Add free and budget models page

docs/advanced-usage/free-and-budget-models.md

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+---
+sidebar_label: Free & Budget Models
+---
+
+# Using Kilo Code for Free and on a Budget
+
+**Why this matters:** AI model costs can add up quickly during development. This guide shows you how to use Kilo Code effectively while minimizing or eliminating costs through free models, budget-friendly alternatives, and smart usage strategies.
+
+## Completely Free Options
+
+### OpenRouter Free Tier Models
+
+OpenRouter offers several models with generous free tiers. **Note:** You'll need to create a free OpenRouter account to access these models.
+
+**Setup:**
+
+1. Create a free [OpenRouter account](https://openrouter.ai)
+2. Get your API key from the dashboard
+3. Configure Kilo Code with the OpenRouter provider
+
+**Available free models:**
+
+- **Meta Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Free)** - Good for basic coding tasks
+- **Mistral 7B Instruct (Free)** - Solid performance for most development work
+- **Qwen 2.5 7B Instruct (Free)** - Strong reasoning capabilities
+
+## Cost-Effective Premium Models
+
+When you need more capability than free models provide, these options deliver excellent value:
+
+### Ultra-Budget Champions (Under $0.50 per million tokens)
+
+**Mistral Devstral Small**
+
+- **Cost:** ~$0.20 per million input tokens
+- **Best for:** Code generation, debugging, refactoring
+- **Performance:** 85% of premium model capability at 10% of the cost
+
+**Llama 4 Maverick**
+
+- **Cost:** ~$0.30 per million input tokens
+- **Best for:** Complex reasoning, architecture planning
+- **Performance:** Excellent for most development tasks
+
+**DeepSeek v3**
+
+- **Cost:** ~$0.27 per million input tokens
+- **Best for:** Code analysis, large codebase understanding
+- **Performance:** Strong technical reasoning
+
+### Mid-Range Value Models ($0.50-$2.00 per million tokens)
+
+**Qwen3 235B**
+
+- **Cost:** ~$1.20 per million input tokens
+- **Best for:** Complex projects requiring high accuracy
+- **Performance:** Near-premium quality at 40% of the cost
+
+## Smart Usage Strategies
+
+### The 50% Rule
+
+**Principle:** Use budget models for 50% of your tasks, premium models for the other 50%.
+
+**Budget model tasks:**
+
+- Code reviews and analysis
+- Documentation writing
+- Simple bug fixes
+- Boilerplate generation
+- Refactoring existing code
+
+**Premium model tasks:**
+
+- Complex architecture decisions
+- Debugging difficult issues
+- Performance optimization
+- New feature design
+- Critical production code
+
+### Context Management for Cost Savings
+
+**Minimize context size:**
+
+```typescript
+// Instead of mentioning entire files
+@src/components/UserProfile.tsx
+
+// Mention specific functions or sections
+@src/components/UserProfile.tsx:45-67
+```
+
+**Use Memory Bank effectively:**
+
+- Store project context once in [Memory Bank](/advanced-usage/memory-bank)
+- Reduces need to re-explain project details
+- Saves 200-500 tokens per conversation
+
+**Strategic file mentions:**
+
+- Only include files directly relevant to the task
+- Use [`@folder/`](/basic-usage/context-mentions) for broad context, specific files for targeted work
+
+### Model Switching Strategies
+
+**Start cheap, escalate when needed:**
+
+1. **Begin with free models** (Horizon Beta, Llama 3.1 8B)
+2. **Switch to budget models** if free models struggle
+3. **Escalate to premium models** only for complex tasks
+
+**Use API Configuration Profiles:**
+
+- Set up [multiple profiles](/features/api-configuration-profiles) for different cost tiers
+- Quick switching between free, budget, and premium models
+- Match model capability to task complexity
+
+### Mode-Based Cost Optimization
+
+**Use appropriate modes to limit expensive operations:**
+
+- **[Ask Mode](/basic-usage/using-modes#ask-mode):** Information gathering without code changes
+- **[Architect Mode](/basic-usage/using-modes#architect-mode):** Planning without expensive file operations
+- **[Debug Mode](/basic-usage/using-modes#debug-mode):** Focused troubleshooting
+
+**Custom modes for budget control:**
+
+- Create modes that restrict expensive tools
+- Limit file access to specific directories
+- Control which operations are auto-approved
+
+## Real-World Performance Comparisons
+
+### Code Generation Tasks
