DeepSeek R1 vs GPT-5.4 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between DeepSeek's DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI's GPT-5.4 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
GPT-5.4 Mini
1.8x cheaper input, 1.2x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-5.4 Mini
400K vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $1.35 | $0.75 | GPT-5.4 Mini is 44% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $5.4 | $4.5 | GPT-5.4 Mini is 17% more expensive |
| Context Window | 128K | 400K | 3x difference |
| Max Output | 33K | 128K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 27 | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 20.1 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-5.4 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0030 | $0.0021 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.030 | $0.021 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.0087 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.297 | $0.210 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.087 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $2.97 | $2.10 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $0.870 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $29.70 | $21.00 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $8.70 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $2970.00 | $2100.00 | GPT-5.4 Mini saves $870.00 |
Pros & Cons
DeepSeek R1 Strengths
Part of the DeepSeek ecosystem
GPT-5.4 Mini Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (400K vs 128K)
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose DeepSeek R1 for
- →Projects already integrated with DeepSeek's ecosystem
Choose GPT-5.4 Mini for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek R1 or GPT-5.4 Mini?
For input tokens, GPT-5.4 Mini is 1.8x cheaper at $0.75/1M tokens. For output tokens, GPT-5.4 Mini is 1.2x cheaper at $4.5/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), DeepSeek R1 costs $2.97 vs GPT-5.4 Mini at $2.10.
What's the context window difference?
DeepSeek R1 supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while GPT-5.4 Mini supports 400K (400,000 tokens). GPT-5.4 Mini can handle 3x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose DeepSeek R1 over GPT-5.4 Mini?
Choose DeepSeek R1 when you need: a DeepSeek ecosystem model. Choose GPT-5.4 Mini when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (400K vs 128K), Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): DeepSeek R1 = $29.70, GPT-5.4 Mini = $21.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): DeepSeek R1 = $189.00, GPT-5.4 Mini = $120.00.
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