COMPARISON · Last verified: September 2026

DeepSeek vs Google Gemini

Two free AI chatbots compared on API prices, models, open weights and data handling, using what each vendor publishes.

Google Gemini: official demo

Watch Google's official video, Say hi to Gemini, before you decide.

Google Gemini

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Official video via YouTube (Google), embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim this video.

What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is the AI model maker and chatbot run by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., a company registered in China. Its chat assistant runs on the web at chat.deepseek.com and in apps for iOS and Android, which DeepSeek's store listings describe as free; you sign in with an account, and the chat has DeepThink and Search options and accepts file uploads. Developers pay for the API per token from a prepaid balance. As of September 2026 it serves two models: deepseek-flash, which runs DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash (released September 10, 2026), and deepseek-v4-pro. Both list a 1M-token context length and up to 384K output tokens, and the API accepts OpenAI-format and Anthropic-format requests. DeepSeek also publishes its models on Hugging Face: the V4.1-Flash model card says the repository and the model weights are licensed under the MIT License. V4.1-Flash is a 552B-parameter Mixture-of-Experts model that reads images as well as text.

What is Google Gemini?

Google Gemini is Google's AI assistant and the model family behind it. The Gemini app runs on the web, Android and iOS, with desktop apps for macOS and, since September 10, 2026, Windows. The free tier costs $0 with a Google Account and includes Gemini 3.6 Flash, varying access to Gemini 3.1 Pro, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems. Usage limits are compute-based: they refresh every five hours until you reach a weekly limit, and AI credits extend them. Google AI Plus ($4.99/mo) doubles the free limits and adds video generation, Gemini in Gmail and 400 GB of storage. Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) gives 4x the free limits, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Vids, a 1M-token context window and 5 TB of storage, and Pro and Ultra subscribers get Gemini 3.8 Flash, introduced on September 2, 2026. Developers reach the models through the Gemini API, which has a free tier and paid per-token pricing.

Key differences at a glance

Both are free to try, and both offer about a million tokens of context in their APIs. The differences that matter most are these:

• -- How you pay: DeepSeek's chat is free and its API is billed per token from a prepaid balance; Google sells monthly Google AI plans from $4.99 on top of a free tier, plus a per-token API.
• -- API price: deepseek-flash lists $0.15 input and $0.60 output per million tokens off-peak; Gemini 3.8 Flash lists $0.75 and $3.75 through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 and $7.50.
• -- Open weights: DeepSeek publishes its V4-family weights on Hugging Face under the MIT License; Google's open-weight models are the separate Gemma family.
• -- Your data: DeepSeek stores the personal data it collects in the People's Republic of China, with an opt-out from model improvement; Gemini uses chats for training, with human review, while Keep Activity is on, and not while it is off.
• -- Ecosystem: Gemini works inside Gmail, Docs and Vids on paid plans and connects to apps such as Gmail and Google Drive; DeepSeek's API accepts OpenAI- and Anthropic-format requests and is adapted for Codex.
• -- Score: DeepSeek rates 4.7/5 in our review; Google Gemini rates 4.3/5.

Feature-by-feature comparison

Here is how DeepSeek and Google Gemini compare on the points that affect daily use and API builds:

Pricing comparison

DeepSeek describes its chat app as free in its App Store and Google Play listings and sells API access: you top up a prepaid balance that does not expire, and usage is deducted per token. deepseek-flash costs $0.15 per million input tokens on a cache miss, $0.003 on a cache hit and $0.60 per million output tokens off-peak; deepseek-v4-pro costs $0.66, $0.022 and $1.98. Peak rates are double and apply 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday through Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays.

Google Gemini is free with a Google Account. Its US subscription page lists Google AI Plus at $4.99/month, Google AI Pro at $19.99/month and Google AI Ultra from $99.99/month ($199.99/month for 20x Pro's limits), listed per month; Pro and Ultra need a personal Google Account. The entry plan, AI Plus, buys 2x the free usage limits, video generation, Daily Brief, 200 Google Flow credits, Gemini in Gmail and Vids, and 400 GB of storage. AI Pro adds Gemini 3.8 Flash in the app, Gemini in Docs, a 1M-token context window and 5 TB of storage. Teams can buy Gemini Enterprise Business edition from $21 per seat per month.

The Gemini API has a free tier, where your content is used to improve Google's products, and a paid tier, where it is not. Gemini 3.8 Flash costs $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 and $7.50; 3.1 Pro Preview costs $2 and $12 for prompts up to 200K tokens; 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.25 and $1.50. The Batch API halves these rates.

Worked example: an app sending 100 million input tokens and receiving 20 million output tokens a month, with no cache hits, pays $27 on deepseek-flash off-peak (100 × $0.15 + 20 × $0.60) or $54 at peak. On Gemini 3.8 Flash it pays $150 at the introductory rate (100 × $0.75 + 20 × $3.75), $75 through the Batch API, or $300 at the January 2027 rates; 3.1 Flash-Lite would cost $55. These are list prices only, and Google notes 3.8 Flash may use more tokens at higher effort levels.

Bottom Line

DeepSeek (4.7/5) and Google Gemini (4.3/5) are both free to try, but they suit different people. DeepSeek fits builders who care about per-token cost and control: deepseek-flash lists $0.15 per million input tokens off-peak, and the MIT license lets you run the weights yourself. Gemini fits people who work in Google's apps and want one assistant for chat, images, research and voice, with paid plans that add Gmail and Docs integration and storage. Data handling is the other deciding factor: DeepSeek stores what it collects in China and offers an opt-out from model improvement, while Gemini offers Keep Activity, temporary chats and adjustable auto-delete.

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