Compare DeepSeek and Grok AI models in 2025. Explore specs, performance, cost, and features to see which suits you best. Read now!
Key Points
- Research suggests DeepSeek and Grok, both AI models, have unique strengths; DeepSeek is open-source and cost-effective, while Grok offers advanced features like DeepSearch.
- It seems likely that DeepSeek-V3 has 671 billion parameters, trained on 14.8 trillion tokens, while Grok 3’s parameters are unclear but trained on 12.8 trillion tokens.
- The evidence leans toward DeepSeek being more accessible due to its open-source nature, while Grok requires a subscription (e.g., X Premium+ at $40/month).
- Performance varies by task; both excel in different areas, with some user tests showing mixed results.
- An unexpected detail is DeepSeek’s lower training costs, potentially disrupting the AI sector, while Grok benefits from xAI’s significant resources.
Introduction
In the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence, DeepSeek and Grok stand out as two prominent large language models (LLMs) with distinct approaches. This comparison will break down their origins, technical specs, performance, cost, accessibility, features, and future plans, helping you understand which might suit your needs better.
Origins and Background
DeepSeek, founded in July 2023 by Liang Wenfen in China, focuses on open-source models like DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, gaining attention for their efficiency and low cost. Conversely, Grok comes from xAI, Elon Musk’s company, and is integrated with X, with iterations leading to Grok 3, emphasizing curiosity and truth-seeking.
Model Specifications and Performance
DeepSeek-V3 boasts 671 billion parameters, with 37 billion active per token, trained on 14.8 trillion tokens, making it a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model. Grok 3’s parameter count isn’t public, but it’s trained on 12.8 trillion tokens using a supercomputer with 200,000 GPUs, also an MoE model. Performance varies; DeepSeek-V3 competes in benchmarks like MMLU, while Grok 3 claims superiority in math and science, though user tests show mixed results, with each excelling in different tasks.
Cost and Accessibility
DeepSeek’s open-source nature means it’s free to use, modify, and distribute, ideal for researchers and developers. Grok, however, requires a subscription, like X Premium+ at $40/month, limiting access to paying users, though it’s free until server capacity is reached.
Features and Future Plans
DeepSeek offers a range of models for various tasks, community-driven due to openness. Grok 3 introduces DeepSearch for reasoning and “Big Brain” mode for complex queries, integrated with X. Both aim to innovate, with DeepSeek potentially expanding into multimodal capabilities and xAI leveraging resources for enhanced reasoning.
Survey Note: Comprehensive Comparison of DeepSeek and Grok
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, two notable players have emerged: DeepSeek and Grok. Both are large language models (LLMs) that promise to redefine how we interact with AI. This detailed comparison explores their origins, model specifications, performance, cost, accessibility, features, and future plans, providing a thorough analysis for readers to understand their differences and similarities.
Origin and Background
DeepSeek:
- Founded in July 2023 by Liang Wenfen, co-founder of the Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
- Known for developing open-source LLMs, including DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, released in late 2024 and early 2025, respectively.
- Gained attention for competitive performance and cost-effectiveness, with training costs significantly lower than Western models, such as claiming DeepSeek-V3 was trained for $6 million compared to $100 million for OpenAI’s GPT-4 in 2023 (DeepSeek – Wikipedia).
- The release of models like DeepSeek-R1, under the MIT License, has been compared to OpenAI’s GPT-4o and o1, shaking up the global AI sector (What is DeepSeek and why is it disrupting the AI sector? | Reuters).
Grok:
- Developed by xAI, founded by Elon Musk in 2023, with the mission to advance scientific discovery and understand the universe.
- Grok was first unveiled in November 2023, integrated with X, and has seen iterations like Grok 1, Grok 1.5, Grok 2, and the latest, Grok 3, announced on February 20, 2025 (Welcome | xAI, Grok | xAI).
- Not open-source, with a focus on being maximally truthful, useful, and curious, and recently enhanced with features like Voice Mode for premium users (Grok on the App Store).
Model Specifications
DeepSeek-V3:
- Total parameters: 671 billion, with 37 billion activated per token, utilizing a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture for efficient inference.
- Training dataset: 14.8 trillion tokens, incorporating diverse and high-quality data.
- Features innovative load balancing and multi-token prediction, trained in 2.788 million H800 GPU hours, showcasing efficiency (GitHub – deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V3).
