Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Magistral Small 2506Which is better in 2026?

Magistral Small 2506 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V3 vs Magistral Small 2506 — which is better?

DeepSeek-V3 (by DeepSeek) and Magistral Small 2506 (by Mistral AI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Magistral Small 2506 is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, LiveCodeBench). Magistral Small 2506 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek-V3 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output

Choose Magistral Small 2506 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Magistral Small 2506 is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA, LiveCodeBench).

Magistral Small 2506 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

647.0B diff

DeepSeek-V3 has 647.0B more parameters than Magistral Small 2506, making it 2695.8% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
671.0Bparameters
Mistral AI
Magistral Small 2506
24.0Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek-V3
24.0B
Magistral Small 2506

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).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Mistral AI
Magistral Small 2506
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Magistral Small 2506 uses Apache 2.0.

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

Magistral Small 2506

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Magistral Small 2506 was released on 2025-06-10.

Magistral Small 2506 is 6 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.5 years ago

Magistral Small 2506

Jun 10, 2025

1.0 years ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Magistral Small 2506 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-06-01, while DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Magistral Small 2506's training data extends to 2025-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3's cutoff date.

DeepSeek-V3

—

Magistral Small 2506

Jun 2025

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Mistral AI
Higher AIME 2024 score (70.7% vs 39.2%)
Higher GPQA score (68.2% vs 59.1%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (51.3% vs 37.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Mistral AI
Magistral Small 2506

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Magistral Small 2506.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V3 or Magistral Small 2506?

Magistral Small 2506 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Magistral Small 2506 is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V3 compare to Magistral Small 2506 in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Magistral Small 2506 scores AIME 2024: 70.7%, GPQA: 68.2%, AIME 2025: 62.8%, LiveCodeBench: 51.3%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V3 and Magistral Small 2506?

DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Magistral Small 2506 supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V3 and Magistral Small 2506?

Key differences include licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V3 and Magistral Small 2506?

DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Magistral Small 2506 is developed by Mistral AI.

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