DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Grok-2 mini
Grok-2 mini leads the LLM Stats Score 8.6 to -3.0.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-2 mini leads the overall LLM Stats Score 8.6 to -3.0, ranking #276 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-2 mini wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-2 mini
- overall performance matters — it scores 8.6 and ranks #276 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B · 8 for Grok-2 mini
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-2 mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok-2 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B does not.
Grok-2 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
Grok-2 mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is licensed under MIT, while Grok-2 mini 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 Distill Qwen 1.5B was released on 2025-01-20, while Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B is 5 months newer than Grok-2 mini.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
5mo newerAug 13, 2024
2.1 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and Grok-2 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Grok-2 mini.