Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Grok-1.5Which is better in 2026?

DeepSeek-V2.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Grok-1.5 — which is better?

DeepSeek-V2.5 (by DeepSeek) and Grok-1.5 (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-V2.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH), while Grok-1.5 is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU). DeepSeek-V2.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek-V2.5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Grok-1.5 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V2.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH), while Grok-1.5 is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU).

DeepSeek-V2.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sat Jun 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only DeepSeek-V2.5 specifies input context (8,192 tokens). Only DeepSeek-V2.5 specifies output context (8,192 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V2.5
Input8,192 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
xAI
Grok-1.5
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Sat Jun 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V2.5 is licensed under deepseek, while Grok-1.5 uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek-V2.5

deepseek

Open weights

Grok-1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V2.5 was released on 2024-05-08, while Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28.

DeepSeek-V2.5 is 1 month newer than Grok-1.5.

DeepSeek-V2.5

May 8, 2024

2.1 years ago

1mo newer
Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Larger context window (8,192 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher GSM8k score (95.1% vs 90.0%)
Higher HumanEval score (89.0% vs 74.1%)
Higher MATH score (74.7% vs 50.6%)
Higher MMLU score (81.3% vs 80.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V2.5
xAI
Grok-1.5

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Grok-1.5.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V2.5 or Grok-1.5?

DeepSeek-V2.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek-V2.5 is made by DeepSeek and Grok-1.5 is made by xAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V2.5 compare to Grok-1.5 in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V2.5 scores GSM8k: 95.1%, MT-Bench: 90.2%, HumanEval: 89.0%, BBH: 84.3%, AlignBench: 80.4%. Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-1.5?

DeepSeek-V2.5 supports 8K tokens and Grok-1.5 supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-1.5?

Key differences include licensing (deepseek vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-1.5?

DeepSeek-V2.5 is developed by DeepSeek and Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI.