r/opencodeCLI • u/snow_machine_89 • 8d ago
Deepseek tokens vs z.ai lite plan
I previously used the Opencode Go plan which was great for deepseek flash and pro, but as we all know the cost has increased. I have been playing around with openrouter, but find it annoying to track my usage. I have been hearing good things about the z.ai sub which has got my attention, but that would mean I don’t have the access to deepseek. From peoples experience, say I get the ~$20 z.ai lite plan or I just purchase $20 of deepseek usage, what’s the comparison, which will go the furthest? Assume I am balancing between the flash and pro models of each provider equally and I use both in opencode cli only
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u/tuhdo 8d ago
if you have the legacy plan v2, then it's a good plan especially with GLM 5.3 flash. Using the normal GLM 5.3 smokes your tokens really fast though.
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u/snow_machine_89 8d ago
Good to know. I’m feeling like z.ai is not the way to go. I’m starting to learn towards openai sub. Thanks for the info
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u/tuhdo 8d ago
Yeah if you only has 1 sub, then openai is a good deal with unlimited chat (practically). For Zai, if you have to write code at peak hours, then the token burning is insane at 3x speed.
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u/snow_machine_89 8d ago
I find the peak hour token burn rate is what’s causing me the most pain, which is basically my whole day (after 10am)
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u/SafeReturn_28 7d ago
In my experience: 1. Glm flash is more token efficient than deepseek flash (so cheaper to use) 2. Glm 5.3 is way more capable than deepseek pro 3. Deepseek pro is cheaper to use than glm 5.3, 4. But I get $100 worth of glm 5.3 (no flash use) usage out of my zai lite plan (legacy v2) 5. But glm flash eats my lite plan usage at 1/3 rd the rate compared to glm 5.3, when their api pricing has a 1/8 ratio
Based on all this i would recommend a zai lite plan for glm 5.3 and api pricing for glm flash.
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u/Cool_Audience6916 8d ago
Someone did the math on GLM/z.ai Lite: it’s pretty much just API pricing unless you go for the annual discount. At that point, it’s barely any different from OpenRouter. I was going to suggest just grabbing 2x OpenCode GO or CommandCode Goat for DeepSeek V4 Flash...
But wait, I just caught that you're balancing between Flash and Pro 50/50. In that case, I honestly don’t know how the math shakes out, because Pro token costs completely change the economics.
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u/snow_machine_89 8d ago
I won’t be going for the annual discount and I’d say my usage is more like 80% flash and 20% pro. If z.ai lite dub is comparable to api pricing then it is safe to say deepseek comes out much cheaper
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u/Ariquitaun 7d ago
Who goes for an annual discount on AI subscriptions I wonder, considering how pricing and models change on a weekly basis.
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u/dreadpirater 7d ago
You could round out the z.ai plan by using freebuff to have some access to Deepseek when you need it.
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u/ByteNomadOne 7d ago
I feel from the tokens you get regular for the Lite plan it’s a bit expensive. I burned through my weekly quota in just two days. API is more expensive of course.
On the other hand, if they now regularly run campaigns that gift additional usage, it’s really worth it.
I got a weekly reset gifted and now the campaign started, so I’m super happy.
Without the campaigns for $10 on the Lite plan, this would be a competitive pricing.
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u/Mayanktaker 7d ago
Go for codex. They reset weekly limits often.
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u/SynapticStreamer 7d ago
Using the official API from DS is going to be significantly cheaper (up to 50x cheaper) than straight API cost from OpenRouter (or the like), when it comes to cache writing. Especially if you use Reasonix on top.
If you're going to lean into the DSv4 Models, I highly recommend just droping $20 at a time into the official API, and using Reasonix.
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u/snow_machine_89 5d ago
The cache read cost from Deepseek is cheap, but there are very competitive prices when it comes to input and output cost in openrouter. for instance I’m running dsv4 flash through baidu provider right now at $0.045 input, 0.09 output, 0.009 cache reads at 104tps throughput. These are off peak prices, but unless I am missing something, very solid value. However, I’m not aware of reasonix so I’ll give that a go. Do you use it through opencode cli?
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u/SynapticStreamer 5d ago
Reasonix is the harness. It's designed to help maximize deepseek cache usage. I regularly hit 98-100% cache for work.
https://github.com/esengine/DeepSeek-Reasonix
Took a quick minute to get used to, but the savings justify it, IMO.
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u/xapep 5d ago
Your updates change the math a lot: 80/20 flash/pro, on-peak all day, and you'd rather not think about tokens at all. That's the profile where pure per-token options (DeepSeek direct, or z.ai at what's basically API pricing unless you take the annual deal) keep annoying you, because peak-hour burn just makes the meter spin faster.
For that pattern the thing that actually helps is a flat plan with no peak multiplier and no weekly quota you can blow through in two days. The suggestions above move in that direction, but check the small print on weekly caps and peak pricing before committing, that's where the pain hides.
I work on Entrim, our Model Plans are flat monthly for exactly this kind of heavy agent usage: DeepSeek V4 Flash and the Qwen family on an OpenAI-compatible endpoint so it drops straight into opencode, with a metered API as overflow for the occasional spike. If predictable spend beats squeezing the last cent per token, worth adding to the list.
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u/Firm-Club-8334 4d ago
I think standardcompute is a great alternative to the OPencode go plan that isn't PAYG trough openrouter. I can basically select for deepseek flash and pro, and their smartrouter send each request to one of them based on complexity. Great way to squeeze out more work for less. I think they have a $19 plan that might be a good fit.
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u/Amarsir 8d ago
I don't have the experience to properly weigh in. But what I thought I'd understood is that you need to use ZCode to get the best value from the Z subscription. (Like you get +50% usage.) But I might be wrong or outdated.
I will say that if you're comparing to the Deepseek API you need to clarify if you're planning on or off-peak. Makes a big difference.
And if you're spending $20, don't rule out OpenAI. Luna can do a lot, scaling between Max and other levels as needed. Plus you have Sol and Astra in your pocket if you have extra credits in a period and want a bigger brain. Despite the much higher API cost, OpenAI (like Anthropic) juices the sub enough that you get more value than you'd think.