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  3. DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026

DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash benchmark

This page compares DeepSeek R1 (DeepSeek) and Gemini 2.5 Flash (Google) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 17, 2026. On preference Elo, DeepSeek R1 is ahead by 63 points (1,358 vs 1,295; lmarena (Aug 17, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, DeepSeek R1 resolves 65.2% versus 48% (swebench (Aug 17, 2026)). Gemini 2.5 Flash streams faster (185 tok/s) while DeepSeek R1 is the cheaper output token ($2.5/1M). Gemini 2.5 Flash 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.

Quick answer

DeepSeek R1 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash is a dated snapshot, not a lab score. DeepSeek R1 leads preference Elo (1,358 vs 1,295). DeepSeek R1 leads SWE-bench coding. DeepSeek R1 is the cheaper output token. Elo is crowd preference, not an exam. Pick the column that matches the job.
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DeepSeek

DeepSeek R1

Open-weights reasoning model trained with large-scale RL.

Elo 1,358$2.5/1M out

Google

Gemini 2.5 Flash

Previous Google speed workhorse.

2.5 FlashElo 1,295$2.5/1M out
DeepSeek R1 Inference Compute Profile
Inference-Time Compute & Reasoning EffortDynamic CoT

DeepSeek R1 Reasoning Scaler & Token Billing Simulator

Param: enable_reasoning

Reasoning models scale test-time compute by generating hidden chain-of-thought (CoT) tokens. These tokens are billed at standard output rates and directly expand latency (TTFT) in exchange for higher GPQA Diamond and SWE-bench Verified problem resolve rates.

Estimated TTFT
420 ms
1.0x (Standard eval)
CoT Thinking Tokens
~2,800
Billed as output tokens
Est. Cost / 1k Calls
$8.10
7.4x base invoice
STEM / SWE Boost
+6.5%
GPQA & SWE-bench scaling
Medium (Full RL CoT) Operational Profile

Standard large-scale RL reasoning trace with self-correction.

Direct Provider APIDeepSeek
"enable_reasoning": true
OpenRouter Unified APIUnified Gateway
"reasoning": {
  "effort": "medium",
  "max_tokens": 2800
}

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Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs

Model A
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Quick vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Claude Opus 4.6vs Claude Sonnet 4.5vs Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Interactive Comparison Diagram

Matchup Breakdown

Tug-of-War Matchup Matrix

Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.

DeepSeek R1 (4)vsGemini 2.5 Flash (4)
DeepSeek R1: 4W (50%)Overall: Even matchupGemini 2.5 Flash: 4W (50%)
← DeepSeek R11 tiesGemini 2.5 Flash →
DeepSeek R1 (4/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Preference Elo
1,358vs1,295
Coding Elo
—vs—
SWE-bench
65.2%vs48%
LiveBench
59%vs51.4%
GPQA Diamond
79.8%vs68.2%
DeepSeek R1: 4WGemini 2.5 Flash: 0W
Gemini 2.5 Flash (2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Output speed
62 tok/svs185 tok/s
Time to first token
420 msvs110 ms
DeepSeek R1: 0WGemini 2.5 Flash: 2W
Gemini 2.5 Flash (2/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Output price
$2.5/1Mvs$2.5/1M
Input price
$0.7/1Mvs$0.3/1M
Context window
64kvs1M
DeepSeek R1: 0WGemini 2.5 Flash: 2W
Capability Matchup Radar

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Dimensional AdvantageDeepSeek R1 3/6
Preference Elo

DeepSeek R1

63 pts advantage

Throughput Speed

Gemini 2.5 Flash

123 tok/s faster

Token Price Efficiency

DeepSeek R1

Same price

Full Benchmark Score Matrix

—
Elo
High is better
+5%1,358
EloHigh is better
1,295
LiveBench
High is better
+15%59%
LiveBenchHigh is better
51.4%
SWE-bench
High is better
+36%65.2%
SWE-benchHigh is better
48%
GPQA
High is better
+17%79.8%
GPQAHigh is better
68.2%
TTFT
Low is better
420 ms
TTFTLow is better
110 ms+282%
Speed
High is better
62 tok/s
SpeedHigh is better
185 tok/s+198%
In $
Low is better
$0.70 / 1M
In $Low is better
$0.30 / 1M+133%
Out $
Low is better
$2.50 / 1M
Out $Low is better
$2.50 / 1M
Context
High is better
64k
ContextHigh is better
1M+1538%
Interactive Simulator (USD)

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).

