Model Comparison
DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs Grok-3Which is better in 2026?
Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 6.6x cheaper per token.
Verdict: DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs Grok-3 — which is better?
DeepSeek-R1-0528 (by DeepSeek) and Grok-3 (by xAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
DeepSeek-R1-0528 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-3 is better at 4 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, GPQA, LiveCodeBench). Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, DeepSeek-R1-0528 is roughly 6.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-R1-0528 also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek-R1-0528 if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.6x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-3 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-R1-0528 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-3 is better at 4 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, GPQA, LiveCodeBench).
Grok-3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($0.50/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-R1-0528 ($2.15/1M tokens) is 7.0x cheaper than Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-3 is more expensive than DeepSeek-R1-0528.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-R1-0528 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Grok-3's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-R1-0528 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Grok-3 is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok-3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1-0528 does not.
Grok-3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Grok-3
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is licensed under MIT, while Grok-3 uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-R1-0528 was released on 2025-05-28, while Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17.
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is 3 months newer than Grok-3.
May 28, 2025
1.1 years ago
3mo newerFeb 17, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-3 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while DeepSeek-R1-0528's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok-3's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-R1-0528's cutoff date.
—
Nov 2024
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-R1-0528 is available from DeepInfra, DeepSeek, Novita. Grok-3 is available from xAI.
DeepSeek-R1-0528
Grok-3
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
DeepSeek-R1-0528
View detailsDeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-0528Grok-3Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1-0528 and Grok-3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-R1-0528 vs Grok-3.