DeepSeek-R1 vs o4-mini-deep-research vs Qwen3 235B-A22B
o4-mini-deep-research comes out ahead, 49 to 31 and 31 on our weighted score.
DeepSeekDeepSeek-R1
31/100- ECI139.0
- Price$0.70 / $2.60
- Context128K
- Our pick
OpenAIo4-mini-deep-research
49/100- ECI—
- Price—
- Context200K
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3 235B-A22B
31/100- ECI139.4
- Price$0.70 / $2.80
- Context131K
o4-mini-deep-research is our pick
o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against Qwen3 235B-A22B (31) and DeepSeek-R1 (31). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceDeepSeek-R1DeepSeek-R1 $1.18 · Qwen3 235B-A22B $1.23 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · o4-mini-deep-research unpriced
- Longest contexto4-mini-deep-researcho4-mini-deep-research 200,000 · Qwen3 235B-A22B 131,072 · DeepSeek-R1 128,000 tokens
- Widest inputso4-mini-deep-researchDeepSeek-R1: Text · o4-mini-deep-research: Text, Images · Qwen3 235B-A22B: Text
- Self-hostingDeepSeek-R1 and Qwen3 235B-A22BPublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | DeepSeek-R1 | o4-mini-deep-research | Qwen3 235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inputs & features | 60% | 35 | 60 | 35 |
| Context window | 40% | 24 | 32 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 31/100 | 49/100 | 31/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | DeepSeek-R1DeepSeek | o4-mini-deep-researchOpenAI | Qwen3 235B-A22BAlibaba (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 139.0 | — | 139.4 (best) |
| ECI rank | #104 of 148 | — | #103 of 148 (best) |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 71.7% (best) | — | 70.7% |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 53.3% | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.70 | — | $0.70 |
| Output | $2.60 (best) | — | $2.80 |
| Cached input | — | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.18 (best) | — | $1.23 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | — | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 11 providers | — | Official Alibaba API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | 200,000 tokens (best) | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 100,000 tokens (best) | 16,384 tokens |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | — | — | qwen3-235b-a22b |
| API providers | 12 (best) | — | 7 |
| Released | Jan 20, 2025 | Jun 26, 2024 | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jul 2024 | May 2024 | Apr 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- DeepSeek-R1$12.20
- o4-mini-deep-research—
- Qwen3 235B-A22B$12.60
Which should you choose?
Which is better: DeepSeek-R1, o4-mini-deep-research or Qwen3 235B-A22B?
o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against Qwen3 235B-A22B (31) and DeepSeek-R1 (31). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek-R1, o4-mini-deep-research or Qwen3 235B-A22B?
DeepSeek-R1 is cheaper at $0.70 input / $2.60 output per million tokens (median across 11 API providers). Qwen3 235B-A22B costs $0.70 input / $2.80 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.18 per million tokens for DeepSeek-R1 versus $1.23 for Qwen3 235B-A22B (1× as much). o4-mini-deep-research has no published per-token price.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. DeepSeek-R1 has an ECI of 139.0, o4-mini-deep-research has not been scored yet and Qwen3 235B-A22B has an ECI of 139.4.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DeepSeek-R1, o4-mini-deep-research and Qwen3 235B-A22B yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. All three support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
o4-mini-deep-research has the largest context window at 200,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Qwen3 235B-A22B and 128,000 for DeepSeek-R1. Maximum output per response: DeepSeek-R1 up to 32,768, o4-mini-deep-research up to 100,000, Qwen3 235B-A22B up to 16,384 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
DeepSeek-R1 accepts text; o4-mini-deep-research accepts text and images; Qwen3 235B-A22B accepts text. o4-mini-deep-research handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
DeepSeek-R1 and Qwen3 235B-A22B publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; o4-mini-deep-research is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Qwen3 235B-A22B is the newest, released Apr 28, 2025. DeepSeek-R1 came out Jan 20, 2025; o4-mini-deep-research came out Jun 26, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: DeepSeek-R1 Jul 2024, o4-mini-deep-research May 2024, Qwen3 235B-A22B Apr 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
