DeepSeek V3 Base vs GPT-5.2 Codex
DeepSeek V3 Base (2024) and GPT-5.2 Codex (2025) are agentic coding models from DeepSeek and OpenAI. DeepSeek V3 Base ships a 128K-token context window, while GPT-5.2 Codex ships a not-yet-sourced context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing. The goal is to make the tradeoff clear before deeper testing.
GPT-5.2 Codex is safer overall; choose DeepSeek V3 Base when provider fit matters.
Specs
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2025-12-18 |
| Context window | 128K | — |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| DeepSeek V3 Base | GPT-5.2 Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | - |
| Output price | - | - |
| Providers | - | - |
Pricing not yet sourced for either model.
Capabilities
| DeepSeek V3 Base | GPT-5.2 Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: GPT-5.2 Codex, multimodal input: GPT-5.2 Codex, reasoning mode: GPT-5.2 Codex, function calling: GPT-5.2 Codex, tool use: GPT-5.2 Codex, and code execution: GPT-5.2 Codex. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
Pricing coverage is uneven: DeepSeek V3 Base has no token price sourced yet and GPT-5.2 Codex has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 0 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose DeepSeek V3 Base when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose GPT-5.2 Codex when coding workflow support are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Is DeepSeek V3 Base or GPT-5.2 Codex open source?
DeepSeek V3 Base is listed under Open Source. GPT-5.2 Codex is listed under Proprietary. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, DeepSeek V3 Base or GPT-5.2 Codex?
GPT-5.2 Codex has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, DeepSeek V3 Base or GPT-5.2 Codex?
GPT-5.2 Codex has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for reasoning mode, DeepSeek V3 Base or GPT-5.2 Codex?
GPT-5.2 Codex has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, DeepSeek V3 Base or GPT-5.2 Codex?
GPT-5.2 Codex has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
When should I pick DeepSeek V3 Base over GPT-5.2 Codex?
GPT-5.2 Codex is safer overall; choose DeepSeek V3 Base when provider fit matters. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with DeepSeek V3 Base; if it depends on coding workflow support, run the same evaluation with GPT-5.2 Codex.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-18. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.