DeepSeek vs 
xAI
Verdict
- xAI's flagship leads: Grok 4.6 at 63.8 vs Deepseek v4 Pro at 60.3.
- xAI has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- DeepSeek's fastest ranked model (Deepseek v4 Flash Vision, 119 tok/s) beats xAI's (Grok 4.3, 113 tok/s).
- DeepSeek publishes more open-weights models (10 vs 0).
- xAI ships more often: one model every 42 days against every 84.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | DeepSeek | xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | DeepSeek V4 Flash high 59.3$0.168/M | – |
| Under $2/M | DeepSeek V4 Pro high 60.0$0.548/M | Grok 4.3 medium 60.7$1.56/M |
| Under $10/M | DeepSeek V4 Pro high 60.0$0.548/M | Grok 4.6 medium 63.8$3.00/M |
| Any price | DeepSeek V4 Pro high 60.0$0.548/M | Grok 4.6 medium 63.8$3.00/M |
Line-up
| Metric | DeepSeek | xAI |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 60.3 | 63.8 |
| Ranked models | 14 | 14 |
| Open-weights models | 10 | 0 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.068 | $1.25 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 119 | 113 |
| Release cadence, days | 84 | 42 |
| Last release | 21 Aug 2026 | 12 Aug 2026 |
| Next expected | 10 Oct 2026 – 16 Dec 2026 | 6 Sept 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |