DeepSeek API Web Search to Cost ¥5 per 1,000 Requests

Published: 2026-10-18 12:38:13 |

DeepSeek has added web search and page-fetching tools to its API, charging ¥5 for every 1,000 successful requests. Calls made through DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex currently use server-side Search/Fetch tools without a fee. DeepSeek said billing for those requests will begin at 00:00 Beijing time on 1 November 2026. The change introduces a usage-based cost for DeepSeek API web search and data retrieval.

Neutral

The announcement concerns DeepSeek API pricing rather than cryptocurrency prices, blockchain activity or token supply, so it has no clear direct catalyst for crypto markets. The fee is ¥5 per 1,000 successful requests, and billing for the currently uncharged server-side Search/Fetch calls is scheduled to start on 1 November 2026. In the short term, affected developers may review usage or adjust their workflows, but the article provides no indication of material changes to crypto trading volumes, liquidity or market stability. Over the longer term, usage-based charges could affect the cost of building AI-enabled products, including tools used by crypto firms, but any effect would depend on adoption and whether users switch services. Similar API pricing changes are generally product and operating-cost developments; without evidence of a link to a major crypto project or token, traders are unlikely to treat this announcement as a directional market signal.