How to Sign Up for DeepSeek: Web, Mobile, and API Access

If you have landed here, you probably want one thing: a working DeepSeek account, ideally in the next few minutes, without a hidden paywall at the end. This guide covers the DeepSeek sign up process for the web chat, the iOS and Android apps, and the developer platform that issues API keys. It sticks to what DeepSeek’s own Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and API documentation say, and flags the bits that trip people up — regional availability, verification codes that never arrive, and the difference between a free chat account and an API balance. By the end you will know which route to pick, what it costs, and what to do first once you are in.

Where to sign up, in one sentence

For the chatbot, register at chat.deepseek.com or inside the official mobile app; for API access, sign in at platform.deepseek.com, the developer platform where API keys and billing live. The chat surface is free to use, while API calls are paid from a topped-up or granted balance on the platform. DeepSeek’s documentation does not say whether the chat and the platform share one account, so be ready to sign in on each.

Which DeepSeek account do you actually need?

Before you hand over an email address, work out which surface fits your use case. Most readers need only the first row.

The web chat and app keep your conversation history; DeepSeek’s Privacy Policy (updated 10 February 2026) says you can manage, copy or delete it in your settings. The API is a separate, stateless surface — your client resends the full message history on every call, as the developer section below explains. If you are new to the ecosystem, the DeepSeek beginners guide covers the wider map before you pick a route.

Sign up for the DeepSeek web chat

DeepSeek’s Terms of Use (last updated 27 March 2026) say you register an account “using your Email or third-party account as per the page instructions”. The sign-up form itself can change, so follow what the page shows; in outline the process is:

1. Open chat.deepseek.com in a current browser and choose to sign up.
2. Enter your account details. The Privacy Policy lists what an account can involve: an email address and/or telephone number, a password, and a date of birth and username where applicable.
3. Enter the verification code DeepSeek sends you. The Terms ask you to safeguard your account, password and verification code.
4. Accept the terms and start chatting. If you are under 18, or under the minimum age in your country, the Terms say to read them with a legal guardian and use the service only with the guardian’s consent.

Where available, you can also sign up or log in with a third-party service such as Apple or Google, according to the Privacy Policy. Once you are in, the DeepSeek chat walkthrough explains the chat interface and its features.

What does the free web account include?

The web chat is free to use. DeepSeek’s Change Log says the official web and app models were updated to DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 on 17 October 2026, and its 13 August 2026 release notes said V4 Pro was available on app and web via “Expert Mode”. DeepSeek does not publicly document a daily message cap as of October 2026. For a breakdown of what falls inside and outside the free tier, the is DeepSeek free guide has the current picture.

Sign up on the mobile app

The iOS and Android apps use the same registration routes as the web: email, phone and, where available, Apple or Google. If you already have a DeepSeek account, log in with the same method you used before rather than creating a new one.

• iPhone: open the App Store, search “DeepSeek – AI Assistant” and check that the seller is Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd before installing. The listing says the app is free and requires iOS 15.0 or later.
• Android: open Google Play, search “DeepSeek” and confirm the developer is DeepSeek before installing; the listing requires Android 7.0 or later. Outside Google Play, only use downloads linked from DeepSeek’s official site — see verify official DeepSeek app to avoid copycat apps.
• Sign-in methods: email and/or phone number with a password, plus Apple or Google where available, as described in the Privacy Policy.

If the app refuses to install or is missing from your store, consult DeepSeek availability by country. Italy’s data-protection authority, for example, ordered DeepSeek blocked on 30 January 2025, and several US states, among them Oklahoma in March 2025, banned it on state government devices.

Sign up for the DeepSeek API

The developer platform at platform.deepseek.com is where you create API keys, top up and track usage. DeepSeek’s “Your First API Call” page simply says to “apply for an API key” and links to the platform’s API keys page. In outline:

1. Go to platform.deepseek.com and sign in or register, following the page instructions.
2. Verify your details with the code DeepSeek sends.
3. Create an API key on the platform’s API keys page, copy it, and store it somewhere safe, such as an environment variable or a secrets manager — never in source code.
4. Add funds on the platform’s top-up page. Usage is deducted from your topped-up or granted balance, with the granted balance used first when both exist, according to DeepSeek’s pricing page.

