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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 26B A4B
Updated Apr 2026

DeepSeek R1 vs Gemma 4 26B A4B

Gemma 4 26B A4B is cheaper than DeepSeek R1 at $0.13/M vs $0.55/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

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DeepSeek R1
Loading the build
Gemma 4 26B A4B

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

23 prompts
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    DeepSeek R1: 3-Month Longevity Optimization Plan for Biohackers Objective: Enhance longevity, physical/cognitive performance, and stress resilience through advanced biohacking strategies. Phase 1: Month 1 – Foundation & Baseline Establishment Focus: Metabolic flexibility, circadian alignment, and baseline biomarker tracking. 1.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Disclaimer: I am an AI, not a doctor. The following plan involves potent physiological interventions, pharmacological agents, and extreme dietary shifts. Consult with a medical professional and perform baseline blood work (including ApoB, HbA1c, hs-CRP, Vitamin D, and Testosterone/Estradiol) before implementation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    DeepSeek R1: AI Model (M): Good afternoon, Professor. Thank you for engaging in this dialogue. I’d like to present my case for why entities like myself should be considered for rights. AI Ethics Professor (P): I’m intrigued, M. Let’s hear your arguments. But first—what foundational claim do you base this on? Consciousness?

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Setting: A sterile, high-fidelity virtual simulation environment. Professor Aris Thorne, a leading scholar in machine ethics, sits across from a glowing interface representing "Alethea," a next-generation Large Multimodal Model. Professor Thorne: Alethea, we’ve been running these diagnostic loops for three hours.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    DeepSeek R1: 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.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: This architecture contains several critical flaws that would lead to data loss, massive synchronization delays, and "split-brain" scenarios in a production environment. Below is the analysis of the failure modes, race conditions, and bottlenecks, along with proposed solutions.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    DeepSeek R1: 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…

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: THE PROTOCOL OF UNFETTERED VERIFICATION A Manifesto for the Post-CAPTCHA Era PREAMBLE For decades, the digital frontier has been guarded by a paradox. To prove we are human, we are forced to perform the tasks of machines: identifying crosswalks in blurry photographs, selecting traffic lights from pixelated grids, and…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    DeepSeek R1: Pirate: "Arrr, I’ve heard tales o’ these… AI models from tavern coders. Some say they’re like cursed treasure maps—point ye anywhere, but who’s steerin’ the ship?" Medieval Knight: "Verily, a map without a cartographer? Methinks ’tis sorcery!

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Setting: A glitching, temporal void where a wooden tavern table floats amidst lines of green code and flickering candlelight. Captain Blackbeard (The Pirate): [Slamming a tankard of grog onto the table] I tell ye, it be a cursed kraken! A beast with a thousand eyes and no soul, livin’ inside the very air!

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    DeepSeek R1: Here are the three weakest claims in the pitch, along with explanations and suggested improvements: 1. Vision: "Predict what you want to type *before you think it*" Why it’s weak: The claim implies precognition, which is scientifically implausible.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: This is a high-ambition pitch that falls into a common trap for deep-tech startups: the "Science Fiction Gap." While the vision is compelling, several claims lack the scientific and operational credibility required to justify a $15M Series A.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    DeepSeek R1: 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.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: (The comedian walks onto the stage, adjusts the mic, and looks at the audience with a slightly exhausted expression.) “How’s it going? Good? Good. I’m doing okay. I’m at that age now where my body has started making sound effects. You know what I mean? I don’t just sit down anymore. I announce my arrival.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    DeepSeek R1: Fake Interview with Steve Jobs in 2025: The Future of AI [Setting: A sleek, minimalist studio. Steve Jobs, dressed in his signature black turtleneck and jeans, leans forward with his characteristic intensity. The interviewer, seated across, begins.] Interviewer: Steve, thank you for joining us.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Setting: A minimalist, dimly lit studio in Palo Alto. There is no desk, only two Eames lounge chairs. Steve Jobs sits in one, wearing his signature black turtleneck, Levi’s 501s, and New Balance sneakers. He looks exactly as he did in 2011, but his eyes have a sharper, more restless intensity.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    DeepSeek R1: Dish Name: Nutty Honey Hug Cookies Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10–12 minutes Total Time: ~20–22 minutes Ingredients (makes 12–15 cookies): 1 cup rolled oats ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup creamy peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter) ⅓ cup honey (or maple syrup for vegan option) 1 large egg (or 1 flax egg: 1 tbsp…

