DeepSeek vs Qwen Chat: Which Free AI Fits You in 2026
Two free Chinese AI assistants with open weight models behind them. One is text first with a famously cheap API; the other does images and multimodal input.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Pick Qwen Chat if you want the more capable free app: it generates images and takes image, audio and video input, with no paid tier. Pick DeepSeek if you want a free text and reasoning assistant with an iPhone app, or a cheap API that drops into existing tools. Both are based in China, so keep confidential data out of either.
Side by side
| Spec | DeepSeek | Qwen Chat |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Pricing model | free | free |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Free plan | Yes, the chat app is free | Yes, the only plan |
| Paid from | No subscription; API from $0.15 per 1M input tokens off peak | No paid consumer plan listed |
| Top model on paid plan | No subscription; API tops out at DeepSeek-V4-Pro | No paid plan; flagship Qwen3.8 Max family released August 2026 |
| Context window | 1M tokens (API) | Up to 1M tokens on Qwen3.8 Max, per Wikipedia |
| Image generation | Not listed | Yes, Qwen Image models |
The short answer
- Free everyday assistant with images: Qwen Chat.
- iPhone users: DeepSeek, since Qwen's app is not on the US App Store.
- Cheapest API in coding tools: DeepSeek, OpenAI and Anthropic compatible with off peak discounts.
- Self hosting open weights: Qwen, for the breadth of its open model family.
- Sensitive or client data: neither. Use an assistant with a business plan and a training opt out.
Both apps come from Chinese AI labs that publish open weight models, and both are free with no subscription upsell. The differences are in what the apps can do, how you reach them, and how the APIs are priced.
Pricing
| DeepSeek | Qwen Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Chat app | Free | Free |
| Paid consumer plan | None | None |
| Usage limits | Not published | Not published; Play reviewers report daily caps |
| Cheapest API model | deepseek-flash: $0.30 input, $1.20 output per 1M (peak) | Qwen3.8 Flash: $0.15 input, $0.47 output per 1M |
| Off peak discount | 50% off outside peak UTC hours | None listed |
| Top API model | deepseek-v4-pro: $1.32 input, $3.96 output (peak) | Qwen3.8 Max: $2 input, $6 output |
| Free API credit | Not listed | 1 million tokens per model for 90 days |
API prices from DeepSeek's pricing docs and Alibaba Cloud Model Studio's international (Singapore) price list, October 2026. DeepSeek's peak hours are 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays; every other hour costs half.
What it costs at scale
Take an app that sends 100 million input tokens and 20 million output tokens a month through the budget model, with no caching:
- DeepSeek deepseek-flash, all peak: 100 x $0.30 + 20 x $1.20 = $54 a month.
- DeepSeek deepseek-flash, all off peak: $15 + $12 = $27 a month.
- Qwen3.8 Flash: 100 x $0.15 + 20 x $0.47 = $24.40 a month.
On the flagships, the same volume costs $132 + $79.20 = $211.20 at peak on DeepSeek V4 Pro (half off peak) against $200 + $120 = $320 on Qwen3.8 Max. DeepSeek also bills cache hits at a fraction of a cent, which matters for chat apps that resend long prompts. Compare both with every other assistant on the Price Index.
Models and features
| DeepSeek | Qwen Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence | Alibaba Cloud |
| Flagship | DeepSeek V4 Pro; V4.1 Flash | Qwen3.8 Max (weights released August 2026) |
| Reasoning mode | DeepThink | Deep thinking |
| Web search | Yes | Yes |
| Image generation | Not listed | Yes, Qwen Image models |
| Input types | Text, files, images | Text, images, audio, video |
| Context window | 1M tokens on both API models | Up to 1M tokens on Qwen3.8 Max |
| Apps | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Android (Qwen Studio) |
| API compatibility | OpenAI and Anthropic formats | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes, a wide family |
DeepSeek is the narrower product: a fast text and reasoning assistant with search and file reading. Qwen Chat is the broader one, closer to ChatGPT's free tier in scope, with image creation and multimodal input in the same chat. Wikipedia reports 234 million Qwen app users by May 2026, which puts it among the most used assistants in the world.
Head to head scenarios
Free everyday assistant
Winner: Qwen Chat. Both are free, but Qwen does more for $0: it generates images, reads photos, audio and video, and searches the web. DeepSeek covers questions, writing and reasoning well, but you will need another tool the moment you want an image.
iPhone and Mac users
Winner: DeepSeek. DeepSeek has a native iOS app (3.9 on the App Store from about 12,300 ratings). Qwen's mobile app was not on the US App Store in October 2026, so iPhone users work in the browser at chat.qwen.ai.
