AI chatbots and agents , by DeepSeek (Hangzhou DeepSeek AI) , since 2025
DeepSeek
Free Chinese AI chatbot built on the open-weight DeepSeek model family
- WEB
- API
- MOBILE
What DeepSeek does
DeepSeek is a free web/mobile chatbot built on DeepSeek's own open-weight models (V4 Flash/Pro), popular for coding, math and general chat at zero cost. Developers can also access the underlying models via a low-cost pay-as-you-go API, which is dramatically cheaper per token than Western frontier-model APIs.
What you get: V4 Flash / V4 Pro models, Free unlimited-ish chat, Reasoning/thinking mode toggle, Very low-cost API, Open-weight model downloads, Mobile apps (iOS/Android).
Typical jobs: free ai chatbot alternative to chatgpt; cheap ai api for coding; open source llm chat interface; deepseek vs chatgpt comparison; self hosted ai chatbot model.
Worth knowing: No consumer subscription tier at all (pricing model is 'free'); the paid product is the separately-billed developer API, not the chat app.
What users complain about: Italy, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal all opened privacy inquiries into DeepSeek's data handling and China-based storage. (TechRadar / regulatory coverage)
Pricing and plan limits
Verified August 2026| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat (Free) | Free | Free | Free for individual use on web, iOS and Android, subject to rate limits at peak load |
Where it wins
- Fully free consumer chat app with no subscription upsell
- API pricing is an order of magnitude cheaper than GPT-5.x/Claude/Gemini equivalents
- V4 Flash and V4 Pro perform competitively on coding/math benchmarks for the price
- Open-weight models allow self-hosting for privacy-sensitive users who don't trust the hosted app
Where it falls short
- All hosted user data is stored on servers in mainland China, subject to Chinese data-access laws
- Refuses roughly 85% of prompts touching politically sensitive topics (per PromptFoo testing)
- Banned from government devices in New York State and blocked for federal staff at NASA/US Navy over security concerns
- Under active regulatory investigation in Italy, France, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and South Korea over privacy practices
How we scored it
Full methodology| Criterion | Weight | Score | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 30% | 7.8 | 2.34 |
| Value for money | 25% | 9.0 | 2.25 |
| Ease of use | 15% | 7.5 | 1.13 |
| Maturity | 15% | 6.5 | 0.97 |
| Support & docs | 10% | 5.5 | 0.55 |
| Momentum | 5% | 7.5 | 0.38 |
| Weighted total | 100% | 7.6 | 7.60 |
Alternatives to DeepSeek
Chosen by editors, not sponsors-
Qwen ChatFreeClosest match on capability
-
PoeFreemiumCheaper entry plan at $4.16/mo
-
GeminiFreemiumCheaper entry plan at $4.99/mo
-
Le Chat (Mistral Vibe)FreemiumCheaper entry plan at $5.99/mo
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