Pricing

Transparent, flexible pricing for DeepSeek AI services. Pay only for what you use with competitive rates and enterprise-grade features.

Overview

DeepSeek offers simple, usage-based pricing with no hidden fees:

• Pay-per-Token: Only pay for tokens you consume
• No Monthly Fees: No subscription or minimum commitments
• Transparent Pricing: Clear, predictable costs
• Volume Discounts: Lower rates for higher usage
• Enterprise Plans: Custom pricing for large-scale deployments

Token-Based Pricing

How Pricing Works

DeepSeek uses a token-based pricing model where you pay for:

• Input Tokens: Text you send to the API
• Output Tokens: Text generated by the AI
• Image Processing: Visual content analysis (for vision models)
• Audio Processing: Speech and audio analysis (for audio models)

Token Calculation

Text Tokens

• 1 token ≈ 4 characters in English
• 1 token ≈ 0.75 words on average
• Example: "Hello, world!" = ~3 tokens

Token Counting Example

import tiktoken

def count_tokens(text, model="deepseek-chat"):
    encoding = tiktoken.encoding_for_model(model)
    return len(encoding.encode(text))

# Example usage
text = "Explain quantum computing in simple terms"
tokens = count_tokens(text)
print(f"Input tokens: {tokens}")  # Output: Input tokens: 7

Model Pricing

Language Models

DeepSeek Chat

• Input: $0.14 per 1M tokens
• Output: $0.28 per 1M tokens
• Context Length: Up to 128K tokens
• Best For: General conversation, content creation, analysis

DeepSeek Coder

• Input: $0.14 per 1M tokens
• Output: $0.28 per 1M tokens
• Context Length: Up to 128K tokens
• Best For: Code generation, debugging, code analysis

DeepSeek Research

• Input: $0.20 per 1M tokens
• Output: $0.40 per 1M tokens
• Context Length: Up to 256K tokens
• Best For: Research, academic work, complex analysis

Specialized Models

DeepSeek Vision

• Text Input: $0.14 per 1M tokens
• Text Output: $0.28 per 1M tokens
• Image Processing: $0.85 per 1K images
• Best For: Image analysis, visual content understanding

DeepSeek Audio

• Audio Input: $0.006 per minute
• Text Output: $0.28 per 1M tokens
• Best For: Speech-to-text, audio analysis

Premium Models

DeepSeek Pro

• Input: $0.60 per 1M tokens
• Output: $1.20 per 1M tokens
• Context Length: Up to 512K tokens
• Features: Enhanced reasoning, advanced capabilities

DeepSeek Ultra

• Input: $1.50 per 1M tokens
• Output: $3.00 per 1M tokens
• Context Length: Up to 1M tokens
• Features: Maximum performance, cutting-edge capabilities

Usage Tiers & Discounts

Volume Discounts

Automatic discounts based on monthly usage:

Tier 1: Standard (0-10M tokens/month)

• Discount: 0%
• Rate: Standard pricing

Tier 2: Growth (10M-100M tokens/month)

• Discount: 10%
• Rate: 10% off standard pricing

Tier 3: Scale (100M-1B tokens/month)

• Discount: 20%
• Rate: 20% off standard pricing

Tier 4: Enterprise (1B+ tokens/month)

• Discount: 30%+
• Rate: Custom pricing available

Pricing Example

Monthly Usage: 50M tokens

Base Cost (DeepSeek Chat):
- Input: 25M tokens × $0.14/1M = $3.50
- Output: 25M tokens × $0.28/1M = $7.00
- Subtotal: $10.50

Volume Discount (Tier 2): 10%
- Discount: $1.05
- Final Cost: $9.45

Free Tier

Free Usage Limits

Every account includes:

• 5M tokens per month across all models
• 1K image analyses per month
• 60 minutes audio processing per month
• Full API access
• Community support

Free Tier Models

• DeepSeek Chat (limited)
• DeepSeek Coder (limited)
• DeepSeek Vision (limited)
• Basic monitoring and analytics

Enterprise Plans

Enterprise Features

Advanced Security

• SOC 2 Type II compliance
• GDPR compliance
• Custom data retention policies
• Advanced encryption
• Audit logging

Enhanced Support

• 24/7 priority support
• Dedicated account manager
• Custom SLA agreements
• Technical consultation
• Training and onboarding

Custom Deployment

• Private cloud deployment
• On-premises installation
• Custom model fine-tuning
• Dedicated infrastructure
• Custom integrations

Enterprise Pricing

Starter Enterprise

• $2,000/month minimum
• 25% discount on usage
• Basic enterprise features
• Business hours support

Professional Enterprise

• $10,000/month minimum
• 35% discount on usage
• Full enterprise features
• 24/7 priority support

Custom Enterprise

• Custom pricing
• Volume-based discounts
• Tailored features
• Dedicated infrastructure

Cost Estimation

Usage Calculator

Estimate Your Costs

def estimate_monthly_cost(
    input_tokens_millions,
    output_tokens_millions,
    model="deepseek-chat"
):
    # Base pricing (per 1M tokens)
    pricing = {
        "deepseek-chat": {"input": 0.14, "output": 0.28},
        "deepseek-coder": {"input": 0.14, "output": 0.28},
        "deepseek-research": {"input": 0.20, "output": 0.40},
        "deepseek-pro": {"input": 0.60, "output": 1.20},
        "deepseek-ultra": {"input": 1.50, "output": 3.00}
    }
    
    base_cost = (
        input_tokens_millions * pricing[model]["input"] +
        output_tokens_millions * pricing[model]["output"]
    )
    
