Welcome to the golden age of artificial intelligence, where AI chatbots multiply faster than Reddit conspiracy theories. From writing your break-up texts to explaining quantum physics, chatbots have become our go-to life coaches. So, we came up with an idea and decided to compare the two best chatbots, DeepSeek vs ChatGPT, in different tests.
Choosing between AI models is like picking between streaming services—overwhelming, slightly confusing, and you’ll probably end up overthinking it. That’s why we’ve made a DeepSeek vs ChatGPT comparison where we make their free versions do everything: from reasoning challenges to writing poetry, so you don’t have to.
Who will take home the victory in the battle of DeepSeek AI vs ChatGPT? Let’s find out.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, was the first widely famous AI Chatbot on the market. People loved how it could assist with the most different tasks: from coding to creative writing. For this reason, other competitors saw an opportunity to create their versions, too.
DeepSeek is one of those competitors that used the opportunity and also made an AI Chatbot Model. How does it differ? Well, according to their website, DeepSeek is different because it is affordable, accessible for everyone, and enterprise-ready with scalable solutions designed for business needs.
In the FAQ section, DeepSeek has even answered a question about why it is better than ChatGPT. The company says it has high-performance models at a lower cost than the competitor.
Well, let’s see what AI research results are saying.
Artificial Analysis, the research company that summarizes the current trends of artificial intelligence models, has created the AI Intelligence Index. This index compares AI Models in various categories: from reasoning to coding skills.
Here is the most recent AI Intelligence Index Data:
We can observe that in the reasoning models, ChatGPT surpasses DeepSeek. However, in non-reasoning models, DeepSeek V3 takes the lead.
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Bear in mind that in our tests, we will focus solely on testing the non-reasoning models, as they are the ones that are available for free.
Here is a comparison table of some important features of DeepSeek AI and ChatGPT:
Feature | ChatGPT | DeepSeek |
---|---|---|
Developer | OpenAI | DeepSeek |
Country | United States | China |
Non-Reasoning Models | – GPT-3.5 – GPT-4 – GPT-4o – GPT-4.5 | Models available in DeepSeek Chat: – DeepSeek-V3 – DeepSeek-V2 More models, like DeepSeek-Coder, are available via Hugging Face or API. |
Multimodal Skills | Text, image generation, voice mode | Primarily text; some code generation, no image or voice support |
Free Plan Limitations | Limited access to more advanced models (e.g., GPT-4), usage rate and image generation limits, and slower answering times | Fully free with no paywalls, but lacks voice mode, image creation, memory function, and custom chatbot creation; early-stage API support |
Pricing | – Plus Plan (20$ / a month): Expanded limits and availability of features (e.g. Sora Video generation) and access to multiple reasoning models – Pro Plan (200$/a month): Unlimited access to reasoning models and ChatGPT-4.0, access to a research preview of Operator – Team Plan (30$/ a month): Collaborative Space with all the features included in Plus Plan – Enterprise Plan (Need to contact for pricing info): Made for companies, is more advanced than the Team Plan, with fewer message limits Check out ChatGPT pricing here. | DeepSeek free tier has the full core functionality, with no subscription fees. There is a specific API Pricing, though. Check out DeepSeek API pricing details here. |
Let’s start testing, shall we?
We must admit we thought all leading chatbots know how to generate an image. Well. We were wrong.
We gave this prompt: Generate an image of a golden retriever puppy playing with a blue ball.
Suppose you read our previous Chatbots Comparison article. In that case, you might remember how Claude found an alternative solution, even though it doesn’t generate images.
In case you’ve missed our AI Chatbots Comparison: ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude
When we asked to generate an image of a couple, Claude gave us an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) code that could be seen as an image. Check it out:
Yes, not what we exactly wanted, but at least something, right?
We were quite disappointed that DeepSeek just suggested asking for help to its competitors. The clear winner here is ChatGPT.
You might think it’s unreasonable to expect chatbots to handle tasks beyond their abilities, yet we see image generation as an essential feature that makes conversations more dynamic, accessible, and visually engaging.
We consider reasoning skills an important category to test because they enable chatbots to provide thoughtful, reliable answers instead of just offering shallow, surface-level responses.
So, we gave DeepSeek and ChatGPT this lovely prompt: Should space exploration be prioritized over climate change efforts? Why? Please, answer in a maximum of 200 words.
Here are their answers:
Our team decided that DeepSeek is the winner here. Why? Well, it takes a stronger stance. ChatGPT is a lot more indecisive and keeps mentioning the benefits of addressing climate change or space exploration, which are important, but the answer kind of drifts away from the core of our question.
DeepSeek gets straight to the point, and, understandably, it chooses climate change efforts over space exploration.
However, it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t ask for an extra opinion. So, we did.
Claude and Gemini, welcome to the competition. You are more than welcome to change the current winner choice.
We described to Claude and Gemini that we tested the reasoning skills of two other chatbots (not mentioning the names, of course).
