DeepSeekvsMoonshot (Kimi)

DeepSeek R1 vs Kimi K2

Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.

Pricing

Side-by-side pricing

DeepSeek R1

Mid-tier

Kimi K2

Mid-tier
Input $/MTok
$0.55
$0.95
Output $/MTok
$2.19
$4.00
Cache discount
75% off
83% off
Context
128K
256K

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
DeepSeek R1
Kimi K2

Guidance

When to use DeepSeek R1 vs Kimi K2

Choose DeepSeek R1 when...

  • -Cost matters: 42% cheaper on input tokens

Choose Kimi K2 when...

  • -You need a larger context window (256K vs 128K)
  • Similar performance; consider provider preference or ecosystem fit.

At scale

Cost at scale

Estimated cost assuming a seventy percent input and thirty percent output token split.
DeepSeek R1
Kimi K2
100K tokens
$0.10Cheaper
$0.19
1M tokens
$1.04Cheaper
$1.86
10M tokens
$10.42Cheaper
$18.65

FAQ

When should I use DeepSeek R1 instead of Kimi K2?

DeepSeek R1 and Kimi K2 perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.

Is Kimi K2 cheaper than DeepSeek R1?

Kimi K2 input costs $0.95/MTok, which is 73% more than DeepSeek R1 at $0.55/MTok.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 and Kimi K2?

DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window. Kimi K2 has a 256K token context window.

Track your real costs

Comparisons show estimated costs at list price. The dashboard reveals your real spend and savings.