R1 is $1.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
R1 vs GPT-5.2-Codex
Pick R1 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2-Codex only if the larger context window matters more.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick R1 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2-Codex only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.2-Codex, saving $6.8 (77.7% lower).
Cost-first pickR1
Context-first pickGPT-5.2-Codex
Sample savings$6.877.7%
10x traffic gap$68
GPT-5.2-Codex has more context, but R1 saves $6.8 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $68. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
R1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | R1 | GPT-5.2-Codex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | R1 | $4.75 | $15.75 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | R1 | $3.2 | $15.75 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | R1 | $13.2 | $71.75 |
R1 is $11.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.1% lower; 5.6x difference).
GPT-5.2-Codex has 236.16K more context (2.44x larger).
R1 is $6.8 cheaper on the standard workload (77.7% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
R1 has the lower input price; R1 has the lower output price; GPT-5.2-Codex offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, R1 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.95 for R1 and $8.75 for GPT-5.2-Codex.
Choose R1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose GPT-5.2-Codex when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.2-Codex, saving $6.8 (77.7% lower).
- R1 is $6.8 cheaper on the standard workload (77.7% lower).
- R1 is $1.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
- R1 is $11.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (82.1% lower; 5.6x difference).
- GPT-5.2-Codex has 236.16K more context (2.44x larger).
| Feature | R1 (DeepSeek) | GPT-5.2-Codex (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.7 | $1.75 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2.5 | $14 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.95 | $8.75 |
| Context Window | 163.84K | 400K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #140 | #145 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | R1 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 is estimated at $1.95 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.2-Codex, saving $6.8 (77.7% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | R1 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | R1 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5.2-Codex | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.2.
- R1 Distill Qwen 32B can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.43.
- DeepSeek V3.2 can replace R1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.44.
- 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.
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #1
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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