DeepSeek R1 vs OpenAI o4-mini
Compare DeepSeek R1 by DeepSeek against OpenAI o4-mini by OpenAI, tested across 53 shared challenges. Updated May 2026.
Which is better, DeepSeek R1 or OpenAI o4-mini?
DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI o4-mini are both competitive models. DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens vs $1.1/M for OpenAI o4-mini. Compare their real outputs side by side below.
Key Differences Between DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI o4-mini
DeepSeek R1 is made by deepseek while OpenAI o4-mini is from openai. On pricing, DeepSeek R1 costs $0.55/M input tokens vs $1.1/M for OpenAI o4-mini.
API pricing
Per 1M tokens
DeepSeek R1
Input
$0.55
2.0× cheaper
Output
$2.19
2.0× cheaper
OpenAI o4-mini
Input
$1.10
Output
$4.40
DeepSeek R1 is cheaper on both — 2.0× input, 2.0× output
Our Verdict
DeepSeek R1
OpenAI o4-mini
No community votes yet. On paper, these are closely matched - try both with your actual task to see which fits your workflow.
Too close to call
Writing DNA
Style Comparison
Similarity
32%
DeepSeek R1 uses 800.0x more bold
DeepSeek R1
OpenAI o4-mini
62%Vocabulary73%
15wSentence Length15w
0.52Hedging0.18
8.0Bold0.0
5.7Lists2.1
0.04Emoji0.00
0.62Headings0.00
0.28Transitions0.02
Based on 22 + 10 text responses
FAQ
