Definition
DeepSeek Chat is DeepSeek’s AI chat product for individual users, available as a web app and a mobile app, with the web entry at chat.deepseek.com. It calls the DeepSeek model family to produce answers; official change records are kept on the API docs updates page.
How it works
You ask questions in the chat interface and the app calls DeepSeek models to respond; the models and features inside the app change with official updates, so the current model names and capabilities follow the official transparency center and model list rather than the app name. The chat app is not the model itself: the same model family is also served to developers through the API.
Usage
Typical uses are everyday Q&A, writing, code questions and retrieval-style prompts, straight from the web or a phone. Developers who want the models inside their own applications or agents use the DeepSeek open platform API instead of the chat app.
Related and confusable terms
Three layers are easy to confuse: DeepSeek models form the model family, while DeepSeek the company is their provider; this entry’s chat app (DeepSeek App) is the consumer-facing interface; and the API on the open platform is the metered developer service. The DeepSeek Search / Fetch API, which exposes search and page retrieval separately, is yet another layer.
Discussed on Next Token
In episode 007, in the chapter “DeepSeek 的推理速度，怎样改变产品体验？” (Chinese transcript), 杨攀 said many people had drifted away from the DeepSeek app, that he had “最近又回归到用 DeepSeek App”, and that answers came back “秒回来” the moment a question was sent, adding that the app streams “每秒可能几百个 Token”. These are personal impressions, not a benchmark of the app or its models (full chapter).
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official DeepSeek chat entry?
The web entry is chat.deepseek.com; the mobile app comes from the app stores — use the app published by DeepSeek officially, and follow the official page for entries.
Which model does the DeepSeek app use?
It calls the DeepSeek model family; current model names and features change with official updates and are listed on the transparency center and model list.
How does the DeepSeek app differ from the DeepSeek API?
The app is the consumer chat entry; the API is the metered service developers use on the open platform to build their own applications, with separate accounts and billing.