AI Showdown: ChatGPT vs. DeepSeek – Which One Writes Better Code?

Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has dramatically transformed software development, particularly with the rise of AI-powered coding assistants. These tools promise to make programming faster, easier, and more efficient, but how well do they actually perform? With multiple options available, it’s important to know which AI model produces better, cleaner, and more functional code.

A recent study compared ChatGPT and DeepSeek—two popular AI models—for their Python code generation capabilities. If you’ve ever wondered which of these tools is better for solving coding challenges, producing high-quality code, and being the most efficient, you’re in the right place.

Let’s break it all down in a simple, easy-to-understand way.

What Was the Study About?

Researchers put ChatGPT (version o1) and DeepSeek (version R1) head-to-head, evaluating them across multiple coding tasks. The goal was to determine which model:

• Wrote more correct code
• Produced cleaner and higher quality code
• Executed code more efficiently
• Generated more concise code (fewer unnecessary lines)

Instead of relying on manually created coding challenges, the study used real problems from an online judge (Codeforces). This method ensured a fair comparison by using real-world problems that developers encounter.

Let’s dive into what they discovered.

Accuracy: Which AI Writes Correct Code More Often?

When it comes to solving coding challenges on the first try, DeepSeek clearly outperformed ChatGPT.

• DeepSeek consistently got correct answers faster and required fewer attempts to fix errors.
• In many cases, ChatGPT struggled and failed even after three attempts, while DeepSeek managed to refine its answers and eventually get them right.
• DeepSeek particularly excelled in problems involving algorithms and problem-solving.

What does this mean?
If your priority is getting a correct answer quickly and efficiently, DeepSeek might be the better option.

Code Quality: Clean & Readable Code

Writing correct code isn’t enough—it also needs to be clean, readable, and follow coding standards.

To measure this, researchers evaluated the AI-generated code using Pylint and Flake8, two widely used tools that check for coding style violations and potential issues.

• ChatGPT produced cleaner and more readable code on average.
• DeepSeek introduced more issues, often missing style guidelines and best practices.
• ChatGPT wrote more concise and structured code, making it easier to read and maintain.

What does this mean?
If you care about clarity, readability, and industry-standard coding practices, then ChatGPT appears to be the stronger choice.

Performance & Efficiency: Speed & Memory Usage

Good code isn’t just about correctness and readability. How efficiently does it run?

The study measured: ✔ Execution time (How fast the code runs)
✔ Memory usage (How much system memory the code consumes)

Interestingly, while DeepSeek produced more accurate results, ChatGPT was more efficient in some cases.

• ChatGPT often used slightly less memory and ran faster in some scenarios.
• DeepSeek performed better on more complex problems but sometimes consumed more time.

What does this mean?
If you’re working on performance-sensitive applications requiring optimized speed and low memory use, ChatGPT may be a better choice.

Conciseness: Writing the Most Efficient Code

Longer code isn’t always better. Concise, well-structured code is usually easier to debug, refactor, and maintain.

• ChatGPT often wrote fewer lines of code while still solving the same task.
• DeepSeek tended to generate more verbose code, though this sometimes allowed it to find better solutions.

What does this mean?
If you prefer shorter, more efficient code without unnecessary complexity, ChatGPT takes the lead.

Real-World Application: Which Should You Use?

Here’s a practical breakdown of when to choose ChatGPT or DeepSeek based on the study’s findings:

| Feature | ChatGPT ✅ | DeepSeek ✅ | |———————-|—————|—————| | Quick Correct Solutions | ❌ Less reliable | ✅ More accurate | | Readable & Clean Code | ✅ Better Formatting | ❌ Needs improvement | | Execution Speed & Memory Efficiency | ✅ Faster in many cases | ❌ Sometimes slower | | Handling Algorithmic Problems | ❌ Struggles with complex logic | ✅ More reliable | | Concise Code | ✅ Writes fewer lines | ❌ More verbose |

Key Takeaways

This study reveals the strengths and weaknesses of both ChatGPT and DeepSeek for Python code generation. Here’s what you need to remember:

1. DeepSeek is better for correctness and solving algorithmic problems.
– It submits correct solutions faster and requires fewer retries.

2. ChatGPT generates cleaner, more readable, and more concise code.
– Ideal for developers who prioritize coding standards and readability.

3. If speed and memory efficiency matter, ChatGPT has a slight edge.
– It often consumes fewer resources while running code.

4. DeepSeek’s coding style isn’t as polished, but it gets the job done.
– While it may not always follow best practices, it solves problems effectively.

For developers, knowing these differences can help you choose the right tool depending on your needs. Whether you prioritize accuracy, efficiency, or readability, both ChatGPT and DeepSeek have their pros and cons.

If you’re working on complex algorithmic tasks, DeepSeek is the winner. But if you want clean, efficient, and optimized code, ChatGPT is still a strong contender.

So, which AI will you try next for your coding projects? 🚀

Let us know in the comments which AI coding assistant you prefer and why!

If you are looking to improve your prompting skills and haven’t already, check out our free Advanced Prompt Engineering course.

This blog post is based on the research article “ChatGPT vs. DeepSeek: A Comparative Study on AI-Based Code Generation” by Authors: Md Motaleb Hossen Manik. You can find the original article here.