DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) vs Grok 3 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 |
Grok 3 Mini
xAICost-effective xAI model for high-volume tasks. Good balance of capability and affordability.
| Input | $0.300/M |
| Output | $0.500/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding, cost-sensitive projects |
| Benchmark | 50/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | Grok 3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72 | 50 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 22pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 68 | 42 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 26pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 76 | 52 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 24pts |
| HumanEval | 90 | 72 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 18pts |
| BigCodeBench | 56 | 36 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 20pts |
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) | Grok 3 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.08 | $0.03 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.06 (70%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.63 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.43 (67%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $3.15 | $1.02 | Grok 3 Mini saves $2.13 (67%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.15 | $0.07 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.09 (57%) |
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 | Higher cost per point |
| Grok 3 Mini | 50 | $0.006/pt | Better value |
Grok 3 Mini delivers the best value at $0.006 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
- + Strong reasoning chain
- + Good value
- - Slow on simple tasks
Grok 3 Mini
- + Budget option
- + Fast
- - Limited capabilities
Verdict
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper at $0.300/M, but DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) scores higher on benchmarks (72 vs 50).
Choose Grok 3 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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