462 lines
8.9 KiB
Markdown
462 lines
8.9 KiB
Markdown
# Cheap Providers - Ultra-Cheap Backup
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When subscription quota runs out, pay pennies instead of dollars. ~90% cheaper than ChatGPT API!
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---
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## Overview
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Cheap tier providers are your **backup** when subscription quota exhausted:
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- 💰 **GLM-4.7** - $0.6/$2.2 per 1M tokens (daily reset)
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- 💰 **MiniMax M2.1** - $0.2/$1.0 per 1M tokens (5h reset)
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- 💰 **Kimi K2** - $9/month flat (10M tokens)
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**Strategy:** Use after subscription quota out, before free tier. Massive cost savings vs ChatGPT API ($20/1M).
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---
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## GLM-4.7 (Daily Reset)
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### Pricing
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| Tier | Input | Output | Reset |
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|------|-------|--------|-------|
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| Standard | $0.60/1M | $2.20/1M | Daily 10:00 AM |
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| Coding Plan | $0.60/1M | $2.20/1M | Daily 10:00 AM (3× quota) |
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**Cost Example (10M tokens):**
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- Input: 10M × $0.60 = $6
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- Output: 10M × $2.20 = $22
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- **Total: $6-22** vs $200 on ChatGPT API!
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### Setup
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**Step 1: Sign Up**
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1. Visit [Zhipu AI](https://open.bigmodel.cn/)
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2. Create account (phone verification)
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3. Choose **Coding Plan** for 3× quota at same price
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**Step 2: Get API Key**
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```bash
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Dashboard → API Keys → Create New
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→ Copy API key (starts with "zhipu-")
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```
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**Step 3: Add to 9Router**
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```bash
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9router
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# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key
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Provider: glm
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API Key: zhipu-your-api-key-here
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```
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**Step 4: Use in CLI**
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```
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Model: glm/glm-4.7
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glm/glm-4.6v (vision)
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```
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### Available Models
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| Model ID | Description | Context | Best For |
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|----------|-------------|---------|----------|
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| `glm/glm-4.7` | GLM 4.7 | 128K | Coding, general tasks |
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| `glm/glm-4.6v` | GLM 4.6V Vision | 128K | Image analysis |
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### Pro Tips
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- **Coding Plan** - 3× quota at same price ($0.6/$2.2)
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- **Daily reset** - Fresh quota at 10:00 AM Beijing time
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- **Best for coding** - Optimized for code generation
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- **128K context** - Handle large files
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### Quota Reset
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```
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Daily reset: 10:00 AM Beijing Time (UTC+8)
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→ 2:00 AM UTC
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→ 6:00 PM PST (previous day)
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→ 9:00 PM EST (previous day)
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Plan your heavy tasks around reset time!
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```
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---
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## MiniMax M2.1 (5-Hour Reset)
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### Pricing
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| Tier | Input | Output | Reset |
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|------|-------|--------|-------|
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| Standard | $0.20/1M | $1.00/1M | 5-hour rolling |
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**Cost Example (10M tokens):**
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- Input: 10M × $0.20 = $2
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- Output: 10M × $1.00 = $10
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- **Total: $2-10** - Cheapest option!
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### Setup
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**Step 1: Sign Up**
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1. Visit [MiniMax](https://www.minimax.io/)
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2. Create account
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3. Verify email/phone
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**Step 2: Get API Key**
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```bash
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Dashboard → API Management → Create Key
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→ Copy API key
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```
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**Step 3: Add to 9Router**
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```bash
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9router
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# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key
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Provider: minimax
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API Key: your-minimax-api-key
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```
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**Step 4: Use in CLI**
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```
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Model: minimax/MiniMax-M2.1
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```
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### Available Models
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| Model ID | Description | Context | Best For |
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|----------|-------------|---------|----------|
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| `minimax/MiniMax-M2.1` | MiniMax M2.1 | 1M tokens | Long context, coding |
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### Pro Tips
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- **Cheapest option** - $0.20/1M input (90% cheaper than ChatGPT)
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- **5-hour rolling** - Quota resets every 5 hours
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- **1M context** - Massive context window
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- **Best for long files** - Handle entire codebases
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### Quota Reset
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```
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5-hour rolling window:
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→ Use quota → Wait 5 hours → Fresh quota
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Example:
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10:00 AM - Use 5M tokens
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3:00 PM - Fresh quota available
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8:00 PM - Fresh quota available
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Code 24/7 with minimal cost!
