ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

o4-mini-deep-research vs DeepSeek-R1

o4-mini-deep-research comes out ahead, 49 to 31 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    o4-mini-deep-research

    Released Jun 26, 2024

    49/100
    • ECI—
    • Price—
    • Context200K
    Full specs Remove o4-mini-deep-research

  2. DeepSeek

    DeepSeek-R1

    Released Jan 20, 2025

    31/100
    • ECI139.0
    • Price$0.70 / $2.60
    • Context128K
    Full specs Remove DeepSeek-R1

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

o4-mini-deep-research is our pick

o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against 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 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · o4-mini-deep-research unpriced
  • Longest contexto4-mini-deep-researcho4-mini-deep-research 200,000 · DeepSeek-R1 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputso4-mini-deep-researcho4-mini-deep-research: Text, Images · DeepSeek-R1: Text
  • Self-hostingDeepSeek-R1Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeighto4-mini-deep-researchDeepSeek-R1
Inputs & features60%6035
Context window40%3224
Overall100%49/10031/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

o4-mini-deep-research vs DeepSeek-R1 specifications side by side
Specificationo4-mini-deep-researchOpenAIDeepSeek-R1DeepSeek
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—139.0
ECI rank—#104 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—71.7%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—53.3%
Price per million tokens
Input—$0.70
Output—$2.60
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)—$1.18
Long-context rate—Same rate
Price source—Median of 11 providers
Limits
Context window200,000 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Max output100,000 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model ID——
API providers—12
ReleasedJun 26, 2024Jan 20, 2025
Knowledge cutoffMay 2024Jul 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • o4-mini-deep-research—
  • DeepSeek-R1$12.20
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: o4-mini-deep-research or DeepSeek-R1?

o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against 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, o4-mini-deep-research or DeepSeek-R1?

DeepSeek-R1 is cheaper at $0.70 input / $2.60 output per million tokens (median across 11 API providers). . At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.18 per million tokens for DeepSeek-R1 versus . o4-mini-deep-research has no published per-token price.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. o4-mini-deep-research has not been scored yet and DeepSeek-R1 has an ECI of 139.0.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for o4-mini-deep-research and DeepSeek-R1 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both 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 128,000 for DeepSeek-R1. Maximum output per response: o4-mini-deep-research up to 100,000, DeepSeek-R1 up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

o4-mini-deep-research accepts text and images; DeepSeek-R1 accepts text. o4-mini-deep-research handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

DeepSeek-R1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; o4-mini-deep-research is proprietary.

Which is newer?

DeepSeek-R1 is the newest, released Jan 20, 2025. o4-mini-deep-research came out Jun 26, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: o4-mini-deep-research May 2024, DeepSeek-R1 Jul 2024.

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.

05 — Keep comparing

Related comparisons