Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen3 235B delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,440 vs 1,365), while DeepSeek Coder V2 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (60.5%), while DeepSeek Coder V2 is more budget-friendly at $0.28/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
DeepSeek open-weight Mixture-of-Experts coding model supporting 338 programming languages and 128k context.
Open-weight Qwen3 mixture-of-experts.
Δ 75 Arena Elo pts
75 tok/s
$0.28 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | DeepSeek Coder V2 | Qwen3 235B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +75 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +4.9% | ||
| SWE-bench | +1.1% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +6.6% | ||
| Time to first token | +30 ms | ||
| Output speed | 75 tok/s | 74 tok/s | +1 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.14/1M | $0.22/1M | +$0.08/1M |
| Output price | $0.28/1M | $0.88/1M | +$0.6/1M |
| Context window | +3k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
DeepSeek Coder V2 is estimated to save $11.80/month ($142/year).
Higher SWE-bench (60.5%).
Lower output list price ($0.28/1M).
Lower TTFT (290 ms).
Larger window (131k).
Qwen3 235B is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | DeepSeek Coder V2 | Higher SWE-bench (60.5%). |
| High-volume chat | DeepSeek Coder V2 | Lower output list price ($0.28/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | DeepSeek Coder V2 | Lower TTFT (290 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Qwen3 235B | Larger window (131k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Qwen3 235B | Qwen3 235B is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
Dynamic OpenGraph banner generated at /compare/deepseek-coder-v2-vs-qwen-3-235b/opengraph-image
Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry