DeepSeek R1 0528 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API
DeepSeek R1 0528 (2025) and Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API (2025) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and Google DeepMind. DeepSeek R1 0528 ships a 160K-token context window, while Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API ships a 128K-token context window. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
DeepSeek R1 0528 is ~400% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API only for vision-heavy evaluation.
Specs
| Released | 2025-01-01 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 160K | 128K |
| Parameters | 671B | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| DeepSeek R1 0528 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.5/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.3/1M tokens | $2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| DeepSeek R1 0528 | Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API, multimodal input: Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API, reasoning mode: DeepSeek R1 0528, function calling: Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API, tool use: Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API, structured outputs: DeepSeek R1 0528, and code execution: DeepSeek R1 0528. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, DeepSeek R1 0528 lists $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens, while Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API lists $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts DeepSeek R1 0528 lower by about $0.79 per million blended tokens. Availability is 5 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 when coding workflow support, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API when vision-heavy evaluation are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek R1 0528 or Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API?
DeepSeek R1 0528 supports 160K tokens, while Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API supports 128K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek R1 0528 or Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API?
DeepSeek R1 0528 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens. Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API costs $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is DeepSeek R1 0528 or Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API open source?
DeepSeek R1 0528 is listed under Open Source. Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, DeepSeek R1 0528 or Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API?
Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, DeepSeek R1 0528 or Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API?
Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run DeepSeek R1 0528 and Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API?
DeepSeek R1 0528 is available on Together AI, Fireworks AI, GCP Vertex AI, Novita AI, and OpenRouter. Gemini 2.5 Flash Live API is available on Google AI Studio. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.