Model Comparison
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Kimi K2 0905Which is better in 2026?
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 3.4x cheaper per token.
Verdict: DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Kimi K2 0905 — which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) (by DeepSeek) and Kimi K2 0905 (by Moonshot AI) 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 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Kimi K2 0905 is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is roughly 3.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Kimi K2 0905 also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 3.4x 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 Kimi K2 0905 if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Kimi K2 0905 is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) significantly outperforms across most 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 2.1x cheaper than Kimi K2 0905 ($0.60/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) ($0.42/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Kimi K2 0905 ($2.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Kimi K2 0905 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking).*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Kimi K2 0905 has 315.0B more parameters than DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking), making it 46.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Kimi K2 0905 accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)'s 131,072 tokens. Kimi K2 0905 can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is limited to 65,536 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is licensed under MIT, while Kimi K2 0905 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 Kimi K2 0905 was released on 2025-09-05.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) is 3 months newer than Kimi K2 0905.
Dec 1, 2025
6 months ago
2mo newerSep 5, 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. Kimi K2 0905 is available from Novita.
DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking)
Kimi K2 0905
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Kimi K2 0905
View detailsMoonshot AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2 (Thinking) vs Kimi K2 0905.