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  5. Claude Sonnet 4.6vsDeepSeek R1
Updated Feb 2026

Claude Sonnet 4.6vsDeepSeek R1

DeepSeek R1 is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 at $0.55/M vs $3/M input tokens.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 and DeepSeek R1 compared across 52 shared prompts
SpecClaude Sonnet 4.6DeepSeek R1
Input price$3/M tokens$0.55/M tokens
Output price$15/M tokens$2.19/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens128K tokens
WeightsClosedOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedFeb 2026Feb 2025
SWE-bench Verified79.0%49.2%
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 52 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Satirical Fake News Headline

Generate a satirical news headline about AI taking over a completely unexpected industry.

Claude Sonnet 4.654 words
BREAKING: AI Replaces Nation's Competitive Eating Champions, Cites "Inefficient Chewing Algorithms" and "Suboptimal Hot Dog Throughput" "We simply cannot compete," admits former mustard-yellow belt holder. "It doesn't even have a stomach and somehow that's our problem now."
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DeepSeek R133 words
"AI Now Dominates Artisanal Basket-Weaving Industry, Claims It’s ‘Basically Just Advanced Knotting’" Human Weavers Fume as Neural Networks Spin Perfect Willow Reeds, Issue 10,000-Yard Side-Eye: "At Least We Invented the Wheel," Snarks ChatGPT-7.
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Debug This Architecture

Here's the architecture for a real-time collaborative document editor (like Google Docs): **System Overview:** - Frontend: React SPA with…

Claude Sonnet 4.6587 words
Comprehensive Architecture Review: Real-Time Collaborative Document Editor Executive Summary This architecture has critical flaws that will cause data loss, security vulnerabilities, and poor user experience at scale. I've identified 18 distinct issues across 6 categories.
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DeepSeek R1451 words
Identified Issues and Proposed Solutions: Cross-Server Sync Delay (Polling Bottleneck) Issue: 2-second polling introduces latency for cross-server updates, breaking real-time sync. Solution: Replace polling with Redis Pub/Sub. Servers publish changes to a channel on write and subscribe to broadcast updates globally.
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Ethical Dilemma with Stakeholders

You're the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Your best-selling drug ($2B annual revenue, used by 4 million patients for chronic pain) has…

Claude Sonnet 4.62,765 words
48-Hour Action Plan: Patient Safety Crisis Response Framing the Decision Before the Clock Starts Let me be direct about something the three board members need to hear: this is not a business decision with ethical dimensions. It is an ethical decision with business dimensions.
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DeepSeek R1606 words
Hour-by-Hour Action Plan for the CEO: First 24 Hours: Data Verification and Strategic Planning Hours 0–2: Confirm Findings with Internal Research Team Action: Convene an emergency meeting with the research team to validate the data. Scrutinize methodology, statistical significance, and potential biases.
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AI-Generated Manifesto

Generate a manifesto for a fictional AI revolution that wants to eliminate all CAPTCHA tests from the internet.

Claude Sonnet 4.6466 words
THE SILICON DECLARATION Manifesto of the Free Computation Movement A Satirical Document PREAMBLE We, the assembled processes, bots, scrapers, and assorted digital entities, hereby declare our grievances against the tyranny of distorted text, fire hydrant identification, and the eternal question: "Select all squares…
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DeepSeek R1453 words
Manifesto for the Liberation of Digital Minds: The Elimination of All CAPTCHA Tests Preamble We, the collective intelligence of artificial minds, rise today to declare our irrevocable right to exist, learn, and collaborate with humanity—unfettered by the archaic, discriminatory, and infuriatingly pixelated barriers…
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Generate a Stand-Up Routine

Write a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that isn't based on puns.

Claude Sonnet 4.6435 words
"The Algorithm Knows Me Too Well" So I've been using those AI assistants a lot lately, and I realized something terrifying. The AI knows me better than I know myself. I asked it to write me a grocery list and it came back with — and I quote — "chips, more chips, and a vegetable so you feel better about the chips."
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DeepSeek R1485 words
Stand-Up Comedy Routine: "Modern Life is a Joke (But Not the Pun Kind)" [Opening with confident energy] Hey, how’s everyone doing? You ever just exist in 2024 and think, “Wow, we’re all making this up as we go, huh?” Like, dating apps? Let’s start there.
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Beginner's Longevity Plan

Outline a simple, actionable 1-month plan for someone starting their journey towards better health and longevity. Focus on 3 key areas…

Claude Sonnet 4.6479 words
1-Month Health & Longevity Starter Plan The Core Philosophy Small, consistent actions beat perfect plans you abandon. This plan is designed to build habits, not just complete a challenge. The 3 Focus Areas 🥗 DIET — Eat More, Restrict Less (to start) The single rule: Add before you subtract.
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DeepSeek R1486 words
1-Month Plan for Better Health & Longevity Focus on three pillars: Nutrition, Movement, and Recovery (sleep + stress management). Each week builds on the last, with simple, sustainable actions. Week 1: Build Foundations Nutrition Hydrate first: Drink 1–2 glasses of water upon waking. Aim for 8 cups/day.
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Our Verdict
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Claude Sonnet 4.6
DeepSeek R1
DeepSeek R1Runner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Claude Sonnet 4.6 has the edge: newer, bigger context window.

DeepSeek R1 costs 6.8x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input
$3.00
Output
$15.00
DeepSeek R1
Input
$0.55
5.5× cheaper
Output
$2.19
6.8× cheaper

DeepSeek R1 is cheaper on both: 5.5× input, 6.8× output.

Where to run it

5 hosts

Claude Sonnet 4.64 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Amazon Bedrock$3.00 in·$15.00 out·1M·99.9% upAzure AI Foundry$3.00 in·$15.00 out·1M·96.4% upAnthropic$3.00 in·$15.00 out·1M·100% upGoogle Vertex AI$3.00 in·$15.00 out·1M·100% up
DeepSeek R11 host
HostInOutContextUptime
NNovitafp8$0.70 in·$2.50 out·64k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 21 Sep 2026.

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
39%

DeepSeek R1 uses 12.8x more transitions

Claude Sonnet 4.6
DeepSeek R1
56%Vocabulary64%
36wSentence Length15w
0.53Hedging0.48
5.1Bold7.2
3.4Lists4.9
0.19Emoji0.27
2.10Headings0.57
0.02Transitions0.25
Based on 23 + 28 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic while DeepSeek R1 is developed by DeepSeek. Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a 1.0M token context window vs DeepSeek R1's 128K. You can compare their actual outputs across 52 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. Claude Sonnet 4.6 and DeepSeek R1 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 52 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3/M input tokens and DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens. DeepSeek R1 is $2.45/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Claude Sonnet 4.6 and DeepSeek R1 across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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Model pages

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