Slash Your AI Coding Costs by 85%: Factory Droid with GLM-4.7 and MiniMax M2.1

Last month, I was spending $20/month on Claude Pro for my daily coding work. It's a fantastic tool, but when you're working on multiple side projects, every dollar counts. That's when I discovered Factory's Droid—an AI coding agent that works with any LLM provider.

After experimenting with different models, I found two that deliver 80-90% of Claude's coding capability at a fraction of the cost. Here's the complete guide.

TL;DR

Why Consider Alternatives?

I'm not saying Claude is bad—it's excellent. But here's the reality:

• 80% of coding tasks don't need the best model. Simple CRUD, bug fixes, and refactoring work great with cheaper alternatives.
• Rate limits hurt. When Claude throttles you mid-feature, having a backup is invaluable.
• Different models have different strengths. GLM-4.7 is surprisingly good at Python, MiniMax excels at debugging.

Factory's Droid lets you switch between models seamlessly, so you can use Claude for complex planning and cheaper models for everything else.

Cost Comparison

Here's how GLM-4.7 and MiniMax M2.1 compare to Claude's pricing plans:

Monthly Cost (Assuming Typical Usage)

Typical usage: 500K input tokens + 500K output tokens per month

Per-Token Costs

Cost per 1M tokens:

Key Takeaways

GLM-4.7 saves 85-95% vs Claude:

• vs Claude Pro: $3/month vs$20/month (85% savings)
• vs Claude Team: $3/month vs$150/month (98% savings)
• Per-token: $0.48/M vs$9.00/M (95% savings)

MiniMax M2.1 saves 90-92% vs Claude:

• Per-token: $0.75/M vs$9.00/M (92% savings)
• Pay-as-you-go: Only pay for what you use
• No monthly commitment: Perfect for occasional use

Real-World Savings Example

Scenario: Developer working on multiple projects, averaging:

• 100 files reviewed per month
• 50 feature implementations per month
• 30 debugging sessions per month
• 20 refactoring tasks per month

Estimated usage: 3M input tokens + 3M output tokens = 6M tokens total

Savings per year:

• GLM-4.7 vs Claude Pro: $204/year (85% savings)
• GLM-4.7 vs Claude Team: $1,764/year (98% savings)
• MiniMax M2.1 vs Claude Pro: $186/year (78% savings)

When Each Makes Sense

Use GLM-4.7 ($3/month) when:

• Daily development work
• 2+ projects simultaneously
• Heavy code review and generation
• Budget-conscious but need reliable performance

Use MiniMax M2.1 (pay-as-you-go) when:

• Occasional development work
• Testing different models
• Variable monthly workload
• Want maximum cost flexibility

Use Claude Pro ($20/month) when:

• Multi-step complex planning
• Need Claude's strong reasoning
• Working on complex architectures
• Cost is not the primary factor

Use Claude Team ($30/user/month) when:

• Team collaboration features needed
• Higher rate limits required
• Enterprise compliance needed
• Budget allows for best-in-class

Setting Up Droid

Installation

Droid is part of Factory CLI. Install it globally:

npm install -g @factory/cli

Verify installation:

droid --version

Configuration File

Droid uses ~/.factory/config.json for settings:

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "gpt-4o-mini",
  "apiKey": "sk-...",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.openai.com/v1"
}

GLM-4.7 Setup

GLM-4.7 is Z.ai's flagship model with excellent performance for code tasks.

Get API Key

1. Visit Z.ai
2. Sign up or login
3. Navigate to API settings
4. Generate API key

Configure Droid for GLM-4.7

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "glm-4.7",
  "apiKey": "your-zai-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4"
}

Pricing

GLM-4.7 uses subscription-based pricing:

• Coding Plan: $3/month with generous limits
• Effective rate: ~$0.16/1M input tokens, ~$0.80/1M output tokens

Strengths

• Excellent at Python and JavaScript
• Strong reasoning on code refactoring
• Good at understanding existing codebases
• Fast response times

Using Droid with GLM-4.7

# Interactive coding session
droid

# Generate code from prompt
droid "Create a REST API with Express"

# Review and fix code
droid --fix src/app.ts

# Explain code
droid --explain src/utils/helpers.js

MiniMax M2.1 Setup

MiniMax M2.1 is a high-performance model optimized for coding tasks.

