Perplexity is a real-time AI search engine with live web access and cited answers, ideal for research and fact-checking. DeepSeek is a free, open-source LLM optimized for coding and mathematics but lacks real-time web data and citations, making it riskier for information-sensitive tasks.
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
US-based AI search engine delivering real-time web results with full source attribution.
Chinese AI company offering open-source LLMs with advanced reasoning and efficient training methodologies.
Real-Time Web Access. Primary Use Case. Cost Model. Data Privacy Risk. Citation & Source Attribution. Open Source Availability. Writing Quality for Creative Tasks
Choose Perplexity if you need current information, verifiable citations, or work with sensitive data — its real-time web access and transparent sourcing make it essential for research, fact-checking, and professional use. Choose DeepSeek if you're a developer, mathematician, or budget-conscious user prioritizing coding tasks and reasoning — its free access and open-source nature are unmatched, but avoid it for information requiring today's data or sensitive business contexts.
Perplexity: Research & real-time information retrieval | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Real-time citations with verification | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Standard and integrated third-party models | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 128,000 tokens | DeepSeek: 128K
Perplexity: Limited but growing integrations | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Full real-time web search | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Deep Research with superior organization | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 1.2–1.5 billion | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Native real-time citations | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Full Deep Research with multi-step analysis | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Direct live web access (primary) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Numbered inline references with report export | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 0-1 integrations | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Basic (text-focused with limited image support) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Specialized benchmarks (research-focused) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Real-time via live web access | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: High (direct source links with verification) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Web-based research and summaries | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 5 searches/day | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Tracks searches, interactions, and IP address | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 2 primary models | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Inline citations with clickable links throughout response | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Dedicated iOS/Android apps with 4.6/5 rating | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Limited API access in beta | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 15+ million | DeepSeek: ~8 million
Perplexity: Real-time (current) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Unlimited standard searches + 5 pro searches | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: 6,000 tokens (approximate) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Yes (clickable links) | DeepSeek: N/A
Perplexity: Yes (live results) | DeepSeek: No (cutoff April 2024)
Perplexity: Free with limited searches | DeepSeek: Limited API access required
Perplexity: Fully Accessible | DeepSeek: Restricted/Limited
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.014 (DeepSeek-Chat)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Top-tier (R1/V3.2 optimized)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Text, emerging vision
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Free tier available
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Yes, fully supported
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Growing (API-focused)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Technical, developer-centric
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Limited (API-only)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Open-source weights available
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Subject to Chinese data laws
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 4,096 tokens (DeepSeek-V3)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Free (with API credits)
Reasoning Task Performance (GPQA Benchmark)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 685B (DeepSeek-V3)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Partial (R1 inference-only)
Minimum GPU VRAM for Full Model Inference
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 40GB (with MoE efficiency)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 92.3% (DeepSeek-V3)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Closed-source, API-only
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Restricted in some jurisdictions; unclear terms
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 86.5% (DeepSeek-V3)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 2 primary versions (limited small sizes)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.21 (average)
Math Reasoning Accuracy (AIME Benchmark)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Proprietary with restrictions
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Not supported (API only)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Emerging (rank #8 in AI models)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Higher risk - processed by DeepSeek servers
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 8 months old (April 2024)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Limited (text-focused)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: None (API only)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: MIT Open-source
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: $0.00 (Free tier available)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 0% (external integration required)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Fully Supported
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Closed, proprietary
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: U.S. export restrictions (China-based)
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: Limited disclosure, proprietary
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 45 tokens/sec
Perplexity: N/A | DeepSeek: 25 languages
How to choose between Perplexity and DeepSeek
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for DeepSeek vs Perplexity. Contains 113 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for DeepSeek vs Perplexity.
Is DeepSeek safe for business or confidential work?
DeepSeek carries significant security risks for confidential tasks. It has no real-time web access and cannot verify current information — and as a Chinese-built tool, there are legitimate data privacy and government access concerns. For proprietary code, client data, sensitive research, or business-critical information, Perplexity is substantially safer due to its US-based infrastructure and transparent data handling.
Can I use DeepSeek for current events or breaking news?
No. DeepSeek relies on its training data cutoff and cannot access real-time web information. Any answer about recent events, market data, or breaking news will be outdated or inaccurate. Perplexity, with live web search and citations, is the clear choice for current information needs.
Which is better for coding and math problems?
DeepSeek excels at both coding and mathematical reasoning tasks. Its advanced reasoning capabilities and architecture specifically optimize for these domains. Perplexity can handle coding questions but lacks the specialized strength DeepSeek offers — and for comparison, ChatGPT's coding performance sits between the two.
DeepSeek is 100% free with no paywalls or premium tiers. Perplexity offers a free tier with limited searches, and Pro costs $20/month for unlimited searches and advanced features. If cost is the only factor, DeepSeek is unbeatable — but for most professional use cases, Perplexity's subscription cost is justified by real-time data access.
Why doesn't DeepSeek have real-time web access?
DeepSeek is optimized as a large language model for reasoning, coding, and language tasks rather than as a search engine. Adding real-time web access requires different infrastructure and indexing architecture — which Perplexity was specifically built to do. DeepSeek's design prioritizes compute efficiency and reasoning depth over real-time information retrieval.
How to Choose Between Perplexity and DeepSeek
Real-Time Web Access: Perplexity has Yes, with verifiable citations, while DeepSeek has No, training data cutoff only.
Primary Use Case: Perplexity has Research, fact-checking, market analysis, while DeepSeek has Coding, math, reasoning tasks.
Cost Model: Perplexity has Freemium ($20/month Pro), while DeepSeek has 100% free.
Data Privacy Risk: Perplexity has Low (US-based, transparent), while DeepSeek has Moderate-High (Chinese origin, data handling concerns).
Citation & Source Attribution: Perplexity has Yes, every answer cited, while DeepSeek has No citations provided.
Open Source Availability: Perplexity has Proprietary, while DeepSeek has Fully open source.
Consider: Writing Quality for Creative Tasks
Writing Quality for Creative Tasks: Perplexity has Mechanical, research-focused tone, while DeepSeek has More natural conversational flow.