DeepSeek loses momentum

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 the state-run 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 in the first quarter of the year. Previously, both the company's V3 and R1 AI models were widely accepted by users.

Despite this, DeepSeek still maintained its leading position in terms of monthly active users (MAUs) in the mainland China market with 170 million, but this figure also decreased by 9% compared to 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 growing preference among Chinese users for AI applications that fulfill a small number of specific functions, rather than general-purpose chatbots. “This trend clearly shows that the era of simple chatbots is over,” the report said.

As the Chinese AI market enters a period of intense competition, chatbot developers will need to reshape their strategies to avoid being left behind in the innovation race.

Source: https://znews.vn/deepseek-that-sung-tai-que-nha-post1570956.html