Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V2.5 is 3.4x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V2.5 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU).

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri May 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V2.5 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V2.5 ($0.14/1M tokens) is 2.1x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V2.5 ($0.28/1M tokens) is 5.3x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($1.49/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is more expensive than DeepSeek-V2.5.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers

Fri May 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

DeepSeek-V2.5

Input tokens$0.14

Output tokens$0.28

Best providerDeepSeek

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Input tokens$0.30

Output tokens$1.49

Best providerDeepinfra

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

0.0M diff

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct has 0.0B more parameters than DeepSeek-V2.5, making it 0.0% larger.

DeepSeek-V2.5

236.0Bparameters

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

236.0Bparameters

236.0B

DeepSeek-V2.5

236.0B

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V2.5's 8,192 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while DeepSeek-V2.5 is limited to 8,192 tokens.

DeepSeek-V2.5

Input8,192 tokens

Output8,192 tokens

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Input262,144 tokens

Output262,144 tokens

Fri May 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V2.5 does not.

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V2.5

Text

Images

Audio

Video

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Text

Images

Audio

Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V2.5 is licensed under deepseek, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

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

DeepSeek-V2.5

deepseek

Open weights

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V2.5 was released on 2024-05-08, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 17 months newer than DeepSeek-V2.5.

DeepSeek-V2.5

May 8, 2024

2.0 years ago

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Sep 22, 2025

7 months ago

1.4yr newer

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

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V2.5 is available from DeepSeek, DeepInfra, Hyperbolic. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Novita.

DeepSeek-V2.5

DeepSeek

Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.28/1M

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.70/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.40/1M

Hyperbolic

Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.00/1M

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.49/1M

Novita

Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek-V2.5

View details

DeepSeek

Less expensive input tokens

Less expensive output tokens

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (262,144 tokens)

Supports multimodal inputs

Higher MMLU score (88.8% vs 80.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature	DeepSeek-V2.5	Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V2.5 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V2.5 or Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V2.5 is made by DeepSeek and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V2.5 compare to Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V2.5 scores GSM8k: 95.1%, MT-Bench: 90.2%, HumanEval: 89.0%, BBH: 84.3%, AlignBench: 80.4%. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct scores DocVQAtest: 97.1%, ScreenSpot: 95.4%, MMLU-Redux: 92.2%, OCRBench: 92.0%, MMBench-V1.1: 89.9%.

Is DeepSeek-V2.5 cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

DeepSeek-V2.5 is 2.1x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V2.5 costs $0.14/M input and $0.28/M output via deepseek. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct costs $0.30/M input and $1.49/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V2.5 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

DeepSeek-V2.5 supports 8K tokens and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct supports 262K 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 Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (8K vs 262K), input pricing ($0.14 vs $0.30/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (deepseek vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V2.5 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

DeepSeek-V2.5 is developed by DeepSeek and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.