DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4o
DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-4o are closely matched at 16.0 and 14.1 on the LLM Stats Score.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-4o are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 16.0 and 14.1.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek R1 Zero wins 2; 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
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 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-4o
- you want predictable pricing at $2.50/M input and $10.00/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 · 38 for GPT-4o
DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while GPT-4o 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-4o specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only GPT-4o specifies output context (16,384 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4o supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.
GPT-4o can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Zero
GPT-4o
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while GPT-4o 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-4o was released on 2024-08-06.
DeepSeek R1 Zero is 6 months newer than GPT-4o.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
5mo newerAug 6, 2024
2.1 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-4o side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-4o.