Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 ProWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 1.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 Pro — which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small (by DeepSeek) and Gemini 1.5 Pro (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 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 1.5 Pro is better at 2 benchmarks (MathVista, MMMU). Gemini 1.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most 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 Pro if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 1.5 Pro is better at 2 benchmarks (MathVista, MMMU).

Gemini 1.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemini 1.5 Pro specifies input context (2,097,152 tokens). Only Gemini 1.5 Pro specifies output context (8,192 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemini 1.5 Pro
Input2,097,152 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Pro 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 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 Small is licensed under deepseek, while Gemini 1.5 Pro 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 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 Small was released on 2024-12-13, while Gemini 1.5 Pro was released on 2024-05-01.

DeepSeek VL2 Small is 8 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Pro.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.6 years ago

7mo newer
Gemini 1.5 Pro

May 1, 2024

2.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Pro has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Pro's training data extends to 2023-11-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

—

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Nov 2023

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Google
Larger context window (2,097,152 tokens)
Higher MathVista score (68.1% vs 60.7%)
Higher MMMU score (65.9% vs 48.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

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

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 1.5 Pro.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or Gemini 1.5 Pro?

Gemini 1.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 Small is made by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Pro 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 Pro in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. Gemini 1.5 Pro scores XSTest: 98.8%, FLEURS: 93.3%, HellaSwag: 93.3%, GSM8k: 90.8%, BIG-Bench Hard: 89.2%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 1.5 Pro?

DeepSeek VL2 Small supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemini 1.5 Pro supports 2.1M 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 Pro?

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 Pro?

DeepSeek VL2 Small is developed by DeepSeek and Gemini 1.5 Pro is developed by Google.

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