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DeepSeek-R1 vs Grok-2 mini

Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini trade strengths across price, capabilities, and technical limits. The better choice depends on the workload.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose DeepSeek-R1

  • 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

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

DeepSeek-R1
DeepSeek
Grok-2 mini
xAI
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$0.55 / M
— / M
Output price
$2.19 / M
— / M
Context window
131,072
—

Individual benchmarks

0 reported for DeepSeek-R1 · 8 for Grok-2 mini

No common benchmarks found

DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 minidon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only DeepSeek-R1 specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only DeepSeek-R1 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Thu Sep 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Grok-2 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-R1 does not.

Grok-2 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-R1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-R1 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.

DeepSeek-R1

MIT

Open weights

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-R1 was released on 2025-01-20, while Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13.

DeepSeek-R1 is 5 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

DeepSeek-R1

Jan 20, 2025

1.6 years ago

5mo newer
Grok-2 mini

Aug 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.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-R1
✓ Preferred
Grok-2 mini
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs Grok-2 mini.

Which is better, DeepSeek-R1 or Grok-2 mini?

DeepSeek-R1 (DeepSeek) and Grok-2 mini (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does DeepSeek-R1 compare to Grok-2 mini in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini?

DeepSeek-R1 supports 131K tokens and Grok-2 mini supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-R1 and Grok-2 mini?

DeepSeek-R1 is developed by DeepSeek and Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI.

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