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DeepSeekRadiology & medical imaging

DeepSeek for radiology & medical imaging

Open-weight (MIT) Chinese language model with a 1M context window and a built-in reasoning mode, at very low API costs.

Not specifically recommended

DeepSeek is not on our list for radiology & medical imaging. Usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for radiology & medical imaging.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Caution
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
1475Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
7,4
Entry price
Free
Full GDPR check

What DeepSeek does in radiology & medical imaging

Core tasks in radiology & medical imaging
  • Detecting and marking abnormalities on X-ray, CT and MRI (fractures, nodules, emboli, bleeds)
  • Prioritising the worklist by urgency and pre-sorting normal studies
  • Quantitative analysis of brain, lung and prostate images and comparison with prior scans
  • Pre-populating reports and structured reporting
Where DeepSeek is strong
  • Very low API costs
  • Open weights (MIT), self-hostable
  • Strong at reasoning, maths and code
  • Large context window (1M tokens)

DeepSeek has a concrete GDPR concern. The DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked by the Italian regulator in January 2025. Not advisable for regulated sectors unless you host the model yourself within the EU. Weigh this heavily before deploying it in radiology & medical imaging.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

Image analysis AI is a medical device: only use software with a CE marking under the MDR (class IIa or higher) for the exact purpose you deploy it for, and document how you validate and keep monitoring performance locally. You process special category personal data: ask where images are processed (on-premise, EU cloud or outside), whether they are pseudonymised and whether they are used for training, and sign a data processing agreement. Many vendors run on AWS or Azure or have been acquired by US groups, so check the current data location. The radiologist remains ultimately responsible for the report.

The DeepSeek service stores data in China and uses it for training by default (with an opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted variant of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.
Caution the DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked in January 2025 by the Italian regulator. Advised against for regulated sectors, unless you host the model yourself within the EU.

Prices

Chat / appFreeOn chat.deepseek.com
Self-hostingFreeOpen weights, your own compute costs
API (V4.1-Flash)$0.15 / 1M in$0.60 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours (Mon–Fri 01–04 and 06–10 UTC) at double the price; cache-hit input $0.003 per 1M
API (V4-Pro)$0.66 / 1M in$1.98 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours at double the price; cache-hit input $0.022 per 1M

Other models for radiology & medical imaging

Claude for radiology & medical imagingAnthropic · editorial 9.01506Gemini for radiology & medical imagingGoogle · editorial 8.61527Copilot for radiology & medical imagingMicrosoft · editorial 8.31485Le Chat (Mistral) for radiology & medical imagingMistral AI · editorial 8.41426
All options for radiology & medical imaging
Professional tools on DeepSeek

We do not know of a professional tool for radiology & medical imaging that publicly runs on DeepSeek.

Questions about DeepSeek for radiology & medical imaging

Is DeepSeek suitable for radiology & medical imaging?
Not specifically. DeepSeek is not on our list for radiology & medical imaging; it is broadly usable, but first look at the options we recommend for radiology & medical imaging. Keep a professional in the loop for every use.
May I put confidential data into DeepSeek?
Image analysis AI is a medical device: only use software with a CE marking under the MDR (class IIa or higher) for the exact application you deploy it for, and document how you validate and keep monitoring its performance locally. You process special category personal data: ask where images are processed (on-premise, EU cloud or outside it), whether they are pseudonymised and whether they are used for training, and conclude a data processing agreement. Many providers run on AWS or Azure or have been acquired by American groups, so check the current data location. The radiologist remains ultimately responsible for the report. The DeepSeek service stores data in China and by default uses it for training (with opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted version of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.
What does DeepSeek cost?
There is Chat / app (Free), Self-hosted (Free), API (V4.1-Flash) ($0.15 / 1M in), API (V4-Pro) ($0.66 / 1M in). Check current prices on the official site.
Next stepAll 26 options for radiology & medical imagingProfessional tools and general assistants side by side, on GDPR profile, price and quality.

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