The short answer: DeepSeek for free chat and cheap API tokens, ChatGPT for a full toolset
Pick DeepSeek when a no-cost assistant with DeepThink reasoning and web search covers your needs, or when you want very low API token prices for your own software, keeping in mind that its privacy policy places personal data in China. Choose ChatGPT if you need documented limits for files, plus images, voice, deep research and coding agents in one app, with paid tiers from $8 a month. Answer quality is not established by either vendor's pages.
What was compared and how
Task: everyday individual use, meaning questions and writing, research with web sources, working with files and coding help, plus a short look at developer API costs. We compared the DeepSeek app on the web and mobile with the ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans.
Evidence: DeepSeek's homepage, API pricing page and privacy policy, and OpenAI's ChatGPT pricing page, all read on October 25, 2026. This is a documentation comparison. AppFor.ai has not run both assistants on the same inputs, so nothing below is a measured quality or speed result. Consumer prices are monthly US prices; API prices are per million tokens.
Compare the same criteria
Each criterion states what each vendor documents and what it means for the task. Where a page does not say something, we write that it is not established.
- Price of the app. DeepSeek: the web and mobile chat is free and we found no paid consumer plan on its site. ChatGPT: Free, then Go $8, Plus $20 and Pro from $100 a month. What this means: DeepSeek costs nothing for chat; ChatGPT charges for higher limits and extra tools.
- Reasoning and search. DeepSeek: a DeepThink mode for step-by-step reasoning and a Search mode for web answers. ChatGPT: search on all plans, advanced reasoning models with GPT-6 from Plus, and Pro reasoning with GPT-6 Astra on Pro. What this means: both let you switch on reasoning and search for free; ChatGPT's reasoning options grow with the plan.
- Files. DeepSeek: its privacy policy lists uploaded files among the inputs it collects; upload limits are not established. ChatGPT: about 12 pages of text per input on Free with the instant model, about 40 on Go and Plus and about 250 on Pro. What this means: for long documents, ChatGPT tells you in advance which plan fits.
- Extra tools. DeepSeek: image generation and deep research are not listed on the pages we read; its privacy policy mentions voice input, but voice chat is not described on its product pages. ChatGPT: image creation, voice chats and deep research, limited on Free and expanded on paid plans. What this means: if you need these in one app, ChatGPT documents them.
- Coding. DeepSeek: coding help in chat, and a separate desktop agent, DeepSeek Harness, linked from its site. ChatGPT: limited Codex and ChatGPT Work on Free, expanded on Plus. What this means: both cover everyday coding questions; ChatGPT documents agent access per plan.
- Privacy and data location. DeepSeek: its privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China. ChatGPT: OpenAI's pricing page says content may be used to train its models on all individual plans, with an opt-out available. What this means: check both policies before sharing work or personal information; DeepSeek's data location matters for many employers.
- API price for developers. DeepSeek: deepseek-flash costs $0.30 per million input tokens on a cache miss and $1.20 per million output tokens at peak, half that off-peak. ChatGPT: the OpenAI API is billed separately from ChatGPT plans and was outside this check. What this means: DeepSeek's API is very low cost per token; compare it with OpenAI's developer pricing on your own workload.
Which fits your real work?
A student checking homework reasoning. DeepSeek fits on a zero budget, because DeepThink and Search are free. ChatGPT Free also works. In both, check every step against your course material.
Summarising a 30-page work PDF. ChatGPT Go or Plus fits, since OpenAI lists about 40 pages per input. DeepSeek's file limit is not established, and its data location may rule it out for company documents.
Adding AI to your own app on a tight budget. DeepSeek's API fits, with off-peak rates at half the peak price. If you need OpenAI models, price the same workload on OpenAI's API before deciding.
Cost of getting the work done
Monthly consumer cost: DeepSeek app free; ChatGPT Free, Go $8 (which may include ads), Plus $20, Pro from $100.
API, per million tokens at peak: deepseek-flash $0.30 input on a cache miss, $0.006 on a cache hit and $1.20 output; deepseek-v4-pro $1.32 input and $3.96 output. Off-peak rates are half; peak hours are 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays. Search and fetch requests cost $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, with charges for calls through DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code or Codex starting at 00:00 Beijing time on November 1, 2026 (17:00 CET on October 31).
Like for like, the free tiers both cost nothing; the difference is limits and tools. How many messages each free tier allows is not established for either service.
Try both on the same small task
Suggested comparison, not a test we have run: take a reasoning question whose answer you already know, such as a pricing or scheduling puzzle from your work with no personal data, and run it with DeepThink in DeepSeek and in ChatGPT Free.
- The final answer matches yours.
- Each step of the reasoning can be checked and none is invented.
- Any web source cited actually supports the claim.
- Note which answer needed fewer corrections; one run is a signal, not a ranking.
What would change the choice
Check these conditions before you decide. For more on each product, see our DeepSeek profile and our ChatGPT profile.
- If company rules restrict where personal data may be stored, check DeepSeek's China data location with your IT team first.
- If you need image creation or voice chat in the same app, ChatGPT lists both; DeepSeek's product pages describe neither.
- If you only need text chat with reasoning and search, DeepSeek's free app may be enough.
- If you are building software, compare API prices per finished task, not per token alone.
Go to the source
Sources & further reading
Based on the official documentation below. Features and access can change; check the provider before making a decision.
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