Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Yi-Lightning delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,475 vs 1,358), while DeepSeek R1 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (65.2%), while Yi-Lightning is more budget-friendly at $0.14/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Open-weights reasoning model trained with large-scale RL.
01.AI ultra-fast reasoning model delivering top LiveBench efficiency.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 117 Arena Elo pts
130 tok/s
$0.14 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | DeepSeek R1 | Yi-Lightning | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +117 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +1.8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +1.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +270 ms | ||
| Output speed | 62 tok/s | 130 tok/s | +68 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.55/1M | $0.14/1M | +$0.41/1M |
| Output price | $2.19/1M | $0.14/1M | +$2.05/1M |
| Context window | +112k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Yi-Lightning is estimated to save $45.10/month ($541/year).
Higher SWE-bench (65.2%).
Lower output list price ($0.14/1M).
Lower TTFT (150 ms).
Larger window (128k).
Yi-Lightning is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | DeepSeek R1 | Higher SWE-bench (65.2%). |
| High-volume chat | Yi-Lightning | Lower output list price ($0.14/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Yi-Lightning | Lower TTFT (150 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | DeepSeek R1 | Larger window (128k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Yi-Lightning | Yi-Lightning is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
Dynamic OpenGraph banner generated at /compare/deepseek-r1-vs-yi-lightning/opengraph-image
Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
