Model Comparison
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Granite 3.3 8B BaseWhich is better in 2026?
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Granite 3.3 8B Base — which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B (by DeepSeek) and Granite 3.3 8B Base (by IBM) 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 Distill Qwen 1.5B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MATH-500), while Granite 3.3 8B Base is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2024). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B if…
- you are already invested in the DeepSeek ecosystem
Choose Granite 3.3 8B Base if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MATH-500), while Granite 3.3 8B Base is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2024).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Granite 3.3 8B Base has 6.4B more parameters than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B, making it 359.0% larger.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Granite 3.3 8B Base supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B does not.
Granite 3.3 8B Base can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
Granite 3.3 8B Base
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is licensed under MIT, while Granite 3.3 8B Base uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B was released on 2025-01-20, while Granite 3.3 8B Base was released on 2025-04-16.
Granite 3.3 8B Base is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.4 years ago
Apr 16, 2025
1.2 years ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Granite 3.3 8B Base has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-04-01, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Granite 3.3 8B Base's training data extends to 2024-04-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date.
—
Apr 2024
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and Granite 3.3 8B Base side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Granite 3.3 8B Base.