tokevenGPTvsDeepSeek
GPT 3.5 Turbo vs DeepSeek R1
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
GPT 3.5 Turbo
Fast / BudgetDeepSeek R1
Mid-tierInput $/MTok
$0.50
$0.55
Output $/MTok
$1.50
$2.19
Cache discount
0% off
75% off
Context
16K
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
GPT 3.5 Turbo
DeepSeek R1
Guidance
When to use GPT 3.5 Turbo vs DeepSeek R1
Choose GPT 3.5 Turbo when...
- -Cost matters: 9% cheaper on input tokens
Choose DeepSeek R1 when...
- -You need a larger context window (128K vs 16K)
- 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.
GPT 3.5 Turbo
DeepSeek R1
100K tokens
$0.08Cheaper
$0.10
1M tokens
$0.80Cheaper
$1.04
10M tokens
$8.00Cheaper
$10.42
FAQ
When should I use GPT 3.5 Turbo instead of DeepSeek R1?
GPT 3.5 Turbo and DeepSeek R1 perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.
Is DeepSeek R1 cheaper than GPT 3.5 Turbo?
DeepSeek R1 input costs $0.55/MTok, which is 10% more than GPT 3.5 Turbo at $0.50/MTok.
What are the context window sizes for GPT 3.5 Turbo and DeepSeek R1?
GPT 3.5 Turbo has a 16K 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 GPT 3.5 Turbo 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.