FinderAtlas
Sign in

DeepSeek vs Poe

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

Verdict

DeepSeek and Poe are both AI Assistants tools. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 8.0 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial.

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 Poe if

  • You want a tool built for comparing answers from several models.
  • One account gives access to models from many AI companies, plus image and video models.
  • Side-by-side comparison of model replies in a single conversation.
Best for beginners
Poe
Best for business
Poe

Features

17 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Poe
    Not available
  • Multi-model chat
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Custom bot library
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Bot creation
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Creator monetization
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Poe API
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Image and video generation
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Multiple API keys
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available
  • Apps on several platforms
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Poe
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    DeepSeek
    Freemium
    Poe
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    DeepSeek
    Yes
    Poe
    Yes
  • Starting price
    DeepSeek
    $0
    Poe
    $0
  • Plans
    DeepSeek
    3 plans
    Poe
    6 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

Poe plans

  • Free

    $0

    Small daily point allowance for basic models

    • Daily point refresh
    • Access to basic models and bots

  • Starter

    $4.99/month

    10,000 points per day

    • Daily points
    • Access to models and bots

  • Premium

    Most popular

    $19.99/month

    660,000 points per month

    • Monthly points
    • Premium models
    • Image and video models
    • API access

  • Premium Plus

    $49.99/month

    1.65M points per month

    • Monthly points
    • Premium models
    • API access

  • Pro

    $99.99/month

    3.3M points per month

    • Monthly points
    • Premium models
    • API access

  • Pro Max

    $249.99/month

    8.25M points per month

    • Monthly points
    • Premium models
    • API access

Our ratings

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

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Poe
8.0overall

DeepSeek leads in 0 categories and Poe in 0, with 1 tied.

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Poe
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Poe
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Poe
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Poe
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Tied
    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Poe
    8.0

  • Model Variety

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Poe
    9.3

  • Bot Ecosystem

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Poe
    8.6

  • Pricing Transparency

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Poe
    6.5

  • Developer Tools

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Poe
    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

Poe

Pros

  • One account gives access to models from many AI companies, plus image and video models
  • Side-by-side comparison of model replies in a single conversation
  • Large library of user-made bots, and tools to build and monetize your own
  • OpenAI-compatible API that uses the same point balance
  • Entry paid plan costs $4.99 per month, and a free tier is available

Cons

  • Points are used at different rates by each model, so heavy use of top models can drain an allowance quickly
  • Reported cuts to the free daily allowance and Premium monthly points in 2026
  • Bot quality varies widely and bots can be hard to discover
  • No published compliance certifications such as SOC 2 or HIPAA were found
  • Provider-specific features like ChatGPT's GPTs or Claude's Projects are not available

Platforms

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

Integrations

DeepSeek

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

Poe

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Poe
    Quora
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Poe
    2009
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Poe
    Mountain View, CA
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Poe
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Poe?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Poe is built for comparing answers from several models.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Poe?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Poe: Chat with many AI models, image tools and custom bots through one account.

Does DeepSeek or Poe have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Poe?

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