Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max vs MAI-Thinking-1Which is better in 2026?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max vs MAI-Thinking-1 — which is better?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max (by DeepSeek) and MAI-Thinking-1 (by Microsoft) 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-V4-Pro-Max outperforms in 6 benchmarks (GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, MMLU-Pro, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 6 shared benchmarks
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose MAI-Thinking-1 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max outperforms in 6 benchmarks (GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, MMLU-Pro, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

600.0B diff

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max has 600.0B more parameters than MAI-Thinking-1, making it 60.0% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
1.6Tparameters
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
1.0Tparameters
1600.0B
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
1000.0B
MAI-Thinking-1

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is licensed under MIT, while MAI-Thinking-1 uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

MIT

Open weights

MAI-Thinking-1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max was released on 2026-04-23, while MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02.

MAI-Thinking-1 is 1 month newer than DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max

Apr 23, 2026

2 months ago

MAI-Thinking-1

Jun 2, 2026

1 months ago

1mo 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 (1,048,576 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (90.1% vs 84.2%)
Higher HMMT Feb 26 score (95.2% vs 84.9%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (87.5% vs 85.0%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (55.4% vs 52.8%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (80.6% vs 73.5%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (67.9% vs 46.0%)
Microsoft

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max and MAI-Thinking-1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
✓ Preferred
MAI-Thinking-1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max vs MAI-Thinking-1.

Which is better, DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max or MAI-Thinking-1?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is made by DeepSeek and MAI-Thinking-1 is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max compare to MAI-Thinking-1 in benchmarks?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max scores CodeForces: 100.0%, HMMT Feb 26: 95.2%, LiveCodeBench: 93.5%, MathArena Apex: 90.2%, GPQA: 90.1%. MAI-Thinking-1 scores LongFact: 98.0%, AIME 2025: 97.0%, AIME 2026: 94.5%, GraphWalks: 90.0%, AIR-Bench: 88.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max and MAI-Thinking-1?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max supports 1.0M tokens and MAI-Thinking-1 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-V4-Pro-Max and MAI-Thinking-1?

Key differences include licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max and MAI-Thinking-1?

DeepSeek-V4-Pro-Max is developed by DeepSeek and MAI-Thinking-1 is developed by Microsoft.

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