Save up to 23% with Gemini 2.5 Flash
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
DeepSeek R1$62.00 / mo
In: $24.5Out: $37.5
Gemini 2.5 Flash$48.00 / mo
In: $10.5Out: $37.5
Estimated Cost Delta

Gemini 2.5 Flash is estimated to save $14.00/month ($168/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    DeepSeek R1:Pick DeepSeek R1 when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    Gemini 2.5 Flash:Pick Gemini 2.5 Flash when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.
  • 3
    Gemini 2.5 Flash:Pick Gemini 2.5 Flash for million-token RAG or long-document jobs.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsDeepSeek R1

Higher SWE-bench (65.2%).

High-volume chatDeepSeek R1

Lower output list price ($2.5/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGemini 2.5 Flash

Lower TTFT (110 ms).

Long-document RAGGemini 2.5 Flash

Larger window (1M).

Screenshots / visionGemini 2.5 Flash

Gemini 2.5 Flash is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsDeepSeek R1Higher SWE-bench (65.2%).
High-volume chatDeepSeek R1Lower output list price ($2.5/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGemini 2.5 FlashLower TTFT (110 ms).
Long-document RAGGemini 2.5 FlashLarger window (1M).
Screenshots / visionGemini 2.5 FlashGemini 2.5 Flash is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
launchMar 25, 2025

Gemini 2.5 Flash: previous Google speed workhorse, still a baseline

Useful as a cheap historical compare. 3.7 Flash is the 2026 volume SKU.

launchJan 20, 2025

DeepSeek R1 stays as the open-weights RL baseline

Jan 2025 reasoning model. Still searched. V4 Pro is the newer DeepSeek buy.

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CompareLLM Matrix

Verified head-to-head card

LIVE
VS
DeepSeek

DeepSeek R1

Elo 1,358
LiveBench59%
SWE-bench65.2%
Speed62 tok/s
Output cost$2.5/1M
Google

Gemini 2.5 Flash

Elo 1,295
LiveBench51.4%
SWE-bench48%
Speed185 tok/s
Output cost$2.5/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, DeepSeek R1 or Gemini 2.5 Flash?
DeepSeek R1 has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,358). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, DeepSeek R1 or Gemini 2.5 Flash?
DeepSeek R1 leads SWE-bench at 65.2% vs 48%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
DeepSeek R1 output tokens are $2.5/1M versus $2.5/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, DeepSeek R1 or Gemini 2.5 Flash?
Gemini 2.5 Flash has the lower time-to-first-token (110 ms vs 420 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
Gemini 2.5 Flash accepts 1M tokens versus 64k.
Can I self-host either model?
DeepSeek R1 is marked open-weights in our catalog. The other side is a closed API. Check the provider license before you ship weights.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. DeepSeek R1 and Gemini 2.5 Flash Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • launch · Mar 25, 2025

    Gemini 2.5 Flash: previous Google speed workhorse, still a baseline

  • launch · Jan 20, 2025

    DeepSeek R1 stays as the open-weights RL baseline

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All DeepSeek R1 matchups →|All Gemini 2.5 Flash matchups →
DeepSeek R1 vs DeepSeek V3 (previous deepseek)DeepSeek R1 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro (next deepseek)Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking (previous gemini-flash)Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Gemini 3 Flash (next gemini-flash)Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking vs DeepSeek R1DeepSeek V4 Flash vs DeepSeek R1