Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8BWhich is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B — which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small (by DeepSeek) and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) 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 VL2 Small outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MathVista), while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Small if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.07/M input and $0.30/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MathVista), while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

8.0B diff

DeepSeek VL2 Small has 8.0B more parameters than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B, making it 100.0% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
16.0Bparameters
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
8.0Bparameters
16.0B
DeepSeek VL2 Small
8.0B
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B specifies output context (8,192 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B support multimodal inputs.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 Small is licensed under deepseek, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

deepseek

Open weights

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 Small was released on 2024-12-13, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B was released on 2024-03-15.

DeepSeek VL2 Small is 9 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.5 years ago

9mo newer
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Mar 15, 2024

2.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-10-01, while DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B's training data extends to 2024-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

—

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Oct 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Higher MathVista score (60.7% vs 54.7%)
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher MMMU score (53.7% vs 48.0%)
DeepSeekDeepSeek VL2 Small
GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek VL2 Small
✓ Preferred
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 Small is made by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek VL2 Small compare to Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B scores XSTest: 92.6%, FLEURS: 86.4%, Natural2Code: 75.5%, WMT23: 72.6%, Video-MME: 66.2%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

DeepSeek VL2 Small supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

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

Who makes DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

DeepSeek VL2 Small is developed by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is developed by Google.

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