Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs QwQ-32B-PreviewWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Zero shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs QwQ-32B-Preview — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and QwQ-32B-Preview (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 Zero outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025

Choose QwQ-32B-Preview if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Thu Jun 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

638.5B diff

DeepSeek R1 Zero has 638.5B more parameters than QwQ-32B-Preview, making it 1964.6% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
671.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
32.5Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek R1 Zero
32.5B
QwQ-32B-Preview

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only QwQ-32B-Preview specifies input context (32,768 tokens). Only QwQ-32B-Preview specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Thu Jun 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while QwQ-32B-Preview uses Apache 2.0.

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

DeepSeek R1 Zero

MIT

Open weights

QwQ-32B-Preview

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.

DeepSeek R1 Zero is 2 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years ago

1mo newer
QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 28, 2024

1.6 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm QwQ-32B-Preview's training data extends to 2024-11-28, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

—

QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Higher AIME 2024 score (86.7% vs 50.0%)
Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 65.2%)
Higher MATH-500 score (95.9% vs 90.6%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B-Preview

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (32,768 tokens)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs QwQ-32B-Preview.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Zero shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and QwQ-32B-Preview 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 QwQ-32B-Preview in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. QwQ-32B-Preview scores MATH-500: 90.6%, GPQA: 65.2%, AIME 2024: 50.0%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and QwQ-32B-Preview supports 33K 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 Zero and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Key differences include licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Zero and QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and QwQ-32B-Preview is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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