Submit
LLM API·China

DeepSeek

China-origin reasoning models with top-tier benchmarks and 1/10 the price of OpenAI.

Visit DeepSeek →

We may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page. Learn more.

Founded
2023
Headquarters
China
Price range
$0.48–1.37 / 1M tokens (blended)
API format
openai

About DeepSeek

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI lab producing open-weight LLMs (V3, R1) that match GPT-4 class benchmarks at dramatically lower prices. Their official API is OpenAI-compatible, supports international credit cards, and serves users globally. A top candidate for cost-sensitive inference workloads where reasoning quality matters.

Pros

  • +OpenAI-compatible API: openai — drop-in for existing SDK users
  • +Established 3+ years (founded 2023)

Cons

  • −No overseas node — mainland China access only; GFW affects foreign users
  • −Payments only via alipay, wechat, card — may block non-China billing
  • −Signup caveat: International credit cards accepted. No Chinese mobile number required for API access.

Typical use cases

  • chat
  • chinese-model
  • code
  • cost-optimized
  • math
  • reasoning

Products (2)

How to sign up and get an API key

🌐 Signup from overseas (English)
Payment heads-up: International credit cards work ~70% of the time. If yours is declined, pay with Alipay via Wise — hold a CNY balance, top up through Alipay, confirmation clears in minutes.
Immersive TranslateFree tier

DeepSeek's portal is Chinese-only. Install this before starting signup so you can read the console, docs, and billing pages in your language.

Visit Immersive Translate

DeepSeek's platform is in English and the signup flow works from most countries without a VPN. Here's the flow as of mid-2026:

  1. Go to the real official platform. (We've verified this URL — wrapper sites charging markup usually show up higher in Google.)
  2. Sign up with email + password. Email verification works internationally; no Chinese phone number required.
  3. Add credits through Billing → Top Up. Credit cards sometimes fail — if yours does, use Alipay via Wise (multi-currency account) and the top-up usually clears within minutes.
  4. Generate an API key under API Keys. Copy it; you won't see it again.
  5. Test your first call: 
    curl https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "deepseek-chat", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'

The DeepSeek API is OpenAI-compatible, so any OpenAI SDK works — just override the base URL to https://api.deepseek.com/v1 and swap your API key.

Compare DeepSeek

Side-by-side editorial comparisons against competing providers.

Frequently asked questions

Does DeepSeek have an overseas node?
No. DeepSeek serves traffic from mainland China infrastructure only. Access from outside China may be affected by the Great Firewall or cross-border latency.
What API formats does DeepSeek support?
DeepSeek exposes openai-compatible endpoints, so existing client SDKs (openai-python, openai-node, LangChain, etc.) work with a base-URL swap.
When was DeepSeek founded?
DeepSeek was founded in 2023.
What payment methods does DeepSeek accept?
DeepSeek accepts alipay, wechat, card. Check the provider's billing docs for mainland vs. international top-up rules.
How much does DeepSeek cost?
DeepSeek has 2 public pricing tiers tracked in this directory. Open the Products section on this page for current per-token or per-hour rates.

Try DeepSeek?

We may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page. Learn more.

Visit DeepSeek →