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DeepSeek vs Microsoft Copilot

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

Microsoft Copilot logo

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft's AI assistant for chat, writing and research across web, apps and Microsoft 365

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

DeepSeek and Microsoft Copilot are both AI Assistants tools. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 8.4 out of 10), led by reasoning & logic. Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek offers an API.

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 Microsoft Copilot if

  • You want a tool built for drafting and summarizing inside Word.
  • Free tier with chat, image creation and voice on web, desktop and mobile.
  • Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
Best for beginners
DeepSeek
Best for business
Microsoft Copilot

Features

19 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not available
  • Chat
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Image creation
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Voice
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Microsoft 365 integration
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Cowork
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Researcher
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Code
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Notebook and Guided Learning
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Work IQ
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available
  • Auto model picker
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Microsoft Copilot
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    DeepSeek
    Freemium
    Microsoft Copilot
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    DeepSeek
    Yes
    Microsoft Copilot
    Yes
  • Starting price
    DeepSeek
    $0
    Microsoft Copilot
    $0
  • Plans
    DeepSeek
    3 plans
    Microsoft Copilot
    4 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

Microsoft Copilot plans

  • Copilot Free

    $0

    Free with a signed-in Microsoft account; some features have usage limits

    • Chat
    • Image creation
    • Voice
    • Web research
    • Copilot apps on web
    • desktop and mobile

  • Microsoft 365 Personal

    $9.99/month

    One person; includes desktop Office apps and Copilot with higher usage than free

    • Copilot in Word
    • Excel
    • PowerPoint and Outlook
    • Higher usage than free
    • 1 TB storage

  • Microsoft 365 Premium

    Most popular

    $19.99/month

    Up to 6 people on the plan, with AI features for the owner; replaced Copilot Pro

    • Everything in Family
    • Extensive advanced chat and image creation
    • Premium-only features
    • Limited agentic AI use

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot Business

    $25.20/user/month

    Add-on for small and medium businesses; needs an eligible Microsoft 365 plan

    • Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps
    • Chat grounded in work data
    • Enterprise Data Protection
    • Admin controls
    • Adoption analytics

Our ratings

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

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Microsoft Copilot
8.4overall

DeepSeek leads in 1 category and Microsoft Copilot in 1.

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek leads by 0.8
    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Microsoft Copilot
    8.0

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Microsoft Copilot
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Microsoft Copilot leads by 0.2
    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Microsoft Copilot
    8.2

  • Microsoft 365 Integration

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Microsoft Copilot
    9.3

  • Enterprise Security

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Microsoft Copilot
    8.8

  • Value for Money

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Microsoft Copilot
    7.8

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

Microsoft Copilot

Pros

  • Free tier with chat, image creation and voice on web, desktop and mobile
  • Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams for Microsoft 365 subscribers
  • Copilot Chat is included with eligible business Microsoft 365 plans at no extra cost
  • Enterprise Data Protection and admin controls in business plans
  • Apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android

Cons

  • Consumer premium features require a Microsoft 365 subscription; the standalone Copilot Pro plan is no longer sold
  • Copilot Business is an add-on at $21 to $25.20 per user per month on top of a Microsoft 365 plan
  • Usage limits apply to free and lower tiers, and Microsoft does not publish exact numbers on the pricing page
  • Family plan AI features are for the subscription owner only

Platforms

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

Integrations

DeepSeek

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

Microsoft Copilot

9 integrations
  • Microsoft 365
  • Word
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • Outlook
  • Teams
  • OneNote
  • OneDrive
  • Microsoft Edge

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Microsoft Copilot
    Microsoft
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Microsoft Copilot
    1975
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Microsoft Copilot
    Redmond, WA
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Microsoft Copilot
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Microsoft Copilot?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Microsoft Copilot is built for drafting and summarizing inside Word.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Microsoft Copilot?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft's AI assistant for chat, writing and research across web, apps and Microsoft 365.

Does DeepSeek or Microsoft Copilot have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Microsoft Copilot?

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