DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Grok-3
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and Grok-3 are closely matched at 32.7 and 30.5 on the LLM Stats Score. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 19.0x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) and Grok-3 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 32.7 and 30.5.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-3 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
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.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
- 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
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
14 reported for DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) · 5 for Grok-3
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.
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 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
Documented input modalities across available providers
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
9 months ago
9mo newerFeb 17, 2025
1.6 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
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.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Grok-3.