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```
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---
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## Kimi K2 (Flat $9/month)
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### Pricing
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| Plan | Monthly Cost | Included Tokens | Effective Cost |
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|------|--------------|-----------------|----------------|
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| Subscription | $9 | 10M tokens | $0.90/1M |
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**Cost Example:**
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- $9/month flat
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- 10M tokens included
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- **Effective: $0.90/1M** - Best value for consistent usage!
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### Setup
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**Step 1: Subscribe**
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1. Visit [Moonshot AI](https://platform.moonshot.ai/)
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2. Create account
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3. Subscribe to $9/month plan
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**Step 2: Get API Key**
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```bash
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Dashboard → API Keys → Create New
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→ Copy API key
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```
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**Step 3: Add to 9Router**
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```bash
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9router
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# Dashboard → Providers → Add API Key
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Provider: kimi
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API Key: your-kimi-api-key
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```
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**Step 4: Use in CLI**
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```
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Model: kimi/kimi-latest
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```
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### Available Models
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| Model ID | Description | Context | Best For |
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|----------|-------------|---------|----------|
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| `kimi/kimi-latest` | Kimi Latest | 200K | General coding |
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### Pro Tips
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- **Fixed cost** - $9/month regardless of usage (up to 10M)
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- **Best for consistent usage** - If you use 10M/month, only $0.90/1M
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- **Monthly reset** - 10M tokens reset monthly
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- **Predictable billing** - No surprise costs
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### Quota Reset
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```
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Monthly reset: 1st of each month
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→ 10M tokens refresh
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Example monthly usage:
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Week 1: 3M tokens
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Week 2: 2M tokens
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Week 3: 3M tokens
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Week 4: 2M tokens
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Total: 10M tokens = $9 flat
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```
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---
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## Pricing Comparison
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| Provider | Input/1M | Output/1M | Reset | 10M Cost | Best For |
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|----------|----------|-----------|-------|----------|----------|
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| **GLM-4.7** | $0.60 | $2.20 | Daily 10AM | $6-22 | Daily quota users |
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| **MiniMax M2.1** | $0.20 | $1.00 | 5-hour | $2-10 | **Cheapest!** |
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| **Kimi K2** | $0.90 | $0.90 | Monthly | **$9 flat** | Consistent usage |
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| ChatGPT API | $20.00 | $20.00 | None | $200 | ❌ Expensive |
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**Savings:** 90-95% cheaper than ChatGPT API!
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---
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## Usage Example
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### Cursor IDE Setup
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```
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Settings → Models → Advanced:
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OpenAI API Base URL: http://localhost:20128/v1
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OpenAI API Key: [from 9router dashboard]
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Model: glm/glm-4.7
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```
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### Create Combo (Recommended)
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```
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Dashboard → Combos → Create New
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Name: cheap-backup
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Models:
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1. cc/claude-opus-4-5 (Subscription primary)
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2. glm/glm-4.7 (Cheap backup, daily reset)
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3. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (Cheapest fallback)
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4. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE emergency)
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Use in CLI: cheap-backup
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```
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**Result:** Subscription → Cheap → Cheapest → Free
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---
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## Cost Optimization
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### Strategy 1: Daily Reset Routine
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```
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Morning (10AM): Fresh GLM quota
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→ Use GLM for heavy tasks
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→ Save subscription quota
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Afternoon: Subscription quota
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→ Use Claude/Codex for complex tasks
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Evening: MiniMax (5h reset)
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→ Cheap fallback for late work
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Night: Free tier (iFlow)
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→ Zero cost emergency backup
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```
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### Strategy 2: Budget-First
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```
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Set monthly budget: $20
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Allocation:
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- $9 Kimi K2 (10M tokens flat)
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- $6 GLM daily quota (10M tokens)
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- $5 MiniMax overflow (25M tokens)
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Total: 45M tokens for $20
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vs 1M tokens for $20 on ChatGPT API!
