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DeepSeekIT & software development

DeepSeek for IT & software development

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

Recommended for IT & software development

DeepSeek is strong on very low API costs and open weights (MIT), self-hostable; that suits code generation, completion and debugging with AI assistance.

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 IT & software development

Core tasks in IT & software development
  • Generating, completing and debugging code with AI assistance
  • Automatically reviewing pull requests and detecting security vulnerabilities
  • Automatically creating technical documentation and API specifications
  • Streamlining project planning, issue management and sprint workflows
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 IT & software development.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

Source code is trade secret and intellectual property. Check whether AI coding assistants store your code or use it for model training (an opt-out or business plan is required). Use on-premises or privacy-compliant variants for sensitive projects. AI-generated code sometimes contains security vulnerabilities or errors, so always have a developer review it, especially production code.

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

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Professional tools on DeepSeek

We know of no professional tool for IT & software development that runs publicly on DeepSeek.

Questions about DeepSeek for IT & software development

Is DeepSeek suitable for IT & software development?
Yes. DeepSeek is strong on very low API costs and open weights (MIT), self-hostable, which fits IT & software development well. Always assess the specific task and keep a professional in the loop.
May I put confidential data into DeepSeek?
Source code is trade secret and intellectual property. Check whether AI coding assistants store your code or use it for model training (an opt-out or business plan is required). Use on-premises or privacy-compliant variants for sensitive projects. AI-generated code sometimes contains security vulnerabilities or errors, always have a developer review it, especially for production code. The DeepSeek service stores data in China and by default uses it for training (with opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted variant 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 36 options for IT & software developmentProfessional tools and general assistants side by side, on GDPR profile, price and quality.

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