Same queries. Same URLs.
Two search APIs.
DeepSeek launched a Search API and a Fetch API in October 2026 ($0.75 per 1,000 successful requests, 5 QPS per account, per its docs). On 18 Oct 2026 we sent 5 queries and 6 URLs to both. This is what came back, errors quoted verbatim.
Fetch
| URL | DeepSeek fetch | Levirge fetch | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| api-docs.deepseek.com/guides/search/ | 200 in 0.3 s, 10.3 KB of markdown | 11.3 KB of markdown | direct |
| api.github.com/repos/denoland/deno | 200 in 10.9 s, but the body is markdown-escaped (\{ \"id\"\: …) and doesn't parse as JSON | Raw JSON; select returned just full_name and stargazers_count | direct |
| reddit.com/r/rust/top/ | 404 "failed to fetch URL" | The live feed as markdown, 7 KB | direct |
| realestate.com.au/rent/in-sydney… | 404 "failed to fetch URL" | Listings page: "Showing 1 – 25 of 1420 properties", prices and addresses | stealth |
| medium.com/tag/programming | 504 "Request timeout" after 30.3 s | Topic page as markdown, 8.4 KB | direct |
| feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/rss.xml | 404 "failed to fetch URL" | Feed parsed; select returned the channel title and item titles as JSON | direct |
DeepSeek's fetch backslash-escapes every body, prose included ("in\-house", "search\."). An agent reading it gets noisy text; code expecting JSON or XML gets a parse error.
Search
| Query | DeepSeek #1 | Levirge #1 |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 release | api-docs.deepseek.com/news/news260424/?trk=public_post_comment-text#1 | api-docs.deepseek.com/updates/ |
| deno compile cross-platform static binary | deno.com/blog/deno-compile-executable-programs | docs.deno.com/runtime/reference/cli/compile/ |
| NATS JetStream KV watch example | pkg.go.dev/github.com/zoobzio/flux/nats#1 | docs.nats.io/tutorials/key-value |
| Sydney apartment rent prices 2026 | abc.net.au/news/2026-08-24/…?utm_source=abc_news_web&…#1 | realestate.com.au/news/sydney-median-rent-hits-record-800-a-week-… |
| tokio vs smol async runtime | yisu.com/ask/32185624.html#1, then the same page over http:// at #2 | rustify.rs/articles/rust-async-runtimes-tokio-vs-async-std-2026 (async-std, not smol: off-target) |
All 5 queries returned 10 results on both sides. DeepSeek answered in about 0.55 s per query and adds useful fields: a 0–3 rerank_score, an authority tier, a publish date, a ~700-character summary, and query operators (site:, lang:, after:, before:). Its URLs keep tracking parameters and #n fragments, and duplicates aren't removed.
Where DeepSeek fits
Its search is a fast, cheap ranked index with good metadata. If you already hold a DeepSeek key and mostly need search, it's a reasonable choice. Its fetch returned clean content for 1 of 6 URLs. The GitHub API came back escaped and wouldn't parse, and every protected site and feed failed.
Where Levirge fits
Levirge got 6 of 6 URLs. It escalates to a full browser when a site refuses plain requests, returns JSON and XML unchanged, and lets the agent select only the fields it needs. It runs as an MCP server, so it works in any agent client without extra code.
Method. Run on 18 Oct 2026. DeepSeek through its HTTP API with count: 10; Levirge through its MCP search (limit: 10) and fetch tools. One request per item on DeepSeek; DeepSeek errors quoted from the response error.message. Results move day to day — run the same queries and URLs yourself.