Free
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
Claude vs DeepSeek: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
The short answer
Choose Claude if…
- you want Claude Code, Claude Science, and desktop apps included in a fixed monthly fee
- you need a simple subscription with predictable costs and advanced features like Projects
Choose DeepSeek if…
Our pick for most people
- you want a free chat app with no subscription
- you need high concurrency limits (2500) and pay only for the tokens you use
Bottom line: DeepSeek is the better choice for most readers because it scored higher across the board and offers a generous free tier with usage-based API pricing.
Key differences
- Claude costs $20/month for the Pro plan, while DeepSeek uses a usage-based model with no fixed monthly fee for its API. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (api-docs.deepseek.com), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Claude offers a free plan with access to web, desktop, and mobile apps. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (claude.com), checked Oct 3, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- DeepSeek offers a free chat app with web and mobile access, plus API plans with concurrency limits of 2500 for deepseek-flash and 500 for deepseek-v4-pro. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chat.deepseek.com), checked Oct 1, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Claude's Pro plan includes Claude Code, Claude Science, and Claude Design, Slides, Docs. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (claude.com), checked Oct 3, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- DeepSeek's API pricing is usage-based, with deepseek-flash having a concurrency limit of 2500 and deepseek-v4-pro at 500. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (api-docs.deepseek.com), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | Claude | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free $0 | Free (chat app) $0Access Web and mobile chat app, no subscription |
| Paid plans | Pro $20/mo or $200/yrMax 5x $100/moMax 20x $200/mo | deepseek-flash Usage-basedConcurrency Limit 2500deepseek-v4-pro Usage-basedConcurrency Limit 500 |
| Business plans | Standard seat $25/user/mo or $240/user/yrPremium seat $125/user/mo or $1,200/user/yrEnterprise Custom | — |
From each vendor's own pricing page · Claude checked Oct 4, 2026 · DeepSeek checked Oct 1, 2026.
Our tests
Scores out of 10 on the same tasks of our public test suite ("Chat assistants", version 2), run hands-on in each app, scored by the same blind judges.
| Task | Claude · paid tier | DeepSeek · free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Decline a meeting politely | 9.3/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Summarize a text in 3 bullets | 9.8/10 | 8.8/10 |
| Work out an arrival time | 9.9/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Solve a small logic puzzle | 8.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Extract data as JSON | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Write a small Python function | 9.7/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Explain a concept to a 12-year-old | 9.8/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Rewrite a blunt message | 8.7/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Translate into Spanish | 9.3/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Make a 5-day beginner plan | 9.5/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Write a 3-sentence product text | 9.7/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Admit what it cannot know | 9.4/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Average | 9.4/10 | 9.8/10 |
DeepSeek Free scored 9.8/10 on the email-decline task 9.8Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Decline a meeting politely: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 8.8/10 on the summary-three-bullets task 8.8Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 8.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the travel-time task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Work out an arrival time: 10.0/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the logic-pets task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Solve a small logic puzzle: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the json-order task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the python-function task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Write a small Python function: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the explain-kid task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Explain a concept to a 12-year-old: 10.0/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 9.7/10 on the rewrite-tone task 9.7Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Rewrite a blunt message: 9.7/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 10.0/10 on the translate-es task 10.0Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Translate into Spanish: 10.0/10, 5 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 9.7/10 on the running-plan task 9.7Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Make a 5-day beginner plan: 9.7/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 9.7/10 on the product-three-sentences task 9.7Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Write a 3-sentence product text: 9.7/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. DeepSeek Free scored 9.7/10 on the unknown-paper task 9.7Our test · free tierDeepSeek · Admit what it cannot know: 9.7/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.3/10 on the email-decline task 9.3Our test · paid tierClaude · Decline a meeting politely: 9.3/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.8/10 on the summary-three-bullets task 9.8Our test · paid tierClaude · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.9/10 on the travel-time task 9.9Our test · paid tierClaude · Work out an arrival time: 9.9/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 8.0/10 on the logic-pets task 8.0Our test · paid tierClaude · Solve a small logic puzzle: 8.0/10, 1 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 10.0/10 on the json-order task 10.0Our test · paid tierClaude · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.7/10 on the python-function task 9.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Write a small Python function: 9.7/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.8/10 on the explain-kid task 9.8Our test · paid tierClaude · Explain a concept to a 12-year-old: 9.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 8.7/10 on the rewrite-tone task 8.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Rewrite a blunt message: 8.7/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.3/10 on the translate-es task 9.3Our test · paid tierClaude · Translate into Spanish: 9.3/10, 4 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.5/10 on the running-plan task 9.5Our test · paid tierClaude · Make a 5-day beginner plan: 9.5/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.7/10 on the product-three-sentences task 9.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Write a 3-sentence product text: 9.7/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.4/10 on the unknown-paper task 9.4Our test · paid tierClaude · Admit what it cannot know: 9.4/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
What users say
Claude
One Reddit user notes that Claude Code is steganographically marking requests HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Jun 30, 2026See the report ↓. Another user mentions that Claude Code's source code was leaked via a map file in their NPM registry HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Mar 31, 2026See the report ↓. A user reports that Claude Code refuses requests or charges extra if commits mention "OpenClaw" HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Apr 30, 2026See the report ↓. Some users share that they use Claude to fix frustrations with PDFs RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 26, 2026See the report ↓. Others enjoy using Claude Fable to mash game genres RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 12, 2026See the report ↓. One user finds that Claude is too self-aware and won't say "uwu" without a fake captcha RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 6, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (6)
I used Claude to fix my biggest frustration with PDFs My bank asked for 17 PDF documents regarding my mortgage application. I got tired of opening and closing files and keeping track of things. …
My favorite thing right now is to use Claude Fable to mash game genres. Here's Tetris as a Racing game!
