DeepSeek vs. Grok: My Honest Review After Actual Use

Which AI chatbot should you trust? One that’s open and free, or one that promises an edge with fresh insights?

That’s the question I asked myself when Grok started trending on my X feed with its witty personality, while DeepSeek gained momentum as a free, open-source alternative to ChatGPT with millions of users worldwide. The hype of these AI chatbots was impossible to ignore.

So, I decided to test both of them so you know what to choose when comparing DeepSeek vs. Grok. My goal wasn’t just curiosity; it was to see if these tools live up to their claims and, more importantly, which one actually adds value depending on the task.

After spending time with both, here’s my short verdict: Grok shines when you need the latest, real-time information. DeepSeek, on the other hand, does well in coding and summarization.

In this comparison, I’ll share how they differ in practice, where each excels, and what you should know before choosing between them.

Grok vs. DeepSeek: What are the differences and similarities? 

Grok and DeepSeek are very different. The contrast in personality is immediate. Grok’s personality is apparent from the get-go. It’s intentionally unfiltered and a little chaotic. In my chats, Grok would crack jokes, use internet slang, and even throw in some sarcasm or edgy humor. 

DeepSeek, on the other hand, appears more serious and focused. It doesn’t joke around much. It’s more like an eager scholar, helpful and factual, but a bit earnest. 

Let’s break down some key differences and similarities in a more structured way:

Grok and DeepSeek: Key differences

Below are some key differences between Grok and DeepSeek. 

• Open-source vs. proprietary: DeepSeek is currently the only one of the two that’s open-source. Its model weights are open and even licensed for reuse. This means researchers and developers around the world can study it, integrate it, or improve upon it. Grok, in contrast, is a closed system. xAI has not open-sourced Grok’s model as of now. You can only use Grok through xAI’s approved channels, like the X app, the web interface, or their API.
• Access and cost: DeepSeek’s accessibility is a huge draw. It’s completely free to anyone with an internet connection. There are no limits on messages or hidden paywalls. Grok, on the other hand, sits behind a paywall. Full access to all of Grok’s capabilities requires the higher-tier Premium+ (aka SuperGrok) subscription.
• Platform integration: Grok is deeply tied into the X (formerly Twitter) ecosystem. You can use it directly in the X app if you have the subscription, and it even incorporates real-time data from Twitter into its answers. If you’re already an avid X user, Grok fits right into your workflow. DeepSeek doesn’t integrate with other platforms by default. However, third parties have created integrations using their APIs, since they’re open.

Grok and DeepSeek: The similarities

Surprisingly, after using both, I realized they share quite a few significant similarities:

• Advanced AI capabilities: Both Grok and DeepSeek can handle a wide range of tasks, including writing essays or emails, answering questions and queries across multiple domains, brainstorming ideas, summarizing text, and even generating code. In terms of pure capability, they’re each on the same playing field as top AI chatbots. I was able to ask a question, then refine it with additional prompts, and both remembered context pretty well within a single session.
• Coding assistance: Grok and DeepSeek both generate code in various languages and provide explanations of the code upon request. While Grok might be a tad more polished in explaining, and DeepSeek might sometimes output more verbose logic, the difference isn’t huge.
• Conversational intelligence: Both chatbots engage in fairly natural conversations. Neither felt overly robotic unless I pushed them with very tricky questions. They ask clarifying questions, remember what we were discussing, and tailor their answers to the given context. According to G2 Data, DeepSeek’s conversational ability is almost on par with ChatGPT’s. I would say Grok is in that league, too.
• “Thinking” modes: Interestingly, both AIs have deep thinking modes. With DeepSeek, there’s the “DeepThink” feature. It lets the AI show its step-by-step reasoning for complex questions. Grok features its DeepSearch and DeeperSearch functions, which are designed for more in-depth analysis. Essentially, Grok will scour more sources and take a bit longer to write a comprehensive answer. While the mechanism differs, the idea is the same. 

Grok vs DeepSeek: How they performed in my tests

To compare Grok and DeepSeek directly, I put them through a series of hands-on tests similar to how I’d evaluate any AI chatbot. 

