DeepSeek pricing and model guide in the UK (2025)

Choosing the right AI tool is an important decision for small and medium businesses in the UK, especially when budgets are tight and every pound counts. DeepSeek has quickly gained attention for its low-cost, pay-as-you-go pricing model that competes directly with big players like OpenAI. But with no fixed subscription plans, understanding how token-based pricing works is key to avoiding surprise costs. In this guide, we break down DeepSeek pricing in simple terms, show how it compares to other providers, and share practical tips to keep your monthly bill under control.

As DeepSeek charges in US dollars, we'll also explain how tools like Wise Business can help you pay your subscription fees easily, with low conversion costs and no hidden markups eating into your AI budget.

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DeepSeek Pricing Overview

There are no specific DeepSeek pricing plans, as the platform utilises a usage-based approach. Users are charged per input and output tokens depending on the selected model (Chat or Reasoner). Prices vary based on cache hits or misses. Token billing includes both input and output units.¹

When it comes to the models themselves, DeepSeek Chat is the general-purpose conversational model optimised for fast, low-cost interactions and structured outputs, making it a great tool for customer support, internal copilots, content drafting, and routine coding tasks.

On the other end, DeepSeek Reasoner is the higher-cognition option designed for complex, multi-step problems (e.g., advanced analysis, planning, maths, and intricate code generation), typically costing more per token but delivering stronger reasoning when accuracy matters most.

DeepSeek Chat pricing

DeepSeek Chat uses pure pay-as-you-go pricing. You're billed for the tokens you send in (inputs) and the tokens the model returns (outputs). The rate you pay for input tokens depends on whether DeepSeek can reuse a cached version of your prompt (cache hit) or needs to process it fresh (cache miss).

As of 2025 standard pricing, DeepSeek Chat is $0.07 per 1M input tokens (cache hit), $0.27 per 1M input tokens (cache miss) and $1.10 per 1M output tokens. The model supports a 64K-token context window and allows up to 8K output tokens (with a 4K default ceiling).¹

DeepSeek Chat features

DeepSeek Chat is built for high-volume, day-to-day work. Out of the box, it supports JSON-style output and Function Calling, so your developers can ask the model to return well-formed structures (handy for pipelines and databases) and to call internal tools safely when specific conditions are met.

Beyond the core API, DeepSeek offers Chat Prefix Completion (Beta): you provide the beginning of the assistant's reply, and the model completes it.² This is useful for autocomplete-like experiences.

Is DeepSeek Chat right for my business?

DeepSeek Chat is a strong fit if you run large volumes of routine prompts and want predictable, low unit costs. Choose Chat if you run large volumes of routine prompts (customer support, internal copilots, content drafting) and can benefit from cache hits on repeated instructions or templates. It minimises costs without sacrificing quality for everyday tasks.

If your workflows require deeper step-by-step reasoning (for example, complex financial modelling logic, long multi-hop planning, or intricate code generation), keep most steps on Chat for economy and hand off only the hard parts to DeepSeek Reasoner. This "tiered" approach preserves Chat's cost advantages while getting Reasoner-level accuracy where it truly matters.

DeepSeek Reasoner pricing

Just like Chat, DeepSeek Reasoner (R1) charges purely on usage. You pay for the tokens you send (inputs) and the tokens the model returns (outputs). Input pricing splits into two tiers: a lower rate when your request hits the cache and a higher rate when it misses the cache. For predictable budgeting, plan around the standard rates: $0.14 per 1M input tokens (cache hit), $0.55 per 1M input tokens (cache miss), and $2.19 per 1M output tokens.¹

A unique element of Reasoner pricing is the model's reasoning budget. R1 can generate a large internal "deliberation" before it writes the final answer. In the API, this shows up as reasoning content (the hidden plan) and content (the user-facing answer). DeepSeek documents a 64K context window for inputs, while the reasoning budget defaults to 32K tokens (and can be raised to 64K); the final answer is capped separately (up to 8K tokens). Crucially, the docs note that the reasoning content length doesn't count toward the 64K input context limit,⁴ which is why R1 can "think longer" without blowing your prompt window, though you'll still pay for the generated tokens.

In practice, if your team relies on R1 for complex work, costs will be driven less by prompt size and more by how much the model reasons and how long the final answer is. A sensible budgeting tactic is to cap max tokens for the final answer and set a conservative reasoning budget, then raise it only for flows that demonstrably benefit from deeper deliberation. DeepSeek also publishes time-of-day discounts, but for UK SMBs, it's best to forecast on standard pricing and treat discounts as upside.

