DeepSeek starts charging for web search in coding tools from 1 November
Chinese AI company DeepSeek will start charging for web search and page fetching when they are used through coding tools from 1 November 2026. The change takes effect at midnight Beijing time, which is 4pm UTC on Saturday 31 October. Until now, those calls have been free.
The two tools are called Search and Fetch. Search runs a web query and returns structured results, while Fetch pulls a single web page and returns it as text. DeepSeek launched them on 17 October. Each one costs $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, according to the company’s English-language pricing page. Only requests that succeed are billed: failed searches, empty results and timed-out requests cost nothing. The charge is separate from the cost of the AI model’s tokens.
The billing change affects developers who use DeepSeek through its own agent tool, DeepSeek Harness, or through the coding tools Claude Code and Codex. In those tools, web searches and page fetches already run through DeepSeek’s Search and Fetch services in the background. From 1 November, each successful call will be charged at the published rate. The fees will come out of the developer’s topped-up or granted account balance.
Why it matters
Coding agents can search the web dozens of times while working on a single task, so a small fee per search can add up quickly. Developers who have been using DeepSeek’s web search for free will now see it on their bills. The move also shows DeepSeek turning a popular free feature into a paid one, at a time when AI companies are under growing pressure over the cost of running their services.
What happens next
Developers using DeepSeek in Claude Code, Codex or DeepSeek Harness should check whether web search is switched on in their tools and watch their first bills after 1 November. DeepSeek says its prices may change, so users should check the pricing page for the latest rates.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/ (DeepSeek API Docs, accessed 1 November 2026)
- https://www.neoteo.com/en/deepseek-search-and-fetch-each-cost-075-per-1000-successful-requests (NeoTeo, 19 October 2026)
