You want a capable AI chatbot without overpaying. DeepSeek lists no paid chat plan and publishes open weights for V4.1 Flash; you pay only for API tokens. Gemini has a $0 tier on Flash-Lite, but Gemini 4 Argon and the 1M-token context window sit behind Google AI Pro at $19.99/month.
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT vs Gemini (2026 Comparison)
DeepSeek is the cheapest of the three. Its chat app has no paid plan and its API starts at $0.30 per 1M input tokens. Gemini gives the largest window in a consumer plan: 1M tokens on Google AI Pro at $19.99/month, which now includes Gemini 4 Argon. ChatGPT has the most plan steps. Free runs GPT-6, Go costs $8/month and may show ads, Plus costs $20/month with a 256K reasoning context, and Pro starts at $100/month with GPT-6 Astra and a 400K reasoning context. Only DeepSeek publishes weights you can download.
| DeepSeek | ChatGPT | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Web and app, no paid chat plan listed | $0, unlimited text chats with GPT-6 | $0, Flash-Lite model, 15 GB storage |
| Cheapest paid plan | API only, pay per token | Go $8/mo (may include ads) | AI Plus $4.99/mo, Flash model |
| Main paid plan | n/a | Plus $20/mo, GPT-6 reasoning | AI Pro $19.99/mo, Gemini 4 Argon + 3.1 Pro |
| Top plan | n/a | Pro from $100/mo, GPT-6 Astra | AI Ultra from $99.99/mo, 5x AI Pro limits |
| Largest context in the app | 1M (API models) | 400K reasoning (Pro), 256K (Plus) | 1M (AI Pro) |
| Open weights | Yes, V4.1 Flash on Hugging Face | No | No |
On the API, deepseek-flash costs $0.30 in and $1.20 out per 1M tokens at peak hours and half that off-peak, with deepseek-v4-pro at $1.32 in and $3.96 out at peak. Gemini 4 Argon launched for developers at an introductory $2 in and $10 out per 1M tokens, with cached input 95% off. For two-way detail, see ChatGPT vs DeepSeek and ChatGPT vs Gemini.
Free Access and Pricing
DeepSeek is the cheapest path to a frontier-class chatbot. Its site lists pricing only for the API, and the chat app has no paid plan. Gemini gates Gemini 4 Argon behind a subscription.
| Tier | Gemini (Google AI) | DeepSeek |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo, 15 GB storage, Flash-Lite model | $0 web and app chat |
| Entry paid | AI Plus $4.99/mo, Flash model, 2x Free limits | No chat plan; API from $0.30/1M input (peak) |
| Pro / flagship | AI Pro $19.99/mo, Gemini 4 Argon + 3.1 Pro, 1M context, 4x Free limits | deepseek-v4-pro API $1.32 in / $3.96 out per 1M (peak) |
| Top tier | AI Ultra from $99.99/mo, 5x AI Pro limits | Off-peak API at half price |
| Open weights | No (closed) | Yes (V4.1 Flash, V4 Flash, V4 Pro Base) |
Deep Research is on every Gemini tier, including Free. AI Pro adds the 1M-token window and a limited Veo 3.1 Lite trial, and since October 13, 2026 it includes Gemini 4 Argon. DeepSeek's off-peak API rates apply outside 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays, and all weekend.
Model Lineup and Context
| Spec | Gemini 3.1 Pro | DeepSeek V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Gemini 4 Argon in the app since Oct 13, 2026 | V4.1 Flash released Sep 10, 2026; V4 Pro GA Aug 13 |
| Variants | Flash-Lite, Flash, 3.1 Pro, 4 Argon | V4.1 Flash, V4 Pro 1.6T params (49B active) |
| Context window | Up to 1M tokens (AI Pro) | 1M tokens, up to 384K output |
| Reasoning | Deep Research on every tier | Thinking effort low, high, max |
| Multimodal | Audio + video + image native | Text + native image understanding (V4.1 Flash) |
| Self-host | No | Yes (download weights) |
Gemini's 1M-token window on AI Pro matches DeepSeek's 1M API context. The legacy deepseek-v4-flash model name now routes to V4.1 Flash and bills at the Flash price. Because DeepSeek's weights are open, you can run either generation in your own infrastructure. See our take on DeepSeek's latest models.
Running V4 Pro yourself is not free of cost the way the weights are free of license fees. Independent InferenceX runs measure 216 tok/s for one user on a B300 node and 40 tok/s per user at concurrency 64 on B200, and a rented 8x B200 node works out to roughly $0.40 per million tokens at 30% utilization. The DeepSeek V4 Pro serving benchmarks lay out the numbers and the self-host math.
