AI Models · Compare
DeepSeek R1 vs OpenAI o3-mini
Side-by-side intelligence, speed, price, benchmarks, strengths and weaknesses for DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI o3-mini — refreshed monthly.
Want to compare different models?
Pick any two modelsDeepSeek
DeepSeek R1
Open sourceJan 2025
Open-weights reasoning model that matches o1 at 1/25 the price.
OpenAI
OpenAI o3-mini
ProprietaryJan 2025
Reasoning quality at fast-tier prices — the practical o-series default.
Head to head
Spec
DeepSeek R1
OpenAI o3-mini
Intelligence index↑ better
Winner73
70
Speed↑ better
60 tok/s
60 tok/s
Time to first token↓ better
Winner1.5 s
6.5 s
Context window↑ better
128k
Winner200k
Max output↑ better
33k
Winner100k
Input price↓ better
Winner$0.55 / 1M tokens
$1.10 / 1M tokens
Output price↓ better
Winner$2.19 / 1M tokens
$4.40 / 1M tokens
Blended price↓ better
Winner$0.96 / 1M tokens
$1.93 / 1M tokens
License
Open source
Proprietary
Input modalities
text
text
Output modalities
text
text
Benchmark showdown
MMLU
DeepSeek R1
87.1
OpenAI o3-mini
86.0
MMLU Pro
DeepSeek R1
75.9
OpenAI o3-mini
74.0
GPQA
DeepSeek R1
71.5
OpenAI o3-mini
71.5
MATH
DeepSeek R1
90.2
OpenAI o3-mini
87.3
HumanEval
DeepSeek R1
91.0
OpenAI o3-mini
88.0
Strengths, weaknesses and best-for
DeepSeek R1
Strengths
- Reasoning at GPT-class scores
- Open weights
- Cheap
Weaknesses
- Slower than non-reasoning peers
Best for
- Self-hosted reasoning
- Math & code
- Cost-sensitive agents
OpenAI o3-mini
Strengths
- Affordable reasoning
- Tool use
- Reliable on math/code
Weaknesses
- No vision
- Slower than non-reasoning models
Best for
- Coding agents
- STEM tutoring
- Step-by-step problem solving
Quick verdict
- Pick DeepSeek R1 if you want it smarter and cheaper.
- Pick OpenAI o3-mini if you want it longer context.
Auto-generated from the spec sheet. Always validate on your own evals.
More popular AI model comparisons
One-click matchups for the comparisons people search the most.
Build the shortlist that fits your stack
Open every model in one place — sortable table with intelligence, speed and price.