Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)Which is better in 2026?

Comparing DeepSeek VL2 Small and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) — which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 Small (by DeepSeek) and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) (by Mistral AI) 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.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 Small if…

  • you are already invested in the DeepSeek ecosystem

Choose Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

DeepSeek VL2 Small and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

13.0B diff

DeepSeek VL2 Small has 13.0B more parameters than Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512), making it 433.3% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
16.0Bparameters
Mistral AI
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)
3.0Bparameters
16.0B
DeepSeek VL2 Small
3.0B
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 Small and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) support multimodal inputs.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 Small is licensed under deepseek, while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) uses Apache 2.0.

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

DeepSeek VL2 Small

deepseek

Open weights

Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 Small was released on 2024-12-13, while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) was released on 2025-12-04.

Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) is 12 months newer than DeepSeek VL2 Small.

DeepSeek VL2 Small

Dec 13, 2024

1.5 years ago

Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)

Dec 4, 2025

6 months ago

11mo 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

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Mistral AI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2 Small
Mistral AI
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 Small vs Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512).

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 Small or Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)?

DeepSeek VL2 Small (DeepSeek) and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) (Mistral AI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does DeepSeek VL2 Small compare to Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 Small scores DocVQA: 92.3%, ChartQA: 84.5%, OCRBench: 83.4%, TextVQA: 83.4%, MMBench: 80.3%. Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) scores MMLU-Redux: 73.5%, MMLU: 70.7%, Multilingual MMLU: 65.2%, MATH (CoT): 60.1%, TriviaQA: 59.2%.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek VL2 Small and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)?

Key differences include licensing (deepseek vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek VL2 Small and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)?

DeepSeek VL2 Small is developed by DeepSeek and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) is developed by Mistral AI.

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