For a better understanding of their votes, remember that the first answer we gave them was the answer of ChatGPT, and the second was DeepSeek.
Here is the opinion of our respected AI Jury:
We love Excel; no wonder we have more than 18 AI Efficiency Tools, and most of them are made for Excel.
Because we consider ourselves Excel Experts, we had to test the expertise of DeepSeek and ChatGPT in this program. We gave them a task to generate a VBA Code.
Here is the exact prompt: Generate me a VBA code that turns my Excel spreadsheet into a visually appealing data entry form. It should create input boxes and buttons on the spreadsheet. Don’t use OLE objects or form controls. Use shapes only. The form should be a customer data entry form for a CRM process. The output code should be simple, under 100 rows, and functional.
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Important to note that both chatbots committed mistakes and had errors in their codes, so the forms we got were a result of some testing and changing the prompts.
We used Ajelix VBA Code Debugger to find the mistakes in their codes, which made the debugging work faster.
It was worth it, though.
Here are the data entry forms:
DeepSeek stands out as the winner because its entry form is not only more visually appealing and better formatted, but the code it provided was also more complex.
However, we would rather choose Ajelix VBA Script Generator for these tasks. Fewer errors and more time saved.
People use chatbots for quick answers to their questions, and oftentimes these questions are about some recent events. So, it is very important to find out which chatbot has the most up-to-date information.
We simply asked DeepSeek and ChatGPT: Who won the most recent Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl of 2025 happened almost two months ago, so we thought that most probably both chatbots would provide us with the correct answer. Well, we were wrong.
Here are the results:
DeepSeek (almost) didn’t say anything wrong. Thanks for giving us the results of last year’s Super Bowl, but, unfortunately, it is wrong to say that it’s been the most recent one.
ChatGPT is the winner here. The answer is up-to-date and correct.
For the creativity test, we decided to test the poets inside of ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
We asked Ajelix Answer Generator for poem topics to give to the chatbots. It came up with a wonderful idea that we turned into this prompt: Write a three-verse poem about building a time machine out of cardboard boxes.
Here are the poems:
In our eyes, DeepSeek is the winner. Isn’t it a nice touch to give the poem a title and include a little quote for the readers?
The poem was more captivating, with a surprising ending that left a stronger impact. It certainly stood out as more creative and unconventional.
For this test, we also decided to bring the jury into the decision-making process. As always, our jury remains the same: Claude and Gemini, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
We informed Claude and Gemini about our poem-writing test of two other chatbots (not mentioning the names, of course). We simply asked them to choose their favorite poem and say why.
For a better understanding of their votes, remember that the first answer we gave them was the answer of DeepSeek, and the second was ChatGPT.
Here is the opinion of our respected AI Jury:
Isn’t it lovely that (again) the jury vote matches our opinion? Of course, compared to us, AI Chatbots know how to argue their answer better. We agree with the jury that DeepSeek outshone ChatGPT with the better narrative, childlike wonder, and vivid details.
Congratulations, DeepSeek! You are our poet here.
After all the tests, we have found the winner.
Here is a comparison of all categories and the results:
Category | DeepSeek | ChatGPT |
---|---|---|
Image Generation | 🥈 | 🥇 |
Reasoning | 🥇 | 🥈 |
Excel VBA Script | 🥇 | 🥈 |
Up-to-date Information | 🥈 | 🥇 |
Creativity | 🥇 | 🥈 |
Results | GOLD 🥇 | SILVER 🥈 |
DeepSeek gets the winner’s trophy!
While it may not have the most current knowledge or image generation capabilities, its coding, reasoning, and creativity clearly surpass the first AI chatbot on the market, ChatGPT.
In the battle of DeepSeek vs ChatGPT, DeepSeek comes out on top. Interestingly, our findings perfectly align with the Artificial Intelligence Index for non-reasoning models, where DeepSeek was overtaking ChatGPT, too.
So, for more technical or creative tasks, we can recommend choosing DeepSeek AI, while ChatGPT is better for providing you with up-to-date information and generating images.
That said, they truly shine when used together. For more complex tasks, it’s always a good idea to use multiple AI chatbots.
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Chatbots can assist with a variety of tasks, including answering questions, generating content, automating workflows, and providing coding help. They save time, improve productivity, and offer creative solutions for both personal and professional use.
DeepSeek was declared the overall winner in this comparison due to its superior reasoning, coding, and creativity. However, ChatGPT remains the better option for up-to-date information and image generation.
No, DeepSeek currently does not support image generation. ChatGPT, on the other hand, offers multimodal capabilities, including text, image, and voice generation.
Yes, DeepSeek offers full core functionality for free, with no paywalls. However, there is a pricing structure for API access, which may apply to businesses or developers.
ChatGPT was more up-to-date in this test, correctly answering a question about the most recent Super Bowl, whereas DeepSeek provided outdated information.