DeepSeek Chatbot at a glance
DeepSeek is a Hangzhou-based AI lab that open-sources most of its large-language-model (LLM) work. Its free consumer chatbot (available on the web, iOS, Android and via an API) sits on top of two main model families:
| Model switch | Purpose | What’s special |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V3 (default) | Fast, general-purpose writing & Q &A | 671 B-parameter MoE architecture, 128 k-token context ([techtarget.com][1]) |
| DeepThink (R1) | Deep reasoning mode | Test-Time Compute: the model “thinks aloud”, iteratively refining answers before you see them, which boosts accuracy on math, science and coding tasks ([learnprompting.org][2], [zapier.com][3]) |
Headline features
| Feature | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Reasoning engine | R1 runs a chain-of-thought loop (you briefly see its sketches) before returning a final answer. | Delivers GPT-4-class reasoning while running on cheaper hardware. ([learnprompting.org][2], [wired.com][4]) |
| One-click Search | Toggle lets the bot live-query the web and cite links in its reply. | Keeps answers current despite a static training cutoff. ([learnprompting.org][2], [wired.com][5]) |
| File & code uploads | Paste code or attach text files; the bot extracts and reasons over the text. | Lightweight way to review logs, snippets or long documents. ([learnprompting.org][2]) |
| Open weights & local run | DeepSeek publishes checkpoints on Hugging Face and permits local inference. | Lets companies fine-tune privately, or run offline without usage fees. ([techtarget.com][1], [wired.com][5]) |
| Developer API extras | System-prompt control, structured JSON output, function-calling, 128 k context. | Makes the bot easy to embed in agent workflows or RAG pipelines. ([techtarget.com][1]) |
| Zero-cost consumer tier | All features are free; API is priced ≈90 % below OpenAI o1. | Low barrier to experiment; pressure on competitors’ pricing. ([techtarget.com][1], [zapier.com][3]) |
Strengths & trade-offs
✅ Pros
- State-of-the-art reasoning and competitive text quality at no cost.
- Open-source weights encourage research, audits and bespoke fine-tunes.
- Simple, uncluttered UI; nothing to paywall or configure for basic use. ([learnprompting.org][2])
⚠️ Cons
- Feature set is still “bare-bones” – no memory across chats, no voice mode, no image generation yet. ([wired.com][5])
- Moderation follows Chinese regulations; some politically sensitive prompts are refused or self-redacted. ([wired.com][5])
- Like all LLMs, hallucinations persist (especially if Search is off). ([wired.com][4])
Typical use-cases
- Coding assistant – ask R1 to step through tricky algorithmic bugs or generate test suites.
- Research companion – enable Search for literature overviews or fresh statistics.
- Lightweight document QA – drop in a contract or log file and probe it conversationally.
- Prototype agent back-end – plug the API into a function-calling chain; JSON output makes parsing trivial.
DeepSeek’s combination of open weights, aggressive pricing and a demonstration of efficient reasoning training has made it a fast-moving challenger to incumbent chatbots. If you need raw reasoning power without a subscription—and can live with a lean feature set—it’s well worth a spin.
