Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4.1 miniWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4.1 mini — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and GPT-4.1 mini (by OpenAI) 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 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while GPT-4.1 mini 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 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GPT-4.1 mini if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while GPT-4.1 mini is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jun 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Mon Jun 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-4.1 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.

GPT-4.1 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-4.1 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while GPT-4.1 mini 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

GPT-4.1 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14.

GPT-4.1 mini is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years ago

GPT-4.1 mini

Apr 14, 2025

1.2 years ago

2mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4.1 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-4.1 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

—

GPT-4.1 mini

May 2024

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Higher AIME 2024 score (86.7% vs 49.6%)
Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 65.0%)
OpenAI
Larger context window (1,047,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
DeepSeekDeepSeek R1 Zero
OpenAIGPT-4.1 mini
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Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4.1 mini.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or GPT-4.1 mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and GPT-4.1 mini is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to GPT-4.1 mini in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. GPT-4.1 mini scores CharXiv-D: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, IFEval: 84.1%, MMMLU: 78.5%, MathVista: 73.1%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-4.1 mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and GPT-4.1 mini supports 1.0M 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 GPT-4.1 mini?

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 GPT-4.1 mini?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and GPT-4.1 mini is developed by OpenAI.

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