DeepSeek is a Hangzhou lab with a free chat app and open weights. Separate the product from the files you can download.
- 1 What is DeepSeek? DeepSeek chat, API, and open weights are three doors from one lab. Use the site for a short FAQ. Read the Files-tab size before you clone. Open weights are files, not a chat box.
- 2 DeepSeek chat app and plans without hype Use official chat.deepseek.com (Instant and Expert) before you buy a random Plus extension. Chat can be free; the API is the metered wallet. Confirm the publisher on mobile stores. Scheduled · October 3, 2026
- 3 DeepSeek thinking mode without treating scratch as proof Treat DeepSeek reasoning_content as a scratch pad. Instant vs Expert vs thinking toggles change style, not audit rights. Verify margins in the sheet before Slack. Scheduled · October 4, 2026
- 4 DeepSeek for coding: useful, still run the tests Use DeepSeek for coding drafts, then run the tenant-scoped pytest that would catch a missing filter. Paste a function, not the secrets file. Scheduled · October 5, 2026
- 5 Hosted DeepSeek vs open weights Name the DeepSeek door: free chat, API meter, files, or local runner. Open weights are not privacy if you paste into hosted chat. Write a door card before the next roster paste. Scheduled · October 6, 2026
- 6 DeepSeek privacy, region, and work caution Know where DeepSeek prompts go, read the privacy policy dated for your week, and keep regulated rosters off personal phone pastes. Work vs personal vs regulated is a written rule. Scheduled · October 7, 2026
- 7 When DeepSeek is the wrong tool Skip DeepSeek when the page is already public, when the real need is a form, or when policy forbids the region. Use it when a cheap API or open weights honestly fit the job. Scheduled · October 8, 2026