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DeepSeek gives you strong reasoning and coding help completely free. ChatGPT offers far more (images, voice, agents, deep research and integrations) with a free plan and paid tiers from $8.
| ChatGPT | DeepSeek | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 4.7/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Value | 4.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Features | 4.9/5 | 3.8/5 |
| Ease of use | 4.7/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Output quality | 4.6/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Category | AI assistant | AI assistant |
| Free plan | Yes: limited messages, image generation and deep research | Yes: the chat app is free |
| Cheapest paid plan (monthly) | $8/mo | - |
| Same plan billed yearly | - | - |
| Top plan | Pro (max): $200/mo | - |
| Seats | Individual plans; Business per user | Individual; API for developers |
| Trial / refund | No trial; cancel any time | Free app |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Best for | Most people: the best all-round AI assistant | Free reasoning and coding help, and developers who need a cheap API |
| ChatGPT | DeepSeek | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, Go $8, Plus $20 | Free app; cheap API |
| Image generation | Yes | No |
| Voice & agents | Yes | Limited |
| Math & code reasoning | Excellent | Excellent |
| Business data controls | Business & Enterprise plans | Data processed in China |
For personal reasoning and coding questions, DeepSeek is remarkable value. For work, check your company’s data policy first: most businesses will be better served by ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
Not overall. It is competitive on reasoning and code and free, but has far fewer features.
Its privacy policy says data is stored in China. Avoid sharing sensitive or work data unless your organization allows it.
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ChatGPT
DeepSeek