Which DeepSeek option are you looking at?

Start with the address and how you expect to use it. A conversation on the official chat site goes to the hosted service. Calling the developer API or opening a downloaded release changes who runs the work.

Three ways to use DeepSeek
Route	What you would set up
Official chat	Use the chat site and check the reply yourself.
DeepSeek’s hosted API	Connect your app to the developer service and keep the billing and access under the right account.
A released model file	Choose a compatible runner, machine or host and check the terms of the exact model release. A different company hosting the same model has its own rules.

How would you choose a route for one feature?

Try the decision on paper before signing up or downloading a model. Imagine a repair app that drafts a note from a made-up pickup date and whether a receipt is required.

You can plan the same result before deciding where to run it. Keep the expected output in your own file and use dummy facts for any later test.

Write the two facts the draft is allowed to use
Use “Thursday after 11 a.m.” and “Bring your receipt.” Leave everything else blank.
Check what the response is allowed to say
The draft should use the two facts and leave out the address, price and identity. An invented price or address fails the check.
Mark where those two facts would be processed
Circle your own machine or the exact online service. If you cannot name who receives them, keep the task on paper.

How does DeepSeek charge for its hosted API?

Its rate card prices model input and output per million tokens. A token is a piece of text the model counts. Reused input can qualify for a different cached rate. The published peak and off-peak schedule and exact model can change the amount.

Search and Fetch, if your app uses them, have their own charges per successful request. Use the actual model, hours and input/output mix when estimating. An older Flash model name can still be accepted while a replacement answers at the new rate. Save the identifier you use and test the replacement on your own examples.

Where can DeepSeek handle or store the information?

For the direct hosted services covered by DeepSeek’s privacy policy, the policy says it collects, processes and stores covered personal data in China. Check the policy and available settings for the exact service before sending personal information.

The policy describes model improvement choices and a way to copy or delete chat history. Its developer terms address downstream apps separately. If you use an outside host or run a released model, check that setup for logs, connected services, access and retention. A release download does not change what happened to old hosted conversations.

What can you take with you if you change setup?

Keep your test examples, app rules and model identifiers separately. A supported release can be taken to a compatible runner if the license allows it. Check the release and any terms that apply to the underlying model.

For example, the R1 project describes its release and conditions for its distilled models. That is a check for that release family. Test the model and runtime combination you actually want. Moving model files or copying a chat does not move a hosted account, app records or billing.