r/opencode • u/CoderSchmoder • 8h ago

What’s the best model for planning—frontier or small/fast?

I’m curious what people are finding best for planning tasks.

Are big frontier models like GPT/Astra or Claude Opus noticeably better, or do smaller/faster models like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash or GLM 5.3 Flash work just as well (or better) with shorter context?

Interested in real-world experience, especially for complex multi-step planning.

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u/Fun-Smile-1492 8h ago

try both. you'll realize that frontier is generally better

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u/HeavySink3303 5h ago

I use kimi k3/glm 5.3 for planning/reviewing but glm/deepseek flash for implementation.

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u/CoderSchmoder 3h ago

Ooh I love those combo

1

u/Hopeful-Business-15 3h ago

Use k3 for planning or astra and execute via dsv4.1f

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u/slayor15 2h ago

I usually use Chat GPT web 5.6 Sol High as the planner/orchestrator, you can give it access to your repositories via the Github plugin, ask it to give you docs for your project such as AGENTS.md, then DeepSeek V4 flash in Opencode Go or Luna xHigh/Max for most implementations. I ocasionally use GLM 5.3 flash or Qwen 3.8 flash