Model Comparison

DeepSeek VL2 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

DeepSeek VL2 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 5 benchmarks (AI2D, MMBench-V1.1, MMStar, OCRBench, RealWorldQA).

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue May 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

209.0B diff

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct has 209.0B more parameters than DeepSeek VL2, making it 774.1% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2
27.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
236.0Bparameters
27.0B
DeepSeek VL2
236.0B
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to DeepSeek VL2's 129,280 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while DeepSeek VL2 is limited to 129,280 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2
Input129,280 tokens
Output129,280 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Tue May 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both DeepSeek VL2 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct support multimodal inputs.

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

DeepSeek VL2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek VL2 is licensed under deepseek, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

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

DeepSeek VL2

deepseek

Open weights

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek VL2 was released on 2024-12-13, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 9 months newer than DeepSeek VL2.

DeepSeek VL2

Dec 13, 2024

1.4 years ago

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

Sep 22, 2025

8 months ago

9mo 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. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Novita.

DeepSeek VL2

replicate logo
Replicate

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.49/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek

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

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Higher AI2D score (89.7% vs 81.4%)
Higher MMBench-V1.1 score (89.9% vs 79.2%)
Higher MMStar score (78.4% vs 61.3%)
Higher OCRBench score (92.0% vs 81.1%)
Higher RealWorldQA score (79.3% vs 68.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek VL2
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek VL2 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.

Which is better, DeepSeek VL2 or Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek VL2 is made by DeepSeek and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek VL2 compare to Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct in benchmarks?

DeepSeek VL2 scores DocVQA: 93.3%, ChartQA: 86.0%, TextVQA: 84.2%, AI2D: 81.4%, OCRBench: 81.1%. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct scores DocVQAtest: 97.1%, ScreenSpot: 95.4%, MMLU-Redux: 92.2%, OCRBench: 92.0%, MMBench-V1.1: 89.9%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek VL2 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

DeepSeek VL2 supports 129K tokens and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct supports 262K 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 Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (129K vs 262K), licensing (deepseek vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek VL2 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct?

DeepSeek VL2 is developed by DeepSeek and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.