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DeepSeek vs Riff

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

Verdict

DeepSeek is listed under AI Assistants and Riff under Productivity. DeepSeek scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.8 vs 7.8 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only DeepSeek is available on Web, Windows and macOS and offers an API. Only Riff is available on Chrome Extension.

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 Riff if

  • You want a tool built for writing quick replies and comments on social posts.
  • Free, with no account, subscription or API key.
  • Generation runs on-device with Gemini Nano, so text is not sent to a server.
Best for beginners
Riff
Best for business
Riff

Features

17 features compared.

  • V4 model family
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Thinking mode
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Open weights
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • OpenAI and Anthropic compatible API
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Tool calls and JSON output
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Search and Fetch APIs
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Agent tool integrations
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • DeepSeek Harness
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • Vision on Flash
    DeepSeek
    Available
    Riff
    Not available
  • On-device AI
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Replies and comments
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • DM replies and first messages
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Riff a post
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Dials
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Repurposing
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Voices and presets
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available
  • Never sends for you
    DeepSeek
    Not available
    Riff
    Available

Pricing

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

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

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

Riff plans

  • Free

    $0

    Free to use with no account, subscription or payment

    • Replies and comments
    • DM replies
    • Post and thread drafting
    • On-device Gemini Nano
    • No API key

Our ratings

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

DeepSeek
8.8overall
Riff
7.8overall

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

  • Reasoning & Logic

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Riff
    Not rated

  • Coding & Syntax

    DeepSeek
    8.7
    Riff
    Not rated

  • Cost Efficiency

    DeepSeek
    9.6
    Riff
    Not rated

  • Long Context

    DeepSeek
    8.8
    Riff
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Tied
    DeepSeek
    8.0
    Riff
    8.0

  • Feature Depth

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Riff
    7.5

  • Output Quality

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Riff
    6.8

  • Privacy

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Riff
    9.0

  • Documentation & Support

    DeepSeek
    Not rated
    Riff
    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

Riff

Pros

  • Free, with no account, subscription or API key
  • Generation runs on-device with Gemini Nano, so text is not sent to a server
  • Covers replies, DMs, posts and X threads in one side panel
  • Never presses send, which keeps the user in control
  • Dials for tone, pitch and length, plus a Fresh score to avoid repetitive openings

Cons

  • Requires desktop Chrome 138 or newer and a one-time Gemini Nano download
  • Output quality is limited by the small on-device model
  • Chrome only; no Firefox, Safari or mobile support
  • Very new, with few reviews on the Chrome Web Store

Platforms

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

Integrations

DeepSeek

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

Riff

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    DeepSeek
    DeepSeek
    Riff
    Zima Media OÜ
  • Founded
    DeepSeek
    2023
    Riff
    Not listed
  • Headquarters
    DeepSeek
    Hangzhou, China
    Riff
    Tallinn, Estonia
  • Listing
    DeepSeek
    Claimed
    Riff
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek better than Riff?

It depends on your workflow. DeepSeek is built for Low-cost API integration. Riff is built for writing quick replies and comments on social posts.

What are the key feature differences between DeepSeek and Riff?

DeepSeek: Free AI chat app and low-cost API running DeepSeek's open-weights V4 models. Riff: Draft fresh replies, DMs and posts for X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram on-device.

Does DeepSeek or Riff have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek or Riff?

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