DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4 Turbo
DeepSeek R1 Zero leads the LLM Stats Score 16.2 to 9.2.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Zero leads the overall LLM Stats Score 16.2 to 9.2, ranking #209 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek R1 Zero wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero
- overall performance matters — it scores 16.2 and ranks #209 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- 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.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Zero · 6 for GPT-4 Turbo
DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while GPT-4 Turbo is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-4 Turbo specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only GPT-4 Turbo specifies output context (4,096 tokens).
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Zero 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 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-4 Turbo was released on 2024-04-09.
DeepSeek R1 Zero 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 Zero'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 Zero's cutoff date.
—
Dec 2023
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-4 Turbo side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4 Turbo.