DeepSeek is not just one chatbot. Depending on the context, “DeepSeek” can mean the company behind the service, the official web chat, the mobile app, the developer API platform, current hosted models, or open-weight model repositories. The most useful DeepSeek facts depend on which one you mean.
This guide separates current, source-backed facts from hype and outdated claims. DeepSeek model names, API pricing, feature support, privacy terms, and open-weight releases can change, so important details should be checked against the official resources linked throughout this page.
Sources checked: October 7, 2026. This article is an independent informational guide and is not the official DeepSeek website.
DeepSeek quick facts
| Fact | Current answer | Why it matters | Best source to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official website | The official homepage is deepseek.com. | Use the official site to avoid third-party mirrors and outdated links. | Official DeepSeek website |
| Official web chat | The official browser chat route is chat.deepseek.com. | Third-party tools may use DeepSeek models without being operated by DeepSeek. | Official DeepSeek site |
| Official app and desktop route | DeepSeek links to the mobile app and DeepSeek Harness from its official download page. | Do not use unofficial APK mirrors or repackaged installers when official routes are available. | Official download page |
| Developer API | DeepSeek provides an official API Platform and API documentation. | Consumer chat access and developer API usage are different products with different billing and setup. | API Platform and API Docs |
| Current API model IDs | The current model table lists deepseek-flash and deepseek-v4-pro. | Old examples that use retired aliases may not reflect the current hosted API. | Models & Pricing |
| Current model versions | deepseek-flash maps to DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017; deepseek-v4-pro maps to DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813. | The release name and API model ID are not always the same string. | Models & Pricing |
| Context and output | The current model table lists 1M context length and 384K maximum output for the hosted API models. | Context length is not the same as memory across sessions. | Models & Pricing |
| Vision support | deepseek-flash supports Vision in the current model table; deepseek-v4-pro is listed as not supporting Vision. | Do not copy image-input examples from Flash and only change the model to Pro. | Models & Pricing and Vision docs |
| Open weights | DeepSeek publishes official model repositories and model cards through GitHub and Hugging Face. | Open weights are useful, but they are not the same as making the hosted chat or API open source. | GitHub and Hugging Face |
| Privacy policy | The official privacy policy says DeepSeek may collect prompts, uploaded files, chat history, device data, network data, and other categories of personal data. | Users should avoid submitting sensitive or confidential data without approval. | Privacy Policy |
| Data storage | The privacy policy says DeepSeek directly collects, processes, and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. | Organizations should review data-location requirements before approving work use. | Privacy Policy |
| Output accuracy | DeepSeek’s terms say outputs may contain errors or omissions and should not be treated as professional advice. | Important answers require verification and, in high-impact cases, human review. | Terms of Use |
What DeepSeek is—and what it is not
DeepSeek is best understood as an AI company and product ecosystem. It includes a hosted chat product, mobile app, desktop-oriented Harness product, API platform, official documentation, and open-weight model releases. It is not just a single chatbot window.
The official Terms of Use state that DeepSeek products and services are owned and operated by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. The official homepage links to DeepSeek Web, DeepSeek Harness, the API Platform, API Docs, app downloads, service status, GitHub, Hugging Face, privacy policy, and terms.
DeepSeek can also appear inside third-party gateways, IDE tools, local apps, cloud providers, and workflow platforms. Those routes may use a DeepSeek model, but they are not necessarily official DeepSeek services. Their pricing, logging, privacy rules, model version, and limits may differ from the official DeepSeek API.
Official DeepSeek resources
For current facts, start with official sources rather than old screenshots or listicles.
- DeepSeek official website — central official homepage.
- DeepSeek Web Chat — official browser chat route.
- DeepSeek Download — official page for the app and Harness desktop product.
- DeepSeek API Platform — official developer platform.
- DeepSeek API Docs — official API documentation.
- Models & Pricing — current hosted API model table, pricing, and concurrency limits.
- API Updates — official API change log.
- DeepSeek Status — service status for chat, API, file upload, and search components.
- DeepSeek GitHub — official GitHub organization.
- DeepSeek Hugging Face — official model cards and model repositories.
- DeepSeek Privacy Policy and Terms of Use — official policy pages.
Current DeepSeek API model facts
DeepSeek model facts change quickly. The current official model table is the best place to verify hosted API availability, pricing, feature support, and model IDs.
| API model ID | Model version | Important facts |
|---|---|---|
deepseek-flash | DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 | Supports Thinking Mode, JSON Output, Tool Calls, Responses API, Anthropic API, Vision, Chat Prefix Completion Beta, and FIM Completion Beta in non-thinking mode. Legacy names deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp are still accepted but routed to DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 according to the model table. |
deepseek-v4-pro | DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813 | Supports Thinking Mode, JSON Output, Tool Calls, Responses API, Anthropic API, Chat Prefix Completion Beta, and FIM Completion Beta in non-thinking mode. Vision is listed as not supported in the current model table. |
For both hosted API models, the current model table lists a 1M context length and 384K maximum output. It also lists official OpenAI-format and Anthropic-format base URLs. Developers should use the current Models & Pricing page before publishing any API guide, price table, or model recommendation.
