Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4.1 mini

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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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.

Sat May 09 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
Sat May 09 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

1.3 years ago

GPT-4.1 mini

Apr 14, 2025

1.1 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.