DeepSeek is a helpful tool but not as strong as its competitors, say 5 workers who use AI to boost productivity

ChatGPT; DeepSeek; Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

Workers who use AI to increase productivity say DeepSeek’s R1 is useful.However, they said the new AI tool isn’t as strong as its competitors like ChatGPT and Claude.They liked that DeepSeek’s tool is open-source, but said its writing ability has some shortcomings.

Some people who use AI at work say DeepSeek’s new model is useful but not as strong as other tools like ChatGPT and Claude.

Sainag Nethala, a technical account manager, was eager to try DeepSeek’s R1 AI model after it was released on January 20. He’s been using AI tools like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT to analyze code and draft emails, which saves him time at work.

However, Nethala said R1 wasn’t as helpful for less technical questions, such as random inquiries. He said ChatGPT remains his go-to tool for “random questions and brainstorming,” while Claude is the best bet when he wants “more thoughtful analysis.”

“DeepSeek is like that brilliant friend who’s fantastic at math but not for generic questions,” said Nethala, 33, who’s based in Illinois. “I find myself switching between tools based on what I’m doing, kind of like picking the right screwdriver for the job.”

Five workers told BI that DeepSeek’s tool generally performs well — and the fact that it’s free is a major perk — but that it seems to trail behind its AI competitors in some areas. These individuals regularly use other AI tools to draft emails, summarize documents, improve code, and write content in an effort to boost their productivity and make their jobs easier.

To be sure, ChatGPT, Claude, and some of the other AI tools on the market have free and paid versions, which offer different access options. For example, ChatGPT’s paid version costs $20 monthly and extends limits on file uploads, advanced data analysis, and image generation.

DeepSeek, OpenAI, and Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.

Workers like DeepSeek’s low cost and open-source nature, but are iffy on its writing skills

Robert Benson-May works full-time as an accountant and writes a newsletter about entrepreneurs in his spare time. At his accounting job, he said he uses the paid versions of ChatGPT and Claude to draft emails and summarize documents. For his newsletter, he uses the tools to help write articles, social media posts, headlines, and website code.

Benson-May said DeepSeek’s R1 AI model is fairly comparable to ChatGPT but he’s noticed some differences. For example, he said R1 is great at writing articles and has more of an “uncensored feel” than ChatGPT and Claude.

“It has a little more creativity and a little less rigidity than some of the other models,” said Benson-May, who’s 30 and based in the UK. However, Benson-May said that Claude remains his go-to tool for writing because it’s the most capable of providing responses that are closest to his personal writing style.

Ankit Anchlia, 37, said the biggest benefit of R1 — in addition to being free — is that it’s open-source, which means anyone can “fine-tune” the tool’s code so its responses are more in line with the user’s needs. OpenAI said its models aren’t open-source for safety reasons.

The staff software engineer, who’s based in Austin, said he uses the free versions of ChatGPT and Claude for programming-related tasks like improving his code — which he said typically saved him between a few minutes to an hour depending on the task.

However, some workers have been a bit underwhelmed by DeepSeek’s R1.

James Crisp, a Realtor based in New Jersey, uses the paid version of ChatGPT to write marketing copy, real estate listings, and social media content. He said R1 hasn’t compared favorably with ChatGPT, but he likes that DeekSeek’s tool is free and open-source.

“It had a hard time building out a listing description for one of my properties because it doesn’t use the proper Western terminology,” said Crisp, 41. “It also wasn’t as descriptive as ChatGPT.”

Crisp said that he could probably get by with R1 if he needed to but that he doesn’t plan to use it much in the near term.

“It’s a good choice for someone that doesn’t want to spend money monthly and doesn’t mind proofreading everything,” he said. “However, for professionals like me that already have their AIs tailored, DeepSeek is not adding any true value at the moment.”

Tina Willis, a car accident and injury lawyer, said she uses the paid versions of ChatGPT and Claude to conduct research for her cases and draft basic documents — which then require significant editing.

When Willis, who’s in her 50s and based in Orlando, asked R1, ChatGPT, and Claude to draft a sample legal document, she said ChatGPT and Claude’s outputs were more accurate and detailed than R1’s.

“I probably won’t be back to DeepSeek anytime soon,” she said.

Have you used AI tools to become more productive at work? Are you willing to share your story? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com.