DeepSeek is a Chinese AI research lab that builds open-weight large language models. It launched in 2023 and gained attention when its V4 and R1 models competed with the best proprietary alternatives at a fraction of the training and inference cost. Model weights are published, so anyone can verify and self-host.

For general-purpose tasks such as writing, coding, and summarization, choose DeepSeek's standard chat model. For mathematical reasoning, complex analysis, and multi-step problem solving, use one of its reasoning models. The exact model names may change over time, but this distinction remains the same.

DeepSeek is widely considered one of the strongest open-weight AI models available today and performs competitively with leading proprietary models across coding, reasoning, and language tasks. ChatGPT offers a broader ecosystem, including web search, image generation, custom GPTs, and additional productivity features. DeepSeek's key advantage remains its excellent price-to-performance ratio for API-based workloads.

DeepSeek's cloud services are operated by a company subject to PRC laws. If your project involves sensitive business or personal data, self-hosting the open-weight models on your own infrastructure provides greater control over privacy, security, and compliance.

Yes. Download the weights and run them through Ollama, vLLM, or any compatible framework. Quantized versions work on consumer GPUs; full-precision models need enterprise hardware. Self-hosting means zero per-token costs, no rate limits, and full data control.