DeepSeek Hits No. 1 on the US Play Store

DeepSeek Android app has surged to No. 1 on the Google Play Store, just days after its chatbot topped the Apple App Store.

App analytics firm AppFigures reports that since its mid-January launch, DeepSeek has racked up over 1.2 million downloads on the Play Store and 1.9 million on the App Store. The actual numbers could be even higher, as the Play Store displays a “5M+ downloads” label.

DeepSeek’s rapid rise comes as its open-source AI models gain traction. Competing with top offerings from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google, these models have fueled the app’s growing popularity.

DeepSeek claims its AI models cost just a fraction of what OpenAI and Meta spend, even though they run on less powerful AI chips. Its app, a ChatGPT alternative, uses the company’s V3 model. You can analyze files, ask questions, and retrieve web-based information. The app is free and allows file uploads and chat history sync across devices.

DeepSeekAI leads the charts now, but to surpass OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the long run, it needs 300 million weekly users.

The industry has taken notice. Startups like Perplexity and Gloo—backed by former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger—are already integrating DeepSeek’s models.