---
title: "DeepSeek’s Search and Fetch billing date arrives: what agent developers should budget"
description: "DeepSeek documents $0.75 per 1,000 successful Search or Fetch calls from November 1 Beijing time. See U.S. timing, billing rules and a cost example."
url: "https://promptszone.com/deepseek-search-fetch-api-billing-budget"
published: "2026-11-01T00:00:06Z"
categories: ["API"]
---

# DeepSeek’s Search and Fetch billing date arrives: what agent developers should budget

DeepSeek documents a November 1 Beijing-time start for Search and Fetch fees. Here are the rates, billable-call rules and an illustrative agent budget.

![Original cost graphic showing DeepSeek Search and Fetch each at $0.75 per 1,000 successful requests and a six-call example costing $0.0045 before token fees.](https://promptszone.com/assets/uploads/2540792790428592fd43e94a2414e280.png)

**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](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/updates/) 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](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing/) 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](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/guides/search/) 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](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/search/) describes structured web results, while the [Fetch reference](https://api-docs.deepseek.com/api/fetch/) 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.*