tokevenClaudevsDeepSeek
Claude Sonnet 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
Mid-tierDeepSeek R1
Mid-tierInput $/MTok
$2.00
$0.55
Output $/MTok
$10.00
$2.19
Cache discount
90% 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
68
vs
0
Code Review
96
vs
0
Summarization
64
vs
0
Q&A
89
vs
0
Extraction
70
vs
0
Reasoning
89
vs
0
Classification
86
vs
0
Creative Writing
62
vs
0
Claude Sonnet 5
DeepSeek R1
Guidance
When to use Claude Sonnet 5 vs DeepSeek R1
Choose Claude Sonnet 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
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 instead of DeepSeek R1?
Claude Sonnet 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?
Yes. DeepSeek R1 input costs $0.55/MTok vs $2.00/MTok for Claude Sonnet 5, saving 73% on input.
What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 5 and DeepSeek R1?
Claude Sonnet 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 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.