Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs DeepSeek R1 0528

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

DeepSeek R1 0528 by DeepSeek wins on 12 of 16 benchmarks against Claude 3.5 Sonnet by Anthropic, which leads on 3. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from the AI Value Index.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

General Intelligence: In general intelligence, DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 1375 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 1268, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 84.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 73.0%, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 88.0% on IFEval compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 86.0%.

Coding: In coding, DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 88.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 81.7%, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 55.0% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 49.0%, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 58.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 38.0%.

Math: In math, DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 96.0% on MATH compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 78.3%, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 97.5% on GSM8K compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 91.0%, while DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 87.5% on AIME 2025 compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 23.0%.

Reasoning: In reasoning, DeepSeek R1 0528 scores 81.0% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 59.4%, while both score 15.0% on ARC-AGI.

Context: In context, Claude 3.5 Sonnet scores 200K on Context Length compared to DeepSeek R1 0528's 131K.

Pricing Comparison

Claude 3.5 Sonnet costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.55/1M input and $2.2/1M output. DeepSeek R1 0528 is the more affordable option for API usage.

Speed Comparison

Claude 3.5 Sonnet generates output at 70 tok/s compared to DeepSeek R1 0528's 40 tok/s, and the time to first token is 400 ms for Claude 3.5 Sonnet versus 900 ms for DeepSeek R1 0528. Claude 3.5 Sonnet delivers faster throughput.

Verdict

For developers prioritizing speed, Claude 3.5 Sonnet has the edge. For those who value coding and general intelligence and math and affordability, DeepSeek R1 0528 is the stronger choice.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs DeepSeek R1 0528 — FAQ

Which is better, Claude 3.5 Sonnet or DeepSeek R1 0528?

DeepSeek R1 0528 wins on more benchmarks overall (12 vs 3). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does Claude 3.5 Sonnet compare to DeepSeek R1 0528 for coding?

DeepSeek R1 0528 is better for coding, scoring 55.0% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 49.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.

Is Claude 3.5 Sonnet cheaper than DeepSeek R1 0528?

Yes, DeepSeek R1 0528 is cheaper. Claude 3.5 Sonnet costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.55/1M input and $2.2/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Claude 3.5 Sonnet or DeepSeek R1 0528?

Claude 3.5 Sonnet is faster, generating output at 70 tok/s compared to 40 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs DeepSeek R1 0528 comparison cover?

This comparison covers 16 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, IFEval, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.