DeepSeek R1 vs o4-mini
DeepSeek R1 (2025) and o4-mini (2025) are frontier-tier reasoning models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek R1 ships a 128k-token context window, while o4-mini ships a 200k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, o4-mini leads by 18.9 pts. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $1/1M 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 ~900% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek R1 | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 200k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $4/1M 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.
- o4-mini holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 18.9 points.
- o4-mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o4-mini uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o4-mini 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
o4-mini
$1,800
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Estimated monthly gap: $1,645. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, Replicate API, and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o4-mini is $3.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- o4-mini adds Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter, Replicate API, and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek R1 is $3.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-20 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 128k | 200k |
| 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 | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | $1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $4/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek R1 | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 49.2 | 68.1 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 71.5 | 81.4 |
| Aider Polyglot | 56.9 | 72.0 |
Continue comparing
Popular comparisons for DeepSeek R1
Popular comparisons for o4-mini
Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.