In the second quarter of 2025, DeepSeek recorded a significant decline in downloads and users, as many customers in China increasingly prioritize artificial intelligence (AI) applications for specialized learning and work.
According to a report released on July 21 by QuestMobile in collaboration with state-run newspaper National Business Daily , the average monthly downloads of the DeepSeek chatbot fell 72% from the previous quarter to 22.6 million. This is a large drop, marking a decline after a boom period in the first quarter of the year. Previously, both the company's V3 and R1 AI models were widely accepted by users.
DeepSeek, however, maintained its leading position in terms of monthly active users (MAUs) in mainland China with 170 million, a figure that was also down 9% from the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, ByteDance-developed chatbot Doubao has surpassed in terms of downloads, reaching an average of 29.8 million per month in Q2/2025, up 9.5% from the previous quarter. Doubao's MAU also recorded an impressive growth of 30%, reaching 130 million.
In addition to DeepSeek, many other popular chatbots also saw sharp declines. Yuanbao, developed by Tencent Holdings, saw a 54% drop in downloads to 61.8 million. Kimi, a product of Moonshot AI, saw a sharp decline of 58%.
According to QuestMobile, this shift reflects a trend in which Chinese users increasingly favor AI applications that fulfill a small number of specific functions, rather than general-purpose chatbots. “This trend clearly shows that the era of pure chatbots is over,” the report said.
As the Chinese AI market enters a period of intense competition, chatbot development companies will need to reshape their strategies so as not to be left behind in the innovation race.
Source: https://znews.vn/deepseek-that-sung-tai-que-nha-post1570956.html
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