DeepSeek R1 vs GPT-4o (08-06)
DeepSeek R1 (2025) and GPT-4o (08-06) (2024) are frontier reasoning models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek R1 ships a 128k-token context window, while GPT-4o (08-06) ships a 128k-token context window. On Aider Polyglot, DeepSeek R1 leads by 33.8 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $2.50/1M 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 ~2400% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for GPT-4o (08-06) only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4o (08-06) |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps and provider-routed production | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 14 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Aider Polyglot leader | 1 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek R1 holds a shared-benchmark lead on Aider Polyglot, ahead by 33.8 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 Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek R1 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- GPT-4o (08-06) uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o (08-06) 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
GPT-4o (08-06)
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Estimated monthly gap: $4,345. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o (08-06) is $9.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- GPT-4o (08-06) adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek R1 is $9.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- DeepSeek R1 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-20 | 2024-08-06 |
| Context window | 128k | 128k |
| Parameters | 671B, 37B Active | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | MITOSI-approved | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open source | Proprietary |
| Weights | Available | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: permitted | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4o (08-06) |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | $2.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4o (08-06) |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| JSON / Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | Yes |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4o (08-06) |
|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglot | 56.9 | 23.1 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.