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DeepSeek VL2 Small vs LFM2.5-VL-3B

LFM2.5-VL-3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

DeepSeek · Liquid AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 2 benchmarks (ChartQA, DocVQA), while LFM2.5-VL-3B is better at 6 benchmarks (MMBench-V1.1, MME, MMStar, OCRBench, RealWorldQA, TextVQA). LFM2.5-VL-3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Small

  • you are already invested in the DeepSeek ecosystem

Choose LFM2.5-VL-3B

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 8 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

DeepSeek VL2 Small
DeepSeek
LFM2.5-VL-3B
Liquid AI
Benchmark wins
2 of 8
6 of 8
Input price
— / M
— / M
Output price
— / M
— / M
Context window
—
—
Released
Dec 2024
Aug 2026
License
deepseek
LFM Open License v1.0

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 Small outperforms in 2 benchmarks (ChartQA, DocVQA), while LFM2.5-VL-3B is better at 6 benchmarks (MMBench-V1.1, MME, MMStar, OCRBench, RealWorldQA, TextVQA).

LFM2.5-VL-3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

12.9B diff

DeepSeek VL2 Small has 12.9B more parameters than LFM2.5-VL-3B, making it 412.2% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
16.0Bparameters
Liquid AI
LFM2.5-VL-3B
3.1Bparameters
16.0B
DeepSeek VL2 Small
3.1B
LFM2.5-VL-3B

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and LFM2.5-VL-3B support multimodal inputs.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

LFM2.5-VL-3B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 Small is licensed under deepseek, while LFM2.5-VL-3B uses LFM Open License v1.0.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

deepseek

Open weights

LFM2.5-VL-3B

LFM Open License v1.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 Small was released on 2024-12-13, while LFM2.5-VL-3B was released on 2026-08-12.

LFM2.5-VL-3B is 20 months newer than DeepSeek VL2 Small.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.7 years ago

LFM2.5-VL-3B

Aug 12, 2026

1 weeks ago

1.7yr 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→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek VL2 Small and LFM2.5-VL-3B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek VL2 Small
✓ Preferred
LFM2.5-VL-3B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs LFM2.5-VL-3B.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or LFM2.5-VL-3B?

LFM2.5-VL-3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 Small is made by DeepSeek and LFM2.5-VL-3B is made by Liquid AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek VL2 Small compare to LFM2.5-VL-3B in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. LFM2.5-VL-3B scores DocVQA: 91.1%, POPE: 88.7%, RefCOCO-avg: 87.9%, TextVQA: 84.3%, OCRBench: 84.2%.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek VL2 Small and LFM2.5-VL-3B?

Key differences include licensing (deepseek vs LFM Open License v1.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek VL2 Small and LFM2.5-VL-3B?

DeepSeek VL2 Small is developed by DeepSeek and LFM2.5-VL-3B is developed by Liquid AI.

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