tokevenClaudevsDeepSeek
Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs DeepSeek R1
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
Claude Sonnet 5.5
Mid-tierDeepSeek R1
Mid-tierInput $/MTok
$2.00
$0.55
Output $/MTok
$10.00
$2.19
Cache discount
95% off
75% off
Context
1M
128K
Quality
Task confidence comparison
Confidence score from zero to one hundred by task type, where higher is better.
Code Generation
0
vs
0
Code Review
0
vs
0
Summarization
0
vs
0
Q&A
0
vs
0
Extraction
0
vs
0
Reasoning
0
vs
0
Classification
0
vs
0
Creative Writing
0
vs
0
Claude Sonnet 5.5
DeepSeek R1
Guidance
When to use Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs DeepSeek R1
Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5 when...
- -You need a larger context window (1M vs 128K)
- Similar performance; consider provider preference or ecosystem fit.
Choose DeepSeek R1 when...
- -Cost matters: 73% cheaper on input tokens
At scale
Cost at scale
Estimated cost assuming a seventy percent input and thirty percent output token split.
Claude Sonnet 5.5
DeepSeek R1
100K tokens
$0.44
$0.10Cheaper
1M tokens
$4.40
$1.04Cheaper
10M tokens
$44.00
$10.42Cheaper
FAQ
When should I use Claude Sonnet 5.5 instead of DeepSeek R1?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 and DeepSeek R1 perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.
Is DeepSeek R1 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5.5?
Yes. DeepSeek R1 input costs $0.55/MTok vs $2.00/MTok for Claude Sonnet 5.5, saving 73% on input.
What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5.5 and DeepSeek R1?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has a 1M token context window. DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window.
Go deeper on either model
Per-call cost calculators, provider lineups, and price history for both models on this page.
Other comparisons
How Claude Sonnet 5.5 and DeepSeek R1 stack up against the rest of the field.
Track your real costs
Comparisons show estimated costs at list price. The dashboard reveals your real spend and savings.