DeepSeek-V3 vs Grok-4 Heavy
Grok-4 Heavy significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
DeepSeek · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-4 Heavy is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench). Grok-4 Heavy significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-V3
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-4 Heavy
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Grok-4 Heavy is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench).
Grok-4 Heavy significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only DeepSeek-V3 specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only DeepSeek-V3 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok-4 Heavy supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.
Grok-4 Heavy can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-V3
Grok-4 Heavy
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Grok-4 Heavy uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Grok-4 Heavy's release date is not specified.
We can confirm DeepSeek-V3's release timeline, but cannot make a direct age comparison without Grok-4 Heavy's release date.
Dec 25, 2024
1.7 years ago
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Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-4 Heavy has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-12-31, while DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok-4 Heavy's training data extends to 2024-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date.
—
Dec 2024
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3 and Grok-4 Heavy side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Grok-4 Heavy.