# DeepSeek API vs Novita AI

> Novita AI scores 53.5 (D) to DeepSeek's 46.8 (D) for llm inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.md (~2,650 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Novita AI scores 53.5 (D) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek API leads on reliability and transparency & trust. Both do llm inference.

- DeepSeek API: grade D, 46.8/100, rank #842 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json
- Novita AI: grade D, 53.5/100, rank #706 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/novita-ai.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/novita-ai.json
- Best model APIs and inference for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/inference/index.md
- All 136 models comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inference/index.md

## Which one, for what

### DeepSeek API (D)

Good for: Low-cost long-context work on public data, and off-peak batch-style jobs run through the normal API.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 65 against 28
- Transparency & trust, 65 against 56

Watch for: 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14

### Novita AI (D)

Good for: Agents that want many open-weight models at per-token prices behind one OpenAI-style key, with keys that can be limited by model, IP and expiry.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 62 against 49
- Security & auth, 65 against 30
- Payments & pricing, 35 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 62 against 46

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where DeepSeek API loses 3 points for them

Watch for: No status page or SLA was found on the home page, the docs index or the docs site map. The home page states 99.5% uptime with no supporting document


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | DeepSeek API | Novita AI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 28 | DeepSeek API +37 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 62 | Novita AI +13 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 72 | Novita AI +2 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 65 | Novita AI +35 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 35 | Novita AI +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 46 | 62 | Novita AI +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 56 | DeepSeek API +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **46.8 · D** | **53.5 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | DeepSeek API | Novita AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | DeepSeek | Novita AI |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.deepseek.com` | `https://api.novita.ai/openai` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the Novita AI Terms of Service. The agent skill and the MCP server are MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-10 | 2026-09-28 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-08-05 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-05-13 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | none | 6 stars, 1.4k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 2/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**DeepSeek API.** Accepts both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats. 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14.

**Novita AI.** Per-token prices for about 140 language models are public, and each key can carry an expiry, a model allowlist and a source IP allowlist. No status page, SLA or security.txt was found, the per-model rate limit figures are drawn by script, and both vendor SDK repositories are archived while the docs still point to them.

## Before you call either

### DeepSeek API

1. Send only data you'd be happy to publish
2. Schedule bulk work off-peak for half price. Peak runs 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays, except Chinese public holidays
3. Set `max_tokens` yourself. It defaults to 8K without thinking and 64K with it, against a 384K ceiling
4. For schema-checked tool arguments use base URL `https://api.deepseek.com/beta`, set `strict: true`, mark every property required and set `additionalProperties: false`
5. Keep a fallback provider and check the `model` field. 429 carries no Retry-After, and `deepseek-v4-flash` now answers as V4.1 Flash

### Novita AI

1. Set the OpenAI client base URL to `https://api.novita.ai/openai` and send the key as `Authorization: Bearer`. Keys start with `sk_`
2. Do not close a connection to stop generation. A request that reached the model is billed in full under status 499, so cap output with `max_tokens`
3. On 429, check whether the code is `RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` or `TOKEN_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` and back off exponentially. No `Retry-After` header is documented
4. Read the changelog for retirement notices before pinning a model id. One retirement in October 2026 came with 11 days' notice
5. Ask the account owner for a key with an expiry, a model access policy and an IP allowlist. Keys are created and deleted only in the console

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, DeepSeek API or Novita AI?

Novita AI scores 53.5 (D) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. DeepSeek API leads on reliability and transparency & trust.

### Do DeepSeek API and Novita AI need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call DeepSeek API and Novita AI without installing anything?

Yes. DeepSeek API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepseek.com and Novita AI at https://api.novita.ai/openai.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-novita-ai.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "deepseek-api", "b": "novita-ai"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare deepseek-api novita-ai`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/novita-ai.json

## Other comparisons with DeepSeek API or Novita AI

- [Claude API vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Claude API vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Antseed vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Antseed vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [DeepInfra vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-deepseek-api.md)
- [DeepInfra vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Gemini Developer API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-gemini-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs GroqCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-groq.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Mistral AI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-mistral-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openai-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openrouter.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-prism-inference.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-sambanova.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Gemini Developer API vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-api-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [GroqCloud vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Mistral AI API vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-api-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [Novita AI vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-openai-api.md)
- [Novita AI vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-openrouter.md)
- [Novita AI vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-prism-inference.md)
- [Novita AI vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-sambanova.md)
- [Novita AI vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-siliconflow.md)