Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, DeepSeek R1 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,358 vs 1,272), while DeepSeek R1 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (65.2%), while GPT-4o mini is more budget-friendly at $0.6/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 86 Arena Elo pts
160 tok/s
$0.6 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
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
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 | GPT-4o mini | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | DeepSeek R1 (+86) | ||
| LiveBench | DeepSeek R1 (+10.9%) | ||
| SWE-bench | DeepSeek R1 (+24%) | ||
| GPQA Diamond | DeepSeek R1 (+19.7%) | ||
| Time to first token | GPT-4o mini (+290 ms) | ||
| Output speed | 62 tok/s | 160 tok/s | GPT-4o mini (+98 tok/s) |
| Input price | $0.7/1M | $0.15/1M | GPT-4o mini (+$0.55/1M) |
| Output price | $2.5/1M | $0.6/1M | GPT-4o mini (+$1.9/1M) |
| Context window | GPT-4o mini (+64k) |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
GPT-4o mini is estimated to save $47.75/month ($573/year).
Higher SWE-bench (65.2%).
Lower output list price ($0.6/1M).
Lower TTFT (130 ms).
Larger window (128k).
GPT-4o mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | DeepSeek R1 | Higher SWE-bench (65.2%). |
| High-volume chat | GPT-4o mini | Lower output list price ($0.6/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | GPT-4o mini | Lower TTFT (130 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | GPT-4o mini | Larger window (128k). |
| Screenshots / vision | GPT-4o mini | GPT-4o mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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Verified head-to-head card
