9router/gitbook/content/en/providers/cheap.md

Cheap Providers - Ultra-Cheap Backup

When subscription quota runs out, pay pennies instead of dollars. ~90% cheaper than ChatGPT API!

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Overview

Cheap tier providers are your backup when subscription quota exhausted:

• 💰 GLM-4.7 - $0.6/$2.2 per 1M tokens (daily reset)
• 💰 MiniMax M2.1 - $0.2/$1.0 per 1M tokens (5h reset)
• 💰 Kimi K2 - $9/month flat (10M tokens)

Strategy: Use after subscription quota out, before free tier. Massive cost savings vs ChatGPT API ($20/1M).

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GLM-4.7 (Daily Reset)

Pricing

Tier	Input	Output	Reset
Standard	$0.60/1M	$2.20/1M	Daily 10:00 AM
Coding Plan	$0.60/1M	$2.20/1M	Daily 10:00 AM (3× quota)

Cost Example (10M tokens):

• Input: 10M × $0.60 = $6
• Output: 10M × $2.20 = $22
• Total: $6-22 vs $200 on ChatGPT API!

Setup

Step 1: Sign Up

1. Visit Zhipu AI
2. Create account (phone verification)
3. Choose Coding Plan for 3× quota at same price

Step 2: Get API Key

Dashboard → API Keys → Create New
→ Copy API key (starts with "zhipu-")

Step 3: Add to 9Router

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key

Provider: glm
API Key: zhipu-your-api-key-here

Step 4: Use in CLI

Model: glm/glm-4.7
       glm/glm-4.6v (vision)

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Context	Best For
glm/glm-4.7	GLM 4.7	128K	Coding, general tasks
glm/glm-4.6v	GLM 4.6V Vision	128K	Image analysis

Pro Tips

• Coding Plan - 3× quota at same price ($0.6/$2.2)
• Daily reset - Fresh quota at 10:00 AM Beijing time
• Best for coding - Optimized for code generation
• 128K context - Handle large files

Quota Reset

Daily reset: 10:00 AM Beijing Time (UTC+8)
→ 2:00 AM UTC
→ 6:00 PM PST (previous day)
→ 9:00 PM EST (previous day)

Plan your heavy tasks around reset time!

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MiniMax M2.1 (5-Hour Reset)

Pricing

Tier	Input	Output	Reset
Standard	$0.20/1M	$1.00/1M	5-hour rolling

Cost Example (10M tokens):

• Input: 10M × $0.20 = $2
• Output: 10M × $1.00 = $10
• Total: $2-10 - Cheapest option!

Setup

Step 1: Sign Up

1. Visit MiniMax
2. Create account
3. Verify email/phone

Step 2: Get API Key

Dashboard → API Management → Create Key
→ Copy API key

Step 3: Add to 9Router

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key

Provider: minimax
API Key: your-minimax-api-key

Step 4: Use in CLI

Model: minimax/MiniMax-M2.1

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Context	Best For
minimax/MiniMax-M2.1	MiniMax M2.1	1M tokens	Long context, coding

Pro Tips

• Cheapest option - $0.20/1M input (90% cheaper than ChatGPT)
• 5-hour rolling - Quota resets every 5 hours
• 1M context - Massive context window
• Best for long files - Handle entire codebases

Quota Reset

5-hour rolling window:
→ Use quota → Wait 5 hours → Fresh quota

Example:
10:00 AM - Use 5M tokens
3:00 PM - Fresh quota available
8:00 PM - Fresh quota available

Code 24/7 with minimal cost!

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Kimi K2 (Flat $9/month)

Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Included Tokens	Effective Cost
Subscription	$9	10M tokens	$0.90/1M

Cost Example:

• $9/month flat
• 10M tokens included
• Effective: $0.90/1M - Best value for consistent usage!

Setup

Step 1: Subscribe

1. Visit Moonshot AI
2. Create account
3. Subscribe to $9/month plan

Step 2: Get API Key

Dashboard → API Keys → Create New
→ Copy API key

Step 3: Add to 9Router

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key

Provider: kimi
API Key: your-kimi-api-key

Step 4: Use in CLI

Model: kimi/kimi-latest

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Context	Best For
kimi/kimi-latest	Kimi Latest	200K	General coding

Pro Tips

• Fixed cost - $9/month regardless of usage (up to 10M)
• Best for consistent usage - If you use 10M/month, only $0.90/1M
• Monthly reset - 10M tokens reset monthly
• Predictable billing - No surprise costs

Quota Reset

Monthly reset: 1st of each month
→ 10M tokens refresh

Example monthly usage:
Week 1: 3M tokens
Week 2: 2M tokens
Week 3: 3M tokens
Week 4: 2M tokens
Total: 10M tokens = $9 flat

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Pricing Comparison

Provider	Input/1M	Output/1M	Reset	10M Cost	Best For
GLM-4.7	$0.60	$2.20	Daily 10AM	$6-22	Daily quota users
MiniMax M2.1	$0.20	$1.00	5-hour	$2-10	Cheapest!
Kimi K2	$0.90	$0.90	Monthly	$9 flat	Consistent usage
ChatGPT API	$20.00	$20.00	None	$200	❌ Expensive

Savings: 90-95% cheaper than ChatGPT API!

