Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
This page compares Claude Opus 4.8 (Anthropic) and DeepSeek R1 (DeepSeek) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, Claude Opus 4.8 is ahead by 240 points (1,598 vs 1,358; seed-bootstrap (Aug 16, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, Claude Opus 4.8 resolves 78.4% versus 65.2% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 16, 2026)). Claude Opus 4.8 streams faster (66 tok/s) while DeepSeek R1 is the cheaper output token ($2.5/1M). Claude Opus 4.8 has the larger context window (1M tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.8Prior Opus generation still billed at $5/$25. Kept as a compare baseline against Opus 5.
Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs
Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
240 pts advantage
4 tok/s faster
$22.50/1M cheaper
Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.
DeepSeek R1 is estimated to save $488.00/month ($5,856/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.4%).
Lower output list price ($2.5/1M).
Lower TTFT (330 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Claude Opus 4.8 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Opus 4.8 | Higher SWE-bench (78.4%). |
| High-volume chat | DeepSeek R1 | Lower output list price ($2.5/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Claude Opus 4.8 | Lower TTFT (330 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Claude Opus 4.8 | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Opus 4.8 | Claude Opus 4.8 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Opus 4.8 still bills $5/$25. We keep it so Opus 5 vs 4.8 is a real generation delta, not marketing.
Jan 2025 reasoning model. Still searched. V4 Pro is the newer DeepSeek buy.
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Verified head-to-head card
