What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek caused a stir in 2025 by delivering performance comparable to the best American models, at a development cost claimed to be far lower. Since then, one question keeps coming up: what exactly is DeepSeek, is it reliable, and should you be wary of it? This guide takes a factual look.

DeepSeek: a simple definition

DeepSeek is a Chinese artificial intelligence company that develops language models capable of understanding and generating text, similar to ChatGPT. It offers both a consumer app and open models that developers can download and run themselves.

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Who is behind DeepSeek?

DeepSeek was founded in 2023 in China by Liang Wenfeng. The company made a name for itself with its V3 and R1 models, particularly geared toward reasoning, mathematics, and code, with results considered comparable to those of the best Western models on several benchmarks.

Why has DeepSeek attracted so much attention?

Two factors explain the significant media coverage around DeepSeek:

• A development cost claimed to be far lower than comparable Western models, which raised questions about the actual scale of investment needed to compete with industry leaders.
• Low-cost, or even free, access to performance considered to be high level, making it an attractive option for many users and developers.

Is DeepSeek free?

Yes, the DeepSeek app and chat service are accessible for free, with certain usage limits during periods of high demand. Some of its models are also available as open source, allowing third-party platforms to integrate them.

Does DeepSeek collect your data?

Like any online service, DeepSeek collects usage data, as specified in its privacy policy. The topic has attracted more attention than for other assistants because the company is based in China, raising questions about which legal regime applies to the data transmitted.

Is DeepSeek reliable?

DeepSeek produces generally reliable responses on reasoning, math, and coding tasks, like other major language models. As with any AI assistant, responses may contain errors or approximations, and verification remains necessary on sensitive topics or precise facts.

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DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: what's the difference?

The main difference lies in origin, business model, and degree of openness: DeepSeek emphasizes partially open-source models and a very low access cost, while ChatGPT benefits from a broader ecosystem and more developed professional features. Check out our ChatGPT guide to better understand the difference.

What to Remember

• DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company founded in 2023, known for its V3 and R1 models and its claimed reduced development cost.
• Much of its technology is open source, which has helped drive its rapid adoption.
• Free usage remains broadly accessible, but data privacy deserves particular attention before any sensitive use.
• Comparing DeepSeek to other models on your own use cases remains the best way to judge its relevance for you.
• Ai-chatpro lets you try DeepSeek's models with three free messages every 24 hours.

Conclusion

DeepSeek has shaken up the generative AI market by combining high performance with reduced costs. To form your own opinion in complete transparency, try DeepSeek alongside other models on Ai-chatpro.