alt Hacker NewsI'm (somewhat unexpectedly) retiring [1] soon and need to come up with an affordable setup for when I no longer have an organisation paying for my tokens. I use Github Copilot through work, which is actually not bad, but the affordable personal subscription doesn't include many of the models I like to use. I tried Claude, Codex, DeepSeek, and a few others. I think I'm settling on the following:
1. OpenCode Console (I think this used to be called Zen). It's a pay-as-you-go system, but I get access to almost any model at open market rates. I'll then set up an affordable regular monthly top-up. I looked at OpenCode Go, but that had the same issue as Copilot: access to only a subset of the cheaper models. 2. I use the OpenCode TUI and desktop app sometimes, for general questions or exploring, but I mostly use Editor Code Assistant [2] with Emacs as my go-to harness. I've set up ECA to use OpenCode as a provider, which was a little fiddly compared with more mainstream options, but it's working now.
My needs will (probably) be light in retirement, but I like to use models to add features to Emacs, write scripts, work on a couple of small websites and maybe dabble in progressive web apps or mobile apps for a food bank I help run. This setup gives me flexibility (lots of models to try) and won't break the bank, I hope.
[1] https://eamonnsullivan.co.uk/posts/2026-10-20-retirement/ [2] https://eca.dev/
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On the subject of OpenCode Go, I believe OpenCode lets you switch between Go models and normal models on the fly. You could choose to go for a Go sub to use DeepSeek 4.1 flash at its subsidized subscription price until you hit the cap if you'd like to save some extra money. The 10$ sub gets me quite a bit of distance for hobby work, though might run out for you if you program for longer periods.
At the very least, you can benefit from the subsidized prices for smaller models as implementers, and use other subs or Zen/Console to access stronger models for planning and reviews. Something to consider at least, there are definitely ways to min/max of you're looking to squeeze extra value out.
I'm getting a ton done with Sonnet 5.5 basic Claude subscription.. It seems a lot people are overpaying on their subscription. Sonnet is what anthropic recommends for most things. I also added a cursor subscription before they raise prices to $16 a month on annual plan for the year. I do hours a day on Claude on medium effort and I have rarely hit any limits. I use opus 5.5 as an advisor. I am doing websites, and automation between different systems. Works great.