Get API Key

1. Visit MiniMax
2. Register for an account
3. Create API key in dashboard
4. Note your key for configuration

Configure Droid for MiniMax M2.1

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "minimax-m2.1",
  "apiKey": "your-minimax-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.minimax.chat/v1"
}

Pricing

MiniMax offers competitive pay-as-you-go pricing:

• Input: ~$0.30/1M tokens
• Output: ~$1.20/1M tokens

Strengths

• Strong performance on algorithmic problems
• Good at database queries and migrations
• Excellent at documentation generation
• Fast response for code completion

Using Droid with MiniMax M2.1

# Interactive session
droid

# Generate tests
droid "Write unit tests for the authentication module"

# Optimize code
droid --optimize src/services/data.js

# Migrate code
droid "Migrate this from class-based to functional"

Switching Between Models

Multiple Configurations

Create separate config files for different models:

# GLM-4.7 config
cat ~/.factory/config-glm47.json
{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "glm-4.7",
  "apiKey": "glm-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4"
}

# MiniMax config
cat ~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "minimax-m2.1",
  "apiKey": "minimax-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.minimax.chat/v1"
}

Switch Models

# Use GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json
droid "Help me with this bug"

# Use MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
droid "Review this PR"

# Use default (Claude)
droid "Create a new feature"

Environment Variables Alternative

Instead of config file, use environment variables:

# GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_LLM_PROVIDER=openai
export FACTORY_MODEL=glm-4.7
export FACTORY_API_KEY=your-zai-key
export FACTORY_BASE_URL=https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4

# MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_LLM_PROVIDER=openai
export FACTORY_MODEL=minimax-2.1
export FACTORY_API_KEY=your-minimax-key
export FACTORY_BASE_URL=https://api.minimax.chat/v1

Common Workflows

1. Code Generation

Prompt: "Create a user authentication system with JWT"

GLM-4.7 (Recommended):

• Generates clean, modular code
• Good at following architecture patterns
• Produces well-structured files

MiniMax M2.1 (Alternative):

• Strong on security implementation details
• Good at error handling
• Excellent documentation in comments

# Generate with GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json
droid "Create a user authentication system with JWT using Express"

# Generate with MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
droid "Create a user authentication system with JWT using Express"

2. Code Refactoring

Prompt: "Refactor this code to use async/await"

GLM-4.7 (Recommended):

• Maintains existing patterns
• Clean transformation
• Minimal behavioral changes

MiniMax M2.1 (Alternative):

• Identifies deeper issues
• Suggests architectural improvements
• May propose additional optimizations

# Refactor with GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json
droid --refactor src/legacy/callbacks.js

# Refactor with MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
droid --refactor src/legacy/callbacks.js

3. Debugging

Prompt: "This API endpoint returns 500 error"

GLM-4.7 (Recommended):

• Good at following error traces
• Analyzes stack traces effectively
• Suggests common fixes

MiniMax M2.1 (Alternative):

• Strong on edge cases
• Identifies race conditions
• Good at concurrency issues

# Debug with GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json
droid --debug src/api/users.js --error "Error: Connection timed out"

# Debug with MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
droid --debug src/api/users.js --error "Error: Connection timed out"

4. Test Generation

Prompt: "Write unit tests for the payment processor"

GLM-4.7 (Recommended):

• Comprehensive test coverage
• Good at edge cases
• Clear test names

MiniMax M2.1 (Alternative):

• Focuses on integration scenarios
• Good at mocking complex dependencies
• Excellent at data-driven tests

# Generate tests with GLM-4.7
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json
droid --test src/services/payment.js

# Generate tests with MiniMax M2.1
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json
droid --test src/services/payment.js

Choosing the Right Model

Use GLM-4.7 when:

• Developing new features - Generates maintainable code
• Working with large codebases - Good context understanding
• Refactoring - Clean transformations
• Python/JavaScript - Strong language support
• Budget is a concern - Cost-effective subscription