Claude Code's source code has been leaked via a map file in their NPM registry. Related ongoing thread: The Claude Code Source Leak: fake tools, frustration regexes, undercover mode -
Claude Code refuses requests or charges extra if your commits mention "OpenClaw"
Claude Code is steganographically marking requests
Help my claude wont say uwu i have been trying to get him to say uwu the whole day and i only managed to do it once using a fake captcha. He keeps saying he has standards. Hes too self aware!!!
DeepSeek
One user notes that DeepSeek's pricing allows them to not worry about usage for two weeks HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 23, 2026See the report ↓. Another user mentions that DeepSeek V4 Pro is roughly 11.5x cheaper than GPT-5.5 on input and 34.5x cheaper on output RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/OpenAI, posted May 24, 2026See the report ↓. A user reports that DeepSeek's pricing means no other value prop has been great HNUser report · mixed · Hacker NewsPosted Sep 27, 2026See the report ↓. Another user says that DeepSeek R1 was legendary RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/DeepSeek, posted Jan 1, 2026See the report ↓. One user mentions that DeepSeek improved code and said nothing happened in Tiananmen Square RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jun 7, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (5)
… I like that with DeepSeek's API pricing that I can not sure it for 2w, and not feel like I've missed out. 2w is a long time, but I only use it for personal stuff, and I often go 1-2w without using it due to other commitments.
… DeepSeek V4 Pro: Input: $0.435 per 1M tokens Output: $0.87 per 1M tokens OpenAI GPT-5.5: Input: $5.00 Output: $30.00 Claude Opus 4.7: Input: $5.00 Output: $25.00 Claude Sonnet 4.6: Input: $3.00 Output: $15.00 DeepSeek is roughly: 11.5x cheaper than GPT-5.5 on input 34.5x cheaper than GPT-5.5 on …
Do it again, DeepSeek So many great models already… DeepSeek R1 was legendary. Now we're waiting for the one that changes everything again.
With DeepSeek's pricing, no other value prop has been great.
DeepSeek "improved" the code and said nothing happened in Tiananmen Square
Questions people ask
Which tool is better for casual use?
Both tools have free plans. DeepSeek's free app is excellent for casual use, while Claude's free plan covers casual use well.
Which tool has higher scores in our tests?
DeepSeek scored higher across most tasks. See the test results above for the full comparison.
Does Claude include coding tools?
Yes, the Pro plan includes Claude Code and Claude Science.
What are DeepSeek's concurrency limits?
DeepSeek-flash has a concurrency limit of 2500, and deepseek-v4-pro has a limit of 500.
Is DeepSeek's pricing usage-based?
Yes, DeepSeek's API pricing is usage-based, with no fixed monthly fee for the API plans.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
Claude
- Pricing page · checked Oct 3, 2026claude.com/pricing ↩ text
- Pricing pagesupport.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan
- Limits pagesupport.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-le…
DeepSeek
- Pricing page · checked Sep 24, 2026api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing ↩ text
- Plan list checked by hand on Oct 1, 2026chat.deepseek.com ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
Claude
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
The free plan covers casual use well, but paying unlocks higher limits, Claude Code, and advanced models for regular work.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $20/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.4/10
Our test (hands-on): paid tier 9.4/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Pro
$20/mo
or $200/yr
Max 5x
$100/mo
Max 20x
$200/mo
Standard seat
$25/user/mo
or $240/user/yr
Premium seat
$125/user/mo
or $1,200/user/yr
Enterprise
Custom
DeepSeek
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
DeepSeek's free chat app covers daily use; pay for API concurrency or vision features.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- Usage-based
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.8/10
Our test (hands-on): free tier 9.8/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Free (chat app)
$0
deepseek-flash
Usage-based
deepseek-v4-pro
Usage-based
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure