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DeepSeek: plans, prices, strengths and limits
DeepSeek's chat assistant is free on the web, iOS and Android, and there is no paid consumer plan; only the DeepSeek API is billed, separately and per token. DeepSeek publishes no message limits for chat users.
Prices for United States, before sales tax Data release 2026.11.07-2, Nov 7, 2026 Rules 2.5.0
- Made by
- Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- Individual plans
- 1, one free
- Paid plans
- Not verified
- Facts checked
- Nov 4, 2026
Quick verdict
DeepSeek is a free chat assistant from Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., at chat.deepseek.com and in iOS and Android apps. It runs DeepSeek's own models: DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, updated to V4.1-Flash-1017, with an Expert Mode, an Instant Mode and DeepThink. DeepSeek says a 1M token context has been the default across all its official services since the V4 Preview in April 2026. There is no paid plan to compare: the chat app costs nothing, no message caps are published, and the DeepSeek API is billed separately per token.
Rights and privacy are clearer than the feature list. Section 4.2 of DeepSeek's Terms assigns any rights in Outputs to you and allows a wide range of uses, including personal use, academic research and derivative product development, as long as the use is legal and follows the Terms; the Terms do not use the word "commercial". DeepSeek may use your Inputs and Outputs for training unless you turn off "Improve the model for everyone" in settings, and you can copy or delete your chat history there.
The main limitation is how little DeepSeek documents about the app itself. File upload with text extraction and a Search mode are documented; deep research, spreadsheet analysis, image generation, voice conversation, memory and projects are not verified on any official page we read. This verdict rests on what DeepSeek documents, not on our tests, which we have not run yet.
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- Free, with no published capsDeepSeek's chat app is free on the web and on iOS and Android, and there is no paid consumer plan. Official pages state no message limits for chat users, so there is no tier to choose between.
- A 1M token contextDeepSeek says 1M tokens of context has been the default across all its official services since the V4 Preview in April 2026, which covers the chat app on web and mobile.
- Rights in outputs assigned to youSection 4.2 of the Terms assigns any rights in Outputs to you and lists a wide range of uses, including personal use, academic research and derivative product development, as long as the use is legal and follows the Terms.
- Search and file uploadA Search mode grounds answers in web results, and the Terms say outputs may link to third-party websites. File upload with text extraction was announced with the app launch.
- A training opt-out and your chat historyYou can opt out of training use of your Inputs and Outputs by turning off "Improve the model for everyone" in settings. The Privacy Policy says you can copy or delete your chat history there, and you have a right to a portable copy of your personal data.
Limits
- Most app features are not documentedNot verified. No official DeepSeek page we read describes deep research reports, running code on spreadsheets, image generation, voice conversation, memory, projects or connectors in the chat app. Official pages describe text outputs: text, tables and code.
- Only DeepSeek's own modelsDocumented as not offered: models from other companies. You choose between DeepSeek's modes (Expert Mode, Instant Mode, DeepThink), and DeepSeek says V4-Pro is being phased out until V4.1-Pro launches.
- Coding tools sit outside the chat appNot verified. DeepSeek Harness is a separate open-source desktop agent for macOS and Windows, in public preview, and no page says it is tied to the chat account. No editor extension, inline completion or pull request agent is documented for chat users.
- The no-ads statement is from 2025Not verified for today. DeepSeek's January 2025 app announcement says the app has no ads, and no newer page restates it. The Privacy Policy says DeepSeek does not engage in targeted advertising.
- "Commercial" is not namedWorkflow caution. The Terms assign rights in Outputs to you and allow derivative product development, but they never use the word "commercial". Read Section 4.2 yourself before you build a business on DeepSeek output.
Based on what Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. documents for each plan, not on our tests.
Who it suits
A good fit if you
- Everyday questions, writing and coding help at no cost
- Long documents and conversations within a 1M token context
- Web-grounded answers through Search mode
- Trying DeepSeek's models before deciding whether to use the separate API
Look elsewhere if you
- Image or video generation: not documented in the chat app
- Choosing models from other companies: only DeepSeek's own models
- Spreadsheet analysis that runs code: not verified
- Work inside a code editor: no extension documented for chat users
Plans and prices
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek (free) | Free | Nov 4, 2026 |
Prices for United States, before sales tax unless a plan says otherwise. A yearly plan is paid up front and is not cancel-any-time.