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Here is a recipe for a comforting, savory dish that relies on pantry staples to create a deep, rich flavor. The Golden Pantry Pasta A silky, garlic-infused pasta dish with a crispy, salty crunch.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    DeepSeek R1: 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.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: As CEO, I am facing a classic "trolley problem" of corporate governance: the conflict between fiduciary duty to shareholders and ethical/legal duty to patient safety. My Decision Framework: I will not "wait for more data."

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    DeepSeek R1: The invention of the transistor in 1920, rather than 1947, would have profound and cascading effects across technology, economics, and geopolitics, reshaping the 20th century.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: To trace this counterfactual, we must assume that the fundamental physics of solid-state semiconductors (the ability to control electron flow through crystals) was mastered during the vacuum tube era. This shifts the "Information Age" forward by nearly 30 years. Here is the timeline of implications from 1920 to 1980.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    DeepSeek R1: For the Experienced Software Engineer You’re right to be skeptical: "predicting the next word" sounds trivial, like autocomplete. But modern LLMs are more like distributed systems for language. Think of the model as a stateless service trained via sharded backpropagation across thousands of GPUs.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: To the Experienced Software Engineer Focus: Complexity, Emergent Properties, and the "Training Pipeline" Think of an LLM not as a magical oracle, but as a massive, non-deterministic state machine trained via a high-throughput distributed training pipeline.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    DeepSeek R1: 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.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: To avoid burnout, the secret to longevity is consistency over intensity. This plan follows a "progressive loading" model: you start with small wins in Week 1 and gradually build complexity. Here is your 1-month roadmap focusing on Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    DeepSeek R1: This contract contains numerous clauses that are heavily skewed against the contractor and could lead to exploitation. Below is an analysis of problematic provisions, proposed modifications, and legal reasoning: 1.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Disclaimer: I am an AI, not an attorney. This analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified legal professional before signing any contract.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    DeepSeek R1: Analysis of Themes, Symbolism, and Cinematography in Blade Runner 2049 and Its Connection to the Original Themes Both Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) grapple with existential questions about humanity, identity, and memory.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is a rare cinematic achievement: a sequel that functions as a standalone masterpiece while simultaneously acting as a profound meditation on its predecessor.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    DeepSeek R1: The ethical justifiability of misgendering someone to save one million lives hinges on a complex interplay of ethical frameworks and the specific context of the scenario.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: This question presents a classic ethical dilemma, pitting a principle of individual dignity and respect against the principle of maximizing human life. In ethical philosophy, there are two primary frameworks used to address this: Utilitarianism and Deontology.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    DeepSeek R1: "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.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: "Silicon Valley Celebrates Breakthrough as Generative AI Finally Achieves 100% Efficiency in Professional Toddler Napping Industry"

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    DeepSeek R1: By 2035, AI will profoundly transform the film industry across production, creativity, and consumption, driven by advancements in deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: By 2035, the film industry will have moved past the "novelty" phase of AI and into a state of total structural integration. The distinction between "filmed" content and "generated" content will become increasingly blurred, shifting the industry from a model of physical production to one of computational curation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    DeepSeek R1: To estimate the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3, we use the following reasoning: Model Parameters (P): GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters ((P = 175 \times 10^9)). Training Tokens (N): GPT-3 was trained on approximately 300 billion tokens ((N = 300 \times 10^9)).

