Model Comparison
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Grok-3Which is better in 2026?
Grok-3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 19.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Grok-3 — which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) (by DeepSeek) and Grok-3 (by xAI) 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-V3.2 (Thinking) outperforms in 1 benchmarks (LiveCodeBench), while Grok-3 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA). Grok-3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is roughly 19.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) if…
- cost matters — it's about 19.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-3 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) outperforms in 1 benchmarks (LiveCodeBench), while Grok-3 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA).
Grok-3 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) ($0.28/1M tokens) is 10.7x cheaper than Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) ($0.42/1M tokens) is 35.7x cheaper than Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-3 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
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Grok-3's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Grok-3 is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok-3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) does not.
Grok-3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
Grok-3
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is licensed under MIT, while Grok-3 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 Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 10 months newer than Grok-3.
Dec 1, 2025
7 months ago
9mo newerFeb 17, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-3 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)'s cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok-3's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)'s cutoff date.
—
Nov 2024
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is available from DeepSeek. Grok-3 is available from xAI.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
Grok-3
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)Grok-3Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and Grok-3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Grok-3.