DeepSeekFree plan
Pricing
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View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
DeepSeek vs Kagi Assistant:
which should you use?
DeepSeek and Kagi Assistant, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
DeepSeek capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself.
Kagi Assistant sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
Kagi AssistantFree plan
Paid from
$5 a month
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | DeepSeek | Kagi Assistant | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself. | Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free to use, weights downloadable | Yes. Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | No paid tier — it is free. | $5 a month. | DeepSeek |
| What the paid tiers cost | No paid tier — it is free. |
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | The consumer app is hosted in China, which many employers and universities prohibit for work material. Self-hosting avoids this. | The free tier is a 100-search trial. Beyond that you are buying the search subscription, and the assistant comes with it rather than being sold on its own; prices exclude sales tax. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | developers, people exploring | people exploring, working professionals, researchers | Tie |
| Made by | DeepSeek — Hangzhou, CN. | Kagi — Palo Alto, US. | Tie |
DeepSeek is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Kagi Assistant are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.
DeepSeek
Capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself.
✓ Capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself.
✓ You would rather not take on a subscription at all
✓ You are among developers
✓ Free to use, weights downloadable
Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
Kagi Assistant is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
✓ You are among working professionals or researchers
✓ Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
✓ It can run on hardware you control
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | DeepSeek | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
The prices
DeepSeek. Read by hand off chat.deepseek.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. chat.deepseek.com/pricing
Kagi Assistant. Read by hand off kagi.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. kagi.com/pricing
The ratings
The category these two share. General-Purpose AI Assistants — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
DeepSeek
Good fitKagi Assistant
Good fitBest choice: Tie
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
DeepSeek
Bad fitKagi Assistant
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
DeepSeek
Bad fitKagi Assistant
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
DeepSeek
Bad fitKagi Assistant
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
DeepSeek
Limited fitKagi Assistant
Limited fitBest choice: Tie
Capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself.
Hangzhou, CNCapable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
You are among developers
Free to use, weights downloadable
Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
by KagiSits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
You are among working professionals or researchers
Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
It can run on hardware you control
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
DeepSeekby DeepSeek
Kagi Assistantby KagiFree version
DeepSeek
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use, weights downloadable
Kagi Assistant
Yes — Free plan availableTrial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed
Individual plans
DeepSeekFree plan only
Kagi Assistant
Starter
$5 / month$4.50 / month (annual)
Professional
$10 / month$9 / month (annual)
Ultimate
$25 / month$22.50 / month (annual)
Duo
$14 / month$12.60 / month (annual)
Family
$20 / month$18 / month (annual)
Business plans
DeepSeekNot sold to teams
Kagi Assistant
From $10 / user / monthTeam Professional, Team Ultimate
Enterprise
DeepSeekNot published
Kagi AssistantNot published
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover general-purpose ai assistants at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on.
7 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek or Kagi Assistant better?
DeepSeek is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Kagi Assistant are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on. DeepSeek: Capable reasoning at no cost, with open weights you can download and run yourself. Kagi Assistant: Sits on top of a search engine you pay for rather than one funded by advertising, so the results behind an answer are not ranked by who bought them.
Is DeepSeek or Kagi Assistant cheaper?
Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.
Do DeepSeek and Kagi Assistant both have free plans?
Yes. DeepSeek: Free to use, weights downloadable. Kagi Assistant: Trial tier, 100 searches with the Assistant included, no card needed.
What should I watch out for?
DeepSeek: The consumer app is hosted in China, which many employers and universities prohibit for work material. Self-hosting avoids this. Kagi Assistant: The free tier is a 100-search trial. Beyond that you are buying the search subscription, and the assistant comes with it rather than being sold on its own; prices exclude sales tax.
Read more
DeepSeek
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Kagi Assistant
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.