Build with the latest DeepSeek models
DeepSeek currently offers two LLM access points via its API: deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner. According to the official documentation, both currently correspond to DeepSeek-V3.2 with a 128K context window; deepseek-chat stands for Non-Thinking mode, deepseek-reasoner for Thinking mode. The API is OpenAI-compatible and supports, among other things, JSON Output, Tool Calls, Chat Prefix Completion, and, in the case of deepseek-chat, additionally FIM Completion.
DeepSeek API
LLM "Build with the latest DeepSeek models"
Location: China ⓘ No verified official full address data available on the DeepSeek website/policy
deepseek-v4-flash Faster, more efficient model with Thinking and Non-Thinking mode, 1M context, JSON output, tool calls, and chat prefix completion.
deepseek-v4-pro More powerful model for more complex reasoning, coding, agents, and long contexts; also supports 1M context, JSON output, and tool calls.
OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible API Usage via an OpenAI-compatible base URL or an Anthropic-compatible endpoint; suitable for existing SDKs and agent tools.
Open Weights / Self-hosting path DeepSeek-V4 was released as an open-weights family; self-hosting requires your own infrastructure and should be considered separately from the official API.
Target audience
DeepSeek is aimed primarily at developers, technically savvy individual users, start-ups, freelancers, and teams that want to combine very low LLM costs with API flexibility. DeepSeek is especially attractive for users who already use OpenAI-compatible SDKs or tools, because according to the official docs, the API is built to be compatible. For heavily regulated enterprise environments, however, DeepSeek is significantly more challenging from a data protection assessment perspective.
Outstanding features
The biggest distinguishing feature is that DeepSeek essentially reduces the current API to two modes: chat for standard/non-thinking workloads and reasoner for thinking/reasoning workloads, both based on DeepSeek-V3.2. In addition, there are Tool Calls, JSON Output, Chat Prefix Completion, OpenAI-compatible access, and support for Anthropic format. Another notable point from the Open Platform Terms is that DeepSeek assigns users any rights to outputs and also permits the use of outputs for distillation/training of other models.
Key application areas
DeepSeek is particularly strong for software development, coding-related automation, reasoning tasks, tool-use workflows, complex search/research paths, and document-centric text processing. The official releases repeatedly emphasize improvements in SWE-bench, Terminal-Bench, front-end development skills, tool usage, and complex search tasks. This makes DeepSeek especially interesting for technical and agentic API workflows, less so for classic non-technical enterprise SaaS.
Usage & notes
Usage starts via https://api.deepseek.com and, according to the official docs, is possible with OpenAI-compatible clients. If you want to handle normal, low-cost chat/coding/workflow tasks, you typically start with deepseek-chat; for more demanding reasoning paths, math, code analysis, or multi-step reasoning, you use deepseek-reasoner or Thinking Mode. From a compliance perspective, it is important that, according to the Privacy Policy, DeepSeek processes personal data in China and also uses it by default to improve/optimize the technology unless you make use of the opt-out options.
| Target audience | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Developers / technical teams | Very suitable – for cost-efficient chat, coding, reasoning, and agent workflows. |
| SaaS startups / product teams | Suitable – especially if OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible API formats and low model costs are important. |
| Coding and agent teams | Very suitable – because of Thinking/Non-Thinking modes, Tool Calls, JSON Output, FIM, and a very large context. |
| SMEs with a cost focus | Suitable – if technical integration is in place and no sensitive personal data is processed. |
| EU companies with strict compliance requirements | Rather critical – due to data processing and storage in China as well as the unclear situation regarding DPA/SCC/EU data residency. |
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deepseek-chat
Best suited for:
Low-cost productive standard workflows, coding, tool use, automations, JSON output, FIM completion, text-based extraction, and general app logic.
This is the practical default. Officially, it is the Non-Thinking mode of DeepSeek-V3.2. For most everyday API use cases, this is the most sensible and economical choice.
deepseek-reasoner
Best suited for:
Hard reasoning tasks, math, code analysis, complex search, deeper agentic logic, and tasks where Chain-of-Thought is intended to increase accuracy.
This is the Thinking/Reasoning mode of DeepSeek-V3.2. Official docs describe it as a model that first generates a CoT before the final answer in order to increase accuracy.
