DeepSeek R1 vs GPT-4.1
How do these models stack up? Below is an expert side-by-side comparison of specifications, context window capacity, live pricing per million tokens, and standardized benchmark scores for DeepSeek R1 and GPT-4.1.
DeepSeek R1
A premier reasoning model employing large-scale reinforcement learning. Displays specialized math, coding, and logical validation capabilities comparable to OpenAI's o1.
GPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 is a flagship large language model optimized for advanced instruction following, real-world software engineering, and long-context reasoning. It supports a 1 million token context window and outperforms GPT-4o and...
Technical Specifications
| Specification | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | OpenAI |
| Context Window | 163,840 tokens | 1,047,576 tokens |
| Agent Suitability | 78/100 | 91/100 |
| Time to First Token (TTFT) | 1800 ms | 250 ms |
| Deployment Model | managed api | managed api |
| Production Stability | stable | stable |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Released Date | 2025-01-20 | 2025-04-14 |
API Pricing Comparison
Input Price per Million Tokens
DeepSeek R1
$0.70
GPT-4.1
$2.00
Output Price per Million Tokens
DeepSeek R1
$2.50
GPT-4.1
$8.00
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Benchmark Performance Metrics
Scores show the raw performance percentages verified across key evaluation suites. Higher bars indicate superior accuracy and capability in that domain.
DeepSeek R1 Quirks & Gotchas
- ▸Reasoning model — not designed for high-frequency tool calling
- ▸Pair with a smaller model (V4 Flash) for routing and use R1 for complex reasoning only
GPT-4.1 Quirks & Gotchas
- ▸Strong tool-calling reliability — good migration path from GPT-4o
- ▸Migrate to GPT-5 for larger context window and improved reasoning