DeepSeek API Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
DeepSeek API costs Free to $0.87 per month as of June 2026, with 3 plans available including a free tier. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
DeepSeek API offers 3 pricing tiers: Free Trial Credits, DeepSeek V4-Flash (Pay-as-you-go), DeepSeek V4-Pro (Pay-as-you-go). The DeepSeek V4-Flash (Pay-as-you-go) plan is most code generation tasks at the lowest per-token cost.
Yes, DeepSeek API offers a free trial plan as of June 2026. The free tier includes 4 features with limits on usage. Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.
DeepSeek API's free offering is a time-limited trial to test the full product.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- 5 million free tokens on signup
- No credit card required
- Access to all models including deepseek-v4-flash
- Credits apply automatically to usage
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like advanced automation
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Credits expire after a limited period
- No ongoing free tier after trial credits are exhausted
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is DeepSeek API free?
Yes, DeepSeek API offers a free trial plan with 4 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in DeepSeek API's free plan?
DeepSeek API's free plan includes: 5 million free tokens on signup, No credit card required, Access to all models including deepseek-v4-flash, Credits apply automatically to usage. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in DeepSeek API's free plan?
The free plan excludes: advanced features, premium support, and higher limits. You'll also have DeepSeek API branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from DeepSeek API's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like advanced automation, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $0/month.
05 Is DeepSeek API's free plan really free forever?
DeepSeek API's free offering is actually a time-limited trial, not a forever-free plan. After the trial period, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan to continue using the service.