API cost decision in 10 seconds

R1 0528 vs GPT-5.4 Image 2

Pick R1 0528 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 Image 2 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T19:08:13Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick R1 0528 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 Image 2 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $13.93 (89.8% lower).

Cost-first pickR1 0528

Context-first pickGPT-5.4 Image 2

Sample savings$13.9389.8%

10x traffic gap$139.25

GPT-5.4 Image 2 has more context, but R1 0528 saves $13.93 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $139.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

R1 0528 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	R1 0528	GPT-5.4 Image 2
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	R1 0528	$3.58	$47.5
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	R1 0528	$2.65	$23
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	R1 0528	$11.25	$83

Cheaper input R1 0528 $0.5 vs $8 / 1M

R1 0528 is $7.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.8% lower; 16x difference).

Cheaper output R1 0528 $2.15 vs $15 / 1M

R1 0528 is $12.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (85.7% lower; 6.98x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 Image 2 163.84K vs 272K

GPT-5.4 Image 2 has 108.16K more context (1.66x larger).

Sample workload R1 0528 $1.57 vs $15.5

R1 0528 is $13.93 cheaper on the standard workload (89.8% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

R1 0528 Calculating… Estimated API cost

GPT-5.4 Image 2 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

R1 0528 has the lower input price; R1 0528 has the lower output price; GPT-5.4 Image 2 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, R1 0528 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.57 for R1 0528 and $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2.

Best Fit

Choose R1 0528 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-5.4 Image 2 when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $13.93 (89.8% lower).
R1 0528 is $13.93 cheaper on the standard workload (89.8% lower).
R1 0528 is $7.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.8% lower; 16x difference).
R1 0528 is $12.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (85.7% lower; 6.98x difference).
GPT-5.4 Image 2 has 108.16K more context (1.66x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	R1 0528 (DeepSeek)	GPT-5.4 Image 2 (OpenAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.5	$8
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.15	$15
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.57	$15.5
Context Window	163.84K	272K
Release Date	2025-05-28	2026-04-21
Popularity	#106	#137

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	R1 0528	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $13.93 (89.8% lower).
High-volume input processing	R1 0528	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	R1 0528	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GPT-5.4 Image 2	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace R1 0528 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace R1 0528 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace R1 0528 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
DeepSeek V3.2 can replace R1 0528 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

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DeepSeek catalog

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