Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Qwen2 72B Instruct

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon May 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

599.0B diff

DeepSeek R1 Zero has 599.0B more parameters than Qwen2 72B Instruct, making it 831.9% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
671.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct
72.0Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek R1 Zero
72.0B
Qwen2 72B Instruct

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Qwen2 72B Instruct uses tongyi-qianwen.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

MIT

Open weights

Qwen2 72B Instruct

tongyi-qianwen

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Qwen2 72B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

DeepSeek R1 Zero is 6 months newer than Qwen2 72B Instruct.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.3 years ago

6mo newer
Qwen2 72B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

1.8 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

Key Takeaways

Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 42.4%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2 72B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Qwen2 72B Instruct.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or Qwen2 72B Instruct?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and Qwen2 72B Instruct is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to Qwen2 72B Instruct in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. Qwen2 72B Instruct scores GSM8k: 91.1%, CMMLU: 90.1%, HellaSwag: 87.6%, HumanEval: 86.0%, Winogrande: 85.1%.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek R1 Zero and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Key differences include licensing (MIT vs tongyi-qianwen). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Zero and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and Qwen2 72B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.