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ChatGPT vs DeepSeek is a choice between a paid product with more features and a free one with open weights. DeepSeek’s app costs nothing and its newest model can be downloaded, but its privacy policy says it stores personal data in China. ChatGPT costs $20 a month on Plus and scores higher on most independent boards.
Our reviews score ChatGPT 3.6 and DeepSeek 3.0. The sections below compare price, models, accuracy, data and who each one suits.
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek: The Short Answer
Choose ChatGPT for work, private material and features; choose DeepSeek for free, low-stakes use or self-hosting. ChatGPT adds deep research, Codex and image creation, and OpenAI is a US company. DeepSeek’s app is free, its API starts at $0.15 per million input tokens off-peak, and V4.1 Flash is open-weight.
Neither is strong at admitting what it does not know. On Artificial Analysis’s knowledge test, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash declined only 4% of the questions it could not answer. GPT-5.6 Sol, the Plus chat model, had a 92% hallucination rate, as reported by Tabbit, while GPT-6 Astra reached 51%.
Head to Head
| Criterion | ChatGPT | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo | Free app; no paid consumer plan |
| API, cheapest rate | Billed separately | $0.15 per 1M input tokens, off-peak |
| Open weights | gpt-oss models, not ChatGPT’s | V4.1 Flash, downloadable |
| Where data is stored | OpenAI, a US company | People’s Republic of China |
| Ads | Free and Go, in test regions | No targeted advertising, per policy |
| AA Intelligence Index | 53 (GPT-6 Astra) | 39 (V4.1 Flash) |
| Arena text rank (Sep 30) | 20th (gpt-5.6-sol-xhigh) | 40th (deepseek-v4.1-flash-max) |
| Our score | 3.6 | 3.0 |
Price and Plans
DeepSeek’s consumer app on the web, iOS and Android is free, and there is no paid consumer tier. Paid use goes through its API, priced from $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.60 per million output tokens off-peak for V4.1 Flash.
ChatGPT Free costs nothing but shows ads in test regions, Go costs $8 a month, and Plus $20, monthly only. Over a year, Plus costs $240, as our breakdown of what AI tools cost per year shows.
Which Models You Get
ChatGPT Plus runs GPT-5.6 Sol in chat, with GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol in Codex and ChatGPT Work. DeepSeek’s own API news page says V4 Pro is available in the app and on the web through Expert Mode. Its newest model, V4.1 Flash, released on September 10, 2026, has 552 billion parameters with 16 billion active, according to Artificial Analysis.
OpenAI also publishes open-weight models: gpt-oss-120b appears on Arena’s text board under an Apache 2.0 license, at 209th. ChatGPT itself, though, runs closed models. Our ChatGPT vs Grok vs DeepSeek comparison covers which fits which job.
What the Independent Boards Show
On most boards, ChatGPT leads. Artificial Analysis gives GPT-6 Astra 53 on its Intelligence Index and DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 39. On Arena’s text board of September 30, 2026, gpt-5.6-sol-xhigh placed 20th, deepseek-v4.1-flash-max 40th and DeepSeek’s V4 Pro 54th.
On admitting unknowns, both struggle. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash’s non-hallucination rate was 4%, meaning it guessed on almost every question it could not answer. Its AA-Omniscience index was minus 5.3. GPT-6 Astra scored 44 on the same index. GPT-5.6 Sol, the Plus chat model, guesses almost as often as DeepSeek, at a reported 92%.
⚠️ The Plus chat model is not ChatGPT’s strongest. On Artificial Analysis’s indexes, ChatGPT’s lead comes from GPT-6 Astra, which Plus users reach in Codex and ChatGPT Work rather than in the main chat. On Arena, OpenAI’s leading entry runs GPT-5.6 Sol at Extra High effort, a setting the Plus chat does not offer.
Where Your Data Goes
DeepSeek stores your data in China. Its privacy policy, updated on February 10, 2026, says the company collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. It keeps chat data for as long as the account exists and allows sharing with authorities to comply with legal requests.
Both train on consumer chats by default and both offer an opt-out. ChatGPT’s sits in Data controls, and DeepSeek’s is a setting called Improve the model for everyone. DeepSeek’s policy also rules out targeted advertising, while ChatGPT shows ads on Free and Go.
⚠️ Several governments restrict DeepSeek. Italy blocked the app in January 2025, Australia banned it from government devices, and the Czech Republic barred its public administration, Reuters reported. Check your employer’s policy before using it for work.
Self-Hosting and the API
DeepSeek’s open weights let developers run V4.1 Flash on their own or third-party servers, which keeps prompts away from DeepSeek. A model of 552 billion parameters needs server-class hardware, so this suits companies rather than individuals.
DeepSeek’s API also supports OpenAI’s Responses API and offers one-click setup for Codex, its news page says. ChatGPT’s Codex comes with every ChatGPT plan, as our guide to ChatGPT for coding covers.
Where Each One Is Weakest
ChatGPT is weakest on price and on its chat model’s guessing. Plus costs $20 a month with no yearly option, Free and Go show ads, and GPT-5.6 Sol rarely declines a question it cannot answer.
DeepSeek is weakest on data and accuracy. Your chats are stored in China, several governments restrict the app, and it trails ChatGPT’s best models on every board here.
Winners by Category
Price: DeepSeek, free in the app. Open weights: DeepSeek, with V4.1 Flash downloadable. Independent intelligence index: ChatGPT, 53 against 39. Arena text board: ChatGPT, 20th against 40th. Admitting unknowns: ChatGPT, narrowly, through GPT-6 Astra rather than the Plus chat model. Features: ChatGPT, with deep research, Codex and image creation. Ads: DeepSeek, whose policy rules out targeted advertising. Data location and workplace use: ChatGPT.
When to Choose DeepSeek Instead
Take DeepSeek for free, low-stakes chat or coding help, or if you want open weights to run on your own servers. Keep personal, client and work data out of the app.
Take ChatGPT for work, research and anything private, or when your employer restricts Chinese apps. Our list of the best ChatGPT alternatives covers other options.
How We Research
This comparison reuses the sources behind our ChatGPT review and our DeepSeek review, rechecked on October 1, 2026. DeepSeek’s app model comes from its API news page, and rankings from Arena and Artificial Analysis, each dated where used.
Both scores come from the same five criteria, applied to each tool in its own review. We run no tests of our own. The criteria behind every score live on our about page.
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek FAQ
ChatGPT scores 3.6 in our reviews and DeepSeek 3.0. ChatGPT leads on most independent boards and features; DeepSeek is free and open-weight.
Yes. The app on the web, iOS and Android is free with no paid consumer plan. Only the API costs money.
It stores personal data in China, keeps chats as long as your account exists and may share data with authorities under legal requests. Several governments restrict it on official devices.
DeepSeek says V4 Pro is available in the app and on the web through Expert Mode. Its newest model, V4.1 Flash, came out on September 10, 2026.
ChatGPT’s best model, GPT-6 Astra, scores higher on Artificial Analysis’s indexes. The Plus chat model, GPT-5.6 Sol, guesses almost as often as DeepSeek on unknown questions.
The Verdict
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek goes to ChatGPT, 3.6 to 3.0 on our scores. ChatGPT leads on boards, features and data location. DeepSeek wins on price and open weights.
Use DeepSeek only for material you would not mind being stored in China, or self-host its open weights. On either one, turn off training before you paste anything private. Our page on Claude vs DeepSeek covers how a free open-weight model compares on scores and data.