Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Pixtral-12B

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Pixtral-12B is 3.2x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (IFEval, MMLU), while Pixtral-12B is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Apr 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Pixtral-12B costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 1.8x more expensive than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 7.3x more expensive than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3 is more expensive than Pixtral-12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Apr 05 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
Best providerDeepSeek
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

658.6B diff

DeepSeek-V3 has 658.6B more parameters than Pixtral-12B, making it 5311.3% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
671.0Bparameters
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
12.4Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek-V3
12.4B
Pixtral-12B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V3 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Pixtral-12B's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Pixtral-12B is limited to 8,192 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Sun Apr 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Pixtral-12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Pixtral-12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Pixtral-12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Pixtral-12B 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

Pixtral-12B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.

DeepSeek-V3 is 3 months newer than Pixtral-12B.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.3 years ago

3mo newer
Pixtral-12B

Sep 17, 2024

1.5 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. Pixtral-12B is available from Mistral AI.

DeepSeek-V3

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

Pixtral-12B

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Higher IFEval score (86.1% vs 61.3%)
Higher MMLU score (88.5% vs 69.2%)
Mistral AI
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Pixtral-12B

DeepSeek-V3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Pixtral-12B is made by Mistral AI. 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%. Pixtral-12B scores DocVQA: 90.7%, ChartQA: 81.8%, VQAv2: 78.6%, MT-Bench: 76.8%, HumanEval: 72.0%.
Pixtral-12B is 1.8x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek. Pixtral-12B costs $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output via mistral.
DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Pixtral-12B 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 $0.15/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Pixtral-12B is developed by Mistral AI.