Hosting & Data
1) On-prem / local hosting
Meaning: The company operates the solution on its own hardware or within its own infrastructure. In the strictest sense, not only the application runs locally, but ideally the model as well.
2) Private cloud / data center
Meaning: The solution runs in a dedicated or more clearly separated cloud environment, often with a hosting provider or hyperscaler, but in a German data center or in a particularly controlled environment.
3) EU SaaS / managed
Meaning: The provider operates the solution itself as a service. The company uses the tool as a ready-made cloud service, ideally with EU data residency.
4) Hybrid
Meaning: One part of the processing remains internal / local / in a private cloud, while another part runs in an external cloud or EU SaaS.
5) AVV / DPA
Meaning: This is the data processing agreement or Data Processing Addendum. It governs that the provider processes personal data on behalf of the customer and is bound by the customer's instructions.
6) No training
Meaning: The provider does not use your prompts, uploads, attachments, chat histories, or outputs for training or improving the general model — ideally excluded by contract.
7) Open-source / transparency path
Meaning: There is a path toward greater technical transparency and sovereignty, for example through:
- open models
- documented components
- self-hostable parts
- traceable architecture
- export / switching options
| On-prem / local hosting | ❓ |
| Private cloud / data center | ❓ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ❓ |
| Hybrid | ❓ |
| DPA / AVV | ❓ |
| No training on customer data | ❓ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
On-prem / local hosting: indirect / not available
For the DeepSeek API service in question, the website does not describe any on-premises, local, or self-hostable deployment. The documentation describes an API endpoint operated by DeepSeek.
Private Cloud / Data Center: Unclear
The website provides no information on dedicated private cloud, single-tenant, or specifically designated EU/EEA data center options. A “capacity expansion request” is documented, but it provides no details regarding hosting isolation or data residency.
EU SaaS / Managed: unclear
A managed SaaS/API service is clearly documented, but the website lacks information on EU/EEA data residency or EU/EEA data centers. Therefore, there is no evidence that this constitutes EU SaaS in the required sense.
Hybrid: Indirect / Not Available
The website does not describe a hybrid model in which parts of the processing take place internally, locally, or in a private cloud, while other parts run via DeepSeek. Only the use of the externally operated API service is documented.
T&C / DPA: unclear
No TOS/DPA is listed on the website. There is merely a reference to the “Terms of Service” and a note in the FAQ stating that cooperation agreements can be requested offline if needed; however, an explicit AVV/DPA for EU/EEA customers is not listed on the website.
No Training: Unclear
No clear statement was found on the website indicating that prompts, uploads, chat histories, or outputs are not used to train general models. Likewise, no documented opt-out from AI training was found on the website.
Open Source / Transparency Path: Partial
The website indirectly indicates a transparency/open-source path: Several news articles mention open weights or open-source releases of the models, and the API documentation specifies an MIT license for the API documentation. However, the website does not describe a specific self-hostable path for the API service itself under consideration here.
Data Processing
The website describes a centrally operated API service under “https://api.deepseek.com.” Documented features include “user_id”-based isolation for privacy management and context caching on disk. According to the website, cache entries for each user are logically isolated from one another, and unused entries are automatically deleted. At the same time, users are advised not to store any privacy-sensitive information in the ‘user_id’. No information regarding specific server locations, EU/EEA data residency, subprocessors, or a training opt-out was found on the website.
Conclusion
Based on the documentation available on the provider’s domain, DeepSeek API cannot currently be clearly demonstrated as GDPR-compliant for an EU/EEA tool directory. There are some technical privacy notes, but the evidence regarding data location, data processing, subprocessors, training use, and certifications—which is central to an EU/EEA assessment—is either missing from the website or cannot be found there.
Sources
| On-prem / local hosting | ❓ |
| Private cloud / data center | ❓ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ❓ |
| Hybrid | ❓ |
| DPA / AVV | ❓ |
| No training on customer data | ❓ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
On-prem / local hosting: indirect / not available
For the DeepSeek API service in question, the website does not describe any on-premises, local, or self-hostable deployment. The documentation describes an API endpoint operated by DeepSeek.
