DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Phi 4 Reasoning
DeepSeek R1 Zero and Phi 4 Reasoning are closely matched at 16.0 and 12.0 on the LLM Stats Score.
DeepSeek · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Zero and Phi 4 Reasoning are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 16.0 and 12.0.
In the 3 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 3 exact shared results
Choose Phi 4 Reasoning
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
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 · 11 for Phi 4 Reasoning
DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA), while Phi 4 Reasoning is better at 1 benchmark (LiveCodeBench).
DeepSeek R1 Zero shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek R1 Zero has 657.0B more parameters than Phi 4 Reasoning, making it 4692.9% larger.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under MIT.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
MIT
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Phi 4 Reasoning was released on 2025-04-30.
Phi 4 Reasoning is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
Apr 30, 2025
1.4 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 Reasoning has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-01, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4 Reasoning's training data extends to 2025-03-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.
—
Mar 2025
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and Phi 4 Reasoning side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Phi 4 Reasoning.