DeepSeek chatbot: free app, API price and WhatsApp
DeepSeek is a free AI chatbot from the Chinese company DeepSeek. Its download page says you can chat with its models for free, and we found no paid consumer plan on its pages on 5 October 2026.
Developers pay per token: DeepSeek V4.1-Flash costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens at peak hours, half that off-peak. There is no official DeepSeek on WhatsApp, but CertuAI's WhatsApp agent answers businesses' customers with DeepSeek.
| Plan | Price | What the official page says |
|---|---|---|
| Chat app | Free | Web chat at chat.deepseek.com and iOS and Android apps. The app launch post said no ads and no in-app purchases.Source: DeepSeek download page (deepseek.com), checked 5 October 2026 |
| API, V4.1-Flash | $0.30 in · $1.20 out | Per million tokens at peak hours, cache miss. Off-peak is half price.Source: DeepSeek API pricing (api-docs.deepseek.com), checked 5 October 2026 |
Where DeepSeek runs
On the web at chat.deepseek.com, in the iOS app, in an Android app that DeepSeek offers as a direct download, and in a desktop app for macOS and Windows. The mobile app launched on 14 January 2025.
Why the API is so cheap
DeepSeek prices its API per token with peak and off-peak rates. V4.1-Flash came out on 9 September 2026, and from 14 September 2026 DeepSeek bills V4-Pro requests at the Flash rate.
Can DeepSeek answer my business WhatsApp?
Not the DeepSeek app. We found no official DeepSeek on WhatsApp, and the free app only talks to you.
Since 15 January 2026, Meta's terms for the WhatsApp Business Platform prohibit general-purpose AI assistants from using it when the AI itself is the product. AI that serves a business's own customers, answering about its own services, prices and bookings, is allowed. In practice: you will not get the public chatbot to answer your business number, but you can have an AI agent that knows your business answer it.
To have an AI answer your customers on WhatsApp, use an agent built for your business. With CertuAI you describe your business in a chat and the agent:
- It answers every message on your WhatsApp number, day and night, from what you taught it: prices, hours, services, what it must never promise.
- It qualifies, books and follows up, and you can take over any chat.
- Every chat becomes a contact in a CRM, so nothing gets lost.
CertuAI's WhatsApp agent runs on DeepSeek
For most businesses, the replies CertuAI's agent sends on WhatsApp are written by DeepSeek V4 Flash, with Google's Gemini as an automatic backup if DeepSeek fails. Businesses whose agent books appointments still run on Gemini for now.
We call DeepSeek through DeepInfra's API, not through the DeepSeek app, and the model answers from what you taught it about your business. You get DeepSeek's quality and low cost on your own WhatsApp number, without writing code or paying per token yourself.
Put DeepSeek on your business WhatsApp
Tell CertuAI about your business in a chat and test the agent before you connect anything. Building and testing is free; the agent starts answering your customers when you subscribe.
Build my WhatsApp AI agentFrequently asked questions
Is the DeepSeek chatbot free?
Yes. DeepSeek's download page says you can chat with its models for free, and we found no paid consumer plan on 5 October 2026.
How much does the DeepSeek API cost?
V4.1-Flash: $0.30 per million input tokens (cache miss) and $1.20 per million output tokens at peak hours, half that off-peak (DeepSeek API docs, 5 October 2026).
Is there a DeepSeek app?
Yes, for iOS and Android, launched on 14 January 2025, plus a desktop app for macOS and Windows.
Is DeepSeek on WhatsApp?
Not officially. We found no WhatsApp offer on DeepSeek's pages on 5 October 2026.
Can I have DeepSeek answer my business WhatsApp?
Yes, through CertuAI. For most businesses its WhatsApp agent replies with DeepSeek V4 Flash, with Gemini as backup, answering from what you taught it about your business.
Is it allowed to use AI on a WhatsApp Business number?
Yes, when the AI serves your own customers. Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform terms (section 4.7) prohibit general-purpose AI assistants as the main product since 15 January 2026, and allow AI that is part of a business's own service.
How we checked
Every price and every claim about DeepSeek chatbot on this page comes from the company's own pages, opened on the date shown. We did not use review sites or convert currencies. Prices change: open the source before you decide.
- DeepSeek download page (deepseek.com), checked 5 October 2026
- DeepSeek: app announcement, checked 5 October 2026
- DeepSeek API pricing (api-docs.deepseek.com), checked 5 October 2026
- DeepSeek: V4.1-Flash release, checked 5 October 2026
- Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform, section 4.7, checked 5 October 2026
CertuAI wrote this page and sells a WhatsApp AI agent for businesses. Nobody paid to be mentioned here.