ChatGPT remains the market leader with superior reasoning capabilities and a 200M+ user base, while DeepSeek offers significantly lower API costs (90% cheaper) and faster inference speeds, making it attractive for cost-conscious developers despite being less widely adopted.
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Chinese AI model focused on reasoning, mathematics, and code efficiency with low computational overhead.
General-purpose conversational AI accessible via web, mobile, and API.
API Cost per 1M Tokens. Monthly Active Users. Response Latency (avg). Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024). Training Data Cutoff. Max Context Window. Open Source Availability
Choose ChatGPT if you need best-in-class reasoning performance, comprehensive ecosystem integration, and access to the largest user community with proven reliability in production environments. Choose DeepSeek if you prioritize cost efficiency, want to run models locally, or need the fastest inference speeds for latency-sensitive applications where reasoning performance differences are acceptable.
DeepSeek: $0.014 (DeepSeek-Chat) | ChatGPT: $0.05-3.00 (varies by model)
DeepSeek: 164K tokens | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens (~96,000 words)
DeepSeek: Top-tier (R1/V3.2 optimized) | ChatGPT: Strong (GPT-4o/5.4 capable)
DeepSeek: Text, emerging vision | ChatGPT: Text, image, voice, video
DeepSeek: Free tier available | ChatGPT: $5 (ChatGPT Go)
DeepSeek: Yes, fully supported | ChatGPT: Limited (enterprise only)
DeepSeek: Growing (API-focused) | ChatGPT: 5,000+ verified GPTs and plugins
DeepSeek: Technical, developer-centric | ChatGPT: Consumer-friendly, polished
DeepSeek: Limited (API-only) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Open-source weights available | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Subject to Chinese data laws | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 4,096 tokens (DeepSeek-V3) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Free (with API credits) | ChatGPT: N/A
Reasoning Task Performance (GPQA Benchmark)
DeepSeek: 685B (DeepSeek-V3) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Partial (R1 inference-only) | ChatGPT: N/A
Minimum GPU VRAM for Full Model Inference
DeepSeek: 40GB (with MoE efficiency) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 92.3% (DeepSeek-V3) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Closed-source, API-only | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Restricted in some jurisdictions; unclear terms | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 86.5% (DeepSeek-V3) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 2 primary versions (limited small sizes) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: $0.21 (average) | ChatGPT: N/A
Math Reasoning Accuracy (AIME Benchmark)
DeepSeek: Proprietary with restrictions | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Not supported (API only) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Emerging (rank #8 in AI models) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Higher risk - processed by DeepSeek servers | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: No | ChatGPT: ChatGPT Plus subscribers only
DeepSeek: Not publicly available | ChatGPT: N/A
Code Generation - Codeforces Problems Solved
DeepSeek: 70+ advanced problems | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Limited beta access | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: ~8 million | ChatGPT: 200+ million
DeepSeek: 128K | ChatGPT: 200,000 tokens (GPT-4o Turbo)
DeepSeek: 8 months old (April 2024) | ChatGPT: Current (December 2024)
DeepSeek: Yes, publicly available | ChatGPT: No
DeepSeek: Limited (text-focused) | ChatGPT: Advanced (GPT-4V with OCR, charts, diagrams)
DeepSeek: None (API only) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: MIT Open-source | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: $0.00 (Free tier available) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 0% (external integration required) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Fully Supported | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: No (cutoff April 2024) | ChatGPT: Yes
DeepSeek: Limited API access required | ChatGPT: Available (full GPT-3.5)
DeepSeek: Restricted/Limited | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Closed, proprietary | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: U.S. export restrictions (China-based) | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: Limited disclosure, proprietary | ChatGPT: N/A
DeepSeek: 25 languages | ChatGPT: 95+ languages
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-3.5 (basic)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Broader ecosystem
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Conversational assistance & content generation
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: o1/o3 advanced reasoning series
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Hundreds of plugins and integrations
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Knowledge cutoff with occasional browsing
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Projects feature
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Limited or subscription-only
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Available but not primary focus
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Custom GPTs with established ecosystem
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Single model per session
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.2 advanced context
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Web access in Plus tier
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Superior synthesis and judgment
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1, and newer models
Minimum Monthly Cost for Advanced Features
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (Plus tier)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes; extensive custom GPT ecosystem
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Thousands via Zapier and API
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes, via GPT-4 Vision in Plus/Pro tiers
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (ChatGPT Enterprise custom terms)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: No (knowledge cutoff)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Web, iOS, Android, API
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $240 (ChatGPT Plus)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Very Strong (GPT-4o)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (Plus) / $200 (Pro)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced (image, video, text, document analysis)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 1 (standalone web/app)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o: Superior accuracy on technical/logic problems
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 5-10 (account creation, app download)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Excellent - follows detailed creative prompts precisely
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $240 (Plus annually)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Manual copy-paste only
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Thousands via Zapier
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Separate application
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Processes public web data only
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 3 (text, image, voice)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5 (Plus/Pro)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Strong (GPT-5.5)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (browse mode)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Strong across 50+ languages