Summarization

For a quick summarization challenge, I asked both chatbots to summarize a G2 article, “The biggest IT outages in history,” in exactly three bullet points under a tight word limit (100 words). 

Grok surprised me by sticking strictly to the requirement. It delivered three concise bullets, each showcasing the most significant IT outages in history.  This was helpful, but technically, it wasn’t the summary that I had requested. The AI chatbot only listed the top three rather than synthesizing the article. 

Another point to note was despite mentioning the precise article to summarize, Grok added 25 different webpages as sources. This added unnecessary noise and made the response feel less focused. 

DeepSeek likewise followed instructions to the letter. Its summary was well within the word limit, with clear, neatly structured bullet points. DeepSeek summarized the entire article’s context in three points rather than listing the three biggest IT outages. Unlike Grok, it didn’t mention any sources.   

Winner: DeepSeek, for following instructions precisely as prompted. 

Content generation

Moving on to content creation, I assigned each a more open-ended task: write a short marketing blurb, including a product description, a tagline, and a couple of social media posts for a hypothetical new gadget. 

Both chatbots created a product description, tagline, and social media posts, encouraging the audience to try and purchase. I loved seeing hashtag suggestions in social media posts. 

If we look deeper, Grok organically gave me a copy of a social media post to use at X. However, it stopped at the text itself — it didn’t suggest visuals or imagery that could accompany the posts.. The use of emojis made the copy more punchy and engaging. 

DeepSeek, on the other hand, suggested visuals with the social media copy. It went a level further to give different social media posts for different social media handles. I loved that, it’s because repurposing a medium-length post from, say, LinkedIn or Facebook, to a shorter version for X, is extra work. DeepSeek addressed that in its output. 

Winner: DeepSeek, for suggesting different posts for different social media platforms. 

Coding

One of my favorite tests is to see how AI handles a coding task. I asked both Grok and DeepSeek to help me write a simple password generator web page and to include a password strength meter for fun.

Grok’s output was clearly what I had asked for, but from a UI perspective, it felt a bit outdated. The platform used an Ariel font and gave a simple password generator interface. 

DeepSeek’s response to the query was as expected, but with a better UI. Not only did it generate the complete HTML, CSS, and JavaScript needed, but it also allowed me to run the code directly within the chat interface. The DeepSeek chat has a feature that executes the code and displays a mini preview of the working password generator. 

DeepSeek went the extra mile and implemented various attributes like uppercase characters, numbers, and special characters that contributed to password strength, which was a nice touch. 

Overall, the UI developed using the code snippets shows a significant difference. DeepSeek performed better in terms of UI/UX than Grok when both were given the same prompt. 

Winner: DeepSeek, because it generated a better UI. 

Real-time knowledge and research

Since both chatbots advertise some form of real-time web integration, I was eager to see how they handle current events and research-intensive questions. To test it out, I posed a question about a recent news story: “Has Shubhanshu Shukla come back from space?”

Grok’s response was immediate and up-to-date. It pulled information that had literally been posted on X within the past hour, summarizing the key facts and even quoting a relevant tweet in the answer. This didn’t surprise me too much because Grok’s integration with X is a significant feature. 

The answer mentioned the exact dates and more context about the space mission, which was impressive. 

DeepSeek, on the other hand, wasn’t able to answer the question. This makes me question its true real-time search abilities. 

When it comes to deep research tasks, such as summarizing multiple articles on a topic or compiling a brief on a complex subject, both AIs are capable but differ in their approach. I asked about a slightly niche academic topic to see how they gather and synthesize information across sources.

Here’s the prompt I gave to the two tools: “I am writing a thesis for my master's on Backpropagation. Give me a detailed research on this topic with insights I can use. Support your claims with verifiable data linked in in-line sources.”

Grok used its DeeperSearch mode and came back with a surprisingly comprehensive report. It mentioned the sources in-line to verify the claims the AI chatbot made. DeepSeek, on the other hand, gave a more straightforward answer, but it didn’t mention the sources in-line. The platform listed them last despite mentioning the need for in-line sources in the prompt. 

Winner: Grok, because it followed instructions and gave credible information with in-line sources, making verification easier. 