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```
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### Strategy 3: Maximize Subscriptions First
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```
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Priority:
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1. Gemini CLI (180K/month FREE)
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2. Claude Code (subscription you already pay)
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3. GLM-4.7 (cheap backup, $0.6/1M)
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4. MiniMax M2.1 (cheapest, $0.2/1M)
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5. iFlow (FREE emergency)
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Monthly cost example (100M tokens):
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- 60M via Gemini CLI: $0 (free)
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- 30M via Claude Code: $0 (subscription)
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- 8M via GLM: $4.80
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- 2M via MiniMax: $0.40
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Total: $5.20/month!
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```
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---
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## Real-World Examples
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### Example 1: Heavy Coding Month (100M tokens)
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```
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Breakdown:
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- 60M via subscription (Claude/Codex): $0 extra
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- 30M via GLM-4.7: $18
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- 10M via MiniMax M2.1: $2
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Total: $20/month
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vs $2000 on ChatGPT API!
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Savings: 99% cheaper!
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```
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### Example 2: Budget Coder ($10/month)
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```
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Strategy:
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- $9 Kimi K2 (10M tokens)
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- $1 MiniMax overflow (5M tokens)
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Total: 15M tokens for $10
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vs 0.5M tokens for $10 on ChatGPT API!
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30× more tokens!
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```
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### Example 3: Freelancer (Variable Usage)
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```
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Light month (20M tokens):
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- 15M via subscription: $0
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- 5M via GLM: $3
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Total: $3
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Heavy month (150M tokens):
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- 60M via subscription: $0
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- 60M via GLM: $36
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- 30M via MiniMax: $6
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Total: $42
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Average: $22.50/month
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vs $3400 on ChatGPT API!
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```
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---
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## Best Practices
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### 1. Track Daily Quota
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```
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Dashboard shows:
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- GLM quota: 75% used (reset in 6h)
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- MiniMax quota: 50% used (reset in 2h)
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- Kimi quota: 8M/10M used (reset in 15 days)
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Plan heavy tasks around reset times!
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```
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### 2. Use Coding Plan (GLM)
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```
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Standard: 1× quota
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Coding Plan: 3× quota (same price!)
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→ Always choose Coding Plan
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```
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### 3. Combine with Free Tier
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```
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Combo:
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1. gc/gemini-3-flash (FREE primary)
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2. glm/glm-4.7 (cheap backup)
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3. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (cheapest)
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4. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE emergency)
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Result: Minimize costs, maximize uptime
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```
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### 4. Set Budget Alerts
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```
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Dashboard → Settings → Budget Alerts
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Daily: $2 limit
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Weekly: $10 limit
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Monthly: $30 limit
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→ Auto switch to free tier when limit reached
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```
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---
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## Troubleshooting
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### "Quota exhausted"
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**Solution:**
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- GLM: Wait until 10:00 AM Beijing time
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- MiniMax: Wait 5 hours from first use
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- Kimi: Wait until 1st of next month
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- Use combo fallback to free tier
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### "API key invalid"
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**Solution:**
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- Check API key copied correctly
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- Verify account has credits
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- Regenerate API key if needed
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### "High costs"
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**Solution:**
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- Check usage stats in Dashboard
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- Set budget alerts
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- Switch to MiniMax ($0.2/1M cheapest)
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- Use free tier for non-critical tasks
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---
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## Next Steps
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- **Add free fallback:** [Free Providers](./free.md)
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- **Setup subscriptions:** [Subscription Providers](./subscription.md)
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- **Create combos:** Dashboard → Combos → Create New
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