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DeepSeek

Free AI chat assistant built on DeepSeek's openly released models

FreeAI AssistantsChecked Oct 5, 20263.9 on the App Store
Visit deepseek.com
DeepSeek, as pictured on deepseek.com
How DeepSeek presents itself. Image from deepseek.com.

DeepSeek report card

3.4GPA

Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 9, 2026

Best for free chat with nothing to upgrade to

DeepSeek is free, full stop: the chat on the web and the iPhone and Android apps cost nothing, and there's no paid plan to be nudged towards. You get a DeepThink mode for reasoning things through and a Search mode for answers from the web. It's a plainer assistant than the big names, though, and its iPhone app sits at 3.9 on the App Store.

Who DeepSeek is for

  • Great if you want a free assistant with no subscription tier to outgrow
  • Handy when you're a developer after low per-token API prices
  • Good for people who want models whose weights are openly released

Who DeepSeek is not for

  • Too light for people who want more than chat, reasoning and web search in one app
  • Skip it if you want a desktop chat app, as the Mac and Windows download is a preview agent app
  • Not for you if a low store rating puts you off, since its iPhone app sits at 3.9

Why DeepSeek gets a 3.4

Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.

  • AValue for moneyIt costs nothing. The web chat and the iPhone and Android apps are free, and the US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases. The only thing DeepSeek sells is API access for developers, billed per token.
  • AFree plan and trialThe whole assistant is free, running DeepSeek's latest flagship model, with DeepThink and Search included. There's no paid consumer plan, so nothing is held back for one.
  • BFeaturesThe basics are here: chat, a DeepThink mode for reasoning, a Search mode that draws on the web, and a model that understands images as well as text. That's a short list. The desktop download is DeepSeek Harness, an agent app still in public preview, not the chat app.
  • CEase of use3.9 from about 12,100 App Store ratings, which is under our line for a B. Nothing about it looks hard: it's a chat box with DeepThink and Search beside it. But the rating is what we go by here, and it's low.
  • APlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android for the chat, plus an API for developers, billed per token. On Mac and Windows the download is the Harness preview, which needs an Apple-silicon Mac on macOS 13 or later, or 64-bit Windows.

What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DeepSeek's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.

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DeepSeek: 3.4 GPA on ToolGPA

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What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is a free AI chat assistant from the Hangzhou-based company of the same name, offered on the web and in iOS and Android apps with DeepThink and Search modes. The company releases its models openly and sells API access to them per token. DeepSeek Harness, an open-source desktop agent app for macOS and Windows, is in public preview.

DeepSeek is free to use. See every plan

Good for

  • Free chat with no subscription tier to outgrow
  • Developers who want low per-token API prices
  • People who want models whose weights are openly released

Worth knowing

  • There is no paid consumer plan. API access is billed separately, from $0.15 per 1M input tokens off-peak for the deepseek-flash model.
  • The desktop download is DeepSeek Harness, a preview agent app for Apple-silicon Macs on macOS 13 or later and 64-bit Windows, not the chat app.
  • According to Wikipedia, DeepSeek's compliance with Chinese government censorship policies and its data collection have drawn regulatory scrutiny in several countries.

Key features

DeepThink and Search modes
Two modes sit beside the chat box on DeepSeek's site: DeepThink, for reasoning through a question, and Search, for answers that draw on the web.
Visual understanding
DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, released in September 2026, adds native visual understanding alongside text.
Free mobile apps
Official iOS and Android apps give free access to the assistant. The App Store listing covers iPhone and iPad.
DeepSeek Harness
A desktop agent app in public preview for organizing files, analyzing data, coding and research. It is MIT-licensed and extended through plugins such as scheduled tasks.
Openly released models
Wikipedia describes DeepSeek's models as open-weight and, since January 2025, released under free and open-source licenses. The web and mobile apps are proprietary.
API platform
The same models are available to developers through an API billed per token, with off-peak rates set at half the peak rates.

DeepSeek pricing

Starts at
Free
Free plan
The web chat and the iOS and Android apps are free, and the US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases. API usage is billed separately per token.
Free trial
None listed
Free$0The chat assistant on the web, iOS and Android, running DeepSeek's latest flagship model.

Read from apps.apple.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with DeepSeek before you buy.

Pricing in detail

How people rate the DeepSeek app

3.9

out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app

12,124 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 5, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing

DeepSeek reviews, and where to read more

DeepSeek alternatives

All DeepSeek alternatives comparedAll AI assistants

Common questions

Is DeepSeek free?

Yes. DeepSeek is free to use. The web chat and the iOS and Android apps are free, and the US App Store listing shows no in-app purchases. API usage is billed separately per token.

How much does DeepSeek cost?

DeepSeek lists one plan. Free: $0. Prices were read from apps.apple.com on Oct 5, 2026.

What platforms does DeepSeek work on?

DeepSeek is available on Web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows.

How is DeepSeek rated?

DeepSeek's iPhone and iPad app averages 3.9 out of 5 from 12,124 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.

Does DeepSeek have a Linux app?

No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. DeepSeek is listed for Web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows.

Is DeepSeek open source?

Yes. DeepSeek is open source, according to its own site.

Does DeepSeek have an API?

Yes. DeepSeek offers a public API, according to its own site.

Who makes DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is made by DeepSeek. It dates from 2023.

What are the alternatives to DeepSeek?

The closest alternatives to DeepSeek in our directory are ChatGPT, Qwen Studio, Kimi, Z.ai and Gemini. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with DeepSeek.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.