Claude Opus 4 vs DeepSeek R1
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Opus 4 by Anthropic wins on 10 of 15 benchmarks against DeepSeek R1 by DeepSeek, which leads on 5. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Opus 4 scores 1375 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to DeepSeek R1's 1355, while DeepSeek R1 scores 84.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude Opus 4's 83.0%, while Claude Opus 4 scores 88.0% on IFEval compared to DeepSeek R1's 87.8%.
Coding: In coding, Claude Opus 4 scores 90.0% on HumanEval+ compared to DeepSeek R1's 86.0%, while Claude Opus 4 scores 72.5% on SWE-bench Verified compared to DeepSeek R1's 49.2%, while Claude Opus 4 scores 60.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to DeepSeek R1's 50.0%.
Math: In math, DeepSeek R1 scores 97.3% on MATH compared to Claude Opus 4's 86.0%, while DeepSeek R1 scores 97.0% on GSM8K compared to Claude Opus 4's 95.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Opus 4 scores 79.6% on GPQA Diamond compared to DeepSeek R1's 71.5%, while Claude Opus 4 scores 45.0% on ARC-AGI compared to DeepSeek R1's 14.0%.
Context: In context, Claude Opus 4 scores 200K on Context Length compared to DeepSeek R1's 64K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Opus 4 costs $15.0/1M input tokens and $75.0/1M output tokens, while DeepSeek R1 costs $0.70/1M input and $2.5/1M output. DeepSeek R1 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Opus 4 generates output at 50 tok/s compared to DeepSeek R1's 35 tok/s, and the time to first token is 550 ms for Claude Opus 4 versus 950 ms for DeepSeek R1. Claude Opus 4 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and speed, Claude Opus 4 has the edge. For those who value math and affordability, DeepSeek R1 is the stronger choice.
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Claude Opus 4 vs DeepSeek R1 — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Opus 4 or DeepSeek R1?
Claude Opus 4 wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 5). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Opus 4 compare to DeepSeek R1 for coding?
Claude Opus 4 is better for coding, scoring 72.5% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 49.2%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Opus 4 cheaper than DeepSeek R1?
Yes, DeepSeek R1 is cheaper. Claude Opus 4 costs $15.0/1M input and $75.0/1M output tokens. DeepSeek R1 costs $0.70/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Opus 4 or DeepSeek R1?
Claude Opus 4 is faster, generating output at 50 tok/s compared to 35 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Opus 4 vs DeepSeek R1 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 15 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.