DeepSeek Reasoner features

DeepSeek Reasoner is built for hard, multi-step problems across maths, logic, analytics, and complex code. As mentioned, the standout capability is its separate reasoning channel: the model can generate extensive reasoning content (its internal plan) and then produce a concise final answer. This design enables better multi-hop deductions and fewer dead ends when tasks require planning, tool selection, or rigorous checking.

From an integration point of view, R1 supports the same core developer features you may already use with Chat, such as JSON Output and Function Calling. This combination lets you orchestrate workflows where R1 does the heavy thinking, then calls functions to verify steps or fetch live data, and finally returns structured JSON you can drop into downstream systems.

Feature parity isn't absolute, though, as DeepSeek's matrix indicates FIM (fill-in-the-middle) completion is available on Chat but not on Reasoner,⁴ whereas Chat Prefix Completion (beta) is available on both models.

Is DeepSeek Reasoner right for my business?

DeepSeek Reasoner shines when accuracy and depth are worth a higher unit cost (e.g., pricing engines, planning, complex code generation). That said, not every step needs Reasoner, so you may want to run most prompts through DeepSeek Chat for speed and cost efficiency, and only escalate hard cases to R1.

What is the pricing currency?

DeepSeek bills all API usage in US dollars (USD),¹ with metered per-token rates published in its official pricing tables. That means UK businesses budgeting in pounds will see charges denominated in USD whenever they use DeepSeek Chat or DeepSeek Reasoner.

For UK teams, the simplest way to keep those costs predictable is to pay in dollars without hidden exchange-rate markups. This is where a Wise Business account comes in, allowing you to hold 40+ currencies, convert only when you choose, and spend in USD at the mid-market exchange rate* with a clear, upfront fee. In practice, that means more of your budget goes to tokens, not to unnecessary exchange fees.

How to save on your DeepSeek bill next month

With the DeepSeek pay-as-you-go pricing model, every token you send and receive has a cost. More importantly, its costs scale with your team's habits: which model you route to, how you craft prompts, whether you cap outputs, and even how you pay in a foreign currency.

Here's how you and your team can cut costs and save on your DeepSeek spending:

• Match model to task – Keep high-volume, repeatable workloads on Chat and reserve Reasoner for the more complex tasks only
• Design for cache hits – Standardise prompts, reuse system instructions, and template your workflows so more requests qualify for cache-hit input rates
• Audit usage monthly – Look for runaway outputs (8K caps), oversized contexts (64K), or unnecessary reasoning steps, and trim prompts and summarise context to cut tokens
• Avoid hidden or high conversion fees – Pay DeepSeek with a Wise Business account to access the mid-market rate* with low fees – no padded exchange rates on every invoice

DeepSeek vs. OpenAI – price comparison (2025)

If you're shopping on unit cost, DeepSeek sits at the low end of the market, while OpenAI's GPT-5 is priced as a premium, frontier model. OpenAI lists $1.25 per 1M input tokens (with $0.125 per 1M for cached input) and $10.00 per 1M output tokens for GPT-5,⁵ which is notably higher than DeepSeek's rates. Opt for OpenAI GPT-5 when you're comfortable with higher per-token costs and specifically need its frontier performance or ecosystem features. Otherwise, DeepSeek typically delivers a much lower price per unit of work.

Plan ahead and save on fees with Wise Business

DeepSeek pricing is purely usage-based, billed per input/output token rather than fixed plans. To keep control, default most workloads to DeepSeek Chat and reserve Reasoner for steps that truly need deeper logic. Standardise prompts to trigger cache hits, cap output tokens, and review logs monthly to trim oversized contexts – small guardrails compound into big savings.

Because API charges settle in USD, the way you pay matters as much as how you prompt. A Wise Business account lets UK teams hold USD, convert from GBP at the mid-market rate* with low, transparent fees, and pay DeepSeek via a multi-currency card. Fewer fee markups mean more budget for tokens – simple, predictable, and built for scaling with Wise Business.

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FAQ

Does DeepSeek have a free plan or free trial?

Yes – the consumer app (web, iOS, Android) is free to use. However, the API is metered and billed per token, meaning there's no separate API "free plan."

Does DeepSeek have an app?

Yes. Official apps are available on the App Store and Google Play.

Does DeepSeek have an API?

Yes. DeepSeek provides developers with an API that grants them access to its language and vision models.

Does DeepSeek charge implementation/onboarding fees?

There are no published onboarding or implementation fees, as pricing is documented purely per token. (If you buy via a third-party platform or enterprise reseller, verify any additional charges.)

Sources used:

Sources last checked: 02-Sept-2025