DeepSeek Surpasses ChatGPT in App Store
In a surprising turn of events, DeepSeek for iOS has dethroned OpenAI’s ChatGPT to claim the top spot on the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” chart in the United States. This remarkable achievement follows the recent launch of the DeepSeek-R1 artificial intelligence (AI) model, which has shown superior performance compared to OpenAI’s o1 AI model across various benchmarks. The rise of DeepSeek has sparked conversations among tech leaders in Silicon Valley, marking a significant moment in the AI landscape. Notably, the DeepSeek app is completely free to use, with no subscription tiers currently available.
DeepSeek Overtakes ChatGPT
Since its launch in May 2023, OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for iOS has consistently ranked among the top free applications on the App Store. For months, it held the title of the highest-ranked AI app on the platform. However, this dominance was recently challenged when DeepSeek climbed to the top of the chart. This shift is largely attributed to the introduction of the DeepSeek-R1 AI model, which has garnered attention for its impressive capabilities.
DeepSeek is a relatively new player in the AI field, having been founded in 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The company has released several open-source large language models (LLMs), which have quickly gained traction. While other US-based tech companies have also ventured into open-source models, none have matched the scale and performance of DeepSeek’s offerings. The company claims to have developed the DeepSeek-R1 model at a cost of $6 million (approximately Rs. 51.8 crore), a fraction of the investment typically required for models of this caliber.
The sudden rise of DeepSeek has not gone unnoticed by industry leaders. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen praised the R1 AI model as “one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I’ve ever seen.” Meanwhile, Aravind Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, congratulated DeepSeek for becoming the first AI app to surpass ChatGPT. In a LinkedIn post, Yann LeCun, a prominent figure in AI and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, remarked that “open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones.” Holger Zschäpitz, a senior financial reporter, suggested that DeepSeek could pose a significant threat to US equity markets.
DeepSeek Is Not the Only One
While DeepSeek’s success is noteworthy, it is not the only company making waves in the AI sector. Another Chinese firm, Kimi AI, has also entered the fray with its Kimi k1.5 AI model. Kimi AI claims that its model is an “o1-level multimodal LLM” that outperforms both GPT-4o and Claude Sonnet 3.5 in various benchmarks. This competition highlights a growing trend among companies to develop advanced AI models that challenge established players.
Kimi AI has adopted a similar approach to DeepSeek by offering its web version of the chatbot completely free of charge, allowing for unlimited usage. The Kimi k1.5 model boasts impressive features, including the ability to perform real-time web searches, analyze up to 50 files in various formats, and understand images. While Kimi AI has made its technical report available on GitHub, the model is not yet open-source, which sets it apart from DeepSeek’s offerings.
The emergence of these powerful AI models from Chinese companies signifies a shift in the global AI landscape. As more firms embrace open-source development and provide free access to advanced AI capabilities, the competition is likely to intensify. This trend could reshape the dynamics of the AI industry, challenging established players and offering users more choices than ever before.
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