DeepSeek, a Chinese-owned AI startup, has quickly gained popularity in the AI world with the release of its R1 model on Jan 20, offering high-performance AI comparable to ChatGPT for free. The company has faced security concerns due to its Chinese background and some service outages from “malicious attacks”. Founded in 2023, DeepSeek has rapidly developed LLM models with innovative training methods, focusing on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. While lacking some features like image generation, DeepSeek competes with ChatGPT in basic chatbot functionality. DeepSeek offers both free chatbot services and API connections at competitive prices compared to other platforms. Users can access its chatbot via the website or mobile app. The company’s search feature and DeepThink (R1) model allow for deeper reasoning and interaction. Although basic in comparison to ChatGPT, DeepSeek’s free service and ease of use make it a viable alternative for AI chatbot needs.