DeepSeek is a Chinese AI model optimized for reasoning and coding with lower computational costs, while Perplexity is a US-based AI search engine focused on real-time web information retrieval and source citation. They serve different primary use cases: DeepSeek excels at complex problem-solving, while Perplexity excels at current information gathering.
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Chinese AI reasoning model optimized for complex problem-solving and code generation with lower costs.
US-based AI search engine providing real-time web answers with full source attribution.
Primary Function. Real-time Internet Access. Source Citation. Reasoning Capability (AIME Score). Cost Model. Geographic Origin. Data Privacy (Knowledge Cutoff)
Choose DeepSeek if you need advanced reasoning for complex problems, coding assistance, or cost-effective AI API access without privacy concerns about browsing history. Choose Perplexity if you need current information, fact-checking with cited sources, or prefer a US-based privacy policy—particularly valuable for research, journalism, and time-sensitive queries.
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-weight available | Perplexity: Proprietary (API/web only)
DeepSeek: Subject to Chinese data laws | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: 4,096 tokens (DeepSeek-V3) | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: Free (with API credits) | Perplexity: N/A
Reasoning Task Performance (GPQA Benchmark)
DeepSeek: 685B (DeepSeek-V3) | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: Partial (R1 inference-only) | Perplexity: N/A
Minimum GPU VRAM for Full Model Inference
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) | Perplexity: N/A
Math Reasoning Accuracy (AIME Benchmark)
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: Not publicly available | Perplexity: N/A
Code Generation - Codeforces Problems Solved
DeepSeek: 70+ advanced problems | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: Limited beta access | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: ~8 million | Perplexity: 15-20 million
DeepSeek: 128K | Perplexity: 100,000 (Claude 3)
DeepSeek: 8 months old (April 2024) | Perplexity: Real-time (updated daily)
DeepSeek: Yes, publicly available | 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: No (cutoff April 2024) | Perplexity: Yes (live results)
DeepSeek: Free chat beta (limited tokens) | Perplexity: Yes (5 daily searches)
DeepSeek: Restricted/Limited | Perplexity: Fully Accessible
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: Chinese, English (beta expansion) | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: DeepSeek-V3: 88.5% | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: 128,000 tokens | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: Chat UI and API only | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: Primarily China; limited beta elsewhere | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: DeepSeek-V3: 93.2% | Perplexity: N/A
DeepSeek: 71% | Perplexity: Not published
DeepSeek: $0.14 | Perplexity: N/A (search-based)
DeepSeek: April 2024 | Perplexity: Real-time (daily)
DeepSeek: Unlimited (with rate limits) | Perplexity: 5
DeepSeek: No inline sources | Perplexity: Full source links
DeepSeek: N/A (pay-per-API) | Perplexity: $20
DeepSeek: N/A | 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: 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: 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: Built-in real-time search
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: 95% of responses
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: Good (optimized for conciseness)
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: Basic support
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: All tiers (free + paid)
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: Daily updates (live web)
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: Text-only (currently)
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: 100% of responses cited
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: 150+ templates (emerging)
DeepSeek: N/A | Perplexity: Full web search + citations
How to choose between DeepSeek and Perplexity
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for DeepSeek vs Perplexity. Contains 139 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
DeepSeek vs Perplexity — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for DeepSeek vs Perplexity.
Which AI is better for current events and breaking news?
Perplexity is significantly better for current information. It has real-time web search integration with sources updated daily, while DeepSeek's knowledge cutoff is April 2024 and cannot access live web data. Perplexity cites specific sources, making it ideal for journalism and time-sensitive research.
DeepSeek is substantially cheaper. Input tokens cost $0.14 per 1M tokens compared to Perplexity's API (when available), and DeepSeek's free tier has unlimited usage with soft rate limits. Perplexity's free tier is limited to 5 daily searches, while paid is $20/month.
Which is better for math and coding problems?
DeepSeek-R1 is specifically optimized for reasoning and achieved 71% accuracy on the AIME math benchmark, making it superior for complex problem-solving and algorithm design. Perplexity focuses on information retrieval rather than reasoning tasks and doesn't publish comparable benchmarks.
Is DeepSeek safe regarding privacy and data?
DeepSeek doesn't access the web, so it doesn't track browsing history. However, it's a Chinese company subject to Chinese data regulations. Perplexity is US-based with a stated privacy policy of not retaining search history in the free tier. Both have privacy tradeoffs depending on jurisdiction preferences.
Can I use DeepSeek and Perplexity for commercial applications?
DeepSeek offers commercial API access with transparent pricing ($0.14/$0.56 per 1M tokens for input/output). Perplexity's commercial terms are less clearly defined—the free tier has use restrictions, and Pro ($20/month) appears designed for individual users. DeepSeek is more developer-friendly for commercial integration.
How to Choose Between DeepSeek and Perplexity
Primary Function: DeepSeek has Reasoning & code generation model, while Perplexity has Real-time AI search engine.
Real-time Internet Access: DeepSeek has No live web browsing, while Perplexity has Yes, live web search integration.
Source Citation: DeepSeek has No inline source links, while Perplexity has Full source attribution with links.
Consider: Reasoning Capability (AIME Score)
Reasoning Capability (AIME Score): DeepSeek has 71% (DeepSeek-R1), while Perplexity has Unknown/Not published.
Cost Model: DeepSeek has Free tier available, lower API costs, while Perplexity has Free tier limited, paid subscription required.
Geographic Origin: DeepSeek has China, while Perplexity has United States.
Consider: Data Privacy (Knowledge Cutoff)
Data Privacy (Knowledge Cutoff): DeepSeek has April 2024, while Perplexity has Real-time (current).