DeepSeek R1 vs GPT-5.4
DeepSeek R1 (2025) and GPT-5.4 (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek R1 ships a 128k-token context window, while GPT-5.4 ships a 1.05m-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, GPT-5.4 leads by 22.5 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.10/1M input tokens; GPT-5.4 ranges from $2.50 to $5/1M input tokens by tier. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
GPT-5.4 fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and DeepSeek R1 for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 1.05m |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $15/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 14 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 3 shared | SWE-bench Verified leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- 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.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek R1 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- GPT-5.4 holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 22.5 points.
- GPT-5.4 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GPT-5.4 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-5.4 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-5.4
$5,750
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Estimated monthly gap: $5,595. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, Vercel AI Gateway, and AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-5.4 is $14.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GPT-5.4 adds Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, AWS Bedrock, and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek R1 is $14.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-20 | 2026-03-05 |
| Context window | 128k | 1.05m |
| Parameters | 671B, 37B Active | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| 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 | 2025-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens |
|
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens |
|
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| 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-5.4 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 49.2 | 71.7 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 71.5 | 92.0 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1372.0 | 1479.0 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.