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Developer Tools · head to head

Deep Code vs Sigstore

Deep Code logo

Deep Code

Developer Tools

Desktop AI coding assistant that runs on DeepSeek models

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Sigstore logo

Sigstore

Cybersecurity

Free public signing and transparency infrastructure for open source artifacts

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Deep Code model choice is narrow. Bring your own key covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Flash plus the GLM and Mimo coding plans, and no frontier model from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.; Sigstore the security model depends on somebody watching the log. The documentation states that compromise of an identity provider or of Fulcio itself is detectable only if third parties monitor the transparency log, the monitoring tool is a community-tier rather than core project, and almost no consumer runs one.
  • They diverge on capability: Deep Code covers DeepSeek-backed agent, Sigstore covers Fulcio.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deep Code and Sigstore actually diverge.

Attributes where Deep Code and Sigstore differ
AttributeDeep CodeSigstore
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, public instance free to use
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Deep Code

  • DeepSeek-backed agent
  • Session management
  • File explorer
  • Snippets panel
  • Voice input
  • Bring your own key

Only in Sigstore

  • Fulcio
  • Rekor
  • Keyless signing
  • Multi-language clients
  • Timestamp authority
  • Neutral governance

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Deep Code

  • AI-assisted coding on a budgetnot Sigstore
  • Debugging and bug fixingnot Sigstore
  • Refactoring existing codenot Sigstore
  • Reusing prompt templates across projectsnot Sigstore
  • Using an existing DeepSeek API key without proxy setupnot Sigstore

Sigstore

  • Open source projects signing releases without running a certificate authoritynot Deep Code
  • Organisations meeting a signed-artifact requirement without buying a signing productnot Deep Code
  • Publishing provenance that a consumer can verify independently of younot Deep Code
  • Self-hosting the same components where a public log is unacceptablenot Deep Code

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Deep Code

  • Model choice is narrow. Bring your own key covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro and Flash plus the GLM and Mimo coding plans, and no frontier model from OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.
  • The Pro tier caps included usage at 100 Pro Credits per day rather than offering an unmetered plan.
  • Bring your own key is a paid feature, so the free tier cannot be pointed at your own DeepSeek account.
  • Desktop only, with no editor extension, web version or team seat management as of September 2026.
  • A small, young vendor with no independent review coverage yet, so there is nothing outside the vendor's own site to corroborate the cost claim.

Sigstore

  • The security model depends on somebody watching the log. The documentation states that compromise of an identity provider or of Fulcio itself is detectable only if third parties monitor the transparency log, the monitoring tool is a community-tier rather than core project, and almost no consumer runs one.
  • It is a 99.5 percent objective with no service level agreement, which permits several hours of downtime a month and offers no remedy. A pipeline that signs on every build has taken a hard dependency on a free service with no contract behind it.
  • Log scale is a live engineering problem rather than a theoretical one. The active shard holds billions of entries, the log has already been sharded twice, and sharding version 1 requires stopping traffic, which is why a replacement was built.
  • Ten-minute certificates make trust depend on log availability. Verifying an older signature relies on the log entry proving it was made inside that window, so a lost or unreachable entry can render a valid artifact unverifiable.
  • Migration debt is substantial and ongoing. Version 2 of the log is generally available but not the public default, the signing client has an announced breaking release ahead, some official clients lag the new log format, and a post-quantum migration is named as the next break after that.

Pricing, plan by plan

Deep Code

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Session management
    • File explorer and snippets panel
    • Voice input
  • Pro$5/month
    • All Free features
    • 100 daily Pro Credits
    • BYOK across DeepSeek-V4-Pro, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, GLM Coding Plan and Mimo Coding Plan

Sigstore

Free
  • Public good instanceFree
    • Free to everyone with no contract
    • 99.5 percent availability objective, not an agreement
    • 100KB cap per attestation upload
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Apache-2.0
    • Run your own Fulcio and Rekor
    • Rekor v2 available for self-hosters

Which should you pick?

Choose Deep Code if

  • You need deepseek-backed agent.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want session management.
Deep Code review

Choose Sigstore if

  • You need fulcio.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
  • You also want rekor.
Sigstore review

Questions people ask

Is Deep Code or Sigstore better?
Neither clearly leads. Deep Code starts at Free and Sigstore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Deep Code or Sigstore?
Deep Code starts at Free and Sigstore at Free.
Does Deep Code or Sigstore run on more platforms?
Deep Code runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Sigstore runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
Can I use Deep Code for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Deep Code best used for?
Deep Code is most often used for ai-assisted coding on a budget, debugging and bug fixing, refactoring existing code, reusing prompt templates across projects. Of those, ai-assisted coding on a budget and debugging and bug fixing are not what Sigstore is typically brought in for.
What can Deep Code do that Sigstore cannot?
Deep Code covers DeepSeek-backed agent, Session management, File explorer, Snippets panel. Sigstore covers Fulcio, Rekor, Keyless signing, Multi-language clients.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deep Code: Which models does Deep Code run on?

DeepSeek V4 family models, with the vendor's headline built around DeepSeek V4.1. The free tier's included credits run on DeepSeek-V4-Flash. Paid users bringing their own key can also use DeepSeek-V4-Pro, the GLM Coding Plan and the Mimo Coding Plan.

Source
Sigstore: Is the public instance really free?

Yes, with no contract and no paid tier. That is also the weakness: a 99.5 percent objective with no agreement, no remedy and support through Slack.

Deep Code: What does Deep Code cost?

There are two tiers. Free is $0 per month and includes session management, the file explorer, snippets, voice input and weekly free credits on DeepSeek-V4-Flash. Pro is $5 per month and adds 100 daily Pro Credits plus bring-your-own-key support for multiple models.

Source
Sigstore: Has the public log moved to Rekor v2?

No. Version 2 reached general availability in October 2025 and self-hosters can use it, but the public instance still defaults to version 1 and the project has said it will for the foreseeable future.

Deep Code: Do I need my own API key to use it?

No. The free tier includes weekly credits and needs no credit card, so the app works without a key. Bring your own key is available on the $5 per month Pro tier and covers DeepSeek-V4-Pro, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, the GLM Coding Plan and the Mimo Coding Plan.

Source
Sigstore: Does Sigstore make my dependencies safe?

No, and this is a category error worth avoiding. It tells you who published something. It has no knowledge of what the artifact contains or whether it is vulnerable.

Deep Code: Which operating systems does it run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux. It is a desktop application rather than an editor extension, so it runs alongside whatever editor you already use.

Source
Sigstore: What are the rate limits?

Not published. Only the 100KB cap per attestation upload is documented, so do not design a high-volume pipeline around assumed throughput.

Deep Code: Is the 95 percent cheaper claim independently verified?

No. It is the vendor's own figure, based on DeepSeek token pricing against frontier model pricing. Actual savings depend on which model you compare against and how much of your usage falls inside the included credits.

Source
Sigstore: Should we self-host it?

If a public record of every signature is unacceptable, or if a free service with no agreement cannot sit in your build path, then yes. Otherwise the public instance is what most projects use.

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