Head-to-head · profiles checked Oct 5, 2026
Pick DeepSeek for transparent, cheap-at-off-peak API tokens and Grok for a chat assistant with live X search and media generation. DeepSeek's deepseek-flash starts at $0.15 per 1M input tokens off-peak; Grok's grok-4.7 is $2.00 input and $6.00 output. Neither profile confirms a consumer plan price or privacy terms.
We based this comparison on our DeepSeek profile verified 2026-10-05 and our Grok profile verified 2026-10-01, both built from official vendor pages; it uses no third-party benchmarks and no vendor paid for placement.
Both are chat assistants with a per-token API, so the split is about what you need around the model. DeepSeek publishes a full price table, charges half price off-peak and accepts OpenAI- and Anthropic-format requests with a 1M-token context. Grok adds live web and X search, image and video generation, voice and a documented free tier on web, iOS and Android. Neither profile confirms consumer plan prices or privacy terms: DeepSeek's chat app was blocked to our check, and Grok's SuperGrok prices were not visible in the locale we saw. Developers watching token cost should start with DeepSeek; people who want a media-rich assistant with current events should start with Grok.
Based on our DeepSeek profile verified 2026-10-05 and Grok profile verified 2026-10-01. The DeepSeek chat app could not be checked because the site blocked automated access, Grok consumer prices were not visible, and no benchmark was run.
Our own captures of each vendor's public pages. Click a frame for the full-size image.
If you only want the answer, this is the table. Everything below is the evidence from the two documented profiles.
| You want to | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chat about everyday questions for free | Grok | Grok is free to try on web and mobile; DeepSeek's chat app free status is unconfirmed |
| Research breaking news with citations | Grok | Grok answers with live citations from the web and X; DeepSeek's Search mode sources are undocumented |
| Generate images or short video | Grok | Grok has Imagine for images up to 2K and video up to 15 seconds; DeepSeek lists no image output |
| Talk to the assistant by voice | Grok | Grok lists voice conversations and a Voice API; DeepSeek's profile lists none |
| Work through a multi-step problem | Either | DeepSeek has DeepThink mode; Grok has configurable reasoning in the API |
| Build an app on a model API | Either | Both bill per token and support tool calling; DeepSeek adds JSON output and an Anthropic-format endpoint |
| Run big batch jobs at the lowest token price | DeepSeek | DeepSeek off-peak rates are half of peak, and flash output is $0.60 per 1M tokens off-peak |
| Send long documents in one request | DeepSeek | DeepSeek lists a 1M-token context; Grok's grok-4.7 lists 500k |
| Plug existing OpenAI or Anthropic client code into a new model | DeepSeek | DeepSeek documents both request formats; Grok's profile lists neither |
| Check privacy terms before sharing sensitive data | Neither | Neither profile confirms training use or retention |
| Plan | Tool | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| deepseek-flash API | DeepSeek | $0.15 / $0.60 per 1M input / output tokens off-peak ($0.30 / $1.20 peak) | Context 1M, concurrency 2,500 |
| deepseek-v4-pro API | DeepSeek | $0.66 / $1.98 per 1M input / output tokens off-peak ($1.32 / $3.96 peak) | Context 1M, concurrency 500 |
| DeepSeek chat app | DeepSeek | Not confirmed | Not stated |
| Grok Free | Grok | $0 | Limits not stated on the pages checked |
| SuperGrok | Grok | Not confirmed | Chats 5x longer than Lite; Expert mode with higher limits on the best model |
| SuperGrok Heavy | Grok | Not confirmed | Maximum usage at the fastest speed; includes X Premium+ |
| grok-4.7 API | Grok | $2.00 / $6.00 per 1M input / output tokens | 500k-token context |
USD as published on each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 5, 2026. DeepSeek pricing in full · Grok pricing in full
| DeepSeek | Grok | |
|---|---|---|
| Messages / rate limits | API concurrency 2,500 (deepseek-flash) and 500 (deepseek-v4-pro); chat app limits not stated | Free limits not stated; SuperGrok and Heavy raise limits, exact numbers not stated |
| Context / file size | 1M-token context, 384K max output | 500k-token context (grok-4.7); image input jpg/jpeg or png up to 20MiB each |
| Seats / team | No team plans documented | Business tier shown on plans page; details not confirmed |
| Feature | DeepSeek | Grok |
|---|---|---|
| Image generation | No | Yes (Imagine, up to 2K) |
| Video generation | No | Yes (up to 15 seconds in chat) |
| Voice | Not stated | Yes |
| File upload | Not stated | Yes (files, PDFs and images) |
| Web search | Yes (Search mode) | Yes (web and X search) |
| Reasoning mode | Yes (DeepThink) | Yes (configurable reasoning in the API) |
| Agents / tools | Tool calls through the API; docs list agent integrations | Agentic tool calling through the API |
| API | Yes, billed per 1M tokens | Yes, billed per token from purchased credits |
| Mobile apps | Not verified | Yes (iOS and Android) |
| DeepSeek | Grok | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Not stated | Not stated |
| Retention | Not stated | Not stated |
| Business controls | Not stated | Enterprise terms, DPA and BAA are linked from the site |
Taken from each vendor's published policy pages at the time of our check. Policies change; the source links are at the bottom.
DeepSeek offers an AI chat assistant and a usage-priced API for its V4-series language models.
Free stops at: Chat app free status not confirmed; the fetched chat site returned an error to the bot. The API deducts from …
Pricing US price unconfirmed
AI assistant from xAI with chat, image and video generation, voice, and a developer API.
Free stops at: Limits not stated on the pages checked
Pricing US price unconfirmed
Compare list prices per 1M tokens. deepseek-flash costs $0.30 input and $1.20 output at peak, half that off-peak. deepseek-v4-pro costs $1.32 and $3.96 at peak. Grok's grok-4.7 costs $2.00 input and $6.00 output. The models differ, so price per token is not price per useful answer, and we ran no benchmark.
Grok is free to try on web, iOS and Android, with SuperGrok for higher limits; its free usage limits are not stated. DeepSeek's chat app free status is unconfirmed because the site blocked our automated check.
Grok searches the web and X live, and in the API the Web Search or X Search tools must be enabled. DeepSeek has a Search mode in its chat app, but its sources and behaviour are not documented in the pages we checked.
Grok can: images up to 2K and video up to 15 seconds in chat, with Imagine API rates from $0.02 per image and $0.05 per second of video. DeepSeek lists no image or video output; only deepseek-flash accepts image input.
Not confirmed. The plans page loaded in a locale without USD prices, so we list the tiers and what they add, not a price. Check grok.com/plans after signing in.
Neither profile confirms it. DeepSeek's privacy page returned 404, and Grok's privacy terms were not found either. Avoid sharing sensitive data with either chat product until you have read the current policy.
Only official vendor pages. No third-party benchmarks, forum threads or press were used. How we review.
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