Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-5.6 LunaWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-5.6 Luna — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and GPT-5.6 Luna (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 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Luna is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose GPT-5.6 Luna if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.6 Luna is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-5.6 Luna specifies input context (1,050,000 tokens). Only GPT-5.6 Luna specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Luna
Input1,050,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-5.6 Luna supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.

GPT-5.6 Luna 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-5.6 Luna

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while GPT-5.6 Luna 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-5.6 Luna

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while GPT-5.6 Luna was released on 2026-07-09.

GPT-5.6 Luna is 18 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.5 years ago

GPT-5.6 Luna

Jul 9, 2026

1 weeks ago

1.5yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5.6 Luna has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5.6 Luna's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

—

GPT-5.6 Luna

Feb 2026

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
OpenAI
Larger context window (1,050,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (92.3% vs 73.3%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-5.6 Luna side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek R1 Zero
✓ Preferred
GPT-5.6 Luna
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Luna

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs GPT-5.6 Luna.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or GPT-5.6 Luna?

GPT-5.6 Luna significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and GPT-5.6 Luna 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-5.6 Luna in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. GPT-5.6 Luna scores Connectors: 99.9%, HealthBench Consensus: 95.1%, GPQA: 92.3%, Search and Function-Calling: 89.7%, Capture-the-Flag Challenges (Internal): 85.2%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and GPT-5.6 Luna?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and GPT-5.6 Luna supports 1.1M 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 GPT-5.6 Luna?

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-5.6 Luna?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and GPT-5.6 Luna is developed by OpenAI.

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