Pricing is usage-based and charged per token according to the official table. Consumer chat access and developer API billing are not the same thing. The official download page describes the app as letting users chat with leading AI models for free, while the API pricing page explains how API usage is billed from topped-up or granted balance.
DeepSeek model history in brief
Many DeepSeek facts online are outdated because they refer to older model releases. A concise timeline helps prevent confusion.
| Model or family | What it means | Current relevance |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek-V3 | A major V3-series open MoE model release that became a foundation for later DeepSeek model development. | Historically important and still relevant for open-weight research, but not the current default hosted API model. |
| DeepSeek R1 | A first-generation reasoning model released in January 2025, with open weights and distilled variants. | Important historically, but old by current DeepSeek API standards. Do not assume deepseek-reasoner still means the original R1 model. |
| DeepSeek-V3.1 and V3.1-Terminus | V3-family releases that introduced or refined Think/Non-Think behavior and agent-oriented improvements. | Useful historical context for DeepSeek’s move toward agent and thinking workflows. |
| DeepSeek-V3.2 and V3.2-Exp | Later V3-family releases, including experiments around DeepSeek Sparse Attention and agent-oriented improvements. | Relevant for open-weight and historical model-family context, not necessarily current hosted API guidance. |
| DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 | The current Flash model version in the official API model table, called with deepseek-flash. | Current hosted Flash route; supports Vision according to the current model table. |
| DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813 | The current Pro model version in the official API model table, called with deepseek-v4-pro. | Current hosted Pro route; text/agent-focused and listed as not supporting Vision. |
The biggest mistake is treating a 2025 article as if it describes the current hosted API. Old names such as deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner changed meaning over time, so current integrations should rely on the official model table and API change log.
DeepSeek open weights and “open source” facts
DeepSeek publishes several model repositories and model cards through official GitHub and Hugging Face organizations. Some major model cards list permissive licenses such as MIT. For example, the DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash model card displays an MIT license, and the DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813 card says the repository and model weights are licensed under MIT.
DeepSeek-R1 is also available through official GitHub and Hugging Face resources. The DeepSeek-R1 model card says the repository and model weights are MIT licensed and that the R1 series supports commercial use, modifications, derivative works, and distillation. It also notes caveats for distilled models based on Qwen and Llama families, so base-model licenses should be checked separately.
However, “open weights” is not the same as “the entire hosted DeepSeek service is open source.” Public model weights do not automatically mean the training data is public, the full training pipeline is reproducible, the hosted chat service source code is public, or third-party providers have the same terms. Always check the exact model card, license file, and provider route you plan to use.
Privacy and safety facts
DeepSeek’s privacy and terms pages are important sources for factual statements about data handling and output reliability.
| Topic | What the official policy or terms say | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | The privacy policy says the services are provided and controlled by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. | Use official policy pages for privacy and terms, not third-party summaries. |
| Data collected | The policy lists categories such as account data, prompts, uploaded files, photos, feedback, chat history, device data, network data, cookies, approximate location from IP address, and payment/order data for paid platform services. | Do not enter sensitive or confidential data unless you are authorized and understand the policy. |
| Sensitive data | The policy says the services are not designed or intended to process sensitive personal data and users should not provide it. | Avoid uploading passports, medical data, children’s data, regulated records, customer files, or confidential workplace documents. |
| Storage location | The policy says DeepSeek directly collects, processes, and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China. | Organizations should review data residency, cross-border transfer, and internal approval requirements before work use. |
| Training and improvement | The policy says DeepSeek uses personal data to improve and develop services and train or improve technologies, and it lists a right to opt out of use for training models or optimizing technologies where applicable. | Review settings and policy terms before submitting sensitive information. |
| Output accuracy | The terms say outputs may contain errors or omissions and should not be treated as professional advice. | Verify important answers and use human review for medical, legal, financial, employment, housing, insurance, education, or other high-impact decisions. |
Business and funding facts: use dated sources
Business facts about DeepSeek can change quickly and should be treated differently from official product facts. For example, Reuters reported on October 6, 2026, that DeepSeek was set to raise more than 80 billion yuan in a new fundraising round and that the company did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. That type of claim should be written as a dated Reuters report, not as an official DeepSeek announcement.
The same rule applies to funding, valuation, IPO plans, partnerships, user counts, app rankings, download counts, and employee numbers. Unless the fact comes from an official DeepSeek source, a securities filing, or another authoritative source, label it as reported, dated, and potentially subject to change.
