Compare
Claude vs DeepSeek
The differences that matter, in plain English. Same specs are hidden.
vs
The short answer
- Pick Claude for writing and research with sources.
- DeepSeek is free to use.
| Spec | Claude | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan, per month | $20 a month | Free |
| Writing | 9 | 8 |
| Coding | 9 | 9 |
| Research | 8 | 7 |
| Images | 3 | 3 |
| Value | 7 | 9 |
| Made by | Anthropic | DeepSeek |
| Free plan | Yes, with usage limits (Sonnet models) | Yes, the app is free to use |
| Paid plan | Pro, $20 a month ($17 a month if paid yearly) | None |
| Main model | Sonnet 5.5 (Free); Opus 5.5 also on Pro | DeepSeek V4.1 |
| Images | — | Reads pictures |
| Voice | Voice mode | — |
| Web search | Searches the web | Web search and DeepThink mode |
| Files | Creates files and Artifacts; runs code | File upload and text extraction |
| Apps | Web, desktop and mobile | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Model you can download | — | Yes, DeepSeek V4.1 models on Hugging Face |
| Checked | 2026-10 | 2026-10 |
Plans and prices change often: each row shows the month we checked. Scores are out of 10 and are our editorial view.
