Model Comparison

Grok-1.5 vs DeepSeek-R1Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-1.5 vs DeepSeek-R1 — which is better?

Grok-1.5 (by xAI) and DeepSeek-R1 (by DeepSeek) 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 Grok-1.5 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose DeepSeek-R1 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only DeepSeek-R1 specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only DeepSeek-R1 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

xAI
Grok-1.5
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Wed Jul 01 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-1.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while DeepSeek-R1 uses MIT.

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

Grok-1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

DeepSeek-R1

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28, while DeepSeek-R1 was released on 2025-01-20.

DeepSeek-R1 is 10 months newer than Grok-1.5.

Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.3 years ago

DeepSeek-R1

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI

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

DeepSeek
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-1.5
✓ Preferred
DeepSeek-R1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5 vs DeepSeek-R1.

Which is better, Grok-1.5 or DeepSeek-R1?

Grok-1.5 (xAI) and DeepSeek-R1 (DeepSeek) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Grok-1.5 compare to DeepSeek-R1 in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1?

Grok-1.5 supports an unknown number of tokens and DeepSeek-R1 supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-1.5 and DeepSeek-R1?

Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI and DeepSeek-R1 is developed by DeepSeek.

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