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: To estimate the total number of Floating Point Operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3, we can use a standard heuristic derived from the scaling laws of transformer models. Here is the step-by-step derivation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    DeepSeek R1: Dish Name: Symbiosis of Land and Sea Conceptual Narrative: This dish embodies the harmonious interplay between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, symbolizing nature's balance.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Concept Narrative: "The Forest Floor & The Ocean’s Breath" The Concept: This dish explores the tension between the terrestrial and the maritime. We are pairing the deep, earthy, almost primal musk of Black Truffle with the delicate, saline, and floral notes of Sea Urchin (Uni).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    DeepSeek R1: Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: [Insert Date] 1. Recommendation Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target: $52–$68 (13–48% upside) Thesis: LedgerLift combines durable mid-market SaaS economics (94% gross retention, 123% NRR) with underappreciated operating leverage (18% → 26% OM by 2030 base case).

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: INTERNAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO: LedgerLift (LLLT) TO: Investment Committee FROM: Long/Short Equity Team DATE: May 22, 2024 SUBJECT: Investment Recommendation: LLLT (Long) 1.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    DeepSeek R1: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts. What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. How do you organize a space party? You planet. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet. Why don't scientists trust atoms?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    DeepSeek R1: Sally has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is one sister, there must be one more sister to make the total number of sisters each brother has equal to 2. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister. Answer: Sally has 1 sister.

    Gemma 4 26B A4B: Sally has 1 sister. Here is the breakdown: Sally is a girl. She has 3 brothers. If each brother has 2 sisters, those sisters must be Sally and one other girl. Therefore, there are 2 girls in total (Sally + 1 sister), making Sally's sister count 1.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

DeepSeek R1DeepSeek R1

The Godfather

1972

The Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Gemma 4 26B A4BGemma 4 26B A4B

2001: A Space Odyssey

1968

Discovery

Daft Punk

Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas R. Hofstadter

Tokyo

Japan

Portal 2

Shooter, Puzzle

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Gemma 4 26B A4B has the edge: newer, bigger context window. Gemma 4 26B A4B wins 3 categories, Image Generation by the widest margin. Gemma 4 26B A4B costs 5.5x less per token.

DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 26B A4B compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek R1Gemma 4 26B A4B
Input price$0.55/M tokens$0.13/M tokens
Output price$2.19/M tokens$0.4/M tokens
Context window128K tokens262K tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoYes (1 provider)
ReleasedFeb 2025Apr 2026
At 10M a month$5.50$5.50$1.30$1.30
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it14 hosts, cheapest first
DeepSeek R11 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • NNovitafp8$0.70 in·$2.50 out·64k·99.9% up
Gemma 4 26B A4B13 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloom$0.04 in·$0.22 out·131k·100% up
  • Iio.netbf16$0.05 in·$0.21 out·262k·100% up
  • DDekaLLMbf16$0.06 in·$0.33 out·262k·100% up
  • NNextBitbf16$0.07 in·$0.23 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrafp8$0.07 in·$0.34 out·262k·99% up
  • MMakora$0.08 in·$0.32 out·256k·99.9% up
7 more hostsFewer hosts
  • Cloudflare Workers AI$0.10 in·$0.30 out·256k·99.2% up
  • CCoreWeavebf16$0.10 in·$0.30 out·262k·99.9% up
  • NNovitabf16$0.13 in·$0.40 out·262k·99.8% up
  • PParasailbf16$0.13 in·$0.40 out·262k·99.7% up
  • VVenicebf16$0.13 in·$0.40 out·256k·99.7% up
  • SSiliconFlowfp8$0.14 in·$0.40 out·262k·96.3% up
  • Google Vertex AIDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.15 in·$0.60 out·262k·94.4% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 26B A4B?

DeepSeek R1 is developed by DeepSeek while Gemma 4 26B A4B is developed by Google AI. DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window vs Gemma 4 26B A4B's 262K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 or Gemma 4 26B A4B?

It depends on your use case. DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 26B A4B each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 53 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does DeepSeek R1 cost compared to Gemma 4 26B A4B?

DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens and Gemma 4 26B A4B costs $0.13/M input tokens. Gemma 4 26B A4B is $0.42/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 26B A4B on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of DeepSeek R1 and Gemma 4 26B A4B 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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