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DeepSeek

Open-weight AI chatbot and API with 1M-token context and usage-based pricing

DeepSeek is a free-to-use AI chatbot and API platform built on open-weight models. The web chat and mobile app are free with no subscription. API access starts at $0.14/M input tokens (V4 Flash) with a 5M-token free grant for new accounts. Best for developers who want a low-cost, high-context alternative to GPT-4 or Claude.

Verified JUN 11, 2026 FREEMIUM Live
Visit chat.deepseek.com ↗ AI Chatbots

What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is an AI chatbot and API platform developed by the Chinese AI company DeepSeek AI. The web interface at chat.deepseek.com and the official mobile apps provide free, unrestricted access to DeepSeek’s frontier models — no subscription tier gates features like file uploads or extended conversations. Underlying the service are the V4-Flash and V4-Pro models, both supporting a 1M-token context window that allows processing of full books, large codebases, or lengthy document sets in a single request.

The API is purely usage-based: no monthly seat fee, no plan upgrade required. New developer accounts receive 5M free tokens (valid 30 days). Beyond that, V4-Flash is billed at $0.14/M input tokens (cache miss) — substantially lower than comparable frontier APIs. DeepSeek also publishes its model weights publicly, making self-hosted deployments viable for teams with strict data-residency requirements. The company’s stated differentiator is achieving GPT-4-class reasoning performance at a fraction of the training and inference cost.

Who is it for?

DeepSeek suits developers and cost-sensitive teams who need high-quality LLM capabilities without large per-token bills. The 1M-token context makes it practical for long-document workflows that would be expensive or impossible with smaller context windows. The free web chat is a viable daily driver for individuals who want a capable AI assistant without a monthly subscription.

Specific user profiles that benefit most:

  • Developers building LLM-backed applications who need to minimise API spend — V4-Flash’s $0.14/M input rate makes high-volume use economical.
  • Researchers and analysts processing lengthy reports, legal documents, or datasets in a single prompt via the 1M-token context.
  • Individual users who want GPT-4-class chat for free, without committing to a $20/month subscription.
  • Teams considering self-hosting who need open-weight models they can run on private infrastructure for compliance reasons.

How much does DeepSeek cost?

Starting price: $0 · Free tier: yes · Model: freemium

Pricing verified JUN 11, 2026

Price history tracked from June 2026

DeepSeek pricing tiers, verified against the official pricing page
Plan Price Includes
Chat (Free) Free Unlimited web chat at chat.deepseek.com · Free mobile app (iOS and Android) · Fair-use throttling during peak hours
API — V4 Flash $0.14/M tokens Input: $0.14/M tokens (cache miss) · Input: $0.0028/M tokens (cache hit) · Output: $0.28/M tokens · 1M token context window · 2,500 concurrent requests
API — V4 Pro $1.74/M tokens Input: $1.74/M tokens (cache miss) · Input: $0.0145/M tokens (cache hit) · Output: $3.48/M tokens · 1M token context, 384K max output · 500 concurrent requests
API — New Account Grant Free 5M free tokens for new developer accounts · Valid for 30 days · No credit card required

What are DeepSeek's key features?

  • DeepSeek-V4-Pro and V4-Flash models with 1M token context window
  • Free web chat with no account-tier paywall on features
  • Usage-based API with no monthly seat fees
  • Cache-hit pricing discounts up to 98% for repeated prompts
  • Open-weight model weights publicly available on Hugging Face
  • Multimodal input support (images via Vision variants)
  • Reasoning mode comparable to o1-class models (V4 Pro)

What people use DeepSeek for

  1. 01 Cost-efficient LLM API backend for apps needing GPT-4-class reasoning at lower per-token cost
  2. 02 Long-document summarisation and analysis using the 1M-token context window
  3. 03 Code generation and debugging via chat or API integration
  4. 04 Research and Q&A without a subscription paywall

Pros and cons

Pros and cons of DeepSeek
Pros Cons
Web chat and mobile app are fully free with no plan tiers Chat availability is throttled during peak hours on the free tier
API pricing is significantly lower than comparable frontier models V4 Pro API pricing jumps to $1.74/M input after promotional period
1M-token context included at standard rates, no add-on fee API free grant expires after 30 days
Open-weight models allow self-hosting for full data control Data residency: servers are operated by a Chinese company, which may be a compliance concern for regulated industries

What are the best DeepSeek alternatives?

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepSeek free?

Yes. The web chat at chat.deepseek.com and the mobile app are free with no subscription required. New API accounts receive a 5M-token grant valid for 30 days; after that, you pay per token consumed.

What models does DeepSeek offer?

As of June 2026, the main API models are DeepSeek-V4-Flash (cheaper, higher concurrency) and DeepSeek-V4-Pro (stronger reasoning, 500 concurrent requests). Older aliases deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner are deprecated and will be discontinued July 24, 2026.

How much does the DeepSeek API cost?

V4 Flash costs $0.14/M input tokens and $0.28/M output tokens. V4 Pro costs $1.74/M input and $3.48/M output (cache miss rates). Cache hits are dramatically cheaper — as low as $0.0028/M for V4 Flash.

What is DeepSeek's context window?

Both V4 Flash and V4 Pro support a 1M-token context window, with a maximum output of 384K tokens.

Is DeepSeek open source?

DeepSeek releases its model weights publicly (open-weight), allowing self-hosting. The chat product itself is a hosted, closed service.

How does DeepSeek compare to ChatGPT?

The web chat is comparable in capability to GPT-4-class models for most tasks. The API is substantially cheaper: V4 Flash at $0.14/M input vs GPT-4o at roughly $2.50/M. DeepSeek's data is processed on servers in China, which differs from OpenAI's US-based infrastructure.

Does DeepSeek have a mobile app?

Yes, DeepSeek has official iOS and Android apps available at no cost, with the same free access as the web version.

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