Translation task

Finally, I tested Grok and DeepSeek in areas that push an AI’s language understanding: translation. I provided each bot with the famous Hickory Dickory Dock rhyme in English to translate into Hindi. 

DeepSeek excelled here, which wasn’t too surprising, given that one of its key selling points is strong multilingual support. It produced accurate and fluent translations in Hindi, maintaining phrase-wise translation and even adding rhyme to the translated output. 

Grok, on the other hand, translated the rhyme into the Hindi language, but the rhyming tone was lost in the translated output. Moreover, it translated "chuha ghadi par chadh gaya" for the line "the mouse ran up the clock." Here, "chadh gaya" directly translates to "climbed up," not "ran up". This makes the translation a little inaccurate technically.  

Based on this analysis, DeepSeek’s response in multilingual chat was significantly better than Grok’s, as the former was more accurate than the latter. In addition, DeepSeek did well with the rhyming tone.

Winner: DeepSeek

Logical reasoning

For logical reasoning, I wanted to see how well they “think” step-by-step. I gave them a classic puzzle: “There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck, and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there?” Spoiler alert: the answer is three. 

DeepSeek provided a comprehensive reasoning for this puzzle, along with a detailed explanation. It even suggested alternative interpretations of the same puzzle before giving the correct answer.  DeepSeek’s explanation was easy to follow. 

Grok also performed equally well in this test and provided a comprehensive analysis and reasoning that underlie it. It provided the correct answer and also offered web sources that solved the same puzzle. 

Winner: Tie, since both offered correct answers with similar reasoning. 

Here’s an overview of the comparison between Grok and DeepSeek in the tests conducted: 

Key insights on Grok vs. DeepSeek from G2 Data

Because Grok is still relatively new, there aren’t many user reviews on G2 for it yet. DeepSeek, on the other hand, has a few early reviews and ratings on G2, which give us some clues about real users’ experiences:

Insights on DeepSeek

• Overall user satisfaction: DeepSeek is currently rated 4.1 out of 5 on G2 based on early reviews. Users are generally pleased with what it offers, especially considering it’s free.
• What users like about DeepSeek: Users praise DeepSeek’s accuracy and speed. Its utility in coding, content generation, and general Q&A are highlighted in some of the reviews.
• What users dislike about DeepSeek: The most significant downsides mentioned are censorship and issues with availability. Users have complained about the heavy content moderation. The bot will sometimes erase or refuse an answer due to presumably sensitive content.  

Insights on Grok

Without G2 user reviews, we rely on observations and indirect data. Based on my experience, Grok’s early adopters appreciate its witty personality and speed. 

Large numbers of users haven’t validated Grok’s accuracy, but based on the response I observed in the research test, I found it to be better than DeepSeek. However, the output wasn’t perfect in the coding and summarization test. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Grok and DeepSeek

Q1. Grok vs. DeepSeek: Which is better?

It truly depends on what you're looking for. Grok’s research abilities are decent considering it has access to X’s knowledge and recent updates. DeepSeek is a superior AI chatbot for use cases such as coding or summarization. 

Q2. Are Grok and DeepSeek free to use?

DeepSeek is 100% free. Grok has usage limits on its free plan. X is offering it as part of its paid subscription.

Q3. Which is better for coding tasks?

Both are pretty capable of coding. In my testing, DeepSeek delivered a better response for coding-related tasks. 

Q4. Which AI is better for research and knowledge queries?

For heavy-duty research that requires gathering real-time information while ensuring accuracy, Grok tends to be more effective. It has access to X’s knowledge, which keeps it up to date. Grok also mentions sources in its response, making it easier for you to verify the information. 

DeepSeek vs. Grok: My final verdict

After using both extensively, my honest take is that there’s no “one-size-fits-all” winner here. Your ideal choice will hinge on your needs and preferences. If you need to run research-specific tasks that require the most up-to-date information, Grok would be a perfect solution for you. 

Similarly, if coding and content generation or summarization are your primary use cases, DeepSeek tends to deliver a better output. 

Exploring different AI tools? Check out how DeepSeek compares with ChatGPT in this head-to-head comparison.