Web traffic to DeepSeek.com surged to an all-time high of 49 million visits last Tuesday, marking an astounding 614% increase from the previous week, according to internet analytics firm Similarweb. While these figures exclude app-based traffic, they highlight DeepSeek’s explosive growth in the AI sector.
A month ago, DeepSeek averaged 300,000 daily visits, but on January 27, traffic skyrocketed to 33.4 million, contributing to a decline in U.S. tech stocks.
Outpacing Rivals, but Still Behind ChatGPT
DeepSeek’s meteoric rise has positioned it ahead of Google’s Gemini and Character.AI, which attract approximately 10 million and 6 million daily visits, respectively. However, it still trails far behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has been drawing between 130 million and 140 million visits per day.
Additionally, Similarweb reports that DeepSeek.com lags behind Microsoft’s Bing.com, which has integrated OpenAI’s Copilot AI into its search engine.
The Driving Force Behind DeepSeek’s Popularity
DeepSeek has captured global attention following the release of its open-source AI model, V3. Unlike U.S.-based AI models that require billions of dollars to train, DeepSeek claims V3 was developed with just $5.5 million—a drastic reduction in cost.
The model’s capabilities are said to be comparable to ChatGPT, but with a key advantage: it is freely downloadable and can run on a local server, making it highly accessible for businesses and developers.
Traffic Trends and Future Challenges
Recent data from Similarweb shows that DeepSeek’s global traffic settled at 29.2 million visits last Friday. In the U.S., DeepSeek peaked at 4.9 million daily visits on January 28 before dropping to 2.4 million daily visits on January 31—still an 813.3% week-over-week increase.
However, DeepSeek’s rapid ascent may face hurdles:
- Increased AI competition: OpenAI recently launched “Deep Research,” a new feature that synthesizes data from hundreds of sources to generate comprehensive research reports.
- Privacy and censorship concerns: Scrutiny over DeepSeek’s data policies could drive some users toward alternative AI platforms.
Adding to its challenges, DeepSeek.com was hit by a DDoS attack on Monday, temporarily forcing the company to limit new user sign-ups.
As the AI landscape evolves, DeepSeek’s ability to maintain momentum will depend on its adaptability, transparency, and continued innovation.