A frontier-class coding model just went free, and it could zero out one of the biggest line items in a freelancer’s budget. OpenCode free DeepSeek access is here: OpenCode made DeepSeek V4.1 Flash free for a limited time, with free input, output, and cached reads on model id deepseek-v4.1-flash-free — a genuine $0/month AI coding stack, with a few caveats you need to know first.
What exactly is free (and what is not)
On October 15, 2026, OpenCode flipped DeepSeek V4.1 Flash to a free tier. Per OpenCode’s official docs, the free variant (deepseek-v4.1-flash-free) offers:
- Free input tokens — prompts cost nothing.
- Free output tokens — generated code costs nothing.
- Free cached reads — repeated context is not billed either.
- 200K context — down from the 1M of the paid variant.
- No Go quota usage — free-tier calls do not count toward your OpenCode Go plan quota.
The killer detail: the OpenAI-compatible endpoint accepts free-model calls without an Authorization header. POST JSON with the free model id — no account, no card.
The numbers: free vs paid, side by side
Pricing per OpenCode’s official docs. Limited-time offer — no end date published.
Stat check: 200K tokens holds roughly 500 pages of code or 150,000 English words — enough to load most freelance projects whole.
Benchmark: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash scores 74.2 on DeepSWE v1.1, ahead of GPT-5.6 Sol at 73.0, per AI Weekly’s report of DeepSeek’s published numbers.
The trap: the paid model id (deepseek-v4.1-flash, no -free) bills at $0.30/$1.20 per 1M tokens. One missing suffix and your “free” session is metered.
How it works: your $0 stack in three steps
2
Select the free model
Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash Free in the model picker — or POST with deepseek-v4.1-flash-free, no auth header.
3
Code with zero spend
Refactors, tests, docs, debugging — $0 in, out, and cached, none of it on your Go quota.
Concrete setup, numbered:
- Install:
curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash(or grab the desktop app). - Open a project:
cd your-project, runopencode, then/initso the agent learns your codebase. - Pick the model: run
/modelsand select DeepSeek V4.1 Flash Free (opencode/deepseek-v4.1-flash-free). - Verify the id: confirm the picker shows the
-freesuffix before a long agent run. - API route (optional): POST to the inference endpoint with
{"model":"deepseek-v4.1-flash-free","messages":[...]}, no Authorization header.
How to profit: the freelancer math
A typical AI coding subscription runs $20–$200/month. The free tier wipes that out for the workloads that fit inside 200K context — which is most freelance work:
- Client bug fixes and refactors — load the repo, let the agent hunt the bug, bill the hour, pay $0 in tokens.
- Boilerplate and scaffolding — landing pages, CRUD apps, admin panels generated free, then customized.
- Test suites and docs — high-margin busywork; agents excel at it and it is pure token volume.
- Prototypes for pitches — spin up a working demo at zero cost and raise your close rate.
- Bulk edits across projects — dependency upgrades, lint migrations, copy changes across client sites.
The 200K ceiling is the real constraint. Work project-by-project and keep prompts scoped — cached reads are free, so stable prefixes cost nothing to resend.
The catch: read this before pasting client code
Three honest limitations:
- Limited time, 200K cap. OpenCode published no end date, and the free tier caps at 200K vs 1M paid. Treat it as a window, split work into scoped tasks.
- Privacy caveat. OpenCode’s console models docs list an exception for free-period models — including DeepSeek V4 Flash Free — noting that during the free period, collected data may be used to improve the model. Do not paste client secrets, credentials, or proprietary code into the free tier. Use the paid variant (or a self-hosted route) for sensitive work.
When to pay for the paid variant
Upgrade to deepseek-v4.1-flash at $0.30/$1.20 per 1M tokens when you need the full 1M context for very large codebases, when client contracts demand stricter data handling, or when free-tier rate limits threaten a deadline. Even then, it is among the cheapest coding rates available.
FAQ
Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash really free in OpenCode?
Yes, for a limited time. The deepseek-v4.1-flash-free id carries $0 input, output, and cached reads, and usage does not count toward Go quota, per OpenCode’s docs.
Do I need an OpenCode account to use it?
Not for the direct API route: the inference endpoint accepts free-model calls without an Authorization header. The TUI route asks you to sign in.
What is the difference between the free and paid model ids?
The free id ends in -free: $0 with 200K context. The paid id deepseek-v4.1-flash costs $0.30/$1.20 per 1M input/output tokens with 1M context. Pick carefully.
How much can I fit in 200K context?
Roughly 500 pages of code or ~150,000 English words — enough for most single freelance projects in one session.
Is my code used for training on the free tier?
OpenCode’s docs flag an exception for free-period models: collected data may be used to improve the model while the free period lasts. Keep secrets and proprietary code out.
How good is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at coding?
It scores 74.2 on DeepSWE v1.1, ahead of GPT-5.6 Sol’s 73.0 — strong for refactors, debugging, scaffolding, and tests, though frontier models still lead on the hardest reasoning tasks. Note: OpenCode has not published an end date for the free tier, so treat it as temporary.
Keep Reading
Sources: OpenCode docs, opencode.ai, AI Weekly.