# DeepSeek vs Profound

> DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models
> Profound: Track how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini mention your brand, then act with AI agents

- DeepSeek profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/deepseek
- Profound profile: https://finderatlas.com/tools/profound
- Comparison page: https://finderatlas.com/compare/deepseek-vs-profound
- Last reviewed: October 2026

## Verdict

DeepSeek is listed under AI Assistants and Profound under Sales & Marketing AI. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 7.8 out of 10), led by ease of use. Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek is available on Windows, macOS and iOS.

### 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 Profound if

- You want a tool built for measuring brand visibility and citations across AI answer engines, and turning that data into content and page updates.
- Covers up to nine answer engines, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews.
- Combines monitoring with action through AI Marketer agents that draft work for approval.

## Pricing

| | DeepSeek | Profound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free trial |
| Free plan or trial | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |

## Features

| Feature | DeepSeek | Profound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| V4 model family | Yes | Not listed |
| Thinking mode | Yes | Not listed |
| Open weights | Yes | Not listed |
| OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API | Yes | Not listed |
| Tool calls and JSON output | Yes | Not listed |
| Search and Fetch APIs | Yes | Not listed |
| Agent tool integrations | Yes | Not listed |
| DeepSeek Harness | Yes | Not listed |
| Vision on Flash | Yes | Not listed |
| Answer Engine Insights | Not listed | Yes |
| Prompt Volumes | Not listed | Yes |
| Shopping Visibility | Not listed | Yes |
| Agent Analytics | Not listed | Yes |
| AI Marketer | Not listed | Yes |
| Context Manager | Not listed | Yes |
| FactCheck and Sentiment | Not listed | Yes |
| Command Center | Not listed | Yes |

## Platforms

| Platform | DeepSeek | Profound |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | No |
| macOS | Yes | No |
| iOS | Yes | No |
| Android | Yes | No |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Browser Extension | No | 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

## Profound strengths

- Covers up to nine answer engines, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews.
- Combines monitoring with action through AI Marketer agents that draft work for approval.
- Agent Analytics connects to CDN and cloud providers such as Cloudflare, Akamai and AWS.
- Enterprise controls include SSO, SCIM, RBAC and SOC 2.
- Documented API and MCP access for pulling data into reports and pipelines.

## Profound limitations

- No published prices; paid plans require talking to the accounts team.
- The free Trial is limited to 50 prompts for 7 days with no data history or exports.
- Third-party reports of a mid-September 2026 pricing change removing self-serve plans make costs hard to compare.
- API, exports and SSO are not included in the Trial.

## FAQ

**Is DeepSeek better than Profound?**

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Profound is built for measuring brand visibility and citations across AI answer engines, and turning that data into content and page updates.

**What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Profound?**

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Profound: Track how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini mention your brand, then act with AI agents.

**Does DeepSeek or Profound have a free plan?**

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

**Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Profound?**

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