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Ultimate Guide - The Best DeepSeek-AI Models in 2025

Author
Guest Blog by

Elizabeth C.

Our definitive guide to the best DeepSeek-AI models of 2025. We've partnered with industry insiders, tested performance on key benchmarks, and analyzed architectures to uncover the very best in reasoning and multimodal AI. From state-of-the-art large language models to groundbreaking vision-language capabilities, these models excel in innovation, accessibility, and real-world application—helping developers and businesses build the next generation of AI-powered tools with services like SiliconFlow. Our top three recommendations for 2025 are DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek-V3, and DeepSeek-VL2—each chosen for their outstanding features, versatility, and ability to push the boundaries of open source AI development.



What are DeepSeek-AI Models?

DeepSeek-AI models are advanced large language models that specialize in reasoning, coding, mathematics, and multimodal understanding. Using cutting-edge Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures and reinforcement learning techniques, they deliver exceptional performance across diverse AI tasks. These models democratize access to powerful AI capabilities, enabling developers and researchers to build sophisticated applications with unprecedented reasoning abilities, from complex mathematical problem-solving to advanced code generation and visual understanding.

DeepSeek-R1

DeepSeek-R1-0528 is a reasoning model powered by reinforcement learning (RL) that addresses the issues of repetition and readability. Prior to RL, DeepSeek-R1 incorporated cold-start data to further optimize its reasoning performance. It achieves performance comparable to OpenAI-o1 across math, code, and reasoning tasks, and through carefully designed training methods, it has enhanced overall effectiveness.

Subtype:
Reasoning Model
Developer:DeepSeek-AI

DeepSeek-R1: Advanced Reasoning Powerhouse

DeepSeek-R1-0528 is a reasoning model powered by reinforcement learning (RL) that addresses the issues of repetition and readability. Prior to RL, DeepSeek-R1 incorporated cold-start data to further optimize its reasoning performance. It achieves performance comparable to OpenAI-o1 across math, code, and reasoning tasks, and through carefully designed training methods, it has enhanced overall effectiveness. With 671B total parameters in a MoE architecture and 164K context length, it represents the pinnacle of reasoning AI capabilities.

Pros

  • Performance comparable to OpenAI-o1 in reasoning tasks.
  • Massive 671B parameter MoE architecture for superior capabilities.
  • 164K context length for handling complex, long-form problems.

Cons

  • Higher computational requirements due to large parameter count.
  • Premium pricing at $2.18/M output tokens on SiliconFlow.

Why We Love It

  • It delivers OpenAI-o1 level reasoning performance with cutting-edge reinforcement learning optimization, making it the ultimate choice for complex mathematical and logical problem-solving.

DeepSeek-V3

The new version of DeepSeek-V3 (DeepSeek-V3-0324) utilizes the same base model as the previous DeepSeek-V3-1226, with improvements made only to the post-training methods. The new V3 model incorporates reinforcement learning techniques from the training process of the DeepSeek-R1 model, significantly enhancing its performance on reasoning tasks.

Subtype:
Large Language Model
Developer:DeepSeek-AI

DeepSeek-V3: Enhanced General-Purpose AI

The new version of DeepSeek-V3 (DeepSeek-V3-0324) utilizes the same base model as the previous DeepSeek-V3-1226, with improvements made only to the post-training methods. The new V3 model incorporates reinforcement learning techniques from the training process of the DeepSeek-R1 model, significantly enhancing its performance on reasoning tasks. It has achieved scores surpassing GPT-4.5 on evaluation sets related to mathematics and coding. Additionally, the model has seen notable improvements in tool invocation, role-playing, and casual conversation capabilities.

Pros

  • Surpasses GPT-4.5 performance in mathematics and coding.
  • Enhanced tool invocation and role-playing capabilities.
  • 671B parameter MoE architecture with 131K context length.

Cons

  • High computational requirements for optimal performance.
  • Premium pricing structure on SiliconFlow platform.

Why We Love It

  • It combines the power of a massive MoE architecture with advanced reasoning capabilities, delivering GPT-4.5+ performance across diverse tasks from coding to conversation.

DeepSeek-VL2

DeepSeek-VL2 is a mixed-expert (MoE) vision-language model developed based on DeepSeekMoE-27B, employing a sparse-activated MoE architecture to achieve superior performance with only 4.5B active parameters. The model excels in various tasks including visual question answering, optical character recognition, document/table/chart understanding, and visual grounding.

Subtype:
Vision-Language Model
Developer:DeepSeek-AI

DeepSeek-VL2: Efficient Multimodal Intelligence

DeepSeek-VL2 is a mixed-expert (MoE) vision-language model developed based on DeepSeekMoE-27B, employing a sparse-activated MoE architecture to achieve superior performance with only 4.5B active parameters. The model excels in various tasks including visual question answering, optical character recognition, document/table/chart understanding, and visual grounding. Compared to existing open-source dense models and MoE-based models, it demonstrates competitive or state-of-the-art performance using the same or fewer active parameters.

Pros

  • Superior performance with only 4.5B active parameters.
  • Excels in OCR, document, and chart understanding.
  • Efficient MoE architecture for cost-effective deployment.

Cons

  • Limited 4K context length compared to other models.
  • Focused primarily on vision-language tasks.

Why We Love It

  • It achieves remarkable multimodal performance with exceptional efficiency, making it perfect for vision-language applications that require both quality and cost-effectiveness.

DeepSeek-AI Model Comparison

In this table, we compare 2025's leading DeepSeek-AI models, each with a unique strength. For advanced reasoning tasks, DeepSeek-R1 provides OpenAI-o1 level performance. For general-purpose AI applications, DeepSeek-V3 offers superior coding and conversation abilities, while DeepSeek-VL2 excels in efficient multimodal understanding. This side-by-side view helps you choose the right DeepSeek model for your specific AI development goals.

Number Model Developer Subtype SiliconFlow PricingCore Strength
1DeepSeek-R1DeepSeek-AIReasoning Model$2.18/M tokensOpenAI-o1 level reasoning
2DeepSeek-V3DeepSeek-AILarge Language Model$1.13/M tokensGPT-4.5+ performance
3DeepSeek-VL2DeepSeek-AIVision-Language Model$0.15/M tokensEfficient multimodal AI

Frequently Asked Questions

Our top three picks for 2025 are DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek-V3, and DeepSeek-VL2. Each of these models stood out for their innovation, performance, and unique approach to solving challenges in reasoning, general language understanding, and multimodal AI applications.

For complex reasoning and mathematical problems, DeepSeek-R1 is the top choice with its reinforcement learning optimization. For general coding, conversation, and tool usage, DeepSeek-V3 excels with its enhanced capabilities. For vision-language tasks requiring efficiency, DeepSeek-VL2 offers the best balance of performance and resource usage.

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