Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, DeepSeek V4 Pro delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,536 vs 1,478), while MiniMax M2.5 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (75.8%), while MiniMax M2.5 is more budget-friendly at $0.9/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Open-weight-adjacent DeepSeek flagship. High reasoning density per dollar.
MiniMax coding model. Tied near the top of official SWE-bench bash-only in Feb 2026.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 58 Arena Elo pts
90 tok/s
$0.8999999999999999 / 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 V4 Pro | MiniMax M2.5 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +58 | ||
| Coding Elo | +8 | ||
| LiveBench | +5.7% | ||
| SWE-bench | +4.2% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +7.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +160 ms | ||
| Output speed | 70 tok/s | 90 tok/s | +20 tok/s |
| Input price | $1.32/1M | $0.22/1M | +$1.1/1M |
| Output price | $3.96/1M | $0.9/1M | +$3.06/1M |
| Context window | +844k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
MiniMax M2.5 is estimated to save $84.40/month ($1,013/year).
Higher SWE-bench (75.8%).
Lower output list price ($0.9/1M).
Lower TTFT (250 ms).
Larger window (1M).
DeepSeek V4 Pro is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | MiniMax M2.5 | Higher SWE-bench (75.8%). |
| High-volume chat | MiniMax M2.5 | Lower output list price ($0.9/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | MiniMax M2.5 | Lower TTFT (250 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | DeepSeek V4 Pro | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | DeepSeek V4 Pro | DeepSeek V4 Pro is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Top DeepSeek vs top Anthropic Elo. Usually V4 Pro vs Opus 5. License and invoice decide as much as Elo.
2026-06 open-weight-adjacent flagship. The usual cheap-vs-Claude question starts here.
Tied near the top of official SWE-bench bash-only in Feb 2026. Coding lists should still see it.
Jan 2025 reasoning model. Still searched. V4 Pro is the newer DeepSeek buy.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
compare · Jun 13, 2026
DeepSeek vs Claude: the cheap-versus-frontier question, remapped
launch · Jun 12, 2026
DeepSeek V4 Pro: high reasoning density per dollar
launch · Feb 12, 2026
MiniMax M2.5: the Feb 2026 SWE-bench specialist still on the board
launch · Jan 20, 2025
DeepSeek R1 stays as the open-weights RL baseline