Model Comparison

o3-mini vs DeepSeek-R1-0528Which is better in 2026?

DeepSeek-R1-0528 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 2.1x cheaper per token.

Verdict: o3-mini vs DeepSeek-R1-0528 — which is better?

o3-mini (by OpenAI) and DeepSeek-R1-0528 (by DeepSeek) 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.

o3-mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-R1-0528 is better at 4 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2024, GPQA, SimpleQA). DeepSeek-R1-0528 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, DeepSeek-R1-0528 is roughly 2.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o3-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose o3-mini if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window

Choose DeepSeek-R1-0528 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 2.1x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

o3-mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified), while DeepSeek-R1-0528 is better at 4 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2024, GPQA, SimpleQA).

DeepSeek-R1-0528 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs less

For input processing, o3-mini ($1.10/1M tokens) is 2.2x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, o3-mini ($4.40/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($2.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o3-mini is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerAzure
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$2.15
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o3-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-R1-0528's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-R1-0528 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while o3-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.

OpenAI
o3-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

o3-mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-R1-0528 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

o3-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

DeepSeek-R1-0528

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

o3-mini was released on 2025-01-30, while DeepSeek-R1-0528 was released on 2025-05-28.

DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 4 months newer than o3-mini.

o3-mini

Jan 30, 2025

1.4 years ago

DeepSeek-R1-0528

May 28, 2025

1.0 years ago

3mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

o3-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-09-30, while DeepSeek-R1-0528's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm o3-mini's training data extends to 2023-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-R1-0528's cutoff date.

o3-mini

Sep 2023

DeepSeek-R1-0528

—

Provider Availability

o3-mini is available from Azure, OpenAI. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita.

o3-mini

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M

DeepSeek-R1-0528

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.15/1M
deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.55/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.19/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.70/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (49.3% vs 44.6%)
DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher Aider-Polyglot score (71.6% vs 66.7%)
Higher AIME 2024 score (91.4% vs 87.3%)
Higher GPQA score (81.0% vs 77.2%)
Higher SimpleQA score (92.3% vs 15.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
o3-mini
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528

FAQ

Common questions about o3-mini vs DeepSeek-R1-0528.

Which is better, o3-mini or DeepSeek-R1-0528?

DeepSeek-R1-0528 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. o3-mini is made by OpenAI and DeepSeek-R1-0528 is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does o3-mini compare to DeepSeek-R1-0528 in benchmarks?

o3-mini scores COLLIE: 98.7%, MATH: 97.9%, IFEval: 93.9%, MGSM: 92.0%, AIME 2024: 87.3%. DeepSeek-R1-0528 scores MMLU-Redux: 93.4%, SimpleQA: 92.3%, AIME 2024: 91.4%, AIME 2025: 87.5%, MMLU-Pro: 85.0%.

Is o3-mini cheaper than DeepSeek-R1-0528?

DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 2.2x cheaper for input tokens. o3-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via azure. DeepSeek-R1-0528 costs $0.50/M input and $2.15/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for o3-mini and DeepSeek-R1-0528?

o3-mini supports 200K tokens and DeepSeek-R1-0528 supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between o3-mini and DeepSeek-R1-0528?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 131K), input pricing ($1.10 vs $0.50/M), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes o3-mini and DeepSeek-R1-0528?

o3-mini is developed by OpenAI and DeepSeek-R1-0528 is developed by DeepSeek.

Related comparisons