DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B vs Codestral

Compare DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B and Codestral: 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 Distill 70B Codestral
CategoryReasoningCode
Parameters70B22B
Context Window128K256K
Input Price$0.04/1M tokens$0.03/1M tokens
Output Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.05/1M tokens
Latency~400ms~200ms

Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B when:

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

Reasoning distilled, Faster than full R1, Cost-efficient

Choose Codestral when:

  • ✓ API integration code
  • ✓ SDK generation
  • ✓ Code review
Key Strengths:

256K context for code, Strong code generation, Good APIs

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B vs Codestral

For cost efficiency, Codestral wins at $0.03/1M input tokens. For speed, Codestral is faster at ~200ms. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B excels at Production reasoning while Codestral is better for API integration code. 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 Distill 70B costs $0.04/1M input tokens and $0.08/1M output tokens. Codestral costs $0.03 input and $0.05 output. Codestral is 1.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B has a 128K context window with ~400ms latency. Codestral offers 256K context at ~200ms. Codestral has the larger context window.

Best For

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning) is optimized for: Production reasoning, Batch processing, Cost-sensitive. Codestral (Code) works best for: API integration code, SDK generation, Code review.

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

# Use Codestral
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="codestral",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

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

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning, 70B) offers Reasoning distilled. Codestral (Code, 22B) offers 256K context for code. Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B for Production reasoning or Codestral for API integration code.

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

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Codestral: $0.03/1M input, $0.05/1M 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 Distill 70B and Codestral 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.