek-R1 is developed by DeepSeek and o4-mini is developed by OpenAI.