I’ve been using OpenClaw for a few weeks now and I love it. It’s become part of my daily high-frequency workflow. As my usage grows, tokens get consumed quickly. After testing various AI models and services, here’s a summary of my current AI service combination along with their pros and cons for reference.
AI Services I Currently Subscribe To
- ChatGPT Plus
- Claude Pro
- MiniMax Coding Plan — Sign up here
- I’m on the
29 RMB/month plan, used mainly as a fallback. - Using the referral code above gets you a 10% discount and Builder status.
- One extra advantage of MiniMax is that its plans include image and voice generation, which Claude and GPT don’t offer.
- I’m on the
For specific pricing and payment details, search within this site for the relevant articles.
How I Use Them
- GPT uses the Codex OAuth method. For the model, just go with the latest Codex model.
- Claude Code isn’t officially supported, but since it’s a CLI tool, it can be used as a subagent — for example, I use it for writing articles.
- MiniMax supports OAuth. For the model, just pick the latest
MiniMax M2.7.openclaw plugins enable minimax-portal-auth
So why did I ultimately choose these AI services? Because I tried several others but found drawbacks that made me give up on them. Here are a few examples.
How About Claude Models? ❌
The best option would be Claude’s Opus, but it’s too expensive, and API payment has a high barrier, so I gave up. Also, Claude Code doesn’t offer OAuth, so while you can use it via CLI, it can’t serve as OpenClaw’s base model.
How About DeepSeek Models? ❌
Compared to GPT, it performs poorly — stability is terrible. Currently I think it’s okay for single-task execution agents like translation, but for handling logic — such as acting as an agent dispatcher/manager — forget it, it’s just too weak. In actual use, it’s not as good as MiniMax.
Related Reading
- OpenClaw Getting Started Guide — Installation, Telegram Bot setup, and MCP usage
- OpenClaw Enterprise WeChat Integration — Full guide for WeChat Bot and app configuration
- OpenClaw Deployment Hardware Requirements — Server configuration recommendations and performance requirements
Final Thoughts
All things considered, monthly AI spending comes to a few hundred RMB — not super expensive, but not cheap either. For me, it’s mainly about improving efficiency and saving time, so I find it acceptable. If better AI services emerge in the future, I’ll continue experimenting and adjusting my AI service combination to achieve a better experience and cost-effectiveness.
