C
CGeneral-purpose AI chat assistant for writing, research, coding and everyday tasks
Free, from $8/mo
DeepSeek vs Photomath / Mathway
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
D
Choose DeepSeek if…
- you need an API to build on
- you work on Web
- you're in its core audience: developers, ai app builders
P
Choose Photomath / Mathway if…
- you're in its core audience: middle and high school students, college students
Side by side
Feature DeepSeek Photomath / Mathway
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price—$5.83/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
Trains AI on your content—Yes
Data retention—Stored only as long as legitimate need exists; deletion on request
Web search—
File upload & analysis—
Runs locally—
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIiOS, Android
CategoryAI ChatbotsHomework Helpers
CompanyDeepSeekPhotomath LLC · United States · part of Google
Full feature lists
D DeepSeek
- Web chat at chat.deepseek.com
- Mobile app and DeepSeek Harness desktop client
- OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible API
- 1M-token context window, 384K max output
- Thinking mode with adjustable reasoning effort
- Web search and page fetch through the API
- Discounted pricing for cache hits and off-peak hours
P Photomath / Mathway
- Scan math problems with the phone camera
- Solves word problems
- Smart calculator for typed input
- Step-by-step solution explanations
- Multiple solution methods for many problems
- Custom visual aids
- Extra "how" and "why" tips
- Covers arithmetic through calculus and statistics
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
DeepSeek · deepseek.com
Photomath / Mathway · photomath.netWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
DeepSeek
ChatFree
deepseek-flash API$0.15/1M input tokens (cache miss, off-peak), $0.6/1M output tokens off-peak; peak rates are double
deepseek-v4-pro API$0.66/1M input tokens (cache miss, off-peak), $1.98/1M output tokens off-peak; peak rates are double
Search & Fetch$0.75 per 1,000 successful requests
Photomath / Mathway
Basic$0
Monthly$9.99
Annually$69.99
Price changes we've recorded
We re-read each pricing page every month and log what changed.
DeepSeek
- Nov 5, 2026Pricing model: Paid → Freemium; New plan: Chat (Free)
Photomath / Mathway
No changes since we started tracking.
Strengths and limitations
DeepSeek
- Off-peak API prices are 50% of peak prices
- 1M-token context on both API models
- Works with OpenAI and Anthropic API formats
- Available on web, mobile, and desktop
- Peak-hour API rates are twice the off-peak rates
- Web search and fetch through the API cost extra per request
- The site does not state free-tier terms or limits for the chat apps
Photomath / Mathway
- Free Basic tier available
- Covers elementary math through college calculus
- Trials offered on both paid plans
- Annual plan works out cheaper than monthly
- Only listed for iOS and Android, with no web or desktop app mentioned
- No API listed
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Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Oct 26, 2026. Editorial policy