DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Grok-2 mini
DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-2 mini are closely matched at 8.1 and 8.6 on the LLM Stats Score.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-2 mini are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 8.1 and 8.6.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek-V2.5 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-V2.5
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-2 mini
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
15 reported for DeepSeek-V2.5 · 8 for Grok-2 mini
DeepSeek-V2.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MATH), while Grok-2 mini is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU).
DeepSeek-V2.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
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).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok-2 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V2.5 does not.
Grok-2 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-V2.5
Grok-2 mini
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V2.5 is licensed under deepseek, while Grok-2 mini uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
deepseek
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V2.5 was released on 2024-05-08, while Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13.
Grok-2 mini is 3 months newer than DeepSeek-V2.5.
May 8, 2024
2.4 years ago
Aug 13, 2024
2.1 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V2.5 and Grok-2 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Grok-2 mini.