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini score |
|---|---|
| Vals Index | #1 (Gemini 4 Argon, per Google) |
| ARC-AGI-2 (verified) | 77.1% (Gemini 3.1 Pro) |
| GPQA Diamond | 91.9% (Gemini 3 Pro) |
| Humanity's Last Exam (no tools) | 37.5% (Gemini 3 Pro) |
| ARC-AGI-2 (Deep Think, code exec) | 45.1% (Gemini 3) |
Where Gemini Wins
Native multimodal
Audio, video, and image in one prompt. DeepSeek is text and reasoning focused.
Google ecosystem
Embedded in Workspace and Search, with more than 40 connected apps.
Gemini 4 Argon
Google's frontier model, in the app on AI Pro and Ultra since October 13, 2026.
Where DeepSeek Wins
Free chat
Web and app chat with no paid plan. You pay only for API tokens.
Open weights
V4.1 Flash weights are on Hugging Face. Download, fine-tune, and self-host.
Full data control
Self-host and keep every prompt in your own infrastructure.
Run DeepSeek at Full Fidelity
Open weights only help if the host serves them faithfully. Most serverless providers quantize activations to fp8 to cut cost, which degrades output quality. Morph serves DeepSeek with 16-bit (bf16) activations and no fp8 or int8 quantization, so responses match the reference weights. For coding, Morph adds codegen-specific speculative decoding and custom low-level kernels tuned for code generation, which makes it the fastest and highest-quality option for coding agents.
| Dimension | Detail |
|---|---|
| Activations | 16-bit (bf16), no fp8 quantization |
| Input price / 1M tokens | $0.12 |
| Output price / 1M tokens | $0.80 |
| Codegen | Speculative decoding + custom kernels |
Full model list and pricing on Morph Models and the pricing page. For semantic code search inside agents, WarpGrep is $0.80 per 100K tokens.
Pick by Priority
| Your priority | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest cost / free | DeepSeek | Free chat app, cheapest API, open weights. |
| Most plan options | ChatGPT | Free, Go $8, Plus $20, Pro from $100. |
| Multimodal work | Gemini 4 Argon | Native audio, video, image. |
| Self-hosting / data control | DeepSeek V4 | Open weights in your infra. |
| Google-native workflow | Gemini | Workspace, Search, 40+ connected apps. |
| Run DeepSeek at full quality | Morph | 16-bit activations, $0.12/$0.80 per 1M. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek free and is Gemini free?
DeepSeek lists no paid chat plan; you pay only for API tokens, from $0.30 per 1M input at peak. Gemini has a $0 tier on Flash-Lite, but Gemini 4 Argon and the 1M context window need Google AI Pro at $19.99/month.
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT vs Gemini: which is best in 2026?
DeepSeek for open weights and the cheapest API. Gemini for a 1M-token window in the app. ChatGPT for the widest plan ladder, from Free on GPT-6 to Pro from $100/month.
Is Gemini 4 Argon better than DeepSeek V4.1 Flash?
Gemini 4 Argon is Google's frontier model at $2 in and $10 out per 1M tokens. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is smaller, open-weight, and costs $0.30 in and $1.20 out at peak.
What context window do they have?
Gemini is up to 1M tokens on AI Pro; DeepSeek's API models are 1M with up to 384K output.
Can I self-host DeepSeek but not Gemini?
Yes. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash weights are on Hugging Face; Gemini is hosted only through Google's app and API.
Where do I run DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at full quality?
Morph serves it at 16-bit activations (no fp8 quantization). morph-dsv41flash is $0.12 in and $0.80 out per 1M tokens.
Related comparisons
ChatGPT vs Gemini
GPT-5.5 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro: benchmarks, pricing, multimodal, and when to route to each.
Gemini vs Grok
Google's multimodal long-context model vs xAI's real-time, less-filtered chatbot.
Gemini vs Perplexity
Google ecosystem assistant vs citation-first research engine.
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek
Frontier polish vs open-weight, dramatically cheaper inference.
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini
The three frontier assistants compared on coding, writing, multimodal, and price.
ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Copilot
Three consumer assistants, three ecosystems: OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft 365.
Run DeepSeek at Full Fidelity
Morph serves DeepSeek V4.1 Flash with 16-bit activations and codegen speculative decoding. morph-dsv41flash is $0.12 in / $0.80 out per 1M tokens.