tokevenDeepSeekvsAlibaba (Qwen)
DeepSeek R1 vs Qwen 3.8 Max
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
DeepSeek R1
Mid-tierQwen 3.8 Max
FlagshipInput $/MTok
$0.55
$2.00
Output $/MTok
$2.19
$6.00
Cache discount
75% off
88% off
Context
128K
1M
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
Qwen 3.8 Max
Guidance
When to use DeepSeek R1 vs Qwen 3.8 Max
Choose DeepSeek R1 when...
- -Cost matters: 73% cheaper on input tokens
Choose Qwen 3.8 Max when...
- -You need a larger context window (1M 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
Qwen 3.8 Max
100K tokens
$0.10Cheaper
$0.32
1M tokens
$1.04Cheaper
$3.20
10M tokens
$10.42Cheaper
$32.00
FAQ
When should I use DeepSeek R1 instead of Qwen 3.8 Max?
DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Max perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.
Is Qwen 3.8 Max cheaper than DeepSeek R1?
Qwen 3.8 Max input costs $2.00/MTok, which is 264% more than DeepSeek R1 at $0.55/MTok.
What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Max?
DeepSeek R1 has a 128K token context window. Qwen 3.8 Max has a 1M 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 DeepSeek R1 and Qwen 3.8 Max 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.