DeepSeek R1 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
DeepSeek R1 (2025) and DeepSeek V4 Pro (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from DeepSeek. DeepSeek R1 ships a 128k-token context window, while DeepSeek V4 Pro ships a 1m-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, DeepSeek V4 Pro leads by 31.4 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.43/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
DeepSeek R1 is ~335% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for DeepSeek V4 Pro only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysis |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 1m |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.87/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 14 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 4 shared | SWE-bench Verified leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek R1 holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 13.1 points.
- DeepSeek R1 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- DeepSeek R1 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- DeepSeek R1 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek R1 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 31.4 points.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro uniquely exposes JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V4 Pro for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek R1
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Bitdeer AI
DeepSeek V4 Pro
$566
Cheapest tracked route/tier: DeepSeek Platform
Estimated monthly gap: $411. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on DeepSeek Platform, Fireworks AI, and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro is $0.57/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro adds JSON / JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on DeepSeek Platform, OpenRouter, and Fireworks AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek R1 is $0.57/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for JSON / JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
- DeepSeek R1 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-20 | 2026-04-24 |
| Context window | 128k | 1m |
| Parameters | 671B, 37B Active | 1.6T |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | MITOSI-approved | MITOSI-approved |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Weights | Available | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | $0.43/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.87/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 49.2 | 80.6 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 71.5 | 90.1 |
| HumanEval | 89.9 | 76.8 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1372.0 | 1456.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.