Summary:

DeepSeek lists Search and Fetch at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests each, separate from token fees. The documented billing transition falls on October 31 in the U.S.; invoice enforcement has not been independently tested.

DeepSeek's documented switch from free Search and Fetch tool calls to per-request billing is due today for U.S. developers. The stated start time is November 1, 2026 at 00:00 Beijing time, equivalent to October 31 at 16:00 UTC, or 11 a.m. in Chicago.

This is a pricing milestone for existing API tools, not a new model release. DeepSeek's official update history dates the Search API introduction to October 17. The practical question now is how much an agent's browsing steps add to its token bill.

What the documented prices cover

DeepSeek's pricing page lists Search and Fetch at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests each. These tool fees are separate from model-token charges.

  • Search: $0.00075 per successful request.
  • Fetch: $0.00075 per successful request.
  • Documented billing start: November 1 at midnight Beijing time, October 31 in the United States.

Verification note: Checked October 31, 2026. The official documentation still describes the tools as currently free while giving the transition time above. That time has passed, but PromptsZone has not tested a billed account or verified invoice enforcement. Treat this as the provider's documented schedule, not confirmation that every account has already incurred charges.

A six-request workflow costs less than half a cent

At the listed rates, an illustrative workflow that makes one successful Search call and five successful Fetch calls would incur $0.0045 in tool fees: six requests multiplied by $0.00075. Repeating that exact workflow 10,000 times would cost $45 in tool fees, before model-token charges. These are calculations, not measured usage or a performance benchmark.

For budgeting, count the calls an agent actually makes rather than the number of user questions it answers. A single question may trigger several searches and page fetches. Conversely, an application that reuses an appropriate stored result may need fewer external calls. That is an application-design consideration, not a promised saving from DeepSeek.

Successful requests, not individual results

The Search and Fetch guide defines a billable request as an HTTP 200 response with nonempty search results or page content. Failed requests, timeouts and empty responses are not billed under the stated rules. Search's count setting can request between one and 50 results; it does not multiply the per-request price.

Developers should therefore log successful Search and Fetch calls separately from model usage. As an operational precaution, set a per-task browsing budget and check actual account usage after the transition rather than assuming a previously free integration remains free.

The tools remain distinct

The Search API reference describes structured web results, while the Fetch reference covers retrieving page content as Markdown. Fetch availability still depends on the target website and its access policies; a paid call does not guarantee access to every page.

Cover: original PromptsZone editorial cost graphic based on the official documentation linked above. It is not a model comparison, provider artwork or invoice.