DeepSeek vs xAI (Grok)
DeepSeek (16 models) vs xAI (Grok) (8 models) - compared across composite scores, pricing, capabilities, and context windows.
DeepSeek
View all modelsxAI (Grok)
View all modelsHead-to-Head: DeepSeek vs xAI (Grok) Model Matchups
| DeepSeek | Score | vs | xAI (Grok) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3.2 | 83 | Grok 4.3 (batch) | 81 | |
| R1 0528 | 79 | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | 88 | |
| R1 | 74 | Grok 4.7 | 89 | |
| DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | 72 | Grok 4.6 | 89 | |
| DeepSeek V3.1 | 72 | Grok 4.5 | 89 | |
| DeepSeek V3 0324 | 72 | Grok 4.3 | 89 | |
| DeepSeek V3 | 70 | Grok 4.20 | 89 | |
| DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | 69 | Grok Build 0.1 | 40 |
Capability Comparison
| Capability | DeepSeek | xAI (Grok) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
Vision | 3/16 | 8/8 | xAI (Grok) |
Reasoning | 14/16 | 8/8 | DeepSeek |
Function Calling | 15/16 | 7/8 | DeepSeek |
JSON Mode | 15/16 | 8/8 | DeepSeek |
Web Search | 0/16 | 8/8 | xAI (Grok) |
Streaming | 16/16 | 8/8 | DeepSeek |
Image Output | 0/16 | 0/8 | Tie |
Pricing Comparison
| Metric | DeepSeek | xAI (Grok) |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.040 DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | $1.00 Grok 4.3 (batch) |
| Cheapest Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.177 | $2.00 |
| Most Expensive Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.955 R1 | $2.00 Grok 4.6 |
| Most Expensive Output (per 1M tokens) | $2.50 | $6.00 |
| Free Models | 0 | 0 |
| Max Context Window | 1.3M | 2.0M |
All DeepSeek Models (16)
| Model | Score | Input $/M | Output $/M |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3.2 | 83 | $0.269 | $0.400 |
| R1 0528 | 79 | $0.500 | $2.15 |
| R1 | 74 | $0.700 | $2.50 |
| DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | 72 | $0.270 | $0.410 |
| DeepSeek V3.1 | 72 | $0.250 | $0.950 |
| DeepSeek V3 0324 | 72 | $0.250 | $1.00 |
| DeepSeek V3 | 70 | $0.320 | $0.890 |
| DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus | 69 | $0.270 | $1.00 |
| R1 Distill Llama 70B | 41 | $0.800 | $0.800 |
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash | 40 | $0.080 | $0.400 |
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (batch) | 40 | $0.112 | $0.336 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp | 40 | $0.220 | $0.660 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 | 40 | $0.660 | $1.98 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 | 40 | $0.040 | $0.640 |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423 | 40 | $0.955 | $1.91 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 | 40 | $0.089 | $0.177 |
All xAI (Grok) Models (8)
| Model | Score | Input $/M | Output $/M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 4.7 | 89 | $1.60 | $4.80 |
| Grok 4.6 | 89 | $2.00 | $6.00 |
| Grok 4.5 | 89 | $2.00 | $6.00 |
| Grok 4.3 | 89 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| Grok 4.20 | 89 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | 88 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| Grok 4.3 (batch) | 81 | $1.00 | $2.00 |
| Grok Build 0.1 | 40 | $1.00 | $2.00 |
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DeepSeek's commitment to open source appears to prioritize ecosystem accessibility over peak performance, with their top model (DeepSeek V3.2 Exp) scoring 46/100 versus Grok 4.1 Fast's 75/100. This strategy enables DeepSeek to offer output pricing as low as $0.290 per 1M tokens (versus xAI's $0.500 minimum), making them attractive for cost-sensitive applications where 'good enough' performance suffices.
xAI's 12x larger context window (2M vs 164K tokens) enables processing entire codebases, legal documents, or book-length texts that DeepSeek cannot handle in a single prompt. Combined with xAI's web search capability (10/10 models vs DeepSeek's 0/11), Grok models can analyze real-time data streams and lengthy documentation that would require multiple DeepSeek API calls, potentially offsetting xAI's higher pricing for document-heavy workflows.
DeepSeek's broader reasoning deployment doesn't translate to quality, with their average score of 42/100 trailing xAI's 59/100 by 17 points despite more models supporting the capability. xAI appears to concentrate resources on fewer, higher-performing models like Grok 4.1 Fast (75/100), while DeepSeek spreads development across 11 models with none exceeding 46/100, suggesting fundamentally different R&D philosophies.
Despite xAI's superior function calling coverage (9/10 models vs DeepSeek's 8/11), DeepSeek's aggressive pricing at $0.290-$2.50 per 1M output tokens makes them compelling for high-volume agent deployments versus xAI's $0.500-$15.00 range. However, xAI's 29-point performance advantage (75/100 vs 46/100 top scores) and integrated web search across all 10 models may justify the 1.7-6x price premium for agents requiring real-time data access or complex reasoning chains.
DeepSeek's complete absence of vision support (0/11 models) versus xAI's 5/10 coverage reveals a text-first strategy that may limit multimodal applications but allows extreme price optimization down to $0.290 per 1M tokens. This specialization makes DeepSeek unsuitable for image analysis, OCR, or visual AI tasks where xAI's Grok models would be the only option between these providers, despite costing 1.7-51x more per token.