DeepSeek R1 is an open-weights reasoning model from China that competes with OpenAI's o-series on math and code.
What DeepSeek R1 is best for
Math problems and proofs
Algorithmic and competitive programming
Logical puzzles and step-by-step reasoning
Code generation in Python, C++ and Rust
Comparing answers against Claude / ChatGPT
How to use DeepSeek R1
Step 1
Use DeepSeek R1 when correctness in math, algorithms or code matters more than speed or conversational tone, and give it the full problem statement, constraints and any sample input/output.
Step 2
Let DeepSeek R1 take its time to reason through the solution, then ask it to verify the final answer, test edge cases and explain each step of the logic.
Step 3
For coding, paste the failing code and cases and ask it to find the root cause, prove the fix is correct, and estimate time and space complexity.
Example prompts
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek really free?
Yes. DeepSeek's API is significantly cheaper than OpenAI/Anthropic, and we pass that on as free usage here.
Is my data sent to China?
DeepSeek runs the API. Read our privacy policy and DeepSeek's terms before sending sensitive information.
Why is the answer slow?
Reasoning models think before answering, which is where their accuracy gains come from. Expect 5-30 seconds for hard questions.
Is this the full R1 model or a distilled version?
We route to the production R1 endpoint. Specific snapshots may change as DeepSeek updates the model.
