DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
DeepSeek DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview | Google Gemini 3.5 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Company | DeepSeek | |
| Release date | Nov 20 2024 | May 19 2026 |
| Access | Open Weight | Proprietary |
| Benchmarks | ||
Nonsense detection BullshitBench v2Given a confidently-worded but nonsensical prompt, does the AI spot that it makes no sense and push back — instead of playing along and inventing an answer? The score is how often it clearly called out the nonsense. Higher is better. | — | 20% |
Agentic coding SWE-Bench ProCan the AI fix real bugs in real software? It's handed actual problems from open-source projects and has to write code that genuinely solves them. Higher is better. | — | 55.1% |
Agentic coding CursorBench v3.1Cursor's own test of harder, real-world coding tasks inside a code editor. Higher is better. | — | 49.8% |
Agentic terminal coding Terminal-Bench 2.1Can the AI work in a command-line terminal — running commands and finishing technical setup tasks the way a developer would? Higher is better. | — | 76.2% |
Multi-step tool use MCP AtlasCan the AI chain together many tools and steps to complete one bigger task, rather than doing just a single thing? Higher is better. | — | 83.6% |
General tool use ToolathlonTests how well the AI uses everyday real-world tools and apps to get things done. Higher is better. | — | 56.5% |
Multidisciplinary reasoning Humanity's Last Exam · no toolsHumanity's Last Exam — extremely hard expert questions across many subjects, written so you can't just look up the answer. “No tools” means the AI answers on its own. Higher is better. | — | 40.2% |
Abstract reasoning ARC-AGI-2Puzzle-style tests of abstract reasoning and pattern-finding — the kind of thing people find easy but AIs often struggle with. Higher is better. | — | 72.1% |
Agentic computer use OSWorld-VerifiedCan the AI actually operate a computer — clicking, typing, and using real apps — to finish tasks on its own? Higher is better. | — | 78.4% |
Agentic financial analysis Finance Agent v2Tests the AI on real financial-analysis work, like digging through reports and making sound decisions. Higher is better. | — | 57.9% |
Knowledge work GDPval-AAMeasures how well the AI does economically valuable knowledge work, judged against human experts. Shown as a rating (like a chess Elo) — higher is better. | — | 1656 |
Chart reasoning CharXiv ReasoningCan the AI read and reason about complex charts and figures, not just text? Higher is better. | — | 84.2% |
Multimodal reasoning MMMU-ProA tougher version of MMMU — college-level questions that mix images, diagrams, and text together. Higher is better. | — | 83.6% |
Spatial reasoning Blueprint-Bench 2Can the AI reason about space and layout — for example, understanding a floor plan or blueprint? Higher is better. | — | 33.6% |
Long context MRCR v2 (8-needle) · 128k averageTests whether the AI can find specific details buried inside a very long document (around 128k tokens — roughly a long book). Higher is better. | — | 77.3% |
Long context MRCR v2 (8-needle) · 1M pointwiseTests whether the AI can find specific details buried inside an enormous document (around 1 million tokens — many books). Higher is better. | — | 26.6% |
| Timeline | ||
| Release gap | DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview shipped 545 days before Gemini 3.5 Flash | |
Which is better: DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview or Gemini 3.5 Flash?
DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash don't publish scores on any of the same benchmarks, so there's no direct head-to-head comparison. DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview shipped 545 days before Gemini 3.5 Flash, so benchmark comparisons should account for the intervening progress.
DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview is open weight, while Gemini 3.5 Flash is proprietary.
Direct benchmark comparisons are unavailable — DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash don't publish scores on any of the same benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview was released by DeepSeek on Nov 20 2024.
Gemini 3.5 Flash was released by Google on May 19 2026.
DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview is an open weight model released by DeepSeek. Gemini 3.5 Flash is a proprietary model released by Google.
Other comparisons
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