AI Model Release Tracker - Timeline of Major AI Models from 2022-2026

DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview vs o3

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview
OpenAI
o3
Overview
CompanyDeepSeekOpenAI
Release dateNov 20 2024Apr 16 2025
AccessOpen WeightProprietary
Benchmarks
Nonsense detection
BullshitBench v2
26%
Timeline
Release gapDeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview shipped 147 days before o3

Which is better: DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview or o3?

DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview and o3 don't publish scores on any of the same benchmarks, so there's no direct head-to-head comparison. DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview shipped 147 days before o3, so benchmark comparisons should account for the intervening progress.

DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview is open weight, while o3 is proprietary.

Direct benchmark comparisons are unavailable — DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview and o3 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.

o3 was released by OpenAI on Apr 16 2025.

DeepSeek-R1-Lite Preview is an open weight model released by DeepSeek. o3 is a proprietary model released by OpenAI.

Other comparisons