China has entered the AI race with a serious ChatGPT competitor—DeepSeek. Built at a fraction of the cost of similar Western models, DeepSeek has quickly made waves in the AI space. Its rise is so significant that it even contributed to a 17% drop in NVIDIA’s stock, signaling a shift in AI development dynamics.
But what exactly is DeepSeek? How does it compare to ChatGPT, and why is it gaining so much attention? In this article, we’ll break down DeepSeek’s capabilities, performance, and what makes it a potential game-changer in AI. Let’s dive in.
But First, What Is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek AI is a new large language model (LLM) designed as an alternative to models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s Gemini. It follows the transformer-based architecture but focuses on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and open accessibility. DeepSeek offers both open-source models and paid API access. The DeepSeek-R1 model is open-source and can be freely accessed and utilized by developers.
Wait, Why Did DeepSeek Even Come Into Existence?
DeepSeek AI was born out of necessity. The U.S. restricted China’s access to cutting-edge AI chips. Companies like NVIDIA were banned from selling their most potent processors to Chinese firms. Without these chips, training large AI models became difficult.
China couldn’t afford to rely on Western AI forever. It had to act.
The government poured billions into AI research and semiconductor development. Tech giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu accelerated their AI programs. Startups like DeepSeek emerged, aiming to build homegrown AI alternatives. The company behind DeepSeek is Highflyer, a hedge fund and startup investor that has now expanded into AI development.
At its core, DeepSeek exists because China had to innovate or fall behind. U.S. sanctions forced self-reliance, and AI independence became a national priority. DeepSeek is one of the first major steps in this direction.
What Makes DeepSeek Different from OpenAI or ChatGPT?
DeepSeek claims that its R1 model is at par with ChatGPT’s o1 model, so I have tested them both. Compare them based on core functionality, performance and speed, specialized use cases, and developer experience.
Core functionality and performance
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 feels more geared toward reasoning-heavy tasks like coding, math, and structured problem-solving. It handles logic-based queries well, often giving concise and precise answers. While DeepSeek suggests R1 is on par with OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1, its focus feels more technical and efficiency-driven.
The user interface is clean but basic. It lacks features like chat memory or voice interaction, making it feel more like a task tool rather than an AI meant for long, fluid conversations.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT o1, in contrast, feels more conversational and versatile. It’s great for creative writing, brainstorming, and casual discussions while still handling technical topics reasonably well.
Its interface is more polished, with features like chat history, voice mode, and customization options, making it feel more interactive and user-friendly.
In short, DeepSeek R1 leans toward technical precision, while ChatGPT o1 offers a broader, more engaging AI experience. But let’s not forget DeepSeek is still new and might come up with features it lacks.
Performance and speed
I tested both DeepSeek R1 and ChatGPT o1 using the same prompt, and the results were quite similar. ChatGPT o1’s response felt more detailed and structured, while DeepSeek R1’s answer was more to the point. That doesn’t mean DeepSeek’s output wasn’t helpful—it just seemed to focus on efficiency over-elaboration.
In terms of speed, there wasn’t a noticeable difference. Both models generated responses at almost the same pace, making them equally reliable regarding quick turnaround.
DeepSeek
ChatGPT
Specialized use cases
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 feels more suited for technical and structured tasks. It handles coding, mathematical reasoning, and logic-based queries efficiently, making it a strong choice for developers and researchers. If you’re looking for precise, straight-to-the-point answers, DeepSeek R1 delivers without unnecessary elaboration.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT o1, on the other hand, feels more flexible. It performs well in creative writing, brainstorming, and open-ended discussions, making it great for content creation, research, and casual conversation. While it can handle technical topics, it tends to explain in more detail, which can be helpful for users who prefer more context.
Developer experience: APIs and accessibility
DeepSeek
DeepSeek offers an API designed to be compatible with OpenAI’s format, allowing developers to use existing OpenAI SDKs or software with minimal adjustments. DeepSeek-R1 is open-source, enabling developers to run models locally, providing greater control over customization and deployment. While functional, DeepSeek’s API documentation is still developing and may not be as comprehensive as OpenAI’s.
