Verdict
DeepSeek costs nothing and TechRadar found no query limits, and in Tom's Guide's nine-prompt test it beat GPT-5 on planning and step-by-step answers. Its own privacy policy says data is stored in the People's Republic of China and used to train its models, and Italy's 2025 ban was still in force in January 2026. On iPhone in the UK the official app now appears as DSeek, with 136 ratings.
Privacy note. Data stored in China and used for training with email-only opt-out (DeepSeek privacy policy); Italy ban unresolved as of Jan 2026 (ai-regulation.com); 2025 database leak (wiz.io).
Best for
Free maths and planning help on questions that contain nothing personal
Skip if
You'd rather your data wasn't stored in China or used for training
Key facts
- Category
- Everyday AI assistants
- Made by
- Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd
- Based in
- China
- Launched
- 2025
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web
- In the UK
- Yes
- Free plan
- Free chat on web and app with web search, file uploads and no query limits (TechRadar, Jul 2026)
What it does
- free AI chat assistant on the web and in iOS and Android apps
- runs DeepSeek's latest flagship model
- publishes open model weights on Hugging Face
- charges developers per use of its API, with off-peak rates at half price
Ratings
What people say
individual reviewers like that it is free and fast and use it for maths, study and side tasks, while others call answers poor for writing, report refusals on Chinese politics and complain about removed features. Google Play shows 4.32 from 341,607 ratings while Trustpilot sits at 2.3 (158 reviews, thin), a big gap.
“Also cheap. My setup: DeepSeek for the dumb stuff, ChatGPT for the stuff that actually matters. Best of both.”
Individual user review, 29 July 2026 · source
“I'm using it for studying maths and chemistry, especially if its about maths questions in chem”
Individual user review, 12 June 2026 · source
“i have had horrible expericing when it comes to writing blogs. so not for me”
Individual user review, 29 July 2026 · source
“I tried it then asked it to tell me about China's issues like SCS, Tianenmen Square and Taiwan. It flat out refused to answer or just gave typical China-sponsored defensive answers.”
Individual user review, 29 July 2026 · source
“Since I can no longer upload files (and the events that followed, such as removing internet search and limiting regenerations) I haven't used DeepSeek again…”
Individual user review, 12 June 2026 · source
Press reviews
- TechRadar 2026-07-13
Hard to ignore on price and performance and the free chat app holds its own against paid rivals, but data stored on Chinese servers, known security flaws and censorship give serious pause.
- Tom's Guide 2025-08-19
DeepSeek won the nine-prompt test overall on step-by-step explanations and planning; GPT-5 was better on tone and cultural understanding.
- The Register 2026-04-24
News analysis of the V4 launch; treats DeepSeek's benchmark claims with 'a grain of salt' and sees low cost as the bigger story.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- yes; the privacy policy (last updated 10 Feb 2026) lists user input as data used to train and improve models
- Opt-out
- no in-app switch; the policy says users can opt out of training by emailing [email protected]
- Retention
- no fixed period; account, input and payment data kept while the account exists, and longer if terms are breached
- Incidents
- Wiz found an unsecured DeepSeek database exposing chat history and secret keys (29 Jan 2025, fixed after disclosure). Italy's Garante banned DeepSeek from processing Italians' data (30 Jan 2025), still in force per MIAI (28 Jan 2026). The UK ICO wrote to DeepSeek asking how it protects UK residents' data (Feb 2025; no outcome found); the UK government called use a 'personal choice'; DWP blocked staff access (May 2025, per MIAI). Berlin's data protection commissioner reported the app to Apple and Google as illegal content under the EU Digital Services Act (27 Jun 2025); per MIAI they did not delist it. South Korea's PIPC had the app pulled Feb-Apr 2025. Inquiries were opened in Ireland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Greece in 2025. Bans on government devices in the US, Australia, Japan and elsewhere.
- Age limit
- 18+, or the local minimum age with guardian consent (terms of use, updated 27 Mar 2026)
In court
Lawsuits and regulator actions involving DeepSeek. Claims are the claimant's allegations unless a court or regulator has ruled. The privacy score above was reviewed against this record. Who runs DeepSeek: Liang Wenfeng.
The Garante said DeepSeek's response about Italian users' data was unsatisfactory and urgently limited processing of that data.
Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) · Decision 10098477 · 30 Jan 2025: processing limited and investigation opened; no closure verified.
The PIPC found shortcomings in DeepSeek's cross-border transfers, transparency and training-data opt-out, and issued correction recommendations.
Personal Information Protection Commission (South Korea) · Agenda No. 2025-009-026 · 30 Apr 2025: PIPC required implementation reporting and said it would monitor compliance.
Berlin's regulator said DeepSeek transferred app users' data to China unlawfully and notified Apple and Google to consider blocking it.
Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information · DSA Article 16 notice · 27 Jun 2025: regulator sent notice; no platform decision verified in reviewed sources.
Texas's Attorney General announced an investigation into DeepSeek's privacy practices and notified it of an alleged state privacy-law violation.
Office of the Attorney General of Texas · Attorney General investigation · 14 Feb 2025: investigation announced; no public final outcome verified.
The ICO says DeepSeek made or committed to data-protection changes following its supervision of foundation-model developers.
UK Information Commissioner's Office · Foundation-model supervision programme · 8 Oct 2026: ICO said it was monitoring progress against DeepSeek's commitments.
FAQ
Is DeepSeek free?
Yes. The chat app and website are free, and TechRadar found no query limits. DeepSeek only charges developers for its API.
Is DeepSeek safe to use?
Its own privacy policy says data is stored in China and used to train its models. Italy banned it in January 2025, Germany's Berlin regulator asked Apple and Google to remove it, and the UK ICO wrote to it asking how it protects UK users.
Does DeepSeek work in the UK?
Yes, on the web and on Google Play. On the UK App Store the official app is listed as 'DSeek - Your AI Assistant' by Hangzhou DeepSeek, not under its usual name.
Does DeepSeek censor answers?
Yes, on some topics. TechRadar lists content censorship on sensitive topics as a reason to avoid it, and individual reviewers report refusals on Tiananmen Square and Taiwan.
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT?
Tom's Guide gave DeepSeek the win over GPT-5 in a nine-prompt test in 2025, though GPT-5 was better on tone. ChatGPT has more features such as image generation and memory, and different privacy terms.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
Similar tools
ChatGPT
OpenAI's general chatbot, the most used AI app in the UK and worldwide.
Google Gemini
Google's chatbot, built into Android, Gmail and Docs, with a generous free plan.
Claude
Anthropic's chatbot, strong on writing and on pointing out holes in an argument, with a tight free allowance.
Meta AI
Meta's free assistant, built into WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook and also sold as a standalone app that runs Ray-Ban Meta glasses.