Grok 3:
- Parameter count: Not publicly disclosed, but Grok 1 has 314 billion parameters, and some sources suggest Grok 3 may have up to 2.7 trillion parameters, though this is unconfirmed and likely an overestimate (Grok 3: Comprehensive Analysis. Introduction | by ByteBridge | Feb, 2025 | Medium, Open Release of Grok-1 | xAI).
- Training dataset: 12.8 trillion tokens, trained on the Colossus supercomputer with 200,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, indicating significant computational resources (Elon Musk’s Grok 3 Overview: x.AI’s Powerful New AI Model – GeeksforGeeks).
- Model type: Also an MoE, with specialized modes like Grok 3 Reasoning and Grok 3 Mini Reasoning for complex problem-solving.
Performance
Both models have been evaluated on various benchmarks, with results varying by task:
- DeepSeek-V3:
- Achieves state-of-the-art performance in benchmarks like MMLU, competing with models like Llama 3.1 and GPT-4, particularly in text understanding and generation (DeepSeek – https://www.deepseek.com/).
- User tests, such as those on Chatbot Arena, show strong performance in coding and logical reasoning, though sometimes described as mechanical in style (I just tested Grok-3 vs DeepSeek with 7 prompts – here’s the winner | Tom’s Guide).
- Grok 3:
- Claims to outperform competitors in AIME (93.3%) and GPQA (84.6%) benchmarks, highlighting strengths in mathematical and scientific reasoning (Grok 3 vs ChatGPT vs DeepSeek vs Claude vs Gemini – Which AI Is Best in February 2025? | Fello AI).
- Independent comparisons, like those on LMSYS Arena, show it excelling in some areas but struggling in others, with some tests indicating it lags behind DeepSeek in structured responses (How Grok 3 compares to ChatGPT, DeepSeek and other AI rivals | Mashable).
A table summarizing benchmark performances, where available, is as follows:
| Benchmark | DeepSeek-V3 Score | Grok 3 Score |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU | Competitive | 79.9% (reported) |
| AIME | Not specified | 93.3% (reported) |
| GPQA | Not specified | 84.6% (reported) |
| HumanEval | Strong (coding) | Not specified |
Note: Some scores are from official claims and may require independent verification.
Cost and Accessibility
- DeepSeek:
- Open-source under the MIT License, freely available for download and use, such as on GitHub (GitHub – deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V3).
- Can be run on personal hardware or cloud services, making it highly accessible and cost-effective, especially for researchers and developers in budget-constrained environments.
- Grok:
- Access to Grok 3 is gated through X Premium+ subscription, costing $40 per month in the US, or through a separate SuperGrok plan (Elon Musk’s xAI launches Grok 3 model amid tight AI competition – CNBC).
- Offers free access until server capacity is reached, but with severe rate limits, limiting practical use for non-subscribers (Grok 3 vs. Deepseek r1 – Composio).
Features
- DeepSeek:
- Offers a range of models, from smaller to larger parameter sizes, catering to different computational needs and tasks.
- Known for efficient training and inference, with features like multi-token prediction and load balancing, suitable for text generation and understanding (DeepSeek AI | Leading AI Language Models & Solutions).
- Community-driven development due to open-source nature, allowing for customizations and contributions.
- Grok:
- Introduces DeepSearch, a reasoning-based chatbot that articulates its thought process, useful for educational and debugging purposes (Musk’s xAI launches Grok 3, which it says is the ‘best AI model to date’ – RDWorld).
- Features “Big Brain” mode for complex queries, leveraging additional computing resources for deeper reasoning.
- Integrated with X for real-time data access, enhancing its capabilities in current events and social media analysis (Grok | xAI).
Future Plans
- DeepSeek:
- As a relatively new company, DeepSeek is likely to continue innovating, potentially expanding into multimodal capabilities (text, vision, etc.) and releasing more efficient models (What is DeepSeek – and why is everyone talking about it? – BBC).
- Given its cost-effective approach, it may focus on democratizing AI access, especially in regions with limited resources.
- xAI (Grok):
- With significant financial backing, including a $6 billion funding round in December 2024, xAI is expected to push the boundaries of AI capabilities (xAI (company) – Wikipedia).
- Focus on enhancing Grok’s reasoning abilities and integrating it further with X, potentially offering more advanced features like improved voice interactions and real-time analytics.
This comprehensive comparison highlights that DeepSeek and Grok cater to different user bases and needs, with DeepSeek’s open-source model appealing to cost-conscious developers and Grok’s subscription-based access offering advanced features for paying users. The choice ultimately depends on specific requirements, budget, and preferences regarding model transparency and accessibility.