DeepSeek offers API access for a cheaper price compared to OpenAI and other companies, and that is giving them headaches. Developers can add AI functionality to their apps at a lower price point, which can lead to having AI features more broadly adopted and used, because more people can afford them.
ChatGPT
OpenAI provides a well-documented API, facilitating straightforward integration into various applications. OpenAI offers extensive resources, including tutorials, guides, and community support, enhancing the developer experience.
Thousands of companies have built their apps connecting to the OpenAI API, and it will be interesting if some of these will evaluate switching to using the LLMs and APIs of DeepSick.
The LLMs of ChatGPT are not open source and not downloadable, which is a significant difference from DeepSick.
How’s the User Experience? (Features and Platforms) of the web chat interface
Using DeepSeek feels a lot like using ChatGPT. The interface looks pretty much the same, and as I mentioned earlier, the performance is just as good—if not better in some cases.
Here are the current features that DeepSeek offers:
- Web search integration – It can pull real-time info from the web, making responses more up-to-date.
- File attachment for text extraction – You can upload documents, and DeepSeek will extract and process the text, which is super handy for summaries and analysis. Note that in its current version it can’t analyse uploaded photos (“What objects are you seeing in this photo)
- Chat history – DeepSeek lets you view past conversations, making it easier to pick up where you left off – this is very similar to other AI chat assistants
The UI is simple and clean, making it easy to use. These features improve usability, especially for research and document processing. That said, it’s missing a few things—like custom AI behavior tuning or voice interaction and AI text-to-image features, which some competitors offer.
DeepSick’s AI assistant lacks many advanced features of ChatGPT or Claude. For example, the Canvas feature in ChatGPT and the Artefacts feature in Claude make organizing your generated output much easier. These are just two of the features loved by its users.
Using DeepSeek
DeepSeek’s web-based AI assistant is free, offering full functionality with no required credit card.
DeepSeek offers highly competitive pricing for developers. The DeepSeek API costs only a quarter of what the same operation would cost with OpenAI’s API for 10,000 responses a month.
For DeepSeek, it costs $150 per month for ten thousand 500-word responses. Whereas the same costs $675 with OpenAPI.
Accessing DeepSeek
You can access DeepSeek through various platforms:
- Web Interface: Visit the DeepSeek website to interact with the model directly in your browser.
- Mobile Apps: DeepSeek offers official apps for both Android and iOS devices, providing on-the-go access to their AI models.
- API Access: API access is available for developers looking to integrate DeepSeek into their applications. Comprehensive documentation and guides are provided to assist with integration.
- Run Locally with LM Studio – Want full control? Download LM Studio to run DeepSeek models on your own device, without filters or restrictions.
Censorship and Ethics
Some users have raised concerns about DeepSeek’s censorship, especially on topics like politics and geopolitics. Discussions on Reddit suggest that it sometimes refuses to answer certain questions, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Compared to OpenAI, DeepSeek feels stricter in some areas, while OpenAI models tend to provide more discussion before declining a response. Other competitors, like Meta’s Llama 2, allow more flexibility when run locally.
The good news? You can run DeepSeek models locally using LM Studio. This lets you bypass built-in censorship and have full control over responses, making it a great option for users who want uncensored AI interactions.
So, What’s Next for DeepSeek?
DeepSeek has already positioned itself as a major player in AI, showing that powerful models can be built with fewer resources. Its success is a wake-up call for U.S. tech companies, proving that China is quickly advancing AI innovation.
It delivers high-quality responses while being lighter on system requirements, making it a compelling option for developers who want cost-effective AI solutions.
The web chat interface of DeepSeek lacks features like voice interaction, deeper personalization, and a more polished user experience than other AI chat assistants. Given how fast AI companies are moving, I wouldn’t be surprised if these features were added soon.
For coders, researchers, and technical users, DeepSeek is definitely worth trying. Its reasoning abilities, web search, and file processing make it a powerful AI for structured tasks. If it continues to improve, it could become an even bigger player in the AI space.