FinderAtlas
Sign in

DeepSeek vs Perplexity

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

Verdict

DeepSeek and Perplexity are both AI Assistants tools. 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 Perplexity if

  • You want a tool built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.
  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check.
  • Free plan includes search with citations.
Best for beginners
Perplexity
Best for business
Perplexity

Features

17 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Perplexity
    Not available
  • Cited answers
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Pro Search
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Research
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Model selection
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • File uploads
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity Computer
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Comet browser
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available
  • Perplexity API
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Perplexity
    Available

Pricing

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

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

Perplexity plans

  • Free

    $0

    Basic search with citations and limited daily usage.

    • Search with citations
    • 3 Pro Searches per day
    • 1 Research query per month
    • Limited file uploads

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $20/month

    Higher limits, advanced models and Perplexity Computer for individuals.

    • Extended Pro Search
    • Extended Research
    • Advanced AI models
    • Image generation
    • Create files and apps
    • Comet Assistant
    • Weekly Computer usage

  • Max

    $200/month

    Highest consumer limits, with monthly credits and priority support.

    • Everything in Pro
    • 10,000 monthly credits
    • Highest Comet Assistant limits
    • Brain (research preview)
    • Extended Create files and apps
    • Priority support

  • Enterprise Pro

    $40/user/mo

    Team plan with admin controls and organizational features.

    • 400 Pro Searches per week
    • 50 Research queries per month
    • 80 Comet Assistant queries per month
    • 500 monthly credits
    • File uploads and sharing

  • Enterprise Max

    $325/user/mo

    Highest enterprise limits with SCIM, audit logs and priority support.

    • 4,000 Pro Searches per week
    • 500 Research queries per month
    • 15,000 monthly credits
    • 15 videos per month
    • SCIM and audit logs
    • Priority support

Our ratings

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

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Perplexity
8.7overall

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Perplexity
    Not rated

  • Live Web Search & Citations

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.2

  • Real-time Factuality & News

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.6

  • Source Transparency

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    9.0

  • Document & Research Analysis

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.3

  • Search Speed & Responsiveness

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Perplexity
    8.5

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

Perplexity

Pros

  • Every answer links to numbered sources, so claims are easy to check
  • Free plan includes search with citations
  • Paid plans offer a choice of advanced models from several providers
  • Available on web, iOS, Android and through a developer API
  • Separate Comet browser integrates the assistant into browsing

Cons

  • Free plan is limited to 3 Pro Searches per day and 1 Research query per month
  • Pro and Max limits are described as weekly or monthly allowances rather than fixed numbers
  • Max costs $200 per month, and Enterprise Max costs $325
  • Answers can still contain errors, so the cited sources need checking

Platforms

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

Integrations

DeepSeek

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

Perplexity

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Perplexity
    Perplexity AI, Inc.
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Perplexity
    2022
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Perplexity
    San Francisco, CA
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Perplexity
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Perplexity?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Perplexity is built for answering factual and current-events questions with checkable sources, and running multi-step web research.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Perplexity?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Perplexity: AI answer engine that searches the live web and cites its sources.

Does DeepSeek or Perplexity have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Perplexity?

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