DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
DeepSeek R1 Zero and Llama 3.1 405B Instruct are closely matched at 16.0 and 14.7 on the LLM Stats Score.
DeepSeek · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Zero and Llama 3.1 405B Instruct are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 16.0 and 14.7.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek R1 Zero wins 1; 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 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
Choose Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
- you want predictable pricing at $0.89/M input and $0.89/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 · 18 for Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek R1 Zero has 266.0B more parameters than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct, making it 65.7% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Llama 3.1 405B Instruct specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Llama 3.1 405B Instruct specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct uses Llama 3.1 Community License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.
DeepSeek R1 Zero is 6 months newer than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
6mo newerJul 23, 2024
2.2 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 Llama 3.1 405B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.