GPT-3.5 Turbo vs DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAIBudget model for simple tasks. Being phased out but still widely used.
| Input | $0.500/M |
| Output | $1.50/M |
| Context | 16K tokens |
| Best For | Simple chatbots, basic text generation |
| Benchmark | 40/100 |
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 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-3.5 Turbo | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40 | 72 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 32pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 32 | 68 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 36pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 42 | 76 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 34pts |
| HumanEval | 62 | 90 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 28pts |
| BigCodeBench | 26 | 56 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) leads by 30pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-3.5 Turbo | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.06 | $0.08 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.02 (26%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.48 | $0.63 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.16 (25%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $2.38 | $3.15 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.78 (25%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.13 | $0.15 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.03 (17%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 Turbo | 40 | $0.013/pt | Higher cost per point |
| DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | 72 | $0.008/pt | Better value |
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) delivers the best value at $0.008 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-3.5 Turbo
- + Ultra-cheap
- + Very fast
- - Basic coding only
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
- + Strong reasoning chain
- + Good value
- - Slow on simple tasks
Verdict
GPT-3.5 Turbo is cheaper at $0.500/M, but DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) scores higher on benchmarks (72 vs 40).
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo for cost-sensitive projects, DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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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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