DeepSeek

What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is an AI assistant from the provider of the same name, whose web chat and mobile app are completely free for private users. The models (including a strong reasoning model) are available as open weights, and the API is significantly cheaper than Western competitors. Note: provider is based in China – check data privacy implications before use.

DeepSeek became widely known because its models keep pace with far more expensive systems in many benchmarks – at a fraction of the training and usage cost. If you want a capable all-rounder for text, code, and logical reasoning without committing to a subscription, this is an unusually strong free entry point.

DeepSeek: Strengths and weaknesses

DeepSeek's biggest strength is its price-performance ratio. The web chat is free, and the reasoning model shows clear, step-by-step reasoning in everyday use – useful for math, logic problems, and more complex code. Code quality is also at a level that many paid assistants only offer in their premium tiers. The fact that the weights are openly available makes DeepSeek additionally appealing for developers and self-hosting.

Weaknesses lie mostly outside raw model performance. The interface is functional but less polished than that of established providers; a broad plugin ecosystem and deep app integrations are missing. The decisive point for European users: the provider is based in China, and DeepSeek is not GDPR-compliant. For processing personal or confidential data, the hosted chat is therefore only suitable to a limited extent – those who want to avoid this can fall back on self-hosting the open models. To see how DeepSeek fares against the market leader, read our ChatGPT vs. DeepSeek comparison.

Pricing and plans

DeepSeek's web chat and mobile app are free for private users. If you want to integrate DeepSeek programmatically, you use the API, which is billed per usage (per token) and is very inexpensive compared to the market. The specific token prices depend on the chosen model and should be checked in the official pricing overview before any production use. Since the models are available as open weights, self-hosting is also possible – in which case costs depend on the infrastructure you use.

Who is DeepSeek for?

DeepSeek is a good fit for cost-conscious users who want a powerful free assistant for text, code, and reasoning, as well as for developers who want to self-host open models or access them cheaply via API. For working with sensitive or personal data in European companies, the hosted chat is only conditionally recommended due to its lack of GDPR compliance – an EU-based provider or a self-hosting solution is the safer choice here. As a more privacy-friendly alternative, ChatGPT is worth considering; as a second open-weights option, take a look at Qwen.