DeepSeek may offer a granted balance — a small promotional credit that can expire; check the billing console for current offers before assuming you have free quota. The step-by-step in get a DeepSeek API key covers key creation, and DeepSeek API authentication covers header format and key rotation.

Your first API call

The DeepSeek API is OpenAI-compatible, so the official OpenAI SDK works by setting base_url to https://api.deepseek.com and passing your DeepSeek key. Chat requests hit POST /chat/completions. DeepSeek also offers an Anthropic-compatible surface at a separate base URL, https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic.

Here is a minimal Python example against deepseek-flash, with the key read from the DEEPSEEK_API_KEY environment variable:

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ.get("DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://api.deepseek.com",
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek-flash",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Say hello in three languages."}],
    reasoning_effort="high",
    extra_body={"thinking": {"type": "enabled"}},
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

Two things to know from day one. First, the API is stateless — you must resend the full conversation history with every request. That is different from the web app, which keeps your history for you. Second, the official pricing page lists two current model names: deepseek-flash (served by DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, the only current model with image input) and deepseek-v4-pro (served by DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813). Both have a 1M-token context window and up to 384K tokens of output.

Thinking mode is a parameter, not a model

Thinking mode is toggled per request, and the same model ID handles both fast and reasoning-heavy work:

• Thinking (the default): extra_body={"thinking": {"type": "enabled"}}, with reasoning_effort set to "low", "high" (the default) or "max".
• Non-thinking: opt out with extra_body={"thinking": {"type": "disabled"}} for latency-sensitive calls.

When thinking is enabled, the response returns reasoning_content alongside the final content. Other parameters worth knowing on day one include temperature (non-thinking mode only — thinking mode ignores it; DeepSeek recommends 0.0 for code and math, 1.0 for data analysis, 1.3 for general conversation and translation, 1.5 for creative writing), top_p, max_tokens, JSON mode, tool calling, streaming, and context caching. JSON mode is designed to return valid JSON — include the word “json” and an example schema in your prompt, set max_tokens high enough to avoid truncation, and handle the occasional empty content response.

Pricing snapshot: what sign-up actually costs

Signing up costs nothing, and the web chat and apps are free. The API is pay-as-you-go with no flat subscription. Rates in USD per 1M tokens, as listed on DeepSeek’s pricing page as of October 2026:

Off-peak rates are half the peak rates. Peak hours are 01:00–04:00 and 06:00–10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday, excluding Chinese public holidays; all other hours, including weekends, are off-peak. Count all three token buckets when estimating spend — the DeepSeek API pricing breakdown has worked examples.

Troubleshooting sign-up problems

The most common sign-up snags and what to try:

• No verification code: check your spam folder, wait a minute and request a new code, or try the other route (email instead of phone, or the reverse) if the form offers it.
• The email is already registered: you probably created an account earlier. Use DeepSeek login instead, or reset DeepSeek password if you have forgotten it. The Terms of Use also describe an appeal procedure if you lose access to an account.
• The service or app is unavailable where you are: availability differs by country and store. Check the availability by country page before fighting the error.
• API key returns 401 or 402: DeepSeek’s error-code page lists 401 as “Authentication Fails” (wrong API key) and 402 as “Insufficient Balance”. Check the key, then check your balance and top up.
• Repeated or bulk sign-ups: the Terms forbid malicious registration, including frequent or bulk registration, so creating many accounts is not a workaround.

If the app itself misbehaves after sign-up, DeepSeek troubleshooting collects the common fixes.

What to do in your first 15 minutes

Once the account is live, do these five things before anything else. They are the difference between “signed up and forgot about it” and actually getting value from the account.

1. Ask a multi-step question. Try something your usual chatbot gets wrong and read the answer critically — model output can be inaccurate, as DeepSeek’s Privacy Policy notes.
2. Upload a file. Try a PDF or a spreadsheet and ask for a summary.
3. If you have an API key, run a curl call. Confirm the end-to-end path works before you build anything on top.
4. Set a password manager entry for the chat and for the platform console, noting which sign-in method you used for each.
5. Read the privacy terms. DeepSeek’s Privacy Policy says DeepSeek collects, processes and stores personal data in the People’s Republic of China; the DeepSeek privacy guide summarises the trade-offs.

For a wider onboarding path after you are set up, see the rest of our DeepSeek beginner guides.