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DeepSeek VL2 Small vs DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

DeepSeek VL2 Small leads the LLM Stats Score 1.4 to -4.5.

DeepSeek · DeepSeek · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small leads the overall LLM Stats Score 1.4 to -4.5, ranking #309 overall.

In the 14 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek VL2 Small wins 14; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Small

  • overall performance matters — it scores 1.4 and ranks #309 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 14 of 14 exact shared results

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

  • you are already invested in the DeepSeek ecosystem

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Core performance indexes
1.4
#309
-4.5
#340
-3.6
#326
-12.4
#349
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
14 of 14
0 of 14
Input price
— / M
— / M
Output price
— / M
— / M
Context window

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

2 shared
Index
DeepSeek VL2 Small
DeepSeek VL2 Tiny
1.1#174
-4.6#196
3.8#138
-2.5#157
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

14 reported for DeepSeek VL2 Small · 14 for DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

14 shared

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 14 benchmarks (AI2D, ChartQA, DocVQA, InfoVQA, MathVista, MMBench, MMBench-V1.1, MME, MMMU, MMStar, MMT-Bench, OCRBench, RealWorldQA, TextVQA), while DeepSeek VL2 Tiny is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek VL2 Small significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Sep 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

13.0B diff

DeepSeek VL2 Small has 13.0B more parameters than DeepSeek VL2 Tiny, making it 433.3% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
16.0Bparameters
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Tiny
3.0Bparameters
16.0B
DeepSeek VL2 Small
3.0B
DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and DeepSeek VL2 Tiny support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under deepseek.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

deepseek

Open weights

DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

deepseek

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Both models were released on 2024-12-13.

They likely represent similar generations of model development.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.7 years ago

DeepSeek VL2 Tiny

Dec 13, 2024

1.7 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek VL2 Small and DeepSeek VL2 Tiny side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek VL2 Small
✓ Preferred
DeepSeek VL2 Tiny
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs DeepSeek VL2 Tiny.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or DeepSeek VL2 Tiny?

DeepSeek VL2 Small leads the LLM Stats Score 1.4 to -4.5. DeepSeek VL2 Small is made by DeepSeek and DeepSeek VL2 Tiny is made by DeepSeek. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does DeepSeek VL2 Small compare to DeepSeek VL2 Tiny in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. DeepSeek VL2 Tiny scores DocVQA: 88.9%, ChartQA: 81.0%, OCRBench: 80.9%, TextVQA: 80.7%, AI2D: 71.6%.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek VL2 Small and DeepSeek VL2 Tiny?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (1.4 vs -4.5). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.