4 Tasks Where DeepSeek works better than ChatGPT (And Why I Use It Instead)

I mainly use ChatGPT for research, writing, and brainstorming. But at times it fails to provide me with the precise or thorough responses I require. At that point, I move to DeepSeek.

DeepSeek works better than ChatGPT. It succeeds in precise translations, in-depth research, complex coding, and data analysis.

DeepSeek frequently performs better on certain tasks. DeepSeek is a fantastic option if you require more trustworthy AI assistance.

Simple Ways to Solve Math Problems

AI chatbots like DeepSeek and ChatGPT are popular for solving math problems. DeepSeek uses its R1 model for reasoning tasks while ChatGPT offers the o3-mini model for free-tier users and a higher version for Plus users with a 50-prompt daily limit.

Solving Math Problems with ChatGPT
Solving Math Problems with DeepSeek

After testing both models on several tough GMAT problems, they both gave the correct answers. While this wasn’t a thorough test, it shows that both can solve common math problems, and you’d be hard-pressed to find one they can’t answer.

However, I prefer DeepSeek over ChatGPT. It scored higher on both AIME Math 2024 and Codeforces benchmarks. Plus, DeepSeek’s chain-of-thought explanation gives more insight into how problems are solved, helping me understand the process better for future problems.

For ChatGPT Plus users, DeepSeek might still be the better choice. It doesn’t use your o3-mini (high) prompt allowance, offers clearer explanations, and is still reliable for solving most math problems, except theoretical ones.

Simple Code Creation and Debugging

DeepSeek and ChatGPT are commonly used for coding and debugging tasks. As mentioned earlier, DeepSeek’s R1 model outperforms OpenAI’s o3-mini (low/medium) models in the Codeforces benchmark, which gives a good reason to choose DeepSeek.

To test this, I asked both chatbots to write a Tic-Tac-Toe game using HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. After a few more prompts to fix errors, both chatbots produced working games.

Generating Tic-Tac-Toe Game with ChatGPT
Generating Tic-Tac-Toe Game with DeepSeek

What I noticed was that DeepSeek required slightly fewer prompts to fix issues. While ChatGPT’s game worked fine after two more prompts, DeepSeek’s version had more polish and extra features.

Though both AI models were close in benchmarks, DeepSeek’s R1 seems to provide more guidance, offering features you’d typically expect from more polished code.

While some might prefer ChatGPT for its simplicity, DeepSeek’s additional features make it more useful, especially for students and junior engineers who need more help with their code.

DeepSeek Handles Data Analysis Better

DeepSeek stands out in data analysis because of its Mixture of Experts (MoE) model. This system smartly uses different parts of the model for different tasks, which makes it faster and more efficient. Thanks to this, DeepSeek can easily work with both structured and unstructured data.

For testing, I gave both DeepSeek and ChatGPT the same seed file that I usually use to fill a database. I asked them to find trends based on the data. DeepSeek quickly shared helpful insights like price distribution, inventory levels, peak activity times, and popular collections.

On the other hand, ChatGPT focused more on the file’s quality. Instead of analyzing the data, it mostly gave advice on how to perform data analysis. Even after a few tries, ChatGPT kept offering steps rather than actual results.

This shows the difference clearly. ChatGPT’s free model is great for conversations and creative tasks, but DeepSeek’s R1 model is better for analytical work and spotting trends in data.

• How to Make Your Photos Look Old and Add Retro Vibes Easily
• I Tested ChatGPT Search to Replace Google — Here’s What Happened
• How to Stay Safe When Signing in With Google

DeepSeek Handles Structured Data Better

DeepSeek is more efficient at processing structured data like JSON files, XML, and databases compared to general AI models like ChatGPT. Handling structured data requires accuracy in parsing and organizing the information, and DeepSeek does it well.

Even though DeepSeek scores lower in general Q&A tests like GPQA, its strong reasoning skills make it ideal for tasks involving structured data.

For this test, I gave both DeepSeek and ChatGPT a misconfigured database and asked them to organize it properly.

✅ DeepSeek returned clean, tabulated results that matched the correct database format.
❌ ChatGPT struggled and only showed one part of the data, missing most of it.

While I could fix this with a few more prompts in ChatGPT, DeepSeek got it right on the first try—saving me time and effort.

Thanks to its powerful reasoning and Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, DeepSeek is a great tool for handling complex tasks like this.

In the end, DeepSeek may not be the best for creative writing or casual conversations, but when it comes to math, coding, data analysis, and structured data processing, it’s my go-to AI model.