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Grok vs DeepSeek is a choice between scores and cost. Grok 4.7 scores higher on Artificial Analysis’s indexes and guesses far less when it does not know. It also reads X in real time. DeepSeek, by contrast, is free in its app and has open weights and the cheapest API. However, it stores your data in China.
Both carry baggage, however. People misused Grok’s image tool in January 2026, and several governments restrict DeepSeek. Our reviews score Grok 3.3 and DeepSeek 3.0.
Grok vs DeepSeek: The Short Answer
Choose Grok for answers you rely on and for X; choose DeepSeek for free use, cheap API work or self-hosting. On Artificial Analysis’s knowledge test, Grok 4.7 guessed on 29% of the questions it could not answer. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, in contrast, guessed on 96%. Grok Build also scored 56 on the coding agent index, against 43.1 for DeepSeek V4 Pro in Codex.
On price, DeepSeek wins clearly. Its app is free, and its API costs $0.15 per million input tokens off-peak. Grok 4.7, by comparison, costs $2, guides report. SuperGrok, meanwhile, is reported at $30 a month.
Head to Head
| Criterion | Grok | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | SuperGrok $30/mo (reported) | No paid consumer plan |
| API, input per 1M tokens | $2 (Grok 4.7, guides) | $0.15 off-peak (V4.1 Flash) |
| AA Intelligence Index | 46 (Grok 4.7) | 39 (V4.1 Flash) |
| Guessed when unsure (AA) | 29% | 96% |
| Open weights | None in our sources | V4.1 Flash, downloadable |
| Where data is stored | SpaceXAI, a US company | People’s Republic of China |
| Our score | 3.3 | 3.0 |
Prices and Plans
DeepSeek costs nothing in its app on the web, iOS and Android, and it has no paid consumer plan. For developers, V4.1 Flash costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.60 per million output off-peak. Our list of the best AI tools for developers compares the APIs.
Grok, by contrast, has a limited free tier and paid plans. Third-party readings list them at $10 for SuperGrok Lite and $30 for SuperGrok. X Premium+ at $40 also includes SuperGrok. In addition, Bloomberg reported on September 30 that SpaceXAI is weighing a new combined plan.
What the Independent Boards Show
On Artificial Analysis’s indexes, Grok leads. Grok 4.7 scores 46 on the Intelligence Index against 39 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash. On the knowledge index, the gap is wider: 32 against minus 5.3.
On admitting what it does not know, the gap is widest. When Grok 4.7 could not answer correctly, it guessed 29% of the time. DeepSeek, however, guessed 96% of the time and declined only 4%. So DeepSeek’s answers need more checking.
On coding agents, Grok also leads. Grok Build scored 56 on Artificial Analysis’s index. DeepSeek V4 Pro in Codex, meanwhile, scored 43.1 on BenchLM’s mirror, as our list of the best AI for coding covers.
⚠️ Arena tells a narrower story. On Arena’s text board of September 30, 2026, deepseek-v4.1-flash-max placed 40th and grok-4.5 48th, but Grok 4.7 had no entry there. Also, in the Tow Center’s citation study of March 2025, Grok 3 answered 94% of queries wrong. DeepSeek Search did not have the lowest error rate either.
Where Your Data Goes
DeepSeek stores your data in China. Its privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. It also allows sharing with authorities under legal requests, and several governments, including Italy and Australia, restrict the app.
Grok stores data with a US company, but its defaults are loose. SpaceXAI’s consumer FAQ says authorized staff may review conversations. Signed-out users outside the EU and UK also cannot opt out of training. SpaceXAI does, however, delete Private Chat within 30 days.
Safety Records
In January 2026, people used Grok’s image tool to create sexualized, nonconsensual edits of real people. Indonesia and Malaysia then temporarily blocked Grok. As a result, SpaceXAI faced scrutiny from Ofcom and other regulators.
For DeepSeek, NIST’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation tested older models in September 2025. Attackers hijacked them far more often than US models in agent tests. Those were earlier versions, as our guide to DeepSeek for coding notes, but the finding still argues for sandboxing.
Owners
SpaceX owns Grok through SpaceXAI, which also took over Cursor on August 14, 2026, as our Cursor review covers. DeepSeek, meanwhile, belongs to Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, registered in China.
Where Each One Is Weakest
Grok is weakest on price and its record. Its standard plan is reported at $30, and its plan pages do not render fully for automated reading. Its January image scandal also led to blocks in two countries, as our Claude vs Grok comparison covers.
DeepSeek is weakest on data and guessing. DeepSeek stores your chats in China, and its model rarely declines a question it cannot answer.
Winners by Category
Model scores: Grok, because it leads both of Artificial Analysis’s indexes. Admitting unknowns: Grok, since it guesses far less often. Coding agents: Grok, at 56 against 43.1. Price and open weights: DeepSeek, with a free app, cheap API and downloadable model. Real-time content: Grok, which reads X. Data location: Grok, although its defaults are loose. Safety record: a split, because both have serious marks against them.
When to Choose DeepSeek Instead
Take DeepSeek for free chat on low-stakes topics, cheap API work or self-hosting its open weights. Still, check its answers against a source, and keep personal and work data out of the app.
Take Grok for X and for answers you need to rely on more, with Private Chat for sensitive topics. For each against others, see our Perplexity vs Grok comparison and our Gemini vs DeepSeek comparison.
How We Research
This comparison reuses the sources behind our Grok review and our DeepSeek review, rechecked on October 2, 2026. Scores come from Artificial Analysis and Arena, and coding figures from Artificial Analysis and BenchLM’s mirror. Grok prices, meanwhile, come from third-party readings.
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.
Grok vs DeepSeek FAQ
Our reviews score Grok 3.3 and DeepSeek 3.0. Grok scores higher and guesses less; DeepSeek is free, open-weight and far cheaper on the API.
DeepSeek, on Artificial Analysis’s test. When unsure, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash guessed 96% of the time, against 29% for Grok 4.7.
DeepSeek. Its app is free, and its API costs $0.15 per million input tokens off-peak. SuperGrok is reported at $30 a month.
DeepSeek stores data in China. Grok belongs to SpaceXAI, a US company, but its staff may review conversations.
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash has open weights you can run yourself. Our sources document no open weights for current Grok models.
The Verdict
Grok vs DeepSeek goes to Grok, 3.3 to 3.0 on our scores, mainly on accuracy signals and coding. DeepSeek, however, wins on price and openness.
So use Grok when an answer matters, and DeepSeek for cheap or self-hosted work. On either one, turn off training and keep private data out.