Model comparison
DeepSeek V3 vs MiniMax M3
Head-to-head evidence from 18 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Verified leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V3 unranked; MiniMax M3 #18
BenchAlign evidence: DeepSeek V3 supported; MiniMax M3 supported. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. DeepSeek V3 and MiniMax M3 share 18 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 5 results are unique to DeepSeek V3; 27 to MiniMax M3.
Updated July 16, 2026- Shared results
- 18
- DeepSeek V3 only
- 5
- MiniMax M3 only
- 27
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick MiniMax M3 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 18 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
MiniMax M3 is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 70 to 38. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
MiniMax M3's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 85.7 against 1.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 42% to 80.5%.
MiniMax M3 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.30 input / $1.20 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.27 input / $1.10 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V3. MiniMax M3 gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | DeepSeek V3 | Δ | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | DeepSeek V31.7 | Margin→ 84.0 | MiniMax M385.7 |
| Coding | DeepSeek V338.9 | Margin→ 33.3 | MiniMax M372.2 |
| Agentic | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M372.3 |
| Knowledge | DeepSeek V372.8 | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M3Not measured |
| Multimodal | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M364.9 |
| Inst. Following | DeepSeek V386.1 | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M3Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 42%B 80.5%Winner: MiniMax M3Δ 38.5SWE-bench Verified: DeepSeek V3 scored 42%; MiniMax M3 scored 80.5%. MiniMax M3 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3 | MiniMax M3 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | DeepSeek V3$0.27 input / $1.1 output | MiniMax M3$0.3 input / $1.2 output | DeepSeek V3 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | DeepSeek V3Not available | MiniMax M3Not available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | DeepSeek V3Not available | MiniMax M3Not available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | DeepSeek V3128K | MiniMax M31M | MiniMax M3 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic16 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 1.6% | 35.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 22.8% | 88.9% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| GDPval-AASource | 0.0% | 44.7% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| GDPval-AASource | 217 | 1395 | MiniMax M3 leads |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 66% | Not comparable |
| BrowseCompSource | — | 83.5% | Not comparable |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | — | 70.1% | Not comparable |
| MCP AtlasSource | — | 74.2% | Not comparable |
| Claw-EvalSource | — | 74.5% | Not comparable |
| GDPval rubricsSource | — | 74.7% | Not comparable |
| BankerToolBenchSource | — | 76.1% | Not comparable |
| ResearchClawBenchSource | — | 19.8% | Not comparable |
| OSWorld 2.0Source | — | 4.6% | Not comparable |
| AA BriefcaseSource | — | 1110 | Not comparable |
| AA EnterpriseOps-GymSource | — | 32.1% | Not comparable |
| AA Harvey LABSource | — | 6.7% | Not comparable |
CodingMiniMax M3 wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBenchSource | 37.6% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 42% | 80.5% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA Coding IndexSource | 23.0% | 58.6% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| Terminal-Bench HardSource | 6.8% | 42.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-SciCodeSource | 35.4% | 45.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| SWE-bench ProSource | — | 59% | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 66.0% | Not comparable |
| NL2RepoSource | — | 42.1% | Not comparable |
| VIBE V2Source | — | 50.1% | Not comparable |
| SVG-BenchSource | — | 63.7% | Not comparable |
| KernelBench HardSource | — | 28.8% | Not comparable |
| AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Source | — | 65.2% | Not comparable |
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledge9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 59.1% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 75.9% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 14.2% | 44.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 55.7% | 92.9% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 3.6% | 37.1% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -41.3% | 1.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 25.4% | 15.0% | DeepSeek V3 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 89.4% | 16.1% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA Openness IndexSource | — | 33.3% | Not comparable |
MathMiniMax M3 wins2 benchmarks
Multimodal7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1154 | 1294 | MiniMax M3 leads |
| OfficeQA ProSource | — | 45.1% | Not comparable |
| OmniDocBench 1.5Source | — | 91.6% | Not comparable |
| MMMU-ProSource | — | 78.1% | Not comparable |
| VideoMMMUSource | — | 84.6% | Not comparable |
| Video-MME (with subtitle)Source | — | 85.4% | Not comparable |
| AA-MMMU-ProSource | — | 78.6% | Not comparable |
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3 is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 70 to 38. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 42% and 80.5%.
Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V3 or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3 has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 72.2 versus 38.9. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, DeepSeek V3 or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 85.7 versus 1.7. DeepSeek V3 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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