DeepSeek R1 Review: API Pricing & How to Use DeepSeek R1 API

In this comprehensive guide, we will talk about the technical details of DeepSeek-R1, its pricing structure, how to use its API, and its benchmarks

Mark Ponomarev

Mark Ponomarev

12 April 2025

DeepSeek R1 Review: API Pricing & How to Use DeepSeek R1 API

Artificial intelligence has entered a new era of innovation, with models like DeepSeek-R1 setting benchmarks for performance, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. DeepSeek-R1 is a state-of-the-art reasoning model that rivals OpenAI's o1 in performance while offering developers the flexibility of open-source licensing. In this comprehensive guide, we will talk about the technical details of DeepSeek-R1, its pricing structure, how to use its API, and its benchmarks. We will also explore its unique features, advantages over competitors, and best practices for implementation.

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Before we proceed, please make sure that you download Apidog for free so that you can begin exploring the benefits of intelligent API development today! 
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A shocking example: Deepseek R1 thinks for around 75 seconds and successfully solves this cipher text problem from openai's o1 blog post!

What is DeepSeek-R1?

DeepSeek-R1 is an advanced AI model designed for tasks requiring complex reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, and programming assistance. Built on a massive architecture with a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) approach, it achieves exceptional efficiency by activating only a subset of its parameters per token. This allows it to deliver high performance without incurring the computational costs typical of similarly sized models.

Key Features:


Benchmark Performance of Deepseek-R1

Deepseek R1 Benchmarks
Deepseek R1 Benchmarks

DeepSeek-R1 has been rigorously tested across various benchmarks to demonstrate its capabilities. Its results show that it is not only competitive but often superior to OpenAI's o1 model in key areas.

Benchmark Comparison

Deepseek R1 Benchmarks Comparison

Highlights:

These benchmarks highlight DeepSeek-R1’s ability to handle diverse tasks with precision and efficiency.

Deep Seek R1 vs OpenAI o1 mini vs Claude 3.6 Sonnet
Deep Seek R1 vs OpenAI o1 mini vs Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Technical Architecture

DeepSeek-R1's architecture is a marvel of engineering designed to balance performance and efficiency. Here are the technical details:

Model Specifications:

The Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture allows the model to activate only a subset of its parameters for each token processed. This ensures that computational resources are used optimally without compromising accuracy or reasoning depth.

Training Methodology:

DeepSeek-R1 employs large-scale reinforcement learning during post-training to refine its reasoning capabilities. Unlike traditional supervised learning methods that require extensive labeled data, this approach enables the model to generalize better with minimal fine-tuning.


Pricing Structure of DeepSeek-R1

One of the standout features of DeepSeek-R1 is its transparent and competitive pricing model. The API offers cost-effective rates while incorporating a caching mechanism that significantly reduces expenses for repetitive queries.

Standard Pricing:

Context Caching:

DeepSeek-R1 uses an intelligent caching system that stores frequently used prompts and responses for several hours or days. This caching mechanism provides:

For businesses handling large volumes of similar queries, this caching feature can lead to substantial cost reductions.


How to Use DeepSeek-R1 API

The DeepSeek-R1 API is designed for ease of use while providing robust customization options for developers. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to integrate and use the API effectively.

Getting Started

To begin using the API:

  1. Obtain your API key from the DeepSeek Developer Portal.
  2. Set up your development environment with necessary libraries such as Python’s requests or openai package.
  3. Configure your API client with the base URL https://api.deepseek.com.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use DeepSeek API:

How to Use the Deepseek API (R1 & V3): A Step-by-Step Guide with Screenshots
After logging into the Deepseek Open Platform, create an API key and save it in a secure location. By integrating Deepseek API with Apidog, you can quickly complete API debugging.

Example Implementation in Python:

import requests

API_KEY = "your_api_key"
BASE_URL = "https://api.deepseek.com"

def query_deepseek(prompt):
    headers = {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"
    }
    data = {
        "model": "deepseek-reasoner",
        "messages": [
            {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."},
            {"role": "user", "content": prompt}
        ],
        "stream": False
    }
    response = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/chat/completions", json=data, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

result = query_deepseek("Solve this math problem: What is the integral of x^2?")
print(result)

Using cURL:

curl https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <your_api_key>" \
-d '{
    "model": "deepseek-reasoner",
    "messages": [
        {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."},
        {"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum entanglement."}
    ],
    "stream": false
}'

Advanced Features

DeepSeek-R1 includes several advanced features that set it apart from other AI models:

Chain-of-Thought Reasoning:

This feature enables the model to break down complex problems into smaller steps:

Context Length:

With support for up to 128K tokens in context length, DeepSeek-R1 can handle extensive documents or long conversations without losing coherence.

Performance Optimization:

Developers can optimize performance by:


Open Source and Licensing

Unlike many proprietary models, DeepSeek-R1 is fully open-source under the MIT license. This provides unparalleled flexibility for developers and organizations:

Benefits of Open Source:

This open-source approach democratizes access to cutting-edge AI technology while fostering innovation across industries.


Why Choose DeepSeek-R1?

DeepSeek-R1 offers several advantages over competing models like OpenAI o1:

Feature DeepSeek-R1 OpenAI o1
Open Source Yes (MIT License) No
Chain-of-thought Reasoning Advanced Limited
Context Length Up to 128K tokens Limited
Pricing Transparency Fully detailed Proprietary

These factors make DeepSeek-R1 an ideal choice for developers seeking high performance at a lower cost with complete freedom over how they use and modify the model.


Conclusion

DeepSeek-R1 represents a significant leap forward in AI technology by combining state-of-the-art performance with open-source accessibility and cost-effective pricing. Whether you’re solving complex mathematical problems, generating code, or building conversational AI systems, DeepSeek-R1 provides unmatched flexibility and power.

Its innovative features like chain-of-thought reasoning, large context length support, and caching mechanisms make it an excellent choice for both individual developers and enterprises alike. With its MIT license and transparent pricing structure, DeepSeek-R1 empowers users to innovate freely while keeping costs under control.

Additionally, testing with APIs could be a real hustle. Apidog is an all-in-one platform designed to streamline API design, development, and testing workflows. It empowers developers to manage the entire API lifecycle with ease, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and collaboration across teams.

Whether you're building APIs from scratch or maintaining existing ones, Apidog provides intuitive tools for creating, testing, and documenting your APIs, reducing the time and effort required for high-quality development.

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