Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Grok-2

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is 8.4x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Grok-2 is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Apr 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V3 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 7.4x cheaper than Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 9.1x cheaper than Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Apr 02 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
xAI
Grok-2
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerxAI
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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V3 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Grok-2's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
xAI
Grok-2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Thu Apr 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-2 supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Grok-2 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Grok-2 uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek-V3

MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)

Open weights

Grok-2

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13.

DeepSeek-V3 is 4 months newer than Grok-2.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.3 years ago

4mo newer
Grok-2

Aug 13, 2024

1.6 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

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek. Grok-2 is available from xAI.

DeepSeek-V3

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.10/1M

Grok-2

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (59.1% vs 56.0%)
Higher MMLU score (88.5% vs 87.5%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (75.9% vs 75.5%)
xAI
Supports multimodal inputs

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
xAI
Grok-2

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Grok-2

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Grok-2 is made by xAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%.
DeepSeek-V3 is 7.4x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek. Grok-2 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via xai.
DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Grok-2 supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (131K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.27 vs $2.00/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Grok-2 is developed by xAI.