DeepSeek myths vs facts
| Myth | More accurate fact | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| “DeepSeek is just one chatbot.” | DeepSeek includes a company, web chat, app, Harness desktop product, API platform, hosted models, and open-weight repositories. | Official homepage and product links. |
| “DeepSeek is only a Chinese-language tool.” | The official site includes an EN option and official English-facing pages. DeepSeek can be used in English, although model output language depends on prompts and context. | Official website and product UI. |
| “DeepSeek R1 is the current default API model.” | R1 is historically important but old by current API standards. The current model table lists deepseek-flash and deepseek-v4-pro. | Models & Pricing and API updates. |
| “DeepSeek is fully open source.” | DeepSeek publishes open-weight models and repositories, but that does not make the hosted chat/API fully open source or prove full training-data release. | Exact model cards, GitHub repos, and licenses. |
| “All DeepSeek models support images.” | The current API model table lists Vision support for deepseek-flash and not for deepseek-v4-pro. | Models & Pricing and Vision docs. |
| “DeepSeek API is free because the app says chat is free.” | Consumer chat and developer API usage are different. API usage is billed by tokens from balance according to the official pricing page. | Download page and Models & Pricing page. |
| “Open weights mean training data is open.” | Open weights provide model parameters; they do not automatically release training data or the full training pipeline. | Model card and license file. |
| “DeepSeek answers are always factual.” | DeepSeek’s terms warn that outputs may contain errors or omissions and are not professional advice. | Terms of Use. |
| “Every third-party DeepSeek app is official.” | Gateways, wrappers, local apps, and cloud providers may use DeepSeek models without being official DeepSeek services. | Official DeepSeek links and the third-party provider’s terms. |
Facts that may change
Some DeepSeek facts are stable enough for general understanding, but many operational details change. Recheck these before publishing, buying, integrating, or making policy decisions:
- current API model IDs;
- model versions;
- pricing and peak/off-peak rules;
- concurrency and rate-limit behavior;
- context length and maximum output;
- Vision, Tool Calls, JSON Output, Responses API, and Thinking Mode support;
- app availability and download routes;
- status incidents;
- privacy policy and terms;
- new open-weight releases;
- funding, valuation, or IPO-related news;
- regional regulatory actions.
How to verify DeepSeek facts
Before you repeat a DeepSeek fact, ask these questions:
- Is the source official DeepSeek, an official model card, a GitHub/Hugging Face page, or a reputable news outlet?
- Is the fact about the company, hosted chat, mobile app, API, a specific model, open weights, or a third-party provider?
- What date was the source published or checked?
- Is the fact current, historical, or only reported by unnamed sources?
- Does it apply to hosted API usage, local open-weight inference, or a third-party route?
- Does the source distinguish release name from API model ID?
- Are privacy and safety claims backed by the actual policy or terms text?
- Could the fact have changed since the page or article was published?
FAQ
What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is an AI company and product ecosystem behind the official DeepSeek chat, app, API platform, hosted models, and open-weight model repositories. It should not be reduced to just one chatbot.
Is DeepSeek Chat official?
Yes, chat.deepseek.com is the official DeepSeek web chat route linked from the official DeepSeek homepage.
Does DeepSeek have an app?
Yes. DeepSeek links to iOS and Android download routes from its official download page. The same page also lists DeepSeek Harness for desktop.
Does DeepSeek have an API?
Yes. DeepSeek provides an official API Platform and API documentation. The API is separate from the consumer chat product and is billed according to the official API pricing rules.
What are the current DeepSeek API models?
The current official model table lists deepseek-flash and deepseek-v4-pro. Model names can change, so check the current Models & Pricing page before writing code or publishing a tutorial.
Is DeepSeek R1 still current?
DeepSeek R1 is historically important, but it is old by current DeepSeek API standards. Do not assume old deepseek-reasoner tutorials still describe the current hosted API.
Is DeepSeek open source?
DeepSeek publishes several open-weight model repositories and model cards, many with permissive licenses such as MIT. That does not automatically make the hosted DeepSeek chat or API fully open source, and it does not automatically mean the training data is public.
Is DeepSeek free?
The official download page describes the app as allowing users to chat with leading AI models for free. The developer API is different: API calls are usage-based and billed from balance according to the official pricing page.
Is DeepSeek safe?
DeepSeek should be used according to the sensitivity of the data and the route you use. Its privacy policy describes the categories of data collected and says personal data is directly collected, processed, and stored in the People’s Republic of China. Do not submit confidential, regulated, or sensitive data unless the workflow is approved and you understand the terms.
Where can I verify DeepSeek facts?
Start with the official DeepSeek homepage, API docs, Models & Pricing page, API updates, service status, GitHub, Hugging Face, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Use. Use reputable news sources only for dated business or regulatory context.