Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 vs GPT-5.1 ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek VL2 vs GPT-5.1 Thinking — which is better?

DeepSeek VL2 (by DeepSeek) and GPT-5.1 Thinking (by OpenAI) 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 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.1 Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU). GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

GPT-5.1 Thinking also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose DeepSeek VL2 if…

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

Choose GPT-5.1 Thinking if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while GPT-5.1 Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (MMMU).

GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5.1 Thinking accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to DeepSeek VL2's 129,280 tokens. DeepSeek VL2 can generate longer responses up to 129,280 tokens, while GPT-5.1 Thinking is limited to 128,000 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2
Input129,280 tokens
Output129,280 tokens
OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 and GPT-5.1 Thinking support multimodal inputs.

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

DeepSeek VL2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

GPT-5.1 Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 is licensed under deepseek, while GPT-5.1 Thinking uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek VL2

deepseek

Open weights

GPT-5.1 Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 was released on 2024-12-13, while GPT-5.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-12.

GPT-5.1 Thinking is 11 months newer than DeepSeek VL2.

DeepSeek VL2

Dec 13, 2024

1.6 years ago

GPT-5.1 Thinking

Nov 12, 2025

8 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

Provider Availability

DeepSeek VL2 is available from Replicate. GPT-5.1 Thinking is available from OpenAI.

DeepSeek VL2

replicate logo
Replicate

GPT-5.1 Thinking

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Has open weights
OpenAI
Larger context window (400,000 tokens)
Higher MMMU score (85.4% vs 51.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek VL2 and GPT-5.1 Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek VL2
✓ Preferred
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2
OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Thinking

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 vs GPT-5.1 Thinking.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 or GPT-5.1 Thinking?

GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 is made by DeepSeek and GPT-5.1 Thinking is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek VL2 compare to GPT-5.1 Thinking in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 scores DocVQA: 93.3%, ChartQA: 86.0%, TextVQA: 84.2%, AI2D: 81.4%, OCRBench: 81.1%. GPT-5.1 Thinking scores Tau2 Telecom: 95.6%, AIME 2025: 94.0%, BrowseComp Long Context 128k: 90.0%, GPQA: 88.1%, MMMU: 85.4%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek VL2 and GPT-5.1 Thinking?

DeepSeek VL2 supports 129K tokens and GPT-5.1 Thinking supports 400K 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 and GPT-5.1 Thinking?

Key differences include context window (129K vs 400K), licensing (deepseek vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek VL2 and GPT-5.1 Thinking?

DeepSeek VL2 is developed by DeepSeek and GPT-5.1 Thinking is developed by OpenAI.

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