Google vs DeepSeek: API Pricing and Model Comparison
Google and DeepSeek are two of the most cost-effective AI providers. Here's how their pricing, models, and capabilities compare.
Pricing data sourced from our catalog. Check data sources for provenance and freshness.
Quick comparison
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two providers:
| Feature | DeepSeek | |
|---|---|---|
| Model count | 57 | 10 |
| Cheapest chat model | $0.38 | $0.42 |
| Open source | Partial | Yes |
| Self-hosting | Limited | Yes |
Cost comparison by workload
Let's compare monthly costs for different workloads using the cheapest available models:
Budget chatbot
RAG application
Coding agent
Model strengths
Google strengths
- Multimodal: Best-in-class image, video, and audio processing
- Long context: Up to 2 million token context windows
- Free Tier: Available for certain Gemini API models and processing modes, with model-specific limits
- Enterprise: Google Cloud integration and support
DeepSeek strengths
- Open source: Fully open models for self-hosting
- Cost-effective: Very competitive API pricing
- Coding: Strong code generation capabilities
- Reasoning: R1 model for chain-of-thought reasoning
When to choose Google
- You need multimodal capabilities (image, video, audio)
- You want very long context windows
- You're already in the Google Cloud ecosystem
- Your planned Gemini model and processing mode are currently available on the Free Tier
When to choose DeepSeek
- Cost is your primary concern
- You want to self-host for complete control
- You need strong coding capabilities
- You want open-source models
Compare side by side
Ready to compare specific models? Use our tools:
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Frequently asked questions
Which provider is cheaper?
DeepSeek is generally cheaper for paid API usage, while some Gemini API models and processing modes are available on Google's Free Tier. Availability and rate limits vary by model and mode. For high-volume production, DeepSeek often wins on cost.
Can I self-host these models?
DeepSeek models are fully open-source and can be self-hosted. Google's Gemini models are primarily available through their API, with limited self-hosting options.
Which is better for multimodal tasks?
Google is significantly better for multimodal tasks. Gemini models excel at processing text, images, and video together, while DeepSeek focuses primarily on text.