After ChatGPT became the dominant AI chat platform, DeepSeek rapidly emerged in 2025 with a fresh presence as an open-source large language model, capturing the attention of both the tech community and the business world. Many frequent users still remember the era when ChatGPT stood out in productivity and content creation, thanks to its smooth conversational experience, rich plugin ecosystem, and multilingual capabilities. Despite its massive user base, ChatGPT now faces a strong challenge from DeepSeek, which leverages an “expert mixture” architecture, cost-efficient inference, and advantages in localized deployment to disrupt the existing market landscape.
Overview: What is ChatGPT? What is DeepSeek?
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI, primarily designed for text generation and natural language understanding. Users can access ChatGPT via web, mobile, and desktop applications, interacting through text or voice using the latest GPT-4.5 model. It now includes features such as personalized customization, an advanced research assistant, real-time web search, and a sophisticated voice mode that supports emotion recognition and multilingual translation.
ChatGPT Features:
Personalized responses through custom instructions, with support for file and image uploads.
Voice conversations with emotion awareness and real-time multilingual translation.
Advanced research assistant who gathers authoritative and up-to-date information with citations.
Excellent conversational experience with strong comprehension
Rich plugin ecosystem and multilingual support
Powerful research and productivity assistance
Pros
High computational resource consumption leading to higher usage costs
Multimodal features like video and screen sharing are still limited
Cloud-based processing raises certain privacy concerns
Cons
DeepSeek
DeepSeek is a suite of AI products and technologies developed by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd. Since its establishment in 2023, DeepSeek has focused on building foundational models for general artificial intelligence. It offers a range of advanced models and applications designed to provide services across various scenarios, including intelligent conversation, text generation, semantic understanding, and code generation. DeepSeek is available across multiple platforms, including the App Store and Google Play. Users can log in easily using a phone number, WeChat, or Apple ID, and enjoy synchronized chat history across devices.
DeepSeek Features:
Intelligent conversation and text generation
High reasoning efficiency and low operational cost
Programming and code assistance
Online search and deep thinking mode
Built on advanced technology with strong performance across demanding tasks
Comprehensive feature covering intelligent conversation, text generation, programming, and more
Continuous updates with rapid technological iteration
Pros
Has been affected by cyberattacks, so security needs to be strengthened
Some functions may not work properly for users outside of China
Cons
DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT: Chat Quality, Cost, Privacy, etc.
When comparing DeepSeek and ChatGPT, the most cared-about aspects generally focus on model performance, reasoning speed, operating cost, data privacy, local deployment capability, customization flexibility, ecosystem maturity, and overall ease of use. Here is a detailed comparison based on these key factors.
Chat Quality and Response Speed
DeepSeek stands out for its strong technical accuracy and reasoning skills, especially in areas like math, programming, and logical thinking. Its Mixture-of-Experts model activates only the parts needed for each task, making responses faster and more precise. It achieves about 90% accuracy on technical tests, clearly outperforming ChatGPT in specialized fields.
On the other hand, ChatGPT focuses more on smooth and natural conversations. It works well for creative writing, general questions, and everyday chats, though its answers can sometimes be too long or overly detailed.
Cost and Efficiency
ChatGPT offers both free and paid versions. The free version has limited features, while the paid “ChatGPT Plus” subscription unlocks access to GPT-4, web search, and coding functions. DeepSeek is open-source and free to download and deploy, which suits technically skilled individuals or teams. Although running DeepSeek requires some hardware investment, like local computing power, it tends to be more cost-effective over time, especially for large-scale or long-term use.
Privacy and Security
DeepSeek emphasizes openness and customization, allowing users to run DeepSeek R1 locally and have greater control over their data privacy. This is a strong advantage for companies or organizations that prioritize information security. ChatGPT runs on cloud servers with strict privacy compliance and content moderation, ensuring stable service but offering users less control over how their data is handled.
Features and Ease of Use
ChatGPT supports multimodal inputs such as images and voice, making it versatile for many applications. DeepSeek currently focuses mainly on text reasoning and web search, with limited multimodal support. Both platforms update quickly, DeepSeek improves response speed and stability, while ChatGPT keeps adding new features and improving the interface.
Resource Use and Deployment Flexibility
DeepSeek can run locally on different types of hardware, including consumer-level devices. It's efficient and ideal for offline use, helping users save bandwidth and cloud costs.
ChatGPT, by contrast, depends fully on OpenAI’s cloud service. It’s easy to use but relies on stable internet and doesn’t give users full control over where their data goes.
Features and Ecosystem
ChatGPT has a well-developed plugin system and supports features like web search, code tools, and voice chat. It's great for writing, productivity, and learning. DeepSeek focuses more on open models and local deployment, ideal for integration into specialized applications and enterprise systems. Though its ecosystem is still growing, its open-source strategy and fast iteration promise strong future potential.
Comparable Table: Why is DeepSeek Better than ChatGPT
Aspect
DeepSeek
ChatGPT
Winner
Chat Quality
Technically accurate, strong reasoning
Smooth and natural, good for daily conversations
DeepSeek
Response Speed
Locally deployed, low-latency
Cloud-based, response is affected by the network
DeepSeek
Cost
Open-source and free, low-cost
Subscription-based, limited free tier
DeepSeek
Privacy
Local data storage, high security
Cloud processing, limited privacy control
DeepSeek
Feature Richness
Focused on text reasoning and customization
Multimodal support, feature-rich
Depends on needs
Ease of Use
Requires technical skills
Easy to use
ChatGPT
Ecosystem
Highly open, still developing
Mature ecosystem, widely used
ChatGPT
Therefore, based on the comparison table between DeepSeek and ChatGPT, each AI assistant has its strengths and weaknesses. There is no absolute “winner,” only the choice that best fits your needs. The following are some suggestions for your choice based on all the information above.
Choose DeepSeek if you prioritize technical accuracy, fast response times, cost efficiency, and strong control over data privacy. It is especially suitable for users and organizations with high demands for professionalism and customization.
Choose ChatGPT if you think the ease of use, diverse functionality, and a mature ecosystem are more important to you. It is well-suited for general users, content creators, and those seeking a versatile multi-purpose AI experience.
Download and Install DeepSeek Locally on Your PC
While DeepSeek is already a powerful open-source language model, you might want to use it for local text generation, code assistance, or even integrate it into your own intelligent applications. With DeepSeek AI Chat, you can easily run your own AI model on a Windows PC and enjoy the speed and security of fully offline usage.
Once the DeepSeek AI Chat is installed, what you need to do is choose the model according to your needs and download it. Whether you're a developer looking for a reliable AI assistant, a privacy-focused user, or an AI enthusiast who enjoys DIY experimentation, this setup is ideal for you. Imagine generating content, writing code, or running intelligent analysis, all without an internet connection. Pretty cool, right?
DeepSeek AI Chat
Runs DeepSeek on your desktop for free, even beginners can handle it
Provides multiple AI agent options to meet different tasks
Supports importing your personal local knowledge base
All
