DeepSeek suits developers and tinkerers who want a free reasoning assistant plus an API they can build on. Gemini suits business owners who already live in Gmail, Calendar and Drive and want research, voice and image tools around the chat. Both are free to start, so the real split is what sits around the chat and what happens to your data.
Both of these assistants answer questions, draft copy and reason through a problem step by step, and both are free to open. That's why the useful comparison isn't which one sounds cleverer on a given morning. It's what each company bolts on around the chat box, and what each company's own policy says about the words you type into it. I read DeepSeek's and Google's own pages for this, and everything below comes from them.
DeepSeek and Gemini compared row by row
Plan figures are from Google's United States plans page, in $, as of Nov 2026. DeepSeek's pages list no plan figure for the chat app.
| DeepSeek | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | DeepSeek's official AI assistant on web, app and desktop, plus an API platform | Google's AI assistant in the Gemini app and on the web |
| Getting in | The app is listed as free on the App Store | Free plan at $0 a month with a Google Account |
| Step up shown | API Platform and API docs for developers | Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month for 2x higher usage than Free |
| Tools on the free version | DeepThink and Search switches on top of the chat | Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, image generation and editing |
| Ties to other apps | Developers call it through an API that now supports web search and fetch | Connects to Gmail, Calendar, Google Photos, YouTube and Search |
| Uploads | Its privacy policy lists uploaded files and photos among the inputs it collects | Documents, spreadsheets, photos and videos, per the App Store listing |
| Where your data sits | Stored in the People's Republic of China, per its privacy policy | Managed from Gemini Apps Activity, with an auto-delete period you can change |
| Training | Uses data to train and improve its technology, per its privacy policy | A setting controls whether your data helps improve Google AI |
| Desktop | A Desktop download is listed on its home page | Gemini for desktop is listed on Google's Gemini site |
Inside the DeepSeek app and API
DeepSeek's home page is plain. There's a chat box with two switches, DeepThink and Search, and links to the API Platform, the API docs, Harness and a Desktop download. The App Store listing calls it DeepSeek's official AI assistant, lists it as free and offers it in English plus 71 more languages.
Most of the news on the home page is for developers. DeepSeek says its V4.1 Flash model has been updated to version V4.1-Flash-1017 and that the API now supports web search and fetch. If you build tools, that's the interesting part: you can wire the model into your own app rather than working only in the chat window.
- DeepThink is the switch for slower, step by step reasoning on a hard question.
- Search lets the assistant pull in fresh pages from the web before it answers.
- The API Platform is where developers get access for their own software, with its own docs.
- There's a desktop app as well as the web chat and the phone app.
What Gemini's free plan and Google AI Plus include
Google's Gemini plans page is far more detailed. The Free plan is listed at $0 a month with a Google Account and includes the Gemini app, the Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, Google Flow, Gemini Notebook and 15 GB of cloud storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos.
Google AI Plus, listed at $4.99 a month on the same page, promises 2x higher usage access than Free, access to the Flash model, double the usage limits and more features such as video generation. If you'd like the higher Google plans explained, my guide to Gemini Advanced and the paid Google AI plans goes further.
The App Store listing adds the bits that matter day to day. You can connect Gmail, Calendar, Google Photos, YouTube and Search, upload documents, spreadsheets, photos and videos for summaries, and use Gemini Live to brainstorm out loud or share your screen or camera. For a business already running on Google, that joined-up access is the main draw.
Who reads your chats, and where they're stored
This is the part most people skip, and it's where the two differ most. DeepSeek's privacy policy says it will "directly collect, process and store your Personal Data in People's Republic of China". It lists your text input, voice input, prompts, uploaded files, photos and chat history among what it collects, and says it uses data to operate, provide, develop and improve the services and to train and improve its technology. The same policy says the services aren't designed to process sensitive personal data.
Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub is blunt in a different way. It says "Human reviewers (including trained reviewers from our service providers) review some of the data we collect", and asks you not to enter confidential information you wouldn't want a reviewer to see. You get controls: Gemini Apps Activity lets you review and delete activity, change the auto-delete period and choose whether your data helps improve Google AI. Google also notes that with Keep Activity off, it still uses your chats to respond to you and to protect its users, including with help from human reviewers.
Neither of these is a scare story. They're each company's own words, and they tell you what's sensible to paste in. Public research, captions and brainstorms are fine in either. Client contracts, customer emails and anything with a person's details in it deserve more thought.
Matching each assistant to the work you do
DeepSeek fits a technical founder, a developer or a curious tinkerer who wants a free reasoning assistant and an API to build on, and whose prompts aren't sensitive. Gemini fits a small business that already lives in Google: one account, your inbox and calendar connected, research reports, voice and image tools, plus storage that's shared with Drive and Photos.
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If you're also weighing up Microsoft's assistant, my Copilot and Gemini comparison covers that split. And if you're not sure whether you need a chat window or something that takes actions for you, this guide on AI assistants versus chatbots for business tasks helps you decide first.
Plain advice for choosing between DeepSeek and Gemini
Pick DeepSeek if you're building something with an API, you like testing reasoning models and what you send is public or low risk. Pick Gemini if your business runs on Gmail, Calendar and Drive and you want an assistant that plugs into them, with settings you can change for activity and auto-delete. Whichever you choose, decide what you'll paste in before you start, not after.
- List the three jobs you'd hand an assistant this week.
- Mark any that involve client names, contracts or customer details.
- Read the data section of the provider's privacy page for those jobs before you start.
- Try both free versions on the low-risk jobs and keep the one you reach for without thinking.
Picking an AI assistant is mostly about what you'll trust it with, and that's a decision worth making once, on purpose. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Do you make an AI assistant or chatbot? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek free to use?
The official DeepSeek app is listed as free on the App Store, and the web chat offers DeepThink and Search switches. Developers use the separate API Platform.
Is Gemini free?
Yes. Google's US plans page lists a Free plan at $0 a month with a Google Account, as of Nov 2026. It includes Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems and 15 GB of cloud storage.
What does Google AI Plus add?
Google's plans page lists Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month, as of Nov 2026, with 2x higher usage access than Free, the Flash model and more features such as video generation.
Where does DeepSeek store my data?
DeepSeek's privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China, and uses data to improve its services and train its technology.
Do people read my Gemini chats?
Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub says human reviewers, including trained reviewers from its service providers, review some of the data it collects, and asks you not to enter confidential information.
