Switching from GitHub Copilot to OpenCode (DeepSeek V4 Pro)#

Benchmark 1 DeepSeek V4 Pro Max has a very low cost per task and intelligence close to Sonnet 4.6 Max. Source: Artificial Analysis

I used GitHub Copilot for 3 months. In the last month, I ran out of credits halfway through. I upgraded from Copilot Pro+ ($39/month) to Copilot Max ($100/month), then used up half of those credits in a single week. It was too expensive, so I switched to OpenCode.

OpenCode#

OpenCode’s Go plan costs $5 for the first month and $10/month after. It also includes other cheap models besides DeepSeek. Setup took under a minute:

Sign up at Opencode and subscribe to the Go plan for $5
Go to the Opencode Dashboard and copy your API key
Install the OpenCode for Copilot Chat extension in VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+P, search OpenCode Go: Set API Key, and paste your API key
Open GitHub Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Alt+I)
Choose DeepSeek V4 Pro
Set Thinking Effort to Max

Performance#

Before using DeepSeek V4 Pro Max, I switched between models depending on the task:

Quick questions and brainstorming: GPT-5.4 Mini and MAI-Code-1-Flash
Everyday coding: Gemini 3.5 Flash and GPT-5.3-Codex
Persistent bugs and complex tasks: Claude Opus 4.8, which performs well but burns credits quickly

Now I use DeepSeek V4 Pro Max for all tasks. DeepSeek V4 Flash is cheaper, but Pro is already cost-effective enough that switching isn’t necessary.

Cost#

The paid Go plan costs one-tenth of what Copilot Max does. I used to pay $100/month and would still hit my credit limit. Now I’m spending just $10/month and can access OpenCode’s free models, such as DeepSeek V4 Flash, NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra, and Mimo V2.5.

Simplicity#

Concise responses: DeepSeek replies are brief. After writing code, it says things like “Fixed: updated config” or “Done. added endpoint.” Copilot models tend to use more verbose, agent-style phrasing like “I’ve done this…” or “Let me handle that…”
Consistent builds: DeepSeek builds the project automatically every time. Copilot models were inconsistent.

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