DeepSeek R1 0528 vs DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B

Compare DeepSeek R1 0528 and DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature DeepSeek R1 0528 DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B
CategoryReasoningReasoning
Parameters671B70B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.15/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~800ms~400ms

Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 when:

  • ✓ Calculation verification
  • ✓ Classical text analysis
  • ✓ Quality-critical
Key Strengths:

Improved accuracy, Reduced hallucination, Strong math

Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B when:

  • ✓ Production reasoning
  • ✓ Batch processing
  • ✓ Cost-sensitive
Key Strengths:

Reasoning distilled, Faster than full R1, Cost-efficient

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 0528 vs DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B

For cost efficiency, DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B wins at $0.04/1M input tokens. For speed, DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B is faster at ~400ms. DeepSeek R1 0528 excels at Calculation verification while DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B is better for Production reasoning. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.08/1M input tokens and $0.15/1M output tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B is 2.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

DeepSeek R1 0528 has a 128K context window with ~800ms latency. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B offers 128K context at ~400ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

DeepSeek R1 0528 (Reasoning) is optimized for: Calculation verification, Classical text analysis, Quality-critical. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning) works best for: Production reasoning, Batch processing, Cost-sensitive.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use DeepSeek R1 0528
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek-r1-0528",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek-r1-distill-70b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 0528 or DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B?

DeepSeek R1 0528 (Reasoning, 671B) offers Improved accuracy. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning, 70B) offers Reasoning distilled. Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 for Calculation verification or DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B for Production reasoning.

How much does DeepSeek R1 0528 cost vs DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B?

DeepSeek R1 0528: $0.08/1M input, $0.15/1M output. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between DeepSeek R1 0528 and DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.