DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) vs GPT-4.1 mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
DeepSeekDeepSeek's reasoning model. Comparable to OpenAI's o1 but at much lower cost.
| Input | $0.550/M |
| Output | $2.19/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Complex reasoning, math, advanced coding |
| Benchmark | 72/100 |
GPT-4.1 mini
OpenAICost-optimized GPT-4.1 variant. Strong coding capability at budget pricing, replacing GPT-4o mini for many use cases.
| Input | $0.400/M |
| Output | $1.60/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume coding, cost-sensitive projects, automation |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | GPT-4.1 mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72 | 68 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 4pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 68 | 62 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 6pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 76 | 70 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 6pts |
| HumanEval | 90 | 86 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 4pts |
| BigCodeBench | 56 | 54 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 2pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | GPT-4.1 mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.08 | $0.06 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.02 (27%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.63 | $0.46 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.17 (27%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $3.15 | $2.30 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.85 (27%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.15 | $0.11 | GPT-4.1 mini saves $0.04 (27%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | 72 | $0.008/pt | Better value |
| GPT-4.1 mini | 68 | $0.022/pt | Higher cost per point |
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) delivers the best value at $0.008 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
- + Strong reasoning chain
- + Good value
- - Slow on simple tasks
GPT-4.1 mini
- + Good value
- + Latest architecture
- - Mini variant limitations
Verdict
GPT-4.1 mini is cheaper at $0.400/M, but DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) scores higher on benchmarks (72 vs 68).
Choose GPT-4.1 mini for cost-sensitive projects, DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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Claude Opus 4
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Claude 3.5 Sonnet
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Claude 3.5 Haiku
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Claude 3 Opus
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Claude 3 Sonnet
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