DeepSeek Harness vs WorkBuddy — WorkBuddy vs DeepSeek Harness: 3 side-by-side tests
3 posts from X ran DeepSeek Harness and Tencent WorkBuddy on the same task, between Oct 19, 2026 and Oct 20, 2026. Models: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, GPT-6.1 Sol. All harness comparisons.
- Author picks: 3 posts of 3 name a winner between the two — DeepSeek Harness 3, Tencent WorkBuddy 0.
- All 3 keep the model fixed, so the difference is the harness.
From 3 posts; costs and times as stated by each author, not a controlled benchmark.
Posts
3
DeepSeek Harness vs WorkBuddy, test by test
| Test | DeepSeek Harness: model | WorkBuddy: model | Author’s pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 official API vs WorkBuddy@aizhibeibei | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek Harness |
| Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in WorkBuddy vs DSH@ai_funss | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek Harness |
| Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in DSH vs WorkBuddy@xueyu1125 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek Harness |
Numbers are as each post states them; “—” means the post gives none. Tests and models differ from row to row.
API list prices of the models in these tests
| Model | Used with | Input $/1M tokens | Output $/1M tokens |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | DeepSeek Harness, WorkBuddy | $0.30peak hours; off-peak is half price | $1.20peak hours; off-peak is half price |
Official API list prices where verified; a blank cell has no verified official price in the archive (older or retired models).
What each test showed
Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 official API vs WorkBuddy — DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in DeepSeek Harness vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in WorkBuddy
The same DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 draws the pelican on a bicycle in DeepSeek Harness twice: once on the official API, once through WorkBuddy’s free endpoint proxied into DSH. Both sides ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, so this one isolates the harness.
- DeepSeek Harness with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Top; labelled “DeepSeek V4.1 Flash (dsh)”, official API. Author’s pick.
- Tencent WorkBuddy with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Bottom; WorkBuddy’s free model proxied into DSH.
Verdict from @aizhibeibei: The author sees a clear gap between WorkBuddy’s free DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 and the official API, and wonders if WorkBuddy’s is watered down (paraphrased).
Posted Oct 20, 2026 by aizhibeibei (@aizhibeibei). Post on X · Video and details
Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in WorkBuddy vs DSH — DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in DeepSeek Harness vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in WorkBuddy
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 from WorkBuddy draws the pelican on a bicycle twice: once inside WorkBuddy, once with the same model proxied out of WorkBuddy into DeepSeek Harness (DSH). Both sides ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, so this one isolates the harness.
- Tencent WorkBuddy with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Top; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 used inside WorkBuddy.
- DeepSeek Harness with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Bottom; WorkBuddy’s model proxied into DSH. Author’s pick.
Verdict from @ai_funss: The model proxied out of WorkBuddy into DeepSeek Harness does much better, and also better than in OpenCode (paraphrased).
Posted Oct 19, 2026 by AI Fun (@ai_funss). Post on X · Video and details
Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in DSH vs WorkBuddy — DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in DeepSeek Harness vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in WorkBuddy
The author tests the free DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in WorkBuddy’s overseas version against the same model in DeepSeek Harness, next to an older V4.1 Flash 0910 run in DSH and GPT-6.1 Sol in Codex, all on the pelican on a bicycle. Both sides ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017, so this one isolates the harness. The post also includes OpenAI Codex.
- DeepSeek Harness with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Top left; labelled "DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017(dsh)". Author’s pick.
- DeepSeek Harness with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash — Top right.
- Tencent WorkBuddy with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — Bottom left; labelled "DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017(Workbuddy)".
- OpenAI Codex with GPT-6.1 Sol — Bottom right; labelled "GPT-6.1 Sol(Codex)".
Verdict from @xueyu1125: The free DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 in WorkBuddy looks watered down and falls well short of the same model in DeepSeek Harness (paraphrased).
Posted Oct 19, 2026 by @xueyu1125 (@xueyu1125). Post on X · Video and details
DeepSeek Harness vs WorkBuddy (WorkBuddy vs DeepSeek Harness): FAQ
Is DeepSeek Harness better than WorkBuddy?
Author picks: 3 posts of 3 name a winner between the two — DeepSeek Harness 3, Tencent WorkBuddy 0. Each post is a different task, so watch the outputs above for the kind of work you do.
Did any test run the same model in DeepSeek Harness and WorkBuddy?
Yes, in 3 of the 3: Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 official API vs WorkBuddy (@aizhibeibei) ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 on both sides; Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in WorkBuddy vs DSH (@ai_funss) ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 on both sides; Pelican test, DeepSeek 1017 in DSH vs WorkBuddy (@xueyu1125) ran DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 on both sides. The others pair each harness with a different model.
Which models were used with DeepSeek Harness and WorkBuddy?
With DeepSeek Harness: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017. With WorkBuddy: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017.