DeepSeek R1 0528 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro
DeepSeek R1 0528 (2025) and DeepSeek V4 Pro (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from DeepSeek. DeepSeek R1 0528 ships a 160K-token context window, while DeepSeek V4 Pro ships a 1M-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, DeepSeek V4 Pro leads by 9.1 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
DeepSeek V4 Pro fits 6x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and DeepSeek R1 0528 for tighter calls.
Specs
| Released | 2025-01-01 | 2026-04-24 |
| Context window | 160K | 1M |
| Parameters | 671B | 1.6T |
| Architecture | decoder only | mixture of experts |
| License | Open Source | MIT |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| DeepSeek R1 0528 | DeepSeek V4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.3/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| DeepSeek R1 0528 | DeepSeek V4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 0528 | DeepSeek V4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 81.0 | 90.1 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has DeepSeek R1 0528 at 81 and DeepSeek V4 Pro at 90.1, with DeepSeek V4 Pro ahead by 9.1 points. The largest visible gap is 9.1 points on Google-Proof Q&A, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: DeepSeek V4 Pro, tool use: DeepSeek V4 Pro, and code execution: DeepSeek R1 0528. Both models share reasoning mode and structured outputs, 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: DeepSeek R1 0528 has $0.1/1M input tokens and DeepSeek V4 Pro has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 5 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro when long-context analysis and larger context windows 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 DeepSeek V4 Pro?
DeepSeek V4 Pro supports 1M tokens, while DeepSeek R1 0528 supports 160K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is DeepSeek R1 0528 or DeepSeek V4 Pro open source?
DeepSeek R1 0528 is listed under Open Source. DeepSeek V4 Pro is listed under MIT. 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 reasoning mode, DeepSeek R1 0528 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
Both DeepSeek R1 0528 and DeepSeek V4 Pro expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for function calling, DeepSeek R1 0528 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
DeepSeek V4 Pro has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for tool use, DeepSeek R1 0528 or DeepSeek V4 Pro?
DeepSeek V4 Pro has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use 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 DeepSeek V4 Pro?
DeepSeek R1 0528 is available on Together AI, Fireworks AI, GCP Vertex AI, Novita AI, and OpenRouter. DeepSeek V4 Pro is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. 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.