Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V3 vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

DeepSeek-V3 (by DeepSeek) and Qwen3.8 Max (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 Qwen3.8 Max is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LongBench v2). Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek-V3 if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LongBench v2).

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Aug 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

1729.0B diff

Qwen3.8 Max has 1729.0B more parameters than DeepSeek-V3, making it 257.7% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
671.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
2.4Tparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek-V3
2400.0B
Qwen3.8 Max

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
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Aug 03 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Qwen3.8 Max supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek-V3 does not.

Qwen3.8 Max can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek-V3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Qwen3.8 Max 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

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.

Qwen3.8 Max is 20 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.6 years ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

1 days ago

1.6yr newer

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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (92.6% vs 59.1%)
Higher LongBench v2 score (66.3% vs 48.7%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3 and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V3
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V3 or Qwen3.8 Max?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 is made by DeepSeek and Qwen3.8 Max is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V3 compare to Qwen3.8 Max in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V3 and Qwen3.8 Max?

DeepSeek-V3 supports 131K tokens and Qwen3.8 Max 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 Qwen3.8 Max?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V3 and Qwen3.8 Max?

DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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