DeepSeek R1 vs Kimi K3
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 Kimi K3.
DeepSeek R1
A premier reasoning model employing large-scale reinforcement learning. Displays specialized math, coding, and logical validation capabilities comparable to OpenAI's o1.
Kimi K3
Kimi K3 is an ultra-large-scale, open-weight multimodal reasoning model from Moonshot AI. It is suited for complex coding, knowledge work, and long-horizon agentic workflows, and is particularly strong at navigating...
Technical Specifications
| Specification | DeepSeek R1 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | DeepSeek | Moonshot AI |
| Context Window | 163,840 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Agent Suitability | 78/100 | N/A |
| Time to First Token (TTFT) | 1800 ms | N/A |
| Deployment Model | managed api | managed api |
| Production Stability | stable | beta |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Released Date | 2025-01-20 | 2026-07-16 |
API Pricing Comparison
Input Price per Million Tokens
DeepSeek R1
$0.70
Kimi K3
$3.00
Output Price per Million Tokens
DeepSeek R1
$2.50
Kimi K3
$15.00
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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
- โธReasoning model โ not designed for high-frequency tool calling
- โธPair with a smaller model (V4 Flash) for routing and use R1 for complex reasoning only
Kimi K3 Quirks & Gotchas
No developer gotchas reported.