Features by plan
What Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. documents for each plan. A hatched mark means we could not verify it, which is not the same as "not offered".
| Feature | DeepSeek (free) |
|---|---|
| Models and limits | |
| Top models included | Yes |
| Context window | Yes |
| Models from several companies | No |
| General-purpose assistant | Yes |
| Research and sources | |
| Web search with sources | Yes |
| Deep research reports | Unclear |
| Research paper search | Unclear |
| Files and data | |
| File and document uploads | Yes |
| Spreadsheet and data analysis | Unclear |
| Coding | |
| Coding agent | Unclear |
| Works in your code editor | Unclear |
| Code completions as you type | Unclear |
| Background coding agent | Unclear |
| Pull request review | Unclear |
| Images, video and voice | |
| Image generation | Unclear |
| Video generation | Not applicable |
| Real-time voice | Unclear |
| Image editing and design | |
| Photo editing | Not applicable |
| Background removal | Not applicable |
| Text inside images | Not applicable |
| Logo maker | Not applicable |
| Vector (SVG) files | Not applicable |
| Upscaling | Not applicable |
| Diagrams from text | Unclear |
| Video editing and presenters | |
| Photo to video | Not applicable |
| Footage editing | Not applicable |
| Avatar presenters | Not applicable |
| Lip sync | Not applicable |
| Automatic captions | Not applicable |
| Clips from long videos | Not applicable |
| Exports without a watermark | Not applicable |
| App building and hosting | |
| Apps from a description | Unclear |
| Hosting and publishing | Unclear |
| Custom domain | Not applicable |
| Database and sign-in | Not applicable |
| Code export | Unclear |
| Music, voice and transcription | |
| Songs with vocals | Not applicable |
| Instrumental music | Not applicable |
| Separate stems | Not applicable |
| Voiceover from text | Unclear |
| Voice cloning | Not applicable |
| Dubbing into other languages | Not applicable |
| Sound effects | Not applicable |
| Transcription | Unclear |
| Meeting notes | Unclear |
| Dictation into any app | Unclear |
| Writing and slides | |
| Slides from a prompt | Unclear |
| Grammar and spelling checks | Yes |
| Paraphrasing and tone changes | Yes |
| Projects and memory | |
| Projects | Unclear |
| Custom assistants | Unclear |
| Memory across chats | Unclear |
| Integrations and agents | |
| Connectors to other apps | Unclear |
| Inside Gmail | Unclear |
| Inside Google Docs | Unclear |
| Inside Google Sheets | Unclear |
| Inside Word | Unclear |
| Inside Excel | Unclear |
| Inside PowerPoint | Unclear |
| Inside Outlook | Unclear |
| Browser agent | Unclear |
| Privacy and control | |
| Opt out of model training | Yes |
| Export your data | Yes |
| Shows ads | No |
| Rights and licensing | |
| Commercial use of outputs | Yes |
| Apps and extras | |
| Cloud storage included | Unclear |
| Apps | Yes |
| Usage included | Yes |
The details and sources of every row are in Compare two AIs and the data release.
What it documents for each use
- Research & Search Research a question with sources that hold up · Check claims against reliable sources · Summarize a report with traceable facts
- Writing & Content Edit an email without losing a detail · Edit an article without changing its facts · Draft long pieces that stay consistent · Write ads, posts and short copy · Fix grammar and tone in my writing
- Coding & Development Get help with code questions · Diagnose and repair a small program
A use is listed when at least one plan documents every feature a task needs. Answer quality is a separate question: see below.
Using it day to day
DeepSeek runs on the web at chat.deepseek.com and in iOS and Android apps. You switch between Expert Mode and Instant Mode; DeepThink is listed as a further mode, and Search is a function you enable. DeepSeek Harness, a separate open-source agent for coding and everyday tasks, has macOS and Windows desktop apps and is in public preview; no page says it shares your chat account.
Usage is free, and DeepSeek publishes no usage limit for chat users. File upload with text extraction is documented, without stated size limits. The DeepSeek API is a separate product billed per token, so this page does not cover it. Voice input, dictation, transcription and reading answers aloud are not verified on any official page we read.
Privacy, data and ads
DeepSeek's Terms say your Inputs and Outputs can be used for training unless you opt out by turning off "Improve the model for everyone" in settings. The Privacy Policy says you can copy or delete your chat history in settings and that you have a right to a portable copy of your personal data. DeepSeek's January 2025 app announcement says the app has no ads, and its Privacy Policy says DeepSeek does not engage in targeted advertising; no newer page restates the no-ads statement. The provider is Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., so read its Privacy Policy before you upload anything confidential.
Read the vendor's own page: DeepSeek privacy and data controls. We make no legal or compliance claim.
