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DeepSeek vs Grok

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Verdict

DeepSeek and Grok are both AI Assistants tools. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 8.3 out of 10), led by coding & syntax. Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

DeepSeek

  • Software developers
  • Researchers and analysts
  • Students
  • AI engineers

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.

Choose Grok if

  • You want a tool built for questions that need current information from X and the web.
  • Searches both X posts and the web for current information.
  • Free tier available without a subscription.
Best for beginners
Grok
Best for business
Grok

Features

17 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Grok
    Not available
  • Live Search
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • Chat and Reasoning
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • File and Image Analysis
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • Grok Imagine
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • Voice Mode
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • Conversation Import
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • Shared Subscription
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available
  • xAI API
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Grok
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    DeepSeek
    Freemium
    Grok
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    DeepSeek
    Yes
    Grok
    Yes
  • Starting price
    DeepSeek
    $0
    Grok
    $0
  • Plans
    DeepSeek
    3 plans
    Grok
    5 plans

DeepSeek plans

  • Chat and App

    Most popular

    $0

    Free access to DeepSeek models on web, iOS and Android

    • Web chat
    • iOS and Android apps
    • Thinking mode
    • Web search
    • File upload

  • API: deepseek-flash

    $0.15/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.15 cache-miss input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Vision
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

  • API: deepseek-v4-pro

    $0.66/1M input tokens

    Pay as you go; $0.66 cache-miss input and $1.98 output per 1M tokens off-peak, double at peak

    • 1M context
    • 384K max output
    • Tool calls
    • JSON output

Grok plans

  • Free

    $0

    Capped use of Grok on grok.com, X and the apps.

    • Limited prompts
    • Basic models

  • Plus

    $8/month

    Entry plan with a shared usage pool across Grok, the API, Cursor and X.

    • Grok Chat
    • Voice
    • Imagine and Build
    • Grok API
    • Cursor
    • Fewer X timeline ads
    • Premium checkmark

  • Premium

    Most popular

    $30/month

    4x the usage of Plus with the latest models.

    • 4x Plus usage
    • Latest Grok models
    • Image and video generation
    • Cloud agents and automations
    • Ad-free X on most surfaces

  • Super

    $100/month

    15x the usage of Plus.

    • 15x Plus usage
    • 1080p video
    • Priority model access at peak times

  • Ultra

    $200/month

    50x the usage of Plus.

    • 50x Plus usage
    • Most powerful chat models
    • Earliest access to new products and models

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Grok
8.3overall

DeepSeek leads in 1 category and Grok in 0.

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Grok
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek leads by 0.4
    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Grok
    8.3

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Grok
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Grok
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Grok
    Not rated

  • Real-time Information Access

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Grok
    8.8

  • Image and Video Generation

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Grok
    8.2

  • Reasoning & Math

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Grok
    8.5

  • Value for Money

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Grok
    7.5

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

DeepSeek

Pros

  • 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

Cons

  • 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

Grok

Pros

  • Searches both X posts and the web for current information
  • Free tier available without a subscription
  • Image and video generation in the same app as chat
  • Separate API with long context windows (up to 1M tokens on some models)
  • Real-time voice mode in the mobile apps

Cons

  • Free usage is capped, and xAI does not publish the exact limit
  • Usage limits are given only as multiples of the Plus plan, not as fixed numbers
  • Answers drawing on X posts can reflect unverified social content
  • The App Store rates the app 16+ because of mature themes

Platforms

  • Web
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Supported
  • Windows
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Not supported
  • macOS
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Not supported
  • iOS
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Supported
  • Android
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Supported
  • API
    DeepSeek
    Supported
    Grok
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    DeepSeek
    Not supported
    Grok
    Not supported

Integrations

DeepSeek

6 integrations
  • OpenAI SDK
  • Anthropic SDK
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • OpenCode
  • Hugging Face

Grok

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Grok
    xAI
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Grok
    2023
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Grok
    Not listed
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Grok
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Grok?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Grok is built for questions that need current information from X and the web.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Grok?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Grok: xAI's AI assistant with live X and web search, image and voice tools. Grok is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does DeepSeek or Grok have a free plan?

Yes, both do. DeepSeek is freemium and Grok is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Grok?

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