    # Apply volume discounts
    total_tokens = input_tokens_millions + output_tokens_millions
    if total_tokens >= 1000:  # 1B+ tokens
        discount = 0.30
    elif total_tokens >= 100:  # 100M+ tokens
        discount = 0.20
    elif total_tokens >= 10:   # 10M+ tokens
        discount = 0.10
    else:
        discount = 0.00
    
    final_cost = base_cost * (1 - discount)
    return final_cost, discount

# Example calculation
cost, discount = estimate_monthly_cost(25, 25, "deepseek-chat")
print(f"Estimated monthly cost: ${cost:.2f}")
print(f"Volume discount: {discount*100:.0f}%")

Common Usage Scenarios

Chatbot Application

• Usage: 10M input + 15M output tokens/month
• Model: DeepSeek Chat
• Cost: ~$5.60/month (with 10% discount)

Code Assistant

• Usage: 5M input + 10M output tokens/month
• Model: DeepSeek Coder
• Cost: ~$3.50/month (standard rate)

Content Generation

• Usage: 20M input + 40M output tokens/month
• Model: DeepSeek Chat
• Cost: ~$14.40/month (with 20% discount)

Research Platform

• Usage: 50M input + 100M output tokens/month
• Model: DeepSeek Research
• Cost: ~$96.00/month (with 20% discount)

Billing & Payment

Billing Cycle

Monthly Billing

• Billing Date: Same date each month
• Usage Period: Calendar month
• Payment Due: 7 days after billing
• Currency: USD (primary), EUR, GBP available

Usage Tracking

• Real-time monitoring: Track usage as it happens
• Daily summaries: Detailed daily usage reports
• Monthly projections: Forecast monthly costs
• Budget alerts: Set spending limits and alerts

Payment Methods

Accepted Payments

• Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
• Bank Transfer: ACH, wire transfer (enterprise)
• Digital Wallets: PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum (enterprise)

Payment Security

• PCI DSS compliant
• Encrypted transactions
• Secure payment processing
• Fraud protection

Invoicing

Invoice Details

{
  "invoice_id": "inv_2025_01_001",
  "billing_period": "2025-01-01 to 2025-01-31",
  "usage_summary": {
    "deepseek_chat": {
      "input_tokens": 25000000,
      "output_tokens": 35000000,
      "cost": 12.60
    },
    "deepseek_vision": {
      "images_processed": 5000,
      "cost": 4.25
    }
  },
  "subtotal": 16.85,
  "discount": 1.69,
  "total": 15.16,
  "tax": 1.21,
  "amount_due": 16.37
}

Cost Optimization

Best Practices

Token Optimization

1. Efficient Prompts: Use concise, clear prompts
2. Context Management: Minimize unnecessary context
3. Response Length: Control output length with parameters
4. Caching: Cache responses for repeated queries
5. Batch Processing: Group similar requests

Model Selection

1. Right Model: Choose appropriate model for task
2. Cost vs Performance: Balance cost and quality needs
3. Specialized Models: Use task-specific models
4. Free Tier: Utilize free tier for development

Usage Monitoring

1. Set Budgets: Configure spending limits
2. Monitor Usage: Track real-time consumption
3. Analyze Patterns: Identify optimization opportunities
4. Regular Reviews: Monthly cost analysis

Cost Optimization Tools

Budget Management

# Set monthly budget
client.billing.set_budget(
    amount=500.00,
    currency="USD",
    alerts=[
        {"threshold": 50, "email": True},
        {"threshold": 80, "email": True, "webhook": True},
        {"threshold": 100, "email": True, "webhook": True, "suspend": True}
    ]
)

# Get current usage
usage = client.billing.get_usage(period="current_month")
print(f"Current spend: ${usage.total_cost}")
print(f"Budget remaining: ${usage.budget_remaining}")

Usage Analytics

# Analyze token efficiency
analytics = client.analytics.token_efficiency(
    period="last_30_days",
    group_by="model"
)

for model, stats in analytics.items():
    print(f"{model}:")
    print(f"  Avg tokens per request: {stats.avg_tokens}")
    print(f"  Cost per request: ${stats.cost_per_request}")
    print(f"  Efficiency score: {stats.efficiency_score}")

Frequently Asked Questions

General Pricing

Q: Are there any setup fees or monthly minimums? A: No, DeepSeek has no setup fees or monthly minimums. You only pay for what you use.

Q: How are tokens calculated? A: Tokens are calculated based on the text length. Approximately 1 token equals 4 characters or 0.75 words in English.

Q: Do you offer refunds? A: We offer refunds for unused credits within 30 days of purchase, subject to our terms of service.

Billing & Usage

Q: When am I billed? A: Billing occurs monthly on the same date you first used the service. Payment is due within 7 days.

Q: Can I set spending limits? A: Yes, you can set monthly budgets and receive alerts when approaching limits.

Q: How can I track my usage? A: Real-time usage tracking is available in your dashboard, with detailed analytics and reporting.

Enterprise & Volume

Q: Do you offer volume discounts? A: Yes, automatic volume discounts apply based on monthly usage, starting at 10M tokens.

Q: What's included in enterprise plans? A: Enterprise plans include volume discounts, priority support, enhanced security, and custom deployment options.

Q: Can I get custom pricing? A: Yes, we offer custom pricing for high-volume users and enterprise customers.

Getting Started

Start Using DeepSeek

1. Create Account: Sign up at https://console.deepseek.com
2. Get API Key: Generate your API key in the dashboard
3. Start Building: Begin with our free tier
4. Monitor Usage: Track costs in real-time
5. Scale Up: Upgrade as your usage grows

Support & Resources

• Pricing Calculator: https://deepseek.com/pricing-calculator
• Usage Dashboard: https://console.deepseek.com/usage
• Billing Support: billing@deepseek.com
• Sales Team: sales@deepseek.com

Ready to get started? Create your account and begin building with DeepSeek AI today!