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DeepSeek

DeepSeek guide for practical AI users

A low-cost AI assistant and open-weight model family from a Chinese AI lab, used for chat, coding help, and research at a fraction of the price of larger providers.

Evidence first

See the official pages before you choose

These public, logged-out browser captures show the product and pricing pages we checked. The source links stay live so you can verify any change before buying.

DeepSeek product page screenshot captured from the official product page

Official product page

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DeepSeek pricing page screenshot captured from the official pricing page

Official pricing page

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Benchmark scope

Model benchmark scope

DeepSeek can be evaluated at the model level, but this archive has no verified primary score row for the current directory entry. No product score is shown.

Checked 2026-09-10 · Scope: DeepSeek models

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Quick take

DeepSeek ships a free consumer chat app and the DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash (deepseek-flash) and DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813 (deepseek-v4-pro) API models. Legacy deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp names route to V4.1 Flash; they are not separate live models. The current API rate card separates peak and off-peak windows and cache hits from cache misses, so a single headline price can be misleading. The hosted service runs on servers subject to Chinese law, so sensitive business data needs care.

Best fit

Use DeepSeek when cost is a real constraint and you still want good reasoning or coding output. It fits developers testing ideas cheaply, cost-conscious founders, and technical teams that can self-host the open weights when data control matters.

First setup

1

Open the DeepSeek web app or install the mobile app and sign in to use the chat for free.

2

For building, create an account on the DeepSeek API platform and generate an API key. Check your own account for any granted balance; do not assume promotional credits.

3

Pick a model on purpose: the lighter model for fast, cheap tasks and the heavier model when a job needs deeper reasoning.

4

Turn on context caching and check whether your traffic is peak or off-peak; both affect the amount you pay.

5

If you need full data control, download the open weights from the official model pages and run them on your own hardware or a private host.

Workflows worth trying

Cut API costs on a repetitive task

Useful when you run the same kind of prompt many times a day, such as tagging tickets, drafting replies, or pulling fields out of text.

  1. Write one clear prompt with a fixed instruction block and a slot for the changing input.
  2. Send it through the lighter model first and check the output quality on real examples.
  3. Turn on context caching so the fixed instruction block is not billed at full price on every call.
  4. Move the task to the heavier model only if the lighter one misses on cases that matter.

Get a second opinion on code

Useful for founders and developers who want a cheap review before shipping a change.

  1. Paste the function or file and say what it should do and what you are unsure about.
  2. Ask DeepSeek to find bugs, edge cases, and unclear names, and to explain its reasoning.
  3. Ask for a corrected version with comments on what changed and why.
  4. Test the change yourself before you commit it.

Prompt recipes

Cheap structured extraction

From the text below, return only JSON with these fields: [field list]. If a field is missing in the text, use null. Do not add fields or commentary. Text: [paste text]

A fixed schema and a null rule keep the output clean enough to use in code without extra parsing.

Reasoning with its work shown

Solve this step by step, then give a short final answer on its own line. If any step depends on an assumption, state the assumption. Problem: [paste problem]

It uses the model's reasoning strength while making the assumptions visible so you can check them.

Buying advice

Start free in the chat app

The web and mobile chat are free and enough to judge whether the answers fit your work before you write any code.

Use the API when you build, and start on the lighter model

Pay-per-token API access fits automated or high-volume work. Begin with the cheaper model and move up only when a task clearly needs it.

Self-host the open weights for data control

If sending data to the hosted service is a problem, run the open-weight models on your own hardware or a private host. This costs infrastructure and setup time in exchange for control.

Watchouts

  • The hosted service runs on servers subject to Chinese law. Do not send confidential or regulated data through it unless your policy and legal review allow it.
  • Cheap output is still not checked output. Verify facts and test code before you rely on it.
  • Model names and free-token terms change. Read the official pricing page before you commit a workload.
  • Content controls on the hosted chat can affect some topics. Self-hosting the open weights avoids that but shifts the work to you.

Best for

  • Getting strong reasoning and coding help without paying premium API rates
  • Running an open-weight model yourself when you need control over your data
  • Everyday chat and research through the free web app and mobile app

Not for

  • Teams that cannot send data to servers or models governed by Chinese data rules
  • Work where you will not check important facts or code before using it

How to use it well

Use the free chat app for daily questions and drafts. If you build with the API, start with the lighter model and only move up when a task needs deeper reasoning, and turn on context caching so repeated prompts cost less.

Pricing note

Free chat app. API USD per million tokens: Flash peak cache-miss input/output $0.30/$1.20, off-peak $0.15/$0.60; cache-hit input $0.006/$0.003 peak/off-peak. Pro remains $1.32/$3.96 peak and $0.66/$1.98 off-peak; cache-hit input $0.044/$0.022. Peak is weekdays 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC, excluding Chinese public holidays.

Confirm current prices, billing periods and usage limits at DeepSeek API pricing. Plan names and allowances can change after our check.

How to decide

Choose this if you want strong reasoning and coding help at the lowest cost, or an open-weight model you can run yourself.

Take the quizCheck costs

Use the calculator to compare DeepSeek API costs against other models before you move high-volume work onto it.

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