ChatGPT vs DeepSeek
ChatGPT is a priced ladder: Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, with published monthly amounts for all but Enterprise. DeepSeek runs a web and app assistant but its site shows no consumer plan table, and its only published prices are per-token rates for the API. The bigger split is legal: DeepSeek's privacy policy says personal data is stored in the People's Republic of China under mainland law, while OpenAI's documentation we could read names no country at all.
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Choose ChatGPT ifyou want a published plan for each stage from solo use to a company roll-out, including Business with SAML single sign-on and no training on business data by default.
Choose DeepSeek ifyou build against an API, want to repoint existing OpenAI or Anthropic client code with a changed base URL, and can accept a vendor operating under mainland Chinese law.
ChatGPT and DeepSeek side by side
| ChatGPT | DeepSeek | |
|---|---|---|
| Our AI chatbots and assistants rank | #4 of 13 | #6 of 13 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | China |
| List price, 2 November 2026 | Free $0; Go $8; Plus $20; Pro from $100 ($100, $200 or $500) per month; Business $20 per user per month billed annually ($25 monthly); Enterprise by sales | Chat plans not published on the pages we read; API per 1M tokens off-peak: deepseek-flash $0.15 input (cache miss) and $0.6 output, deepseek-v4-pro $0.66 input and $1.9 output; peak rates are double |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Organisations that want one vendor with plans from solo use to enterprise | Cost-driven workloads that can tolerate a vendor in mainland China |
| Not for | Buyers who need data residency without an Enterprise contract | Regulated buyers who need a stated data location |
Both are reviewed in full in our AI chatbots and assistants ranking: ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
Where they differ
ChatGPT 2 · DeepSeek 2 · open 1- 01
What you can budget for
ChatGPT's documentation lists Free at $0, Go at $8, Plus at $20 and Pro from $100 per month ($100, $200 or $500). DeepSeek's home page offers web chat and an app but no consumer plan table, so we cannot give you a monthly figure for the chat product. Only the API is priced, per million tokens.
Edge: ChatGPT
- 02
API cost per token
DeepSeek's API pricing page lists two models. deepseek-flash costs $0.15 per million input tokens on a cache miss off-peak and $0.6 per million output tokens off-peak, and peak rates are double. deepseek-v4-pro costs $0.66 input and $1.9 output off-peak. We read no equivalent per-token table for ChatGPT, so the published numbers favour DeepSeek.
Edge: DeepSeek
- 03
Business controls
ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month billed annually ($25 monthly), needs two or more users, and adds SAML SSO and MFA. Enterprise adds SCIM, role-based access, audit logs through a compliance API and data residency controls. DeepSeek's terms mention de-identified processing in section 4.3 but state no data location and describe no seat plan.
Edge: ChatGPT
- 04
Data location and governing law
DeepSeek's privacy policy says personal data is collected, processed and stored in the People's Republic of China, and its terms are governed by mainland PRC law. ChatGPT's documentation names no country of establishment, and we could not read its legal pages because chatgpt.com and openai.com returned 403 to us. DeepSeek is clear about where data sits; whether that suits you is your call.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Chat history control
DeepSeek says users can manage, copy or delete chat history in settings, and that a deleted account cannot be reactivated. We could not read ChatGPT's export page, so we cannot compare its export route. On what we verified, DeepSeek has the documented answer.
Edge: DeepSeek
When neither fits
If you need documented export with an opt-out on training and a named European contracting entity, look at Claude, which states that Anthropic Ireland, Limited contracts with consumers in Europe. For a cited answer engine instead of a general chatbot, Perplexity is the other route.
ChatGPT or DeepSeek: questions
3 answersDoes DeepSeek publish a monthly price for its chat app?
Not on the pages we read. The home page offers web chat, an app, the API platform and API pricing, but no consumer plan table. Only the API is priced, per million tokens.
Where does DeepSeek store my data?
Its privacy policy says personal data is directly collected, processed and stored in the People's Republic of China. The terms of use are governed by mainland PRC law and are operated by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
Is ChatGPT Business used to train models?
OpenAI's documentation says business data is not used for training by default on Business. It lists SAML SSO and MFA for that plan, at $20 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026- ChatGPT documentation, pricing: plan list and monthly prices, Business price and SSO, no training by default, Enterprise features, no country stated.
- DeepSeek API pricing page: two models, per-1M-token input and output rates, peak versus off-peak, 1M context.
- DeepSeek privacy policy: data stored in the PRC, copy or delete chat history, deleted accounts cannot be reactivated.
- DeepSeek terms of use: operator Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., PRC law, section 4.3 de-identified processing, no location stated.
- DeepSeek home page: web chat, app, API platform offered; no consumer plan table.