Cheap API inside coding tools
Winner: DeepSeek. Its API speaks the OpenAI and Anthropic formats, so you can point existing SDKs and coding agents at it by changing a base URL, and off peak calls cost half. Qwen3.8 Flash matches the off peak input price, but you work through Alibaba Cloud's console and SDKs.
Running a model yourself
Winner: Qwen. Both publish open weights, but Alibaba ships the wider range of sizes and specialized models, so it is easier to find a Qwen model that fits your hardware. DeepSeek's releases center on a few very large models.
Long documents
Tie, slight edge DeepSeek. Both list 1M token context on their top API models. DeepSeek's cache hit pricing ($0.006 per 1M at peak on Flash) makes repeated questions over the same long document very cheap.
Work and client data
Winner: neither. DeepSeek's policy says it stores personal data in China and trains on input unless you email an opt out. We could not review Qwen Chat's policy because it loads only through scripts, and found no training opt out. For work, use an assistant with a business plan, such as those in our DeepSeek alternatives.
Privacy
DeepSeek. Its privacy policy says it collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China, uses input to train and improve models, and offers an opt out by email rather than a setting. Retention is "as long as necessary." Apple's privacy label lists location, contact info, user content and search history as linked to your identity.
Qwen Chat. The privacy policy and terms on chat.qwen.ai load only through scripts, so we could not read them in October 2026. Google Play's data safety section, provided by the developer, says no data is shared with third parties, data is encrypted in transit and you can request deletion. We found no published training opt out.
Both. Many employers and government agencies restrict AI tools from companies based in China on work devices. The open weights route avoids the question entirely: if you run DeepSeek or Qwen models on your own hardware, nothing leaves your machine.
Verdict
For most people choosing a free app, Qwen Chat wins: it does more at the same price of $0, with images and multimodal input DeepSeek does not offer. DeepSeek wins for iPhone users and for developers who want the cheapest drop in API, especially off peak. Use either for public, non sensitive tasks only. Read the full DeepSeek review and Qwen Chat review for the details.
Frequently asked questions
Is Qwen better than DeepSeek?
For a free everyday app, Qwen Chat does more: it adds image generation and image, audio and video input that DeepSeek lacks. For a cheap API and a simpler, text first reasoning assistant with an iPhone app, DeepSeek is the better pick. Neither publishes enough benchmark detail on its product pages for us to call one model smarter.
Are DeepSeek and Qwen free?
Yes. DeepSeek's chat app on web, iOS and Android is free with DeepThink reasoning and search. Qwen Chat is free on the web and in the Qwen Studio Android app, with deep thinking, search, multimodal input and image generation, subject to usage limits.
Which is cheaper for developers, DeepSeek or Qwen?
They tie at the bottom. DeepSeek's deepseek-flash costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens at peak and $0.15 off peak, with $1.20 or $0.60 output. Alibaba Cloud lists Qwen3.8 Flash at $0.15 input and $0.47 output in its Singapore region at all hours. For premium models, DeepSeek V4 Pro is $1.32 input at peak against $2 for Qwen3.8 Max.
Is DeepSeek or Qwen safer for my data?
Neither is a good home for confidential data. DeepSeek's privacy policy says it stores personal data in China and trains on input unless you email an opt out. Qwen Chat's policy loads only through scripts, so we could not review it, and we found no published training opt out. Both come from companies based in China, which many employers restrict.
Who makes Qwen and DeepSeek?
Qwen is built by Alibaba Cloud, part of Alibaba Group. DeepSeek is built by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, an independent lab in Hangzhou. Both release open weight models that you can download and run yourself.
Can I use DeepSeek or Qwen on iPhone?
DeepSeek, yes: it has an App Store app rated 3.9 from about 12,300 ratings. Qwen's mobile app, Qwen Studio, is on Google Play but was not on the US App Store in October 2026, so iPhone users use chat.qwen.ai in Safari.
DeepSeek or Qwen for coding?
DeepSeek for most developers on a budget, because its API is OpenAI and Anthropic compatible, so it drops into existing coding tools, and off peak rates halve the price. Qwen is the pick if you want to self host, since Alibaba publishes open weights coder models.