Matching subscriptions to reasoning needs — a cost-optimization framework for multi-agent systems.
Not every agent needs Claude Opus. A marketing agent writing social posts doesn't need the same reasoning power as an infrastructure agent debugging distributed systems. Yet most multi-agent architectures use a single model for everything — burning budget on overqualified models for simple tasks.
The solution: match model tier to agent role based on reasoning requirements, response time needs, and cost constraints.
Current API pricing per million tokens (input/output):
| Model | Input | Output | Reasoning Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step-3.5-Flash | $0.10 | $0.30 | Tier B | Cheapest API, good for bulk tasks |
| Grok 4.1 | $0.20 | $0.50 | Tier B | xAI's budget option, X integration |
| DeepSeek V3.2 | $0.28 | $0.42 | Tier A | Best value, strong reasoning |
| MiniMax M2.5 | $0.30 | $1.20 | Tier A | Strong multilingual, good for content |
| GLM-5 | $1.00 | $3.20 | Tier S | 744B params, built-in reasoning |
| Gemini 3.1 Flash | $0.50 | $3.00 | Tier B | Fast, Google ecosystem |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 | Tier A | 1M context, best price/performance |
| GPT-5.4 | $2.50 | $15.00 | Tier S | OpenAI flagship, 1M context |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | Tier A | Balanced, most prefer over Opus |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | $15.00 | $75.00 | Tier S | Highest quality, premium price |
| Local (Qwen3-30B) | $0 | $0 | Tier C | Requires hardware, unlimited usage |
Models that excel at complex, multi-step reasoning tasks: debugging distributed systems, architectural decisions, complex code generation, legal/financial analysis.
Excellