Superhuman AI - DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: Which One Is The Best AI Tool? [2025 Guide]

If you’re like the rest of us in 2025, you’re not using just one AI tool. You probably already juggle a couple of advanced AI models—maybe one for heavy number-crunching and another for brainstorming.

That’s why the Deepseek vs ChatGPT debate is no longer academic. It’s about real dollars, real workflows, and real results.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a user-focused breakdown. We’ll cover real-world use cases and limitations from creative content to code generation and productivity. Stick around, and you’ll get clear recommendations to help you pick the one (or both) that fit your team’s rhythm.

What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is a large language model (LLM) designed in Hangzhou, China. 

DeepSeek-Coder was the initial version, kicking off with 6.7 billion parameters and an MIT license. It offered project-level code completion, which was surprising at the time.

At the end of 2024, DeepSeek released V3. This version beat ChatGPT’s GPT-4 in coding competitions.

This latest release, DeepSeek-R1, is a startling realization of how rapidly AI is advancing. The R1 model beat OpenAI’s o1 on various benchmarks, including mathematics, coding, and reasoning. It claims a 95% cost reduction compared to o1. 

It even shook Wall Street, with Nvidia’s market cap dipping by nearly $600 billion due to fears of displaced GPU demand, according to Fortune. 

So, what can DeepSeek do for you?

DeepSeek is about raw power. If you need a dependable, cost‑smart AI that specializes in numbers, logic, and secure deployments, DeepSeek is your go‑to tool.

It can:

• Crunch data: Feed in big spreadsheets or trading logs and get back neat charts and summaries by morning.
  

• Deep reasoning: It can process complex requests in one prompt.
  

• Keep data safe: DeepSeek has an open-source architecture. You can install DeepSeek locally on your computer or deploy it on your private web service. This gives you total control of your information.

It’s also a lot cheaper than OpenAI’s ChatGPT:

However, there’s always the risk that your data may be sent to the Chinese government when you use the online version.

What is ChatGPT?

Think of ChatGPT as a friendly lab partner who knows a bit of everything and never gets tired.

ChatGPT launched in November 2022 as a chatbot built on GPT‑3.5. This version allowed you to chat, ask follow‑ups, and even get it to admit mistakes. 

A few months later, in March 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4, adding the ability to understand and describe images alongside text. This is when ChatGPT became a multimodal powerhouse.

By February 2025, “Orion” (GPT‑4.5) landed as a research preview for Pro users. This is one of the most user-friendly versions, bringing even more intelligent reasoning and a deeper grasp of nuance.

Then, in April 2025, OpenAI released GPT-4.1, which halved some costs, increased response speed, and expanded its memory to one million tokens. This is enough to remember long instructions or even entire books in one conversation.

Under the hood, OpenAI’s ChatGPT still uses reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) to generate safer and more helpful replies. This means it learns from your feedback as you use it. 

But now it also packs in:

• DALL·E 3 image generation: Ask for “a 4K infographic of Q2 growth,” and get a polished image in seconds.
  

• Whisper voice chat: Speak to it on your mobile device, and it responds with lifelike voices.
  

• Plugin universe: There are many plugins you can choose from, including video generation and finance tools, plus thousands of community‑built “Custom GPTs” that slot right into your workflow.

So, what can ChatGPT do for you?

Need catchy email subject lines, quick ad copy drafts, or deep‑dive reports? ChatGPT handles creative writing, research summarization, and even code snippets. 

Use cases

Let’s take a look at how Deepseek vs ChatGPT perform across various tasks.

Content creation and creative tasks

DeepSeek can handle simple tasks, such as generating draft emails. However, it’s much more effective when you need to process large amounts of data. Provide it with 100 pages of content, and it can summarize, extract information, and search for the sections you need.

It also feels technical. It answers with precise analysis and tends to be more concise than ChatGPT. 

DeepSeek features:

• Search-based content discovery optimized for factual accuracy

• Summarization of retrieved content for quick understanding

• Efficient content retrieval from large indexed databases

• Data extraction focused on relevance to user queries

If you want to search or run anything that’s research-intensive, DeepSeek may be a great choice.

ChatGPT excels at producing original, creative text output that adapts to user intent, making it ideal for nuanced writing tasks. 

ChatGPT features:

• Supports various creative writing forms, including stories, poems, scripts, and ads

• Advanced natural language generation with coherent, context-aware output

• Ability to customize style, tone, and format on demand

• Long-form content drafting and editing assistance

• Brainstorming and idea generation

We asked ChatGPT to generate a few subject lines for an email outreach campaign targeting real estate agents. Here’s the prompt and reply:

However, ChatGPT occasionally tends to forget things, hallucinate, or return incomplete responses. This happens when you ask it to process or generate large amounts of text, especially if you run the standard versions (like GPT-4o).

Advanced reasoning versions like the o4-mini are better when you need more research or content. Here, ChatGPT can generate comprehensive drafts and even include sources and external links, such as studies or statistics.

Image and video generation

DeepSeek cannot generate images or videos on its own, but it still has some valuable features.

DeepSeek features:

• Advanced filtering options for multimedia allow you to filter by date, relevance, and source

• Fast retrieval of existing visual content matching your search queries

• Supports video content discovery with previews and metadata

• Powerful multimedia search by indexing images and videos

Here’s an example we ran on DeepSeek R1. We asked it to create a 1-minute script for a video on how to prepare for a 2-week water fast:

Then, we asked it to generate images for each scene:

As you can see, it can’t generate videos or images. However, it provides prompts that you can use in other AI image generators, such as Midjourney.

On the other hand, ChatGPT can generate images with DALL-E. Simply provide a topic, a scene description, and a style, and it will generate a few pictures for you.

While it technically does not generate videos on its own, you can use SORA to do so. This is a sister company to ChatGPT, also owned by OpenAI. If you have a ChatGPT subscription, then you can also access SORA. 

Depending on your plan, you can only generate 10-20-second videos. 

ChatGPT features:

• Supports multimodal input for image-related tasks, depending on integration

• Integration with DALL-E for generating original images from text prompts

• It allows you to refine image generation prompts

We gave DeepSeek’s video scene to ChatGPT and asked it to generate images for each scene. We also provided more context, stating that the target audience for this video is men with beer bellies who enjoy cooking, grilling, and eating. 

Here’s a screenshot of its output:

User experience

DeepSeek focuses on efficient, structured searches. It’s part of what makes it stand out for complex tasks. It helps you find precise information quickly and efficiently.

DeepSeek features:

• Access it via the web, mobile app, API, or download it for local use

• Fast response times optimize for quick information retrieval

• Adapted responses based on the user’s tone and style

• Intuitive search interface with advanced query filters

• Supports Boolean queries and metadata filtering

• Searches the web

We went ahead and asked DeepSeek to give us different queries we can use on attachments:

ChatGPT also has a similar wide range of capabilities, but wins here with a slight edge. 

ChatGPT features:

• Remembers details about you and uses that information to decide how and what to include in its responses

• Natural conversational interface with contextual awareness and human-like text generation

• Supports follow-ups, content retention, and clarifying questions

• Adaptive responses tailored to your tone and style

• Accessible via web, APIs, and chatbots

• Searches the web

It provides access to hundreds of plugins and enables you to create your custom GPTs. You can even use your voice to dictate to ChatGPT and have conversations with it.

There’s also a canvas functionality. This is generating, editing, and refining writing or code in separate files. Tell ChatGPT what to edit, and it will review the file and modify the necessary sections.

Productivity

DeepSeek can generate fun stuff like poems. But so can most other LLMs. 

One of its key capabilities is that it’s built for complex reasoning tasks and analytical workloads. You can hand it hundreds of technical pages or market research, and let it extract meaningful data analysis with the points that you need. That could be summaries, bullet points, or precise analysis in minutes.

A Goldman Sachs report estimates that using AI for information processing like this reduces costs by up to $2,000 per worker per year and increases overall productivity by 15% over 10 years. Of course, this is based on all industries in the United States. If your team or business is spending a significant amount of resources on analyzing extensive data, productivity can improve dramatically by offloading this task to AI.

DeepSeek features:

• Cost efficiency: Cheap tokens and predictable infrastructure costs make it ideal for high-volume batch jobs.

• Search-based discovery: Pinpoint relevant sections with Boolean or metadata filters.

• Accurate responses: Minimize hallucinations with fact-first retrieval.

• Efficient data analysis: Process vast documents or logs overnight.

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found that workers using ChatGPT saved 40% of their time on writing tasks and saw an 18% increase in quality scores. 

ChatGPT features:

• Documentation generation: Auto-rewrite and format reports, proposals, and meeting notes.

• Rapid generation: Produce multiple drafts or A/B subject lines to optimize open rates.

• Idea generation: Brainstorm blog topics or taglines in a flash.

• Human-like text: Adjust tone, style, and format on demand.

Coding and workflows

DeepSeek R1-Zero was born for technical tasks, especially math and code-heavy prompts. If your team requires powerful model support for research-grade workflows, DeepSeek R1 delivers precise, concise snippets that slot into your pipelines. These are ideal for simulation code, statistical analysis, or custom scripts.

DeepSeek features:

• Open-source architecture: Docker and Python SDK for self-hosted environments.

• Accurate responses: Minimized errors on multi-step calculations.

• Cost-efficient scaling: Lower token prices for large batch runs.
  

ChatGPT features an internal code interpreter plugin that enables you to upload data files (such as CSVs and JSON), request plots or pivot tables, and even entire Python scripts. 

ChatGPT features:

• Seamless integration: Works via web UI, APIs, or your custom chatbots.

• Algorithm optimization: Quickly tweak scripts and functions. 

• Interactive debugging: Step-by-step explanations for errors.

That said, it tends to hallucinate or skip code sections when generating or editing large code files. 

So, how about a coding showdown on DeepSeek vs ChatGPT?

Here’s a test we ran for this article.

We gave DeepSeek and ChatGPT o4-mini-high the same prompt:

Then, we let both AIs run and do their thing.

ChatGPT finished first. It generated 12 functions and a total of 240 lines of code, including comments and document strings. 

It clearly missed out on generating many functionalities that one would need from this app. 

On the other hand, DeepSeek generated 35 functions and about 850 lines of code:

It generated functions to create and verify webhooks, map rows to ClickUp tasks, and a ClickUp client file with the API handling functions. It even generated a requirements.txt. If you’re not a developer, this file is crucial for deploying a web app that functions properly.

When it comes to coding and development-related workflows, DeepSeek is currently a clear winner, especially if you want to get started quickly on relatively complicated projects like the above example. It can reduce development costs with its nuanced power in coding.

Limitations and considerations

When thinking about the limitations of DeepSeek vs ChatGPT, the reality is that both have them. There’s no perfect solution for all use cases. 

Accessibility and cost

Every AI platform comes with price tags and trial limits, and these directly affect how easily you can experiment and scale.

Web / App access

Let’s take a look at DeepSeek vs ChatGPT in their web and app versions.

DeepSeek AI

• Completely free app and web chat: Since its launch in 2025, DeepSeek-R1 has been freely accessible via its web portal and native iOS and Android apps. There are no query limits and no paywalls.
  

• Open-source LLM: Although the chatbot interface is proprietary, the underlying R1 and DeepSeek V3 model weights are licensed under the MIT license and available for download on GitHub. This allows developers to self-host without incurring additional license fees.
  

• Simplicity for end users: You just visit the site or install the app, sign up with your email, and start asking questions. This is ideal for non-technical users who want a zero-friction way to leverage DeepSeek AI’s dense model power.

ChatGPT

• Freemium web chat: ChatGPT’s main interface remains free for GPT‑4o mini usage. This is sufficient for quick questions, brainstorming, or some basic coding assistance. However, the free version has tight limits and no access to reasoning models.
  

• Plus subscription: For $20 per month, you upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, unlocking other models with reasoning and faster output. The Pro version offers unlimited access to all reasoning models, plus higher limits for video and deep research, but comes at a whopping $200 per month.
  

• Mobile apps and plugins: ChatGPT’s iOS and Android apps mirror the web experience, and you can add plugins (e.g., finance, coding, and e-commerce) directly in the mobile UI for easy extensions.

API access

Let’s take a look at the costs for the API models.

DeepSeek AI API

• Usage-based pricing: The cost varies based on time (off-peak pricing), model, and cache hits. At most, it costs $0.55 per 1 million input tokens and $2.19 per 1 million output tokens.
  

• No free API tier: While the web and app are free, API access requires you to pre-fund your account, as there’s no perpetual developer credit program. That’s fine for businesses planning steady, high-volume batch processing, but less tempting for quick proofs of concept.
  

• Predictable costs: Token pricing is transparent, with no hidden fees for memory or browsing plugins. Just pure cost efficiency at scale.

ChatGPT’s API

• Usage-based pricing: The cost varies based on your usage, the ChatGPT model, and how you use it. For example, OpenAI's o4-mini model costs $1.10 per 1 million input tokens and $4.40 per 1 million output tokens. Reasoning models are more expensive, but you can save up to 50 percent by batching non-time-sensitive jobs.
  

• Plugin and feature costs: Some capabilities—like browsing, code interpreter, or memory—are add-ons that may incur additional fees beyond base token rates.

Security and compliance

Your data’s safety and regulatory footprint often drive the AI decision more than the features themselves.

DeepSeek AI shines for locked-down, on-premises deployments. You can spin up Docker containers behind your firewall, meeting requirements such as SOC 2 and avoiding concerns about third-party data handling. The trade-off? You need a DevOps team to manage network segmentation, key rotation, and 24/7 monitoring.

As for the web version, DeepSeek’s privacy and security are concerning, especially for enterprise customers. 

Since it’s Chinese-owned, there’s a risk that your data is sent to the Chinese government. This isn’t an issue if you’re brainstorming social media content ideas, but you’ll want to avoid it if you’re handling sensitive data. 

Countries like Italy, the US, and Australia have banned or partially blocked DeepSeek due to security and privacy concerns, according to Tech.co.

ChatGPT, hosted on OpenAI’s cloud, comes with SOC 2 Type 2, CSA STAR, and GDPR-compliant data-residency options. However, some privacy features are only available for enterprises.

Ethics and bias

No AI is bias-free. Understanding each provider’s approach helps you plan human oversight.

DeepSeek AI is headquartered in China, so it must follow local censorship rules. This means filtering or blocking content deemed “sensitive” by the Chinese government. 

OpenAI’s ChatGPT uses tools like RLHF to mitigate extreme or harmful outputs. Still, it hallucinates, especially with niche or controversial queries. 

Both DeepSeek and ChatGPT recommend human-in-the-loop validation for any decision-critical or high-risk domain. This is because they can exhibit unpredictable behavior as their training data grows larger.

When to use DeepSeek vs ChatGPT

If you’re wondering when to use DeepSeek vs ChatGPT, don’t overthink it. One is great for specialized tasks. The other is an all-rounder, great for content generation.

When to use DeepSeek AI

• You’re running millions of tokens a month and want rock‑solid cost predictability
  

• You need specialized tasks, such as financial models or legal briefs
  

• You need to process documents with hundreds of pages
  

• You want project-scale code generation reasonably fast

When to use ChatGPT

• You love the plugin universe and need instant integrations, such as with CRMs, calendars, and data fetch
  

• You’re a non‑technical team that values instant play and minimal setup
  

• You want built‑in image generation and voice input
  

• You’re writing creative content at scale

DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: Which should you use?

If you’re a casual user or student wanting unlimited chat with no paywall, then DeepSeek AI’s web/app is unbeatable. Just make sure you’re not disclosing any sensitive or private data.

If you need low-lift creative prototyping or “playground” access, ChatGPT’s freemium web app is a perfect fit. However, it’s very limiting, so you may need to upgrade to the Plus version for $20 per month.

For high-volume production (millions of tokens/day) with predictable costs, DeepSeek AI’s API is the cheaper choice. Batch your queries to run them during off-peak hours for more affordable costs.

For flexible dev trials, smaller projects, or feature-rich endpoints (such as plugins or code interpreters), ChatGPT’s API plus batch discounts wins.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the main differences between DeepSeek vs ChatGPT?

Both are AI tools. DeepSeek is optimized for specialized tasks and analytical tasks, like legal summaries. ChatGPT excels at general-purpose tasks, creative content, and multimodal use (e.g., text, voice, images).

Can non-technical users effectively leverage DeepSeek AI?

Yes, with a few caveats. They can use the web version, but there are privacy and security concerns, as the company is based in China. DeepSeek also offers Docker images and an upcoming Python SDK, but currently lacks a drag‑and‑drop playground. If your team lacks operational team capacity, you will need some developer support.

How do DeepSeek and ChatGPT handle real-time data and current events?

Both have search capabilities, allowing you to pull in today’s news or events. However, without any other plugins, neither version can provide live stock prices.