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DeepSeek Search and Fetch API pricing: $0.75 per 1,000 calls, free tool calls end Oct 31

Per DeepSeek's docs, read on 2026-10-27 (America/Chicago), the Search API and the Fetch API each cost $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, billed per request rather than per token. Search and Fetch calls made through server-side tools in DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex are free until billing starts on October 31, 2026 at 16:00 UTC.

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Last verified: 2026-10-27 (America/Chicago) · Versions covered: DeepSeek Search and Fetch API docs and the V4.1-Flash-1017 release post, read 2026-10-27 · Evidence: Reported (see “What we tested”)

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API price, billing rule and limits

DeepSeek Search and Fetch API pricing and limits, from DeepSeek's Search & Fetch guide, read 2026-10-27
FeatureSearch APIFetch API
EndpointPOST https://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/searchPOST https://api.deepseek.com/v1/tools/fetch
Price$0.75 per 1,000 successful requests$0.75 per 1,000 successful requests
What is billableHTTP 200 with a non-empty results arrayHTTP 200 with page content returned
Not billedFailed requests, empty search results, timeoutsFailed requests, timeouts
Account QPS limit (requests per second)10025, plus a per-domain limit
Request limitsQuery 1 to 128 characters; count 1 to 50 (default 10)URL up to 8,192 characters, HTTP or HTTPS
ReturnsResults with title, URL, snippet, summary and optional page contentThe page as Markdown

DeepSeek's guide says both are raw JSON APIs that use the same bearer authentication as the DeepSeek API, and that count only controls how many results come back, not the price. Search and Fetch are limited independently: traffic to one does not use the other's quota. Requests over a limit get HTTP 429. Source: Search & Fetch guide.

What changes on Oct 31 at 16:00 UTC

DeepSeek's V4.1-Flash-1017 release post says Search and Fetch calls made via server-side tools in DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex are currently free for DeepSeek API users, and that billing starts on October 31, 2026 at 16:00 UTC. That is 11:00 AM in Chicago (CDT). The Search & Fetch guide gives the same moment as 00:00 Beijing time on November 1, 2026.

The wording covers server-side tool calls from those three tools, which hit the Search and Fetch APIs for you. The docs we read do not say that direct calls to the two endpoints are free, so plan to pay for direct calls from the first request. After the start time, expect the $0.75 per 1,000 rate for tool calls too; the docs give no other price.

Cost examples at $0.75 per 1,000 calls

Cost at list price, our arithmetic from $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, 2026-10-27
Successful callsSearch or Fetch aloneSearch plus Fetch, equal counts
1,000$0.75$1.50
10,000$7.50$15.00
100,000$75.00$150.00
1,000,000$750.00$1,500.00

These are our arithmetic on the published list price, not a measured bill. They count only successful requests; model tokens used to read the results are billed separately at the model's own token price (see DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017).

How to call the two endpoints

Both endpoints take a JSON body and the header Authorization: Bearer <DeepSeek API Key>. Search needs a query; need_content set to true returns page content with each result. Fetch needs a url. The query supports operators such as site:, lang:, after: and before:. The full request and response schemas are in DeepSeek's Search API and Fetch API references, linked from the guide.

  • Search: {"query": "DeepSeek V4 release", "count": 5, "need_content": true}
  • Fetch: {"url": "https://example.com/article"}
  • Errors: 402 means insufficient balance, 429 means a QPS limit was exceeded, 404 means Fetch could not get usable page content.

Models behind DeepSeek's API today

DeepSeek's quick-start says to use deepseek-flash as the model name; it is now served by DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, and the calling method is unchanged. The other listed model is deepseek-v4-pro. The legacy names deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp are still accepted but those models are retired; their requests are served by V4.1-Flash-1017 and billed at the Flash price. DeepSeek's news page lists V4.1-Flash-1017 (2026-10-17) as its latest release as of 2026-10-27. More: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, Claude Code, Codex CLI.

What we tested

Nothing: we have not called the Search or Fetch API or run DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code or Codex against them. Prices, limits and dates are DeepSeek's published wording on 2026-10-27, and the cost table is arithmetic on list price. Third-party write-ups quote a lower rate limit than DeepSeek's own guide; we use the guide's figures.

FAQ

When does DeepSeek start charging for Search and Fetch?

DeepSeek's docs say billing starts on October 31, 2026 at 16:00 UTC, which is 11:00 AM CDT in Chicago and 00:00 Beijing time on November 1. Until then, Search and Fetch calls made through server-side tools in DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex are described as free.

How much does the DeepSeek Search API cost?

$0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, per DeepSeek's Search & Fetch guide. Fetch costs the same. A request is billable only if it returns HTTP 200 with a result, so failures, empty results and timeouts are not billed. Pricing is per request, not per token or result.

Are direct Search and Fetch calls free until Oct 31?

The docs we read describe the free period only for server-side tool calls through DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex. They do not say direct calls to the endpoints are free, so assume direct calls are billed at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests.

What are the rate limits?

Per account, DeepSeek lists 100 requests per second for Search and 25 for Fetch, counted across all API keys and limited independently. Fetch also has a per-domain limit. Requests above a limit receive HTTP 429, and DeepSeek says to wait and retry.

Have you tested the DeepSeek Search and Fetch API?

No. This page reports DeepSeek's documentation as read on 2026-10-27. We have not called either endpoint or measured a bill, so the cost table is arithmetic on list price, not a measured cost. We will update it after billing starts.

Sources

Page history

  • : First published from DeepSeek's Search & Fetch guide and release post, read on this date. We have not called the APIs. Planned: re-read after billing starts on 2026-10-31 at 16:00 UTC and switch to past tense.

Markdown version for agents: /guides/deepseek-search-fetch-api-pricing.md