Iris vs DeepSeek
DeepSeek, from Hangzhou in China, makes some of the strongest open AI models, and its chat app is free. Iris is not a chat app but a personal assistant that does things for you. The two differ most in where your data lives and in what happens after the answer.
Where DeepSeek is strong
DeepSeek's models are capable, fast and cheap, and the weights are published, so anyone can run them. The chat app and website cost nothing, and it is good at reasoning, maths and code. For quick questions at no cost, it is hard to beat.
Where your data goes
DeepSeek's own privacy policy says the data from its app and website is processed and stored on servers in the People's Republic of China. Data protection authorities in Europe have questioned this, and Italy's regulator blocked the app in 2025.
Iris keeps your assistant, its memory and its files on servers in Europe, in a space of its own that is shared with no one. To think, it sends the text it needs to a language model through a model provider, and nothing more.
Doing, not only chatting
The DeepSeek app answers questions. Iris works in your mail, calendar and messages, on your Mac and in Chrome. It drafts, books, fills in and pays, and before anything that counts it asks for your okay with Face ID or Touch ID. Your passwords stay in a vault it never reads.
Voice and devices
You talk to Iris like a person: it listens while it speaks and stops when you cut in. The same assistant, with the same memory, runs on your iPhone, Mac, tv and in Chrome.
Be among the first
Have an invite? Log in. Using Iris means you accept the terms of service. The privacy statement explains what we keep.
Questions
Does Iris use DeepSeek?
Iris is not tied to one model. It uses large language models from several providers, which can include open models such as DeepSeek's, reached through a model provider rather than the DeepSeek app. Your account, memory and files stay with Iris in Europe.
DeepSeek is free. Is Iris?
Iris has a free plan with a fair amount of use each week. Paid plans are Start at 20 euros a month, Pro at 40 and Max at 180, per person, with every device included.
Is DeepSeek unsafe?
The models themselves are open and widely used. The concern people raise is about the app: where the data is stored and who can reach it. Read the privacy policy of any AI app before you give it your mail or personal details.