# Code By AI vs DeepSeek

> Code By AI: One API key for Claude Code, Codex and Gemini — billed per token, from 1/6 of the official price.
> DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models

- Code By AI profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/code-by-ai
- DeepSeek profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/deepseek
- Comparison page: https://finderatlas.com/compare/code-by-ai-vs-deepseek
- Last reviewed: November 2026

## Verdict

Code By AI is listed under Coding AI and DeepSeek under AI Assistants. Only DeepSeek has a free plan or trial. Only Code By AI is available on CLI. Only DeepSeek is available on Windows, macOS and iOS.

### Choose Code By AI if

- You want a tool built for developers who code with Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI.

### Choose DeepSeek if

- You want a tool built for Low-cost API integration.
- Web chat and mobile apps are free.
- API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers.

## Pricing

| | Code By AI | DeepSeek |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Free plan or trial | No | Yes |
| Starting price | 0 | $0 |

## Features

| Feature | Code By AI | DeepSeek |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One API key for Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI | Yes | Not listed |
| One OpenAI-compatible endpoint | Yes | Not listed |
| Pay per token from 1/6 of official prices | Yes | Not listed |
| V4 model family | Not listed | Yes |
| Thinking mode | Not listed | Yes |
| Open weights | Not listed | Yes |
| OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API | Not listed | Yes |
| Tool calls and JSON output | Not listed | Yes |
| Search and Fetch APIs | Not listed | Yes |
| Agent tool integrations | Not listed | Yes |
| DeepSeek Harness | Not listed | Yes |
| Vision on Flash | Not listed | Yes |

## Platforms

| Platform | Code By AI | DeepSeek |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | No | Yes |
| macOS | No | Yes |
| iOS | No | Yes |
| Android | No | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Browser Extension | No | No |
| CLI | Yes | No |

## DeepSeek strengths

- Web chat and mobile apps are free
- API output costs from $0.60 per 1M tokens (Flash, off-peak), well below most frontier providers
- Open weights for V4 and earlier models on Hugging Face
- 1M-token context and 384K max output on both API models
- API works with both OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs and several coding agents

## DeepSeek limitations

- Peak-hour API rates are double the off-peak rates on weekday mornings UTC
- deepseek-v4-pro does not support vision input
- No image generation
- Data is processed by a company based in China, which some organizations cannot accept

## FAQ

**Is Code By AI better than DeepSeek?**

It depends on your workflow. Code By AI is built for developers who code with Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration.

**What are the key feature differences between Code By AI and DeepSeek?**

Code By AI: One API key for Claude Code, Codex and Gemini — billed per token, from 1/6 of the official price. DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models.

**Does Code By AI or DeepSeek have a free plan?**

DeepSeek has a free plan or trial; Code By AI is paid only.

**Which is cheaper, Code By AI or DeepSeek?**

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.