The short verdict
DeepSeek's models are impressively capable and free to use, but its consumer app stores data in China. We do not recommend it for confidential UK business data unless the open-weight model is self-hosted.
Our DeepSeek review
DeepSeek made headlines by releasing highly capable reasoning models at a fraction of the usual cost, and its chat app is free. For maths, coding and general questions it performs well.
The problem for UK businesses is data protection. DeepSeek's privacy policy states that information is stored on servers in the People's Republic of China, and several European regulators — including Italy's data protection authority — have taken action against the app. Under UK GDPR, sending customer or employee personal data there raises international-transfer questions most SMEs cannot answer.
The safer route is the open-weight model: DeepSeek publishes model weights that can be run on UK or EU infrastructure you control, or accessed through established cloud providers that host it in-region. That removes the data-location issue, though you should still test outputs carefully.
What we like
- Free and highly capable
- Strong at maths and code
- Open-weight models available
- Very low API cost
Watch out for
- Data stored in China (consumer app)
- Regulatory action in several countries
- Censorship on some topics
- No business admin controls
Key features
- Reasoning model
- Web search
- File upload
- Open weights
UK business & GDPR notes
Consumer app stores data in China per its privacy policy. Avoid for personal or confidential data; self-host the open-weight model instead.
DeepSeek pricing (UK)
| Entry paid plan | Free |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Notes | Low-cost API; open-weight models can be self-hosted. |
Indicative pricing, may exclude VAT. Last reviewed 24 September 2026 — confirm on the vendor's site.