Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving DeepSeek.
Want the closest match?
KimiMost similar to DeepSeek in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Kimi in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Mistral Le ChatHas a free plan, rated 4.4 out of 5.
Visit (opens Mistral Le Chat in a new tab)Want the lowest price?
HuggingChat
From $9/mo, the lowest starting price here.
Visit (opens HuggingChat in a new tab)Want the best rated?
Qwen ChatRated 4.3 out of 5 in our review, against 4.5 for DeepSeek.
Visit (opens Qwen Chat in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than DeepSeek, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DeepSeekBaseline | 4.5 | Free | Yes | The 2025 model that rattled markets with its training cost claims | |
| Kimi | 4.3−0.2 | $19/mo | Yes | Moonshot AI's long-context model, with a 2025 coding breakout | vs DeepSeek |
| Mistral Le Chat | 4.4−0.1 | $14/mo | Yes | Europe's answer to US and Chinese AI labs | vs DeepSeek |
 Doubao | 4.2−0.3 | Free | Yes | ByteDance's chatbot, dominant in China the way ChatGPT is in the West | vs DeepSeek |
| HuggingChat | 4.0−0.5 | $9/mo | Yes | A neutral interface for trying open-weight models, not one house model | vs DeepSeek |
 Manus | 4.1−0.4 | $39/mo | Yes | A 2025 autonomous agent that browses, builds, and ships tasks alone | vs DeepSeek |
| Qwen Chat | 4.3−0.2 | Free | Yes | The consumer face of one of the world's most-downloaded open models | vs DeepSeek |
 ERNIE Bot | 4.1−0.4 | Free | Yes | Repositioned as a search assistant under a new Chinese name | vs DeepSeek |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches DeepSeek.
Kimi
4.3$19/mo
vs DeepSeek−0.2
Moonshot AI's long-context model, with a 2025 coding breakout.
- Unusually long context window for processing lengthy documents
- Kimi K2 model release noted for strong coding and agentic performance
- Open-weight model availability
Long context window handles lengthy documents other models struggle with
Less mature consumer feature set than longer-established Western competitors
Mistral Le Chat
4.4$14/mo
vs DeepSeek−0.1
Europe's answer to US and Chinese AI labs.
- Built by Europe's leading independent AI lab
- Open-weight model releases alongside proprietary options
- Strong multilingual performance across European languages
Clear alternative for data sovereignty and non-US, non-Chinese AI needs
Smaller consumer feature set than the largest US competitors
Doubao
4.2Free
vs DeepSeek−0.3
ByteDance's chatbot, dominant in China the way ChatGPT is in the West.
- One of the most widely used chatbots in China
- Backed by ByteDance's existing consumer app distribution
- General chat, image generation, and voice interaction
Massive existing user base through ByteDance's distribution
Primary relevance and user base centers on the Chinese market
HuggingChat
4.0$9/mo
vs DeepSeek−0.5
A neutral interface for trying open-weight models, not one house model.
- Chat interface for multiple open-weight models
- No single proprietary house model, model-agnostic by design
- Tool integrations for web search and code execution
Genuinely open, model-agnostic design unlike proprietary competitors
Open-weight models can trail top proprietary models on some benchmarks
Manus
4.1$39/mo
vs DeepSeek−0.4
A 2025 autonomous agent that browses, builds, and ships tasks alone.
- Autonomous multi-step task execution with minimal supervision
- Web browsing, code writing, and file creation in one agent
- Can deploy working results like websites independently
Demonstrated unusually high autonomy for a publicly available agent
Very new product, longer-term reliability is still being established
Qwen Chat
4.3Free
vs DeepSeek−0.2
The consumer face of one of the world's most-downloaded open models.
- Consumer interface for Alibaba's widely used open-weight Qwen models
- Multimodal chat including image understanding
- Free to use
Backed by one of the most widely adopted open model families available
Consumer app itself is less differentiated than the open model ecosystem behind it
ERNIE Bot
4.1Free
vs DeepSeek−0.4
Repositioned as a search assistant under a new Chinese name.
- Built on Baidu's ERNIE model family
- One of the earliest major Chinese ChatGPT competitors
- Rebranded as Wenxiaoyan in China, repositioned as a search assistant
Backed by China's largest search engine and its data advantages
Recent rebranding may cause confusion between old and new naming
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is DeepSeek free?
DeepSeek has a free plan.
What is the best free alternative to DeepSeek?
Mistral Le Chat is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.4 out of 5). Other free options: Kimi, Qwen Chat, Doubao.
What is the cheapest alternative to DeepSeek?
Among paid plans, HuggingChat has the lowest starting price (from $9/mo). If you need it free, start with Mistral Le Chat.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.