DeepSeek
by DeepSeek🧠 General AIChina's leading open-weight model — near-frontier quality at 10x cheaper API pricing
A Chinese AI lab releasing frontier-quality models at a fraction of the cost. V3.2 scores competitively with GPT-5.2 on coding benchmarks, and the API costs just $0.28/M input tokens. Open weights under MIT license mean you can self-host.
V3.2, open weights, 128K context, reasoning mode, code generation, MIT license for weights
Last updated: March 26, 2026 · Pricing verified from official sources. Prices are subject to change by the provider.
Pricing
Free TierYes — free web chat + generous API free tier
Entry PlanAPI only: $0.28/1M input
Team Plan—
EnterpriseNot available
API Pricing$0.28/$0.42 per 1M tokens
Prices exclude applicable taxes (VAT/GST/sales tax varies by region).
Specifications
Context / Input128K tokens
Max OutputHigh quality, competitive with GPT-5.2
ModalitiesText
Agent / AgenticVia API integrations
SecurityChina-hosted servers — consider data sovereignty
Self-hostedNo
DeepSeek — Who Is It Best For?
Budget API usage, self-hosting, open-source projects, cost-sensitive teams
Ideal for:DevelopersdataFoundersFreelancers
✅ Strengths
• Free tier available
• 128K tokens context
• Via API integrations
• China-hosted servers — consider data sovereignty certified
• V3.2
⚠️ Consider
• Cloud-only (no self-hosting)
• No enterprise tier available
💡 Budget tip: Start with DeepSeek's free tier to test it. For a free alternative, check out Claude.
Alternatives to DeepSeek
Claude
Anthropic
Anthropic's flagship — tops coding benchmarks and handles 1M-token documents with ease
Free$20/mo
ChatGPT
OpenAI
The one everyone knows — 800M users, image/video gen, plugins, and the deepest app ecosystem
Free$8/mo
Gemini
Google
Google's AI with the most generous free tier and native Workspace integration
Free$8/mo
Grok
xAI
xAI's model with rock-bottom API pricing and real-time access to X/Twitter data
Free$30/mo
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does DeepSeek cost?
DeepSeek offers a free tier.
Is DeepSeek free?
Yes, DeepSeek offers a free tier with limited features. Contact sales for paid plan pricing.
What is DeepSeek best for?
DeepSeek is best for Budget API usage, self-hosting, open-source projects, cost-sensitive teams. Key features include: V3.2, open weights, 128K context, reasoning mode, code generation, MIT license for weights.
Is DeepSeek right for you?
Get a personalised AI Fit Score based on your role, budget, team size, and priorities.
Start the recommendation wizardStart wizard aitoolsmentor.com · Pricing verified March 26, 2026 · AI Tools Mentor Fit Score