OpenAI o1 vs DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
OpenAI o1
OpenAIReasoning model optimized for complex problem-solving. Excels at math, science, and advanced coding.
| Input | $15.00/M |
| Output | $60.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Complex math, advanced coding, scientific reasoning |
| Benchmark | 83/100 |
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 | OpenAI o1 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83 | 72 | o1 leads by 11pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 80 | 68 | o1 leads by 12pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 84 | 76 | o1 leads by 8pts |
| HumanEval | 95 | 90 | o1 leads by 5pts |
| BigCodeBench | 73 | 56 | o1 leads by 17pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $0.08 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) saves $2.24 (96%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $0.63 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) saves $16.62 (96%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $3.15 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) saves $83.10 (96%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $0.15 | DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) saves $3.97 (96%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o1 | 83 | $0.181/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
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1)
- + Strong reasoning chain
- + Good value
- - Slow on simple tasks
Verdict
DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) is cheaper at $0.550/M, but OpenAI o1 scores higher on benchmarks (83 vs 72).
Choose DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o1 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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