DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B vs Molmo 72B

Compare DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B and Molmo 72B: 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 Molmo 72B
CategoryReasoningVision
Parameters70B72B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.04/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~400ms~350ms

Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B when:

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

Reasoning distilled, Faster than full R1, Cost-efficient

Choose Molmo 72B when:

  • ✓ Visual grounding
  • ✓ Object detection
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Fully open, Good pointing/grounding, Transparent

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B vs Molmo 72B

For cost efficiency, Molmo 72B wins at $0.04/1M input tokens. For speed, Molmo 72B is faster at ~350ms. DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B excels at Production reasoning while Molmo 72B is better for Visual grounding. 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. Molmo 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Both models are similarly priced. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B has a 128K context window with ~400ms latency. Molmo 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning) is optimized for: Production reasoning, Batch processing, Cost-sensitive. Molmo 72B (Vision) works best for: Visual grounding, Object detection, Research.

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 Molmo 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="molmo-72b",
    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 Distill 70B or Molmo 72B?

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B (Reasoning, 70B) offers Reasoning distilled. Molmo 72B (Vision, 72B) offers Fully open. Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B for Production reasoning or Molmo 72B for Visual grounding.

How much does DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B cost vs Molmo 72B?

DeepSeek R1 Distill 70B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Molmo 72B: $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 Distill 70B and Molmo 72B 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.