Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemini 1.5 ProWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemini 1.5 Pro — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and Gemini 1.5 Pro (by Google) 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.

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemini 1.5 Pro is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemini 1.5 Pro if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $2.50/M input and $10.00/M output
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemini 1.5 Pro is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemini 1.5 Pro specifies input context (2,097,152 tokens). Only Gemini 1.5 Pro specifies output context (8,192 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemini 1.5 Pro
Input2,097,152 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 1.5 Pro supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.

Gemini 1.5 Pro can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Gemini 1.5 Pro uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek R1 Zero

MIT

Open weights

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Gemini 1.5 Pro was released on 2024-05-01.

DeepSeek R1 Zero is 9 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Pro.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years ago

8mo newer
Gemini 1.5 Pro

May 1, 2024

2.1 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Pro has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Pro's training data extends to 2023-11-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

—

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Nov 2023

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 59.1%)
Google
Larger context window (2,097,152 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Google
Gemini 1.5 Pro

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemini 1.5 Pro.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or Gemini 1.5 Pro?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Pro is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to Gemini 1.5 Pro in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. Gemini 1.5 Pro scores XSTest: 98.8%, FLEURS: 93.3%, HellaSwag: 93.3%, GSM8k: 90.8%, BIG-Bench Hard: 89.2%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemini 1.5 Pro?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemini 1.5 Pro supports 2.1M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemini 1.5 Pro?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemini 1.5 Pro?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Pro is developed by Google.

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