Independent AI buying guide

No paid rankings

Last checked 26 Oct 2026

Which AIshould I buy?

Head to head

Claude vs DeepSeek

Claude or DeepSeek? Compared on independent test scores, prices and free plans. Every price links to its source, and we re-check everything every week.

The short answer

Calculated from independent tests

Higher scores

Claude

Claude scores higher in all 6 topics where we can compare both.

Cheaper

No clear winner

The cheapest paid plans: Claude Pro at $20/mo, and DeepSeek has no paid plan we track.

Better free plan

Claude

For overall, Claude's free plan scores higher: 80/100 against 71/100.

Right as of 26 Oct 2026. New models and price changes come out often, and we re-check every week. Check back before you buy or renew.

Topic by topic

Each tool's best subscription per topic, scored out of 100. Higher wins; a tie is a tie.

TopicClaudeDeepSeek
Overall97Pro · Claude Opus 5.571Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro
Coding99Pro · Claude Opus 5.571Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro
Writing100Pro · Claude Opus 5.572Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro
Research & search90Pro · Claude Opus 5.5Not ranked here
Maths & hard problems95Pro · Claude Opus 5.578Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro
Studying98Pro · Claude Opus 5.577Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro
Business & office98Pro · Claude Opus 5.578Free · DeepSeek V4 Pro

The free plans

For overall, Claude's free plan scores higher: 80/100 against 71/100.

TopicClaude freeDeepSeek free
Overall80Claude Sonnet 5.571DeepSeek V4 Pro
Coding82Claude Sonnet 5.571DeepSeek V4 Pro
Writing77Claude Sonnet 5.572DeepSeek V4 Pro
Maths & hard problems86Claude Sonnet 5.578DeepSeek V4 Pro
Studying81Claude Sonnet 5.577DeepSeek V4 Pro
Business & office81Claude Sonnet 5.578DeepSeek V4 Pro

Plans and prices

Every plan we track, with the official source and the date we checked it.

Claude

DeepSeek

  • FreeSource: DeepSeek · verified 26 Oct 2026

Our take

Opinion, not test scores: how each one feels to use.

Claude

Strong at writing and long, careful work with documents and code.

Reviewed 7 Oct 2026

DeepSeek

Free and capable, but think twice before sharing personal or work data with it.

Reviewed 7 Oct 2026

Questions people ask

Is Claude better than DeepSeek?
Claude scores higher in all 6 topics where we can compare both.
Which is cheaper, Claude or DeepSeek?
The cheapest paid plans: Claude Pro at $20/mo, and DeepSeek has no paid plan we track.
Which free version is better?
For overall, Claude's free plan scores higher: 80/100 against 71/100.

Scores come from independent benchmarks, the same ones behind our rankings. Read how we rank for the formula.