DeepSeek R1 vs o4 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between DeepSeek's DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI's o4 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
o4 Mini
1.2x cheaper input, 1.2x cheaper output
Larger Context
o4 Mini
200K vs 128K
Higher Quality
o4 Mini
Score: 33 vs 27
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | DeepSeek R1 | o4 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $1.35 | $1.1 | o4 Mini is 19% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $5.4 | $4.4 | o4 Mini is 19% more expensive |
| Context Window | 128K | 200K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 33K | 100K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | DeepSeek R1 | o4 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 27 | 33 | o4 Mini |
| Output Speed | -- | 140 tok/s | N/A |
| Time to First Token | 0.00s | 32.98s | DeepSeek R1 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 20.1 | 30.1 | 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 | o4 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0030 | $0.0024 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.030 | $0.024 | o4 Mini saves $0.0055 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.297 | $0.242 | o4 Mini saves $0.055 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $2.97 | $2.42 | o4 Mini saves $0.550 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $29.70 | $24.20 | o4 Mini saves $5.50 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $2970.00 | $2420.00 | o4 Mini saves $550.00 |
Pros & Cons
DeepSeek R1 Strengths
Part of the DeepSeek ecosystem
o4 Mini Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (200K vs 128K)
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Higher quality score (33 vs 27)
When to Use Each Model
Choose DeepSeek R1 for
- →Projects already integrated with DeepSeek's ecosystem
Choose o4 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
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek R1 or o4 Mini?
For input tokens, o4 Mini is 1.2x cheaper at $1.1/1M tokens. For output tokens, o4 Mini is 1.2x cheaper at $4.4/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), DeepSeek R1 costs $2.97 vs o4 Mini at $2.42.
What's the context window difference?
DeepSeek R1 supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while o4 Mini supports 200K (200,000 tokens). o4 Mini can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: DeepSeek R1 scores 27 vs o4 Mini at 33.
When should I choose DeepSeek R1 over o4 Mini?
Choose DeepSeek R1 when you need: a DeepSeek ecosystem model. Choose o4 Mini when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (200K vs 128K), Higher max output tokens, Higher quality score (33 vs 27).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): DeepSeek R1 = $29.70, o4 Mini = $24.20. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): DeepSeek R1 = $189.00, o4 Mini = $154.00.