DeepSeek R1 vs Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct

Compare DeepSeek R1 by DeepSeek against Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct by Moonshot AI, context windows of 128K vs 1.0M, tested across 27 shared challenges. Updated March 2026.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 or Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct?

DeepSeek R1 and Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct are both competitive models. DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens vs $0.3/M for Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct. Context windows: 128K vs 1049K tokens. Compare their real outputs side by side below.

Key Differences Between DeepSeek R1 and Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct

DeepSeek R1 is made by deepseek while Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct is from moonshotai. DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window compared to Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct's 1049K. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens vs $0.3/M for Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct.

Our Verdict
Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct
Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct
DeepSeek R1
DeepSeek R1Runner-up

No community votes yet. On paper, Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct has the edge — bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

Kimi Linear 48B A3B Instruct is 3.6x cheaper per token — worth considering if cost matters.

Too close to call
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