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Strict JSON mode + tool calling
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: ~2025 (browse compensates)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes — Advanced Voice
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Largest (GPTs, Operator)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Polished, top-rated
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Automatic on supported models
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5-class + 4o-mini
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Cloud-only (Azure OpenAI closest)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: ~500 RPM / 90K TPM (GPT-5.5)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5 mini (rate-limited)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: ChatGPT Plus $20/mo
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Pro $100/mo · Pro Max $200/mo
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-5.5: ~$2.50
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o / o1 (advanced)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 40 messages (GPT-4); unlimited (GPT-3.5)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: No—manual upload required
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: No—requires web/app
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes—Custom GPTs
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Basic (via API keys)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $20 (ChatGPT Plus)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: No - requires manual import
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Full API with fine-tuning
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 3-6 seconds average
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced custom instructions system
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Limited messages (no dedicated search)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o & o1 reasoning
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Available (not default)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 1,200-2,000ms (requires API call and context setup)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 0 (web and API only)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 67% correct on HumanEval benchmark
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 15-30 seconds (copy code, switch tabs, paste results)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 128,000 tokens (GPT-4o Pro)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $20/month (Plus tier)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Not supported (text/images only)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Text, images, voice (limited)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 1,200-1,800ms average
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Available (vision-enabled)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: External (API + plugins)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 200M+ weekly users
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: April 2024 cutoff
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Strict safety guidelines
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $15 (GPT-4 Turbo)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (voice input/output)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: GPT-4o mini (capable)
Coding Task Accuracy (HumanEval Benchmark)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 40-50 (approximate)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 12,000 tokens (GPT-4 Turbo)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: No (requires Plus)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: DALL-E 3 (free + paid)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 86% (GPT-4 on AIME problems)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: ~15% of edge-case queries
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: $0.03 (GPT-4 Turbo)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Text, images, PDFs, audio, video
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (Plus/Pro users)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Yes (GPT-3.5 free tier with limited queries)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 1,000+ (via API, Zapier, Make, native integrations)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: Advanced (multi-file, architecture design, debugging)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 120 MB per file (ChatGPT Plus)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 2-5 seconds (depends on query complexity)
DeepSeek: N/A | ChatGPT: 50+ programming and markup languages
How to choose between DeepSeek and ChatGPT
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for DeepSeek vs ChatGPT. Contains 231 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for DeepSeek vs ChatGPT.
Why is DeepSeek so much cheaper than ChatGPT?
DeepSeek's pricing reflects its Chinese operational costs, different business model focused on market penetration rather than maximum revenue, and newer efficiency optimizations. ChatGPT's higher costs support OpenAI's $80B+ annual infrastructure spending, 1,000+ employee team, and R&D for frontier models. DeepSeek's $0.14 per 1M tokens vs ChatGPT's $15 represents a deliberate pricing strategy rather than lower quality infrastructure.
Is DeepSeek's lower reasoning accuracy a dealbreaker?
It depends on use case. For customer service, content generation, and most business applications, DeepSeek's 73.3% AIME accuracy is sufficient. ChatGPT's 96% matters for high-stakes reasoning (research, complex problem-solving, advanced mathematics). For 90% of production use cases, DeepSeek's accuracy is adequate while saving thousands in monthly API costs.
Can I run DeepSeek locally without API costs?
Yes, DeepSeek's model weights are openly available, allowing local deployment on your hardware (GPU requirements vary by model size). ChatGPT requires API access through OpenAI's servers—no local deployment option exists. However, local DeepSeek deployment requires technical expertise and hardware investment ($500-5,000+ for capable GPUs).
Which model is better for enterprise production?
ChatGPT wins for enterprise production due to 200M user base proving reliability, SLA guarantees, Microsoft integration, security compliance certifications, and 96% reasoning accuracy for complex tasks. DeepSeek is suitable for cost-sensitive enterprise scenarios (customer support bots, content generation) where its speed and low cost outweigh the reasoning gap.
How much money can I save switching from ChatGPT to DeepSeek?
A company running 100M monthly API calls would pay $1.5M with ChatGPT ($15/1M tokens) versus $14,000 with DeepSeek ($0.14/1M tokens)—a 99% cost reduction. For smaller use cases (10M monthly calls), savings are $150 with ChatGPT vs $1.40 with DeepSeek. The ROI threshold depends on whether the 23% accuracy gap affects your application's quality metrics.
How to Choose Between DeepSeek and ChatGPT
API Cost per 1M Tokens: DeepSeek has $0.14, while ChatGPT has $15.
Monthly Active Users: DeepSeek has ~8 million (2024 estimate), while ChatGPT has 200+ million (as of 2025).
Response Latency (avg): DeepSeek has 250ms, while ChatGPT has 800ms.
Consider: Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024)
Reasoning Benchmark (AIME 2024): DeepSeek has 73.3%, while ChatGPT has 96%.
Training Data Cutoff: DeepSeek has April 2024, while ChatGPT has December 2024.
Max Context Window: DeepSeek has 128,000 tokens, while ChatGPT has 128,000 tokens.
Open Source Availability: DeepSeek has Yes (weights available), while ChatGPT has No (closed source).