AI Perks curates and provides access to exclusive discounts, credits, and deals on AI tools, cloud services, and APIs to help startups and developers save money.
Is there a DeepSeek student discount?
No official DeepSeek student discount exists on its own pages, but up to $100,000 in DeepSeek (via BytePlus) credits is listed in the AI Perks catalogue.
No official DeepSeek student-specific discount, education verification program or separate student subscription was identified on the official pages reviewed on 13 October 2026. That does not leave students empty-handed. The app is free, the API is cheap per token, and the perk card shows who qualifies and how to claim the larger credit amount.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
What does the free DeepSeek app include?
The official Android and iOS app listings describe the DeepSeek assistant as free. The free chat includes reasoning mode, file uploads and web search. For most coursework, such as summarising readings, explaining problems and drafting outlines, that is enough.
The catch is that free chat is not free API credit. If you want to build a project, run a script over many documents or connect DeepSeek to your own tool, you pay per token.
What does the DeepSeek API cost per token?
DeepSeek bills API usage on the total of input and output tokens. The table shows the off-peak rates per 1M tokens for the two current models.
| Token type (off-peak, per 1M) | Flash | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Input, cache hit | $0.003 | $0.022 |
| Input, cache miss | $0.15 | $0.66 |
| Output | $0.6 | $1.98 |
A simple example: 1M input tokens plus 1M output tokens on Flash costs $0.15 + $0.6 = $0.75 off-peak. Both models have a 1M-token context length and a maximum output of 384K tokens.
Flash supports thinking and non-thinking modes, with thinking as the default. You can check the current numbers on the official DeepSeek pricing page.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
When is the DeepSeek API cheapest?
Off-peak rates are half of the peak rates, so timing matters. Peak hours are 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday through Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays. Every other hour is off-peak.
Weekends and Chinese public holidays are off-peak in full. A student running a large batch job on a Saturday pays the lower rate all day.
Does DeepSeek give free API credits?
Not as a guaranteed, universal offer. The official billing documentation does not establish an ongoing free API allowance, and no permanent public API quota is documented. DeepSeek does not publicly guarantee every new API account a 5M-token grant in 2026.
Sources disagree on new accounts. One review says new platform accounts start with a zero balance and must top up before the first request. Others say promotional or account-specific credits may exist and must be checked in your own account. The reliable check is the Billing or Balance area of the API platform, where any credit amount and expiry should appear.
When you do have credit, fees come out of topped-up or granted balance, and granted balance is used first.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Which student credits are in the catalogue?
Credits from partners and neighbouring APIs can fill the gap that a missing student discount leaves. These are the amounts listed in the catalogue, each linked to its own card.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek (via BytePlus) | Up to $100,000 | Get this perk |
| Together AI | Up to $50,000 | Get this perk |
| OpenRouter | Up to $3,000 | Get this perk |
| Google Gemini (students) | $240 | Get this perk |
Combined, the four listings add up to as much as $153,240 ($100,000 + $50,000 + $3,000 + $240).
The "up to" figures are ceilings, not promises for every applicant. Each card shows who qualifies and how to claim, so open it before you plan around an amount. For more student-specific lists, see Free AI Credits for Students 2026: Every Program Compared and AI Student Discount 2026: Every Verified Offer Listed.
How do students get started with DeepSeek, step by step?
Step 1: Get credits via AI Perks. Browse the student and education perk cards at getaiperks.com and open the DeepSeek (via BytePlus) card first. It shows who qualifies and how to claim.
Step 2: Start with the free app. Use the free chat for reading, brainstorming and file questions. Only move to the API when you need automation.
Step 3: Check your API balance. Open the Billing or Balance area of the API platform and look for any granted credit and its expiry. Do not assume a grant exists.
Step 4: Default to Flash and run big jobs off-peak. Flash is the cheaper model, and weekends are off-peak all day. Use Pro only when the task needs it.
Step 5: Recheck prices. Read the pricing page before each new project, since DeepSeek can change rates.
If you want a wider view of keys that cost nothing, Free AI API Keys for Students: Every Free Tier in 2026 lists the options.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
What happens when free usage ends?
Once granted balance runs out, usage is deducted from your topped-up balance at the per-token rates above. With Flash at $0.75 per 1M input plus 1M output tokens off-peak, a small project stays cheap, but a heavy one will add up.
Two recent changes also affect cost. Search and Fetch calls made through tools such as DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code or Codex were free until per-request billing began at 00:00 Beijing time on 1 November 2026, and that billing has now started. Search and Fetch are each billed at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests.
The legacy deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner aliases were due to be deprecated on 24 July 2026 at 15:59 UTC, so that date has passed. If an old script still calls them, switch it to the current model names.
When one credit pool ends, a second can take over. The cards above are a way to stack them, and Free AI for Students 2026: Best Tools by Study Task helps you match tools to tasks.
FAQ
Is there an official DeepSeek student discount?
No. No official student-specific discount, education verification program or student subscription appeared on the official pages reviewed on 13 October 2026. The app is free and the API is billed per token. For student credits that do exist, browse the perk cards at getaiperks.com.
Is DeepSeek free to use?
The official Android and iOS listings describe the DeepSeek assistant as free, including reasoning mode, file uploads and web search. The API is different: it is billed per token, and free chat access is not proof that API calls are free.
Does DeepSeek give free API credits to new accounts?
Not publicly. DeepSeek does not guarantee every new API account a 5M-token grant in 2026, and one review reports a zero starting balance. Check the Billing or Balance area of your account, and look at the DeepSeek (via BytePlus) card for a larger credit listing.
How much does the DeepSeek API cost?
Off-peak on Flash it is $0.15 per 1M cache-miss input tokens and $0.6 per 1M output tokens. On Pro it is $0.66 and $1.98. Cache-hit input is cheapest at $0.003 on Flash. Peak hours cost double, so compare current rates against the credits listed at getaiperks.com.
When are DeepSeek API prices lowest?
Off-peak. Peak hours are 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays. All other hours, including weekends and Chinese public holidays, are off-peak at half the peak rate. Schedule large student projects for weekends to save.
Do I pay for DeepSeek Search and Fetch now?
Yes. Free calls through tools such as DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code or Codex ended when per-request billing began at 00:00 Beijing time on 1 November 2026. Search and Fetch are each $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests. Offset that cost with credits from getaiperks.com.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Get your student credits
DeepSeek has no student discount of its own, but the catalogue lists credits across four cards, with the DeepSeek (via BytePlus) listing at up to $100,000. Open the cards, see who qualifies and claim what fits your project.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Browse student and education perk cards, plus many more free AI credits, at getaiperks.com.
