Plan recommendations
Start with your usage level. If you are new to AI coding, choose an affordable plan with enough quota. Consider a high-usage plan only if you code and run agents every day.
Best for beginners: MiniMax Plus
Why we recommend it:At ¥49 per month, it includes roughly 600M+ M3 tokens per month, support for three to four concurrent agents, a 1M-token context window, and multimodal usage. Text, image, voice, and music share the same quota. M3 is not a leading model, but it is a solid second-tier option for everyday work.
Note:The plan mainly covers MiniMax's own models, so it is not ideal if you frequently switch between model providers. Start with Plus; upgrade to the ¥119 Max plan only if you actually need more quota. New users generally do not need Ultra.
Try multiple models: OpenCode Go
Why we recommend it:It costs $5 for the first month and $10 per month afterward, with access to GLM, Kimi (including K3), MiniMax, DeepSeek, and other models. It is a good fit if you have not settled on a preferred model yet. Usage is also relatively transparent: OpenCode publishes five-hour, weekly, and monthly request limits for each model.
Note:WeChat Pay and Alipay are supported. Quota is calculated according to model cost, so more expensive models consume it faster. Go has a single tier and is suitable for light to moderate use.
Good value: Cursor Pro
Why we recommend it:The $20-per-month Pro plan includes at least $20 of API usage across GPT, Claude, Gemini, and many other models. That allowance alone is limited, but Cursor also provides a first-party usage pool for Composer 2.5 and Grok 4.5. Both models are tuned by Cursor and perform well for coding inside Cursor. This pool currently provides roughly $300–$400 worth of usage per month, making the plan good value.
Details:Alipay is supported. The plan can only be used inside Cursor; its quota cannot be used in other agents such as Codex or Claude Code.
Strong promotional price: Volcengine Ark Coding Plan Lite
Why we recommend it:From June 8 through November 8, 2026, all users can receive up to 75% off the first two months of Coding Plan Lite or Pro. Lite is ¥9.9/month instead of ¥40, and Pro is ¥49.9/month instead of ¥200; regular pricing resumes in the third month. The official Coding Plan currently supports doubao-seed-2.1-turbo, doubao-seed-2.0-lite, MiniMax M2.7, MiniMax M3, GLM-5.2 (official identifier: glm-latest), DeepSeek V4 Flash, DeepSeek V4 Pro, Kimi K2.6, and Kimi K2.7 Code.
Note:Availability is limited and first-come, first-served. Each account receives at most two discounted months, shared across new purchases, renewals, and upgrades; changing tiers or cancelling does not grant a new benefit. The separate 5%-off referral promotion can be combined. Kimi K3 is not included in Coding Plan. See the official Volcengine promotion rules and checkout page for final eligibility.
GLM-5.2 without the wait: Z.ai International
Why we recommend it:There is no purchase queue, and the plan supports GLM-5.2. Lite, Pro, and Max cost approximately $18, $72, and $160 per month. An invitation link provides an additional 10% discount.
Note:It costs more than the domestic version. Start with Lite for light use and upgrade only after you confirm that the quota is insufficient. Do not buy a higher tier solely to avoid waiting for the domestic plan.
Heavy use
Consider a high-usage plan if you code for long periods every day, run multiple agents, and regularly hit quota limits.
Very high quota: Codex Pro
Why we recommend it:The $100 and $200 tiers provide substantial real-world usage. Based on observed usage, the 5x tier delivers roughly $700–$1,300 worth of API tokens per week and approximately $5,000–$7,000 per month. The 20x tier delivers roughly $1,500–$2,600 per week and can exceed $10,000 per month, making it suitable for heavy use.
Note:Access requires a proxy, and payment requires an overseas card, so the entry barrier is relatively high.
Generous quota: Claude Max
Why we recommend it:Max 5x costs $100 per month, while Max 20x costs $200 per month. Claude's model capability is top-tier.
Observed usage for 5x is roughly $500–$700 per week and about $2,000 per month. For 20x, observed usage is roughly $1,100–$1,400 per week and $5,000–$8,000 per month.
Note:Access requires a proxy, payment requires an overseas card, and there is a risk of account suspension. It has the highest entry barrier among these options.
Lower-cost option for heavy use: MiniMax Max/Ultra
Why we recommend it:Max costs ¥119 per month and includes roughly 1.8B tokens per month. Ultra costs ¥469 per month and includes roughly 7.1B tokens per month. Both provide a substantial amount of usage.
Note:The model capability is not outstanding. It works well for everyday tasks, while more complex problems may be better handled by another model.