The AI arena is free today

Open Superagent

DeepSeek-V3.1 vs DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is 1.4x cheaper per token.

DeepSeek · DeepSeek · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek-V3.1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is better at 5 benchmarks (AIME 2025, CodeForces, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified). DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

DeepSeek-V3.1 also accepts a larger context window (163,840 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-V3.1

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 163,840 token context window

Choose DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

DeepSeek-V3.1
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale
DeepSeek
Benchmark wins
0 of 5
5 of 5
Input price
$0.27 / M
$0.28 / M
Output price
$1.00 / M
$0.42 / M
Context window
163,840
131,072
Released
Jan 2025
Dec 2025
License
MIT
MIT

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3.1 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is better at 5 benchmarks (AIME 2025, CodeForces, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified).

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V3.1 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 1.0x cheaper than DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale ($0.28/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3.1 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 2.4x more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale ($0.42/1M tokens).

In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3.1 is more expensive than DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.1
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerDeepinfra
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale
Input tokens$0.28
Output tokens$0.42
Best providerDeepSeek
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

14.0B diff

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale has 14.0B more parameters than DeepSeek-V3.1, making it 2.1% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.1
671.0Bparameters
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale
685.0Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek-V3.1
685.0B
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek-V3.1 accepts 163,840 input tokens compared to DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale's 131,072 tokens. DeepSeek-V3.1 can generate longer responses up to 163,840 tokens, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is limited to 131,072 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.1
Input163,840 tokens
Output163,840 tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under MIT.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

DeepSeek-V3.1

MIT

Open weights

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3.1 was released on 2025-01-10, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale was released on 2025-12-01.

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is 11 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.1.

DeepSeek-V3.1

Jan 10, 2025

1.6 years ago

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

Dec 1, 2025

8 months ago

10mo 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

Provider Availability

DeepSeek-V3.1 is available from DeepInfra, Novita. DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is available from DeepSeek.

DeepSeek-V3.1

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.28/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.42/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3.1 and DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V3.1
✓ Preferred
DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.1 vs DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V3.1 or DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale?

DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.1 is made by DeepSeek and DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V3.1 compare to DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V3.1 scores SimpleQA: 93.4%, MMLU-Redux: 91.8%, MMLU-Pro: 83.7%, GPQA: 74.9%, CodeForces: 69.7%. DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale scores HMMT 2025: 99.2%, AIME 2025: 96.0%, CodeForces: 90.0%, t2-bench: 80.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 73.1%.

Is DeepSeek-V3.1 cheaper than DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale?

DeepSeek-V3.1 is 1.0x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3.1 costs $0.27/M input and $1.00/M output via deepinfra. DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale costs $0.28/M input and $0.42/M output via deepseek.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V3.1 and DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale?

DeepSeek-V3.1 supports 164K tokens and DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek-V3.1 and DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale?

Key differences include context window (164K vs 131K), input pricing ($0.27 vs $0.28/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Related comparisons