+
+**Simple function creation:**
+
+- **Horizon Beta (Free):** 90% success rate
+- **Mistral Devstral Small:** 95% success rate
+- **GPT-4:** 98% success rate
+- **Cost difference:** Free vs $0.20 vs $30 per million tokens
+
+**Complex refactoring:**
+
+- **Budget models:** 70-80% success rate
+- **Premium models:** 90-95% success rate
+- **Recommendation:** Start with budget, escalate if needed
+
+### Debugging Performance
+
+**Simple bugs:**
+
+- **Free models:** Usually sufficient
+- **Budget models:** Excellent performance
+- **Premium models:** Overkill for most cases
+
+**Complex system issues:**
+
+- **Free models:** 40-60% success rate
+- **Budget models:** 60-80% success rate
+- **Premium models:** 85-95% success rate
+
+## Hybrid Approach Recommendations
+
+### Daily Development Workflow
+
+**Morning planning session:**
+
+- Use **Architect mode** with **Horizon Beta (free)**
+- Plan features and architecture
+- Create task breakdowns
+
+**Implementation phase:**
+
+- Use **Code mode** with **budget models**
+- Generate and modify code
+- Handle routine development tasks
+
+**Complex problem solving:**
+
+- Switch to **premium models** when stuck
+- Use for critical debugging
+- Architecture decisions affecting multiple systems
+
+### Project Phase Strategy
+
+**Early development:**
+
+- Free and budget models for prototyping
+- Rapid iteration without cost concerns
+- Establish patterns and structure
+
+**Production preparation:**
+
+- Premium models for critical code review
+- Performance optimization
+- Security considerations
+
+## Cost Monitoring and Control
+
+### Track Your Usage
+
+**Monitor token consumption:**
+
+- Check cost estimates in chat history
+- Review monthly usage patterns
+- Identify high-cost operations
+
+**Set spending limits:**
+
+- Use provider billing alerts
+- Configure [rate limits](/advanced-usage/rate-limits-costs) to control usage
+- Set daily/monthly budgets
+
+### Cost-Saving Tips
+
+**Reduce system prompt size:**
+
+- [Disable MCP](/features/mcp/using-mcp-in-kilo-code) if not using external tools
+- Use focused custom modes
+- Minimize unnecessary context
+
+**Optimize conversation length:**
+
+- Use [Checkpoints](/features/checkpoints) to reset context
+- Start fresh conversations for unrelated tasks
+- Archive completed work
+
+**Batch similar tasks:**
+
+- Group related code changes
+- Handle multiple files in single requests
+- Reduce conversation overhead
+
+## Getting Started with Budget Models
+
+### Quick Setup Guide
+
+1. **Create OpenRouter account** for free models
+2. **Configure multiple providers** in Kilo Code
+3. **Set up API Configuration Profiles** for easy switching
+4. **Start with Horizon Beta** for all tasks
+5. **Escalate to budget models** when needed
+6. **Reserve premium models** for complex work
+
+### Recommended Provider Mix
+
+**Free tier foundation:**
+
+- [OpenRouter](/providers/openrouter) - Free models
+- [Groq](/providers/groq) - Fast inference for supported models
+- [Z.ai](https://z.ai/model-api) - Provides a free model GLM-4.5-Flash
+
+**Budget tier options:**
+
+- [DeepSeek](/providers/deepseek) - Excellent value models
+- [Mistral](/providers/mistral) - Specialized coding models
+
+**Premium tier backup:**
+
+- [Anthropic](/providers/anthropic) - Claude for complex reasoning
+- [OpenAI](/providers/openai) - GPT-4 for critical tasks
+
+## Measuring Success
+
+**Track these metrics:**
+
+- Monthly AI costs vs. development productivity
+- Task completion rates by model tier
+- Time saved vs. money spent
+- Code quality improvements
+
+**Success indicators:**
+
+- 70%+ of tasks completed with free/budget models
+- Monthly costs under your target budget
+- Maintained or improved code quality
+- Faster development cycles
+
+By combining free models, strategic budget model usage, and smart optimization techniques, you can harness the full power of AI-assisted development while keeping costs minimal. Start with free options and gradually incorporate budget models as your needs and comfort with costs grow.

sidebars.ts

@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
             "features/fast-edits",
             "features/model-temperature",
             "advanced-usage/rate-limits-costs",
+            "advanced-usage/free-and-budget-models",
             "features/footgun-prompting",
           ],
         },