DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp vs Phi 4
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi 4 is 3.5x cheaper per token.
DeepSeek · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro, SimpleQA), while Phi 4 is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Phi 4 is roughly 3.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp 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-V3.2-Exp
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 163,840 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
Choose Phi 4
- cost matters — it's about 3.5x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro, SimpleQA), while Phi 4 is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp ($0.27/1M tokens) is 3.9x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp ($0.41/1M tokens) is 2.9x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp is more expensive than Phi 4.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp has 670.3B more parameters than Phi 4, making it 4559.9% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp accepts 163,840 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under MIT.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
MIT
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp was released on 2025-09-29, while Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp is 10 months newer than Phi 4.
Sep 29, 2025
11 months ago
9mo newerDec 12, 2024
1.7 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp is available from Novita. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp
Phi 4
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp and Phi 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp vs Phi 4.