The Problem: DeepSeek Is Great, but Hard to Pay For
DeepSeek's V4 models (Flash and Pro) offer competitive performance at a fraction of GPT-4o's price. But for developers outside China, the official DeepSeek platform comes with three major barriers:
- Alipay and Chinese bank cards only — no Visa, Mastercard, or PayPal
- Chinese phone number required for account verification (SMS)
- Region restrictions that may block access from certain countries
These aren't minor inconveniences — they're hard blockers. If you don't have a Chinese bank account and phone number, you literally cannot pay DeepSeek directly.
Fortunately, there are now several ways to access DeepSeek API. Let's compare them.
Option 1: DeepSeek Official Platform
The official DeepSeek API platform (platform.deepseek.com) offers the lowest base prices:
- deepseek-chat (V4-Flash): ¥1/M input, ¥2/M output (~$0.14/$0.28 per 1M)
- deepseek-reasoner (V4-Pro): ¥2/M input, ¥8/M output (~$0.28/$1.11 per 1M)
Pros: Lowest price, direct access, official support.
Cons: Alipay/WeChat Pay only, Chinese phone number required, may be blocked in some regions.
Best for: Developers based in China with Chinese payment methods.
Option 2: OpenRouter
OpenRouter is a popular API gateway that provides access to 200+ AI models, including DeepSeek.
- DeepSeek V4-Flash on OpenRouter: $0.32/M input, $0.89/M output (avg ~$0.61/1M)
- Supports crypto payments (USDC, ETH)
- Pay-as-you-go by the token
Pros: Access to many models, flexible billing, no phone number needed.
Cons: 2-3x markup over official pricing, crypto-only payments (no credit card), complex interface.
Best for: Developers who need multiple models and already use crypto.
Option 3: AiCredits (Prepaid Reseller)
AiCredits is a prepaid API credit platform focused specifically on DeepSeek access for international developers.
- Trial: $3 for 5M tokens ($0.60/1M)
- Starter: $5 for 9M tokens ($0.56/1M)
- Standard: $9 for 17M tokens ($0.53/1M)
- Professional: $19 for 38M tokens ($0.50/1M)
- Free trial: 100K tokens, no payment required
- OpenAI-compatible API endpoint
- Credit card and PayPal accepted
Pros: Credit card payments, free trial, 18% cheaper than OpenRouter, instant delivery.
Cons: Fewer models than OpenRouter, prepaid packages (no pay-as-you-go).
Best for: Developers who want simple credit card payments and the best per-token rate.
Comparison Table
| Official DeepSeek | OpenRouter | AiCredits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price/1M | $0.21 | $0.61 | $0.50 |
| Payment | Alipay/WeChat | Crypto | Credit Card/PayPal |
| Free trial | No | No | 100K tokens |
| Phone required | Chinese | None | None |
| API format | Native | OpenAI-compat | OpenAI-compat |
| Models | DeepSeek only | 200+ | DeepSeek V4 |
| Server | China | Global | Singapore+CDN |
Which Should You Choose?
- If you're in China with Alipay → go Official DeepSeek for the lowest price.
- If you need 200+ models and have crypto → go OpenRouter.
- If you want the cheapest reseller rate with a credit card → go AiCredits ($0.50/1M vs OpenRouter $0.61/1M).
- Not sure? Try AiCredits free trial — 100K tokens, no payment required, test the API in under 2 minutes.
?? Get started: aicreditsapi.com/free-trial
FAQ
No. AiCredits is an independent reseller. We purchase DeepSeek API access in bulk and resell it with added convenience (credit card payments, no phone verification, instant delivery).
Resellers add payment processing fees (~4%), infrastructure costs, and a service margin. The value is in convenience: credit card payments, no Chinese phone number, and instant API key delivery.
Yes. AiCredits provides an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Change the base_url to https://api.aicreditsapi.com/v1 and use your AiCredits API key. Your existing code works without changes.