Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Grok-4 Fast Non-ReasoningWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing DeepSeek R1 Zero and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning (by xAI) 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.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

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

Choose Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

DeepSeek R1 Zero and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoningdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning specifies input context (2,000,000 tokens). Only Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning specifies output context (30,000 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
xAI
Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning
Input2,000,000 tokens
Output30,000 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning 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

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning was released on 2025-08-28.

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning is 7 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.5 years ago

Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning

Aug 28, 2025

10 months ago

7mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
xAI
Larger context window (2,000,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek R1 Zero
✓ Preferred
Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
xAI
Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (DeepSeek) and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning supports 2.0M 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 Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning?

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 Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and Grok-4 Fast Non-Reasoning is developed by xAI.

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