I haven't tried $20 claude code recently, but I've used OpenCode Zen primarily so I can play with opensource/chinese models which are very inexpensive. I'd spend $0.50-$1.00 on a single claude opus 4.6 plan mode run, then have a chinese model execute the plan for like $0.10-$0.15 total. I'd keep context short, constantly start new threads, and get laser focused markdown plans and knowledgebase to be token efficient.

If I just let opencode zen run claude opus to plan and execute, I'd spend $20 in like 5 minutes lol

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sourcecodeplz 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Which chinese models do you use and do you use any for specific tasks?

	▲	msh 4 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		kimi k2.5 works quite well and is super fast. Much faster than opus but not quite at the same quality level.
	▲	criley2 5 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Whenever a new one comes out, there's a good chance they're free for a week on Zen, so I try out any free ones. For example, MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen 3.6+ are free right now. Personally, I've had a lot of good results in my little personal projects with Kimi K2.5, GLM 5 and 5.1, and MiniMax M2.5.