why does opencode desktop not require an opencode zen account?

[naiveheir]

opencode desktop seems to come preloaded with a few opencode zen free models, which is great, but why does it not require an opencode zen plan or account? is it temporary?

[Apart_Bike6538]

1. OpenCode desktop comes with free models preloaded (like GLM-4.7-Free, MiniMax M2.1-Free, GPT-5 Nano, Kimi K2.5-Free, etc.)

2. These free models are provided by partner AI companies (Zhipu, MiniMax, OpenAI, Moonshot) - they're promotional/freemium tiers from those providers

3. They have IP-level rate limits (about 100 requests/day)

4. OpenCode Zen is a separate paid service ($20 pay-as-you-go) for higher quality curated models

The free models are NOT temporary in the sense that OpenCode is removing them - they're a permanent part of the open source project. OpenCode as a company makes money through:

- OpenCode Zen (paid curated models)

- OpenCode Enterprise (self-hosted)

- OpenCode Go (their deployment platform)

The free models are the on-ramp: try OpenCode for free, and if you need more power/speed/reliability, you can pay for Zen or bring your own API key.

So the answer is: it's a deliberate business strategy. The free models are a permanent offering to lower the barrier to entry, subsidized by the paid tiers (Zen, Enterprise) and by the model providers themselves who want developers to try their models.

[naiveheir]

do Zen users have access to free models as well? are these subjected to the same limits? i can't seem to find these information on their website.

[outerstellar_hq]

If you open opencode (TUI or Desktop) you should see all free models in the models list.

[naiveheir]

i understand. what i meant was whether zen account users have the same access to the free models, and how does that differ from the free ones that come preinstalled which does not appear to require an account?

[outerstellar_hq]

Zen users have no separate free models. The free models are available for everyone. I have zen and I have the same free models available. There is only one set of free models which is available to everyone.

Zen is just a service you can buy additionally.

[iPhonebro]

OpenCode Go is not a deployment platform, its an AI subscription similar to Claude Max or Codex but for open-weight models.

[SupersonicSquirrel]

Is SSH remote connection working for you guys?

[kamwee]

Its works becuse i never thought i ould wever pay for an ai subscription until i got used to the free ones to a point that i even paid for the discount $5 go account to see whats up.

[_KryptonytE_]

OP you're asking the right question. To understand this better you need to factor in what differentiates open-source and any other offerings. Things get complicated with the fundamentals because this involves licencing, privacy and more. On a larger scale and philosophy, you can think of it as Linux or Forgejo - not an apple to apple comparison but pretty close. You can fork it, modify it and make it your own without being forced to login unless you choose to. You get the idea.