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Usage Example

Cursor IDE Setup

Settings → Models → Advanced:
  OpenAI API Base URL: http://localhost:20128/v1
  OpenAI API Key: [from 9router dashboard]
  Model: glm/glm-4.7

Create Combo (Recommended)

Dashboard → Combos → Create New

Name: cheap-backup
Models:
  1. cc/claude-opus-4-5 (Subscription primary)
  2. glm/glm-4.7 (Cheap backup, daily reset)
  3. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (Cheapest fallback)
  4. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE emergency)

Use in CLI: cheap-backup

Result: Subscription → Cheap → Cheapest → Free

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Cost Optimization

Strategy 1: Daily Reset Routine

Morning (10AM): Fresh GLM quota
→ Use GLM for heavy tasks
→ Save subscription quota

Afternoon: Subscription quota
→ Use Claude/Codex for complex tasks

Evening: MiniMax (5h reset)
→ Cheap fallback for late work

Night: Free tier (iFlow)
→ Zero cost emergency backup

Strategy 2: Budget-First

Set monthly budget: $20

Allocation:
- $9 Kimi K2 (10M tokens flat)
- $6 GLM daily quota (10M tokens)
- $5 MiniMax overflow (25M tokens)

Total: 45M tokens for $20
vs 1M tokens for $20 on ChatGPT API!

Strategy 3: Maximize Subscriptions First

Priority:
1. Gemini CLI (180K/month FREE)
2. Claude Code (subscription you already pay)
3. GLM-4.7 (cheap backup, $0.6/1M)
4. MiniMax M2.1 (cheapest, $0.2/1M)
5. iFlow (FREE emergency)

Monthly cost example (100M tokens):
- 60M via Gemini CLI: $0 (free)
- 30M via Claude Code: $0 (subscription)
- 8M via GLM: $4.80
- 2M via MiniMax: $0.40
Total: $5.20/month!

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Real-World Examples

Example 1: Heavy Coding Month (100M tokens)

Breakdown:
- 60M via subscription (Claude/Codex): $0 extra
- 30M via GLM-4.7: $18
- 10M via MiniMax M2.1: $2

Total: $20/month
vs $2000 on ChatGPT API!

Savings: 99% cheaper!

Example 2: Budget Coder ($10/month)

Strategy:
- $9 Kimi K2 (10M tokens)
- $1 MiniMax overflow (5M tokens)

Total: 15M tokens for $10
vs 0.5M tokens for $10 on ChatGPT API!

30× more tokens!

Example 3: Freelancer (Variable Usage)

Light month (20M tokens):
- 15M via subscription: $0
- 5M via GLM: $3
Total: $3

Heavy month (150M tokens):
- 60M via subscription: $0
- 60M via GLM: $36
- 30M via MiniMax: $6
Total: $42

Average: $22.50/month
vs $3400 on ChatGPT API!

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Best Practices

1. Track Daily Quota

Dashboard shows:
- GLM quota: 75% used (reset in 6h)
- MiniMax quota: 50% used (reset in 2h)
- Kimi quota: 8M/10M used (reset in 15 days)

Plan heavy tasks around reset times!

2. Use Coding Plan (GLM)

Standard: 1× quota
Coding Plan: 3× quota (same price!)

→ Always choose Coding Plan

3. Combine with Free Tier

Combo:
1. gc/gemini-3-flash (FREE primary)
2. glm/glm-4.7 (cheap backup)
3. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (cheapest)
4. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE emergency)

Result: Minimize costs, maximize uptime

4. Set Budget Alerts

Dashboard → Settings → Budget Alerts

Daily: $2 limit
Weekly: $10 limit
Monthly: $30 limit

→ Auto switch to free tier when limit reached

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Troubleshooting

"Quota exhausted"

Solution:

• GLM: Wait until 10:00 AM Beijing time
• MiniMax: Wait 5 hours from first use
• Kimi: Wait until 1st of next month
• Use combo fallback to free tier

"API key invalid"

Solution:

• Check API key copied correctly
• Verify account has credits
• Regenerate API key if needed

"High costs"

Solution:

• Check usage stats in Dashboard
• Set budget alerts
• Switch to MiniMax ($0.2/1M cheapest)
• Use free tier for non-critical tasks

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Next Steps

• Add free fallback: Free Providers
• Setup subscriptions: Subscription Providers
• Create combos: Dashboard → Combos → Create New