Use MiniMax M2.1 when:

• Debugging complex issues - Good at edge cases
• Algorithmic tasks - Strong problem-solving
• Database work - Good at SQL and migrations
• Documentation - Generates detailed comments
• Performance tuning - Identifies optimizations

Use Claude (default) when:

• Multi-step planning - Excellent reasoning
• Complex architectures - Deep understanding
• Creative solutions - Innovative approaches
• Code reviews - Thorough analysis

Advanced Configuration

Custom Temperature Settings

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "glm-4.7",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4",
  "temperature": 0.3
}

• 0.0-0.2: More deterministic, good for refactoring
• 0.3-0.5: Balanced, good for feature development
• 0.6-0.8: More creative, good for brainstorming
• 0.9-1.0: Very creative, good for ideation

Response Streaming

Enable for faster feedback:

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "glm-4.7",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4",
  "stream": true
}

Context Window Adjustment

For large codebases:

{
  "llmProvider": "openai",
  "model": "glm-4.7",
  "apiKey": "your-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4",
  "maxTokens": 32000
}

Troubleshooting

API Key Issues

Problem: "Invalid API key" error

Solution:

# Verify key is set correctly
cat ~/.factory/config.json

# Check environment variable
echo $FACTORY_API_KEY

# Regenerate key if needed

Model Not Found

Problem: "Model not supported" error

Solution:

# Verify model name matches exactly
# GLM-4.7: "glm-4.7"
# MiniMax M2.1: "minimax-2.1"

Rate Limiting

Problem: Too many requests

Solution:

# Use different model
export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json

# Add delay between requests
export FACTORY_REQUEST_DELAY=1000

# Increase retry count
export FACTORY_MAX_RETRIES=5

Connection Issues

Problem: Can't connect to API

Solution:

# Test connection
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FACTORY_API_KEY" \
  https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4/models

# Check base URL
# GLM-4.7: https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4
# MiniMax: https://api.minimax.chat/v1

Best Practices

1. Use Aliases for Quick Switching

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias droid-glm='export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-glm47.json && droid'
alias droid-mm='export FACTORY_CONFIG=~/.factory/config-minimax21.json && droid'
alias droid-claude='droid'

# Usage
droid-glm "Create a new feature"
droid-mm "Debug this issue"
droid-claude "Plan this architecture"

2. Save Common Prompts

Create a prompts file:

# prompts.txt
Create a REST API with authentication
Generate unit tests for all files in src/
Refactor to use TypeScript
Add error handling to all API endpoints

Use them:

droid "$(cat prompts.txt | grep "API")"

3. Monitor Token Usage

# Droid logs token usage
# Check for patterns in output

# For GLM-4.7, track Coding Plan usage at z.ai dashboard
# For MiniMax, track pay-as-you-go usage at minimax.chat

4. Version Control Generated Code

# Always review before committing
droid-glm "Add user profile feature"
git diff

# Commit with model info
git commit -m "feat: user profile (GLM-4.7)"

5. Test Generated Code

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Run tests
npm test

# Manual verification
npm start

Performance Comparison

Based on typical coding tasks:

My Current Setup

After three months of experimentation, here's what I settled on:

1. GLM-4.7 ($3/month) — My daily driver for 80% of coding tasks
2. Claude Pro ($20/month) — Reserved for complex architecture decisions and multi-file refactoring
3. MiniMax M2.1 (pay-as-you-go) — Backup when either hits rate limits

Total monthly cost: ~$25 for effectively unlimited AI coding assistance across three providers.

Final Thoughts

The AI coding assistant landscape is evolving fast. Six months ago, Claude was the only viable option for serious development work. Today, models like GLM-4.7 and MiniMax M2.1 have closed the gap significantly—especially for routine coding tasks.

My advice: Don't be loyal to any single provider. Use Droid's flexibility to your advantage. Match the model to the task, and you'll save money while maintaining productivity.

Have you tried any Claude alternatives? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Resources:

• Factory CLI Documentation
• Z.ai GLM-4.7 Pricing
• MiniMax API
• Droid on Terminal-Bench