Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 2.5 ProWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 2.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 2.5 Pro — which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small (by DeepSeek) and Gemini 2.5 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 2.5 Pro is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU). Gemini 2.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Small if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 2.5 Pro is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU).

Gemini 2.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jun 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemini 2.5 Pro specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only Gemini 2.5 Pro specifies output context (65,536 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemini 2.5 Pro
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Tue Jun 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 2.5 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 2.5 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 Small is licensed under deepseek, while Gemini 2.5 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 2.5 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 Small was released on 2024-12-13, while Gemini 2.5 Pro was released on 2025-05-20.

Gemini 2.5 Pro is 5 months newer than DeepSeek VL2 Small.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.5 years ago

Gemini 2.5 Pro

May 20, 2025

1.1 years ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 2.5 Pro has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 2.5 Pro's training data extends to 2025-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek VL2 Small's cutoff date.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

—

Gemini 2.5 Pro

Jan 2025

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher MMMU score (79.6% vs 48.0%)
DeepSeekDeepSeek VL2 Small
GoogleGemini 2.5 Pro
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Google
Gemini 2.5 Pro

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Gemini 2.5 Pro.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or Gemini 2.5 Pro?

Gemini 2.5 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 Small is made by DeepSeek and Gemini 2.5 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 2.5 Pro in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. Gemini 2.5 Pro scores MRCR: 93.0%, AIME 2024: 92.0%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 88.6%, Video-MME: 84.8%, AIME 2025: 83.0%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek VL2 Small and Gemini 2.5 Pro?

DeepSeek VL2 Small supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemini 2.5 Pro 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 2.5 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 2.5 Pro?

DeepSeek VL2 Small is developed by DeepSeek and Gemini 2.5 Pro is developed by Google.

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