What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is the most genuinely free assistant we review, and that is not a technicality. There is no Plus plan, no Pro tier, and no paywall on file uploads or long conversations — the consumer product is simply free, and the only thing you can pay for is API access if you are building something.
It is also strong. On reasoning and code it holds its own against assistants costing $20 a month, and the underlying models are open-weight, so the claims are independently checkable rather than taken on trust.
The two honest caveats are throttling and jurisdiction. Peak-hour “Server Busy” messages are the price of free, and there is no tier that removes them. More importantly, your data is processed under Chinese jurisdiction — which for personal use is a personal decision, and for client or regulated work is usually someone else’s decision that has already been made for you.
Best for: Anyone who wants a capable assistant without a subscription, and is comfortable with where their data is processed.
DeepSeek pricing
| Plan | Price | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| Web & app chat | $0 | Unlimited standard use, including web search, file uploads and saved history. There is no Plus or Pro plan to upgrade to — this is the whole consumer product. |
| API | per token | Pay-per-token for developers, with separate Flash and Pro models. Priced well below Western frontier APIs. New accounts get a token grant to test with. |
Prices checked 28 July 2026. Vendors change limits often — treat the caps as indicative and confirm on the pricing page before you buy.
What DeepSeek is good at
- Everyday questions, drafting and explanation without paying for a subscription
- Reasoning-heavy problems where you want the working shown
- Code that you will review yourself — it is strong here for a free tool
- High-volume tasks where per-token API cost matters
Decide in ten minutes whether it replaces your paid assistant
- Take a task you would normally give ChatGPT or Claude — something real, not a test question.
- Run it in DeepSeek and compare the output honestly. On reasoning and code it holds up better than people expect.
- Now try it at your busiest hour. Throttling is the actual limitation, not quality, and you need to know how often it bites you.
- Before you commit, decide the data question deliberately: if you would not paste this into a public forum, do not paste it here either.
Who should skip DeepSeek
- Confidential client, patient or commercially sensitive material. Data is processed under Chinese jurisdiction, and for many organisations that alone rules it out regardless of quality.
- Anyone who needs guaranteed availability — throttling is the trade for it being free, and there is no paid tier that removes it.
- People who want a large plugin and integration ecosystem; it is a capable model rather than a platform.
What's good
- The chat product is entirely free — no Plus tier, no paywall on uploads or long conversations
- Strong at reasoning and code, competitive with paid assistants
- Web search, file uploads and saved history included at no cost
- Open-weight models, so the research is public and independently verifiable
Watch-outs
- Data is processed under Chinese jurisdiction — a real consideration for confidential or client work
- Fair-use throttling means "Server Busy" during peak hours
- No paid tier means no way to buy your way past the throttling
DeepSeek FAQ
- Is DeepSeek really free?
- Yes, and more completely than almost anything else we review. The web chat and mobile app are free for individual users with no Plus tier, no Pro tier and no paywall on file uploads or long conversations. The only paid product is the developer API.
- What is the catch?
- Two things. Fair-use throttling means you will see "Server Busy" at peak times and there is no way to pay past it. And your data is processed under Chinese jurisdiction, which is a genuine consideration for confidential work.
- Is DeepSeek better than ChatGPT?
- On reasoning and code it is closer than the price difference suggests. ChatGPT is far ahead on ecosystem, images, integrations and availability. If you want one assistant and cost is no object, ChatGPT. If cost matters and your work is not sensitive, DeepSeek is remarkable value.
- Is DeepSeek safe to use for work?
- Depends entirely on your employer and your material. For public information and general drafting, it is fine. For anything covered by an NDA, client confidentiality or data-protection rules, check your organisation's policy first — many now name it specifically.
The verdict
The only tool we review with no consumer paid tier at all. If your work is not sensitive, it is the best free assistant available. If it is sensitive, the jurisdiction question decides it before anything else does.