Last updated: 2026-08-26
The chatbot that proved frontier reasoning could be free: strong maths, coding and step-by-step thinking at no cost, with earlier model generations released as open weights anyone can self-host.
Visit DeepSeek →Nothing else gives this much reasoning per dollar. Its reasoning models trade blows with paid Western rivals on hard problems, the web app costs nothing for typical use, and the open-weight releases made it the foundation of countless self-hosted setups. The visible chain-of-thought is genuinely useful for checking its work.
Web and app use is free with generous limits. The API is priced per token at rates far below most competitors.
Data from the hosted service is stored in China, which rules it out for many workplaces — self-hosting the open weights is the standard answer. It also declines topics sensitive to its home market, and the app experience is barer than the polished Western assistants.
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