DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs GPT-5.1 Medium
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and GPT-5.1 Medium are closely matched at 32.9 and 31.2 on the LLM Stats Score. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 10.9x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and GPT-5.1 Medium are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 32.9 and 31.2.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-5.1 Medium wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is roughly 10.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Medium also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
- cost matters — it's about 10.9x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-5.1 Medium
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
14 reported for DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) · 1 for GPT-5.1 Medium
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.1 Medium is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).
GPT-5.1 Medium significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) ($0.28/1M tokens) is 4.5x cheaper than GPT-5.1 Medium ($1.25/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) ($0.42/1M tokens) is 23.8x cheaper than GPT-5.1 Medium ($10.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Medium is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking).*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.1 Medium accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)'s 131,072 tokens. GPT-5.1 Medium can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-5.1 Medium supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) does not.
GPT-5.1 Medium can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
GPT-5.1 Medium
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is licensed under MIT, while GPT-5.1 Medium 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-V3.2 (Thinking) was released on 2025-12-01, while GPT-5.1 Medium was released on 2025-11-12.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 1 month newer than GPT-5.1 Medium.
Dec 1, 2025
9 months ago
2w newerNov 12, 2025
9 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is available from DeepSeek. GPT-5.1 Medium is available from OpenAI.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
GPT-5.1 Medium
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and GPT-5.1 Medium side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs GPT-5.1 Medium.