DeepSeek R1 vs phi-4
At a Glance
| Compare |  DeepSeek R1DeepSeek |  phi-4Microsoft |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.70Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 | $0.070Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 21, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $2.50Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 | $0.14Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 21, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 164K | 16K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek-R1 | phi-4 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,372.60100% of row best · rating · deepseek-r1; 95% CI [1367.75270193, 1377.44238946]; votes 18524; rank 168 | 1,216.6089% of row best · rating · phi-4; 95% CI [1212.02298793, 1221.18318193]; votes 24126; rank 300 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner | 0 benchmark winsNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | DeepSeek-R1 | phi-4 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | DeepSeek | Microsoft |
| Family | Deepseek R1 | Phi 4 |
| Model | DeepSeek-R1 | phi-4 |
| Version | DeepSeek-R1 | phi-4 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2025-01-20 | 2024-12-12 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 164K | 16K |
| Total parameters | 684.5B | 14.7B |
| Active parameters | 37B | Unknown |
| License | mit | mit |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Provider access | Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard) | Deepinfra (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning | chat, generation |
DeepSeek R1 Capabilities
phi-4 Capabilities
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Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
DeepSeek R1 vs phi-4 FAQs
Is DeepSeek R1 or phi-4 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both DeepSeek R1 and phi-4, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
DeepSeek R1 is $0.70 and phi-4 is $0.070 per million tokens, so phi-4 is cheaper on this metric. DeepSeek R1 is $2.50 and phi-4 is $0.14 per million tokens, so phi-4 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
DeepSeek R1 has the larger sourced context window. DeepSeek R1 supports 164K and phi-4 supports 16K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can DeepSeek R1 or phi-4 be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: supported. DeepSeek R1 is open weight; phi-4 is open weight.
Can DeepSeek R1 and phi-4 understand images?+
DeepSeek R1 is not documented with image input; phi-4 is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. DeepSeek R1 is 33K and phi-4 is —.
Do DeepSeek R1 and phi-4 support reasoning and tool use?+
DeepSeek R1: reasoning. phi-4: none of these features are definitively sourced. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
DeepSeek R1 has 2 sourced provider routes; phi-4 has 3, so phi-4 has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, DeepSeek R1 or phi-4?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.