Side-by-side comparison of pricing, 12 benchmarks, and generation speed.
| Metric | DeepSeek R1 0528 (May '25) | Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning) |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/M tokens) | $1.35 | $2 |
| Output ($/M tokens) | $5.4 | $6 |
Data from Artificial Analysis API — 12 benchmarks
DeepSeek R1 0528 (May '25) is cheaper overall. Its blended price (3:1 input/output ratio) is $2.36/M tokens vs $3.00/M for Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning).
Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning) wins 7 out of 12 benchmarks compared to 5 for DeepSeek R1 0528 (May '25). See the detailed benchmark chart above for per-category results.
Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning) generates tokens faster at 248 tok/s vs 0 tok/s. DeepSeek R1 0528 (May '25) also has lower time-to-first-token (0.00s vs 12.21s).
Choose based on your priorities: DeepSeek R1 0528 (May '25) for lower cost, Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning) for stronger benchmark performance, and Grok 4.20 Beta 0309 (Reasoning) for faster generation. For latency-sensitive apps, check the TTFT comparison above.