DeepSeek-V3 vs Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is 9.6x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is roughly 9.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-V3 also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek-V3
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2024
Choose Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
- cost matters — it's about 9.6x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 5.4x more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 22.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3 is more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-V3 has 660.4B more parameters than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct, making it 6230.2% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-V3 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Llama 3.2 11B Instruct's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek-V3
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct uses Llama 3.2 Community 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
Llama 3.2 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.
DeepSeek-V3 is 3 months newer than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.
Dec 25, 2024
1.7 years ago
3mo newerSep 25, 2024
1.9 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Llama 3.2 11B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date.
—
Dec 2023
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V3 is available from DeepSeek. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Sambanova, Bedrock, Groq, Together, Fireworks.
DeepSeek-V3
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3 and Llama 3.2 11B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.