Test results
We have not tested DeepSeek yet, so this page makes no claim about answer quality, and we show no example outputs. Run the same kit in it and in the alternatives, in your own account:
- Summarize a report with traceable facts
- Analyze a spreadsheet and get the numbers right
- Edit an email without losing a detail
- Diagnose and repair a small program
- Research a question with sources that support the answer
- Make sense of documents that disagree
- Research a current question within a date window
- Edit an article without changing its facts
- Turn project notes into a report that agrees with itself
- Implement a small specification
- Refactor code without changing what it does
- Make a picture that follows a detailed brief
- Put exact text into a graphic
- Change one thing in a picture and nothing else
- Make a short clip that follows a brief
- Make a song that sings your lyrics exactly
- Read a script with names, numbers and abbreviations
- Design a logo with an exact name
Getting started
- Open chat.deepseek.com or the iOS or Android app. There is no plan to pick and nothing to pay.
- Before your first real conversation, turn off "Improve the model for everyone" in settings if you do not want your chats used for training.
- Pick Instant Mode or Expert Mode, and turn on Search when you need answers grounded in current web results.
- If you plan to use DeepSeek output in a product, read Section 4.2 of the Terms: it assigns rights in Outputs to you but does not use the word "commercial".
- Compare DeepSeek with other assistants on our tools page, and read how we check vendor claims.
Your fit
Tell Find my AI what you do and what matters; it checks every plan of DeepSeek against your priorities, next to the alternatives.
Alternatives
- Qwen Chat Qwen Chat is also free with no published usage limits and lists Deep Research, image generation and video generation, but its Service Agreement limits the Services to private and non-commercial use. About Qwen Chat
- Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat) Mistral's Free plan, Le Chat now renamed Vibe, documents a deep research Skill with citations, connectors and a coding agent, and Pro at $14.99 a month before tax adds Code Interpreter for spreadsheets. About Mistral Vibe (formerly Le Chat)
- Claude Claude Free also documents a context of up to 1M tokens, plus file creation with code execution and export from the web or desktop app, under an ad-free commitment; Pro is $20 a month. About Claude
- ChatGPT ChatGPT Free documents limited data analysis and deep research, and OpenAI's terms assign you its rights in Output, but ads may appear on Free and the next plan, Go, is $8 a month. About ChatGPT
Recent changes
- DeepSeek (free) added
Every change is in the change log.
Questions
Is DeepSeek free?
Yes. DeepSeek's chat app is free on the web and on iOS and Android, and DeepSeek publishes no message limits for chat users.
Is there a DeepSeek paid plan?
Not for the chat app. DeepSeek has no paid consumer plan; only the DeepSeek API is billed, separately and per token, and this page does not cover API prices.
Can I use DeepSeek output commercially?
Section 4.2 of DeepSeek's Terms assigns any rights in Outputs to you and allows a wide range of uses, including derivative product development, as long as the use is legal and follows the Terms. The Terms do not use the word "commercial".
Does DeepSeek train on my chats?
Your Inputs and Outputs can be used for training unless you opt out. Turn off "Improve the model for everyone" in settings to stop it.
Does DeepSeek have ads?
DeepSeek's January 2025 app announcement says the app has no ads, and the Privacy Policy says DeepSeek does not engage in targeted advertising. No newer page restates the no-ads statement, so treat it as not verified for today.
What is DeepSeek's context window?
1M tokens. DeepSeek says that has been the default across all its official services since the V4 Preview in April 2026.
Sources
8 official pages, checked Nov 4, 2026. This page was written by the What the tech desk with AI assistance from the facts in our data release; no company paid for or reviewed it.
- DeepSeek | Into the UnknownHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek V4 Preview Release | DeepSeek API DocsHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek | Download DeepSeekHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek Terms of UseHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek APP (API Docs news, 2025/01/15)Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek HarnessHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- Model Mechanism and Training Methods of DeepSeekHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
- DeepSeek Privacy PolicyHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.
About this page
- Published by
- What the tech, Helsinki, Finland
- Author
- What the tech
- Reviewed by
- Peyman Khosravani
- Review scope
- Checked that this page matches the facts in data release 2026.11.07-2: a check against documented sources, not a hands-on test of the product.
- Evidence
- Facts documented by each company, each linked to its official source and dated. Test results appear only where an editor ran the test.
- Data release
- 2026.11.07-2, Nov 7, 2026
Product ownership is separate from publication: What the tech publishes this page; Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. supplies DeepSeek. Official DeepSeek website. Product names and logos do not imply endorsement of this publication.