MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek R1
At a Glance
| Compare |  MiniMax M3MiniMax |  DeepSeek R1DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | #35 of 4632.6 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 21.8–55.1 | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | #3 of 44$0.017 per LiveBench case | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | #10 of 3859.2 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 53.8–70.4 | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.28Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $0.70Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $1.10Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $2.50Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 1,049K | 164K |
| 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 | MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek-R1 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,433.50100% of row best · rating · minimax-m3; 95% CI [1429.31077607, 1437.68800840]; votes 48540; rank 82 | 1,372.6096% of row best · rating · deepseek-r1; 95% CI [1367.75270193, 1377.44238946]; votes 18524; rank 168 |
| 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 | MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek-R1 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | MiniMax | DeepSeek |
| Family | Minimax M3 | Deepseek R1 |
| Model | MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek-R1 |
| Version | MiniMax-M3 | DeepSeek-R1 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-06-01 | 2025-01-20 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 1,049K | 164K |
| Total parameters | 427B | 684.5B |
| Active parameters | 23B | 37B |
| License | other | mit |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard), Fireworks Ai (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard), Together Ai (Standard) | Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, tools | chat, generation, reasoning |
MiniMax M3 Capabilities
DeepSeek R1 Capabilities
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|---|---|---|---|
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MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs |  GLM-5.3Z.ai | cross-developer peerstext |
MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs |  Hy4 previewTencent | cross-developer peerstext |
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MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs |  Mistral Large 3Mistral AI | cross-developer peersimage, text |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek R1 FAQs
Is MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both MiniMax M3 and DeepSeek R1, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
MiniMax M3 is $0.28 and DeepSeek R1 is $0.70 per million tokens, so MiniMax M3 is cheaper on this metric. MiniMax M3 is $1.10 and DeepSeek R1 is $2.50 per million tokens, so MiniMax M3 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
MiniMax M3 has the larger sourced context window. MiniMax M3 supports 1,049K and DeepSeek R1 supports 164K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1 be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: supported. MiniMax M3 is open weight; DeepSeek R1 is open weight.
Can MiniMax M3 and DeepSeek R1 understand images?+
MiniMax M3 is documented with image input; DeepSeek R1 is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. MiniMax M3 is — and DeepSeek R1 is 33K.
Do MiniMax M3 and DeepSeek R1 support reasoning and tool use?+
MiniMax M3: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. DeepSeek R1: reasoning. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
MiniMax M3 has 5 sourced provider routes; DeepSeek R1 has 2, so MiniMax M3 has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, MiniMax M3 or DeepSeek R1?+
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.