Private Cloud / Data Center: Unclear
The website provides no information on dedicated private cloud, single-tenant, or specifically designated EU/EEA data center options. A “capacity expansion request” is documented, but it provides no details regarding hosting isolation or data residency.
EU SaaS / Managed: unclear
A managed SaaS/API service is clearly documented, but the website lacks information on EU/EEA data residency or EU/EEA data centers. Therefore, there is no evidence that this constitutes EU SaaS in the required sense.
Hybrid: Indirect / Not Available
The website does not describe a hybrid model in which parts of the processing take place internally, locally, or in a private cloud, while other parts run via DeepSeek. Only the use of the externally operated API service is documented.
T&C / DPA: unclear
No TOS/DPA is listed on the website. There is merely a reference to the “Terms of Service” and a note in the FAQ stating that cooperation agreements can be requested offline if needed; however, an explicit AVV/DPA for EU/EEA customers is not listed on the website.
No Training: Unclear
No clear statement was found on the website indicating that prompts, uploads, chat histories, or outputs are not used to train general models. Likewise, no documented opt-out from AI training was found on the website.
Open Source / Transparency Path: Partial
The website indirectly indicates a transparency/open-source path: Several news articles mention open weights or open-source releases of the models, and the API documentation specifies an MIT license for the API documentation. However, the website does not describe a specific self-hostable path for the API service itself under consideration here.
Data Processing
The website describes a centrally operated API service under “https://api.deepseek.com.” Documented features include “user_id”-based isolation for privacy management and context caching on disk. According to the website, cache entries for each user are logically isolated from one another, and unused entries are automatically deleted. At the same time, users are advised not to store any privacy-sensitive information in the ‘user_id’. No information regarding specific server locations, EU/EEA data residency, subprocessors, or a training opt-out was found on the website.
Conclusion
Based on the documentation available on the provider’s domain, DeepSeek API cannot currently be clearly demonstrated as GDPR-compliant for an EU/EEA tool directory. There are some technical privacy notes, but the evidence regarding data location, data processing, subprocessors, training use, and certifications—which is central to an EU/EEA assessment—is either missing from the website or cannot be found there.
Sources
Strengths & weaknesses at a glance
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| - Very affordable API prices in the official pricing. | - The current API portfolio is narrow: officially only two model IDs. |
| - Well suited for coding, reasoning, tool use, and agentic workflows. | - Critical for EU/GDPR-sensitive use, because according to its Privacy Policy, DeepSeek processes and stores personal data directly in the People's Republic of China. |
| - OpenAI-compatible API, which makes integrations easier. | - According to its Privacy Policy, DeepSeek generally also uses personal data to improve the services and to train/optimize the technology; an opt-out is provided, but it is not the default. |
| - Open-source/MIT license strategy for the model weights. | - No clearly publicly documented classic enterprise tiers; according to the FAQ, there are no tiered plans and rate limits are dynamic. |
| - According to the terms, relatively extensive usage rights for outputs. | - DeepSeek itself points out that outputs may be erroneous and should not be considered professional advice. |
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GDPR-compliant usage possible?
The documentation available on the specified provider’s domain does not demonstrate full compliance with the GDPR for users in the EU/EEA. Although technical information on isolation and caching can be found on the API documentation website, this domain lacks reliable information on EU/EEA server locations, EU data residency, T&Cs/DPA, subprocessors, opt-out from AI training, and relevant certifications. From an EU/EEA perspective, this is not sufficient for a positive GDPR assessment.
Positive
Technical safeguards are clearly documented within the API documentation: There is documented “user_id” isolation for privacy management, a note advising against entering personal data into “user_id,” as well as information on isolated cache entries and the automatic deletion of unused cache entries. In addition, the API documentation references open-source sources and specifies an MIT license for the API documentation.
Negative
A major negative factor for an EU/EEA GDPR assessment is that the website contains no reliable statements regarding EU/EEA data centers, EU data residency, data processing agreements (DPAs), subprocessors, certifications, or a contractually or organizationally documented exclusion of training with customer data. The website also does not specify an on-premises or self-hosting option for the specific API service under consideration.
Server Location
Not specified on the website. Although the API documentation lists the base API address as 'https://api.deepseek.com', the website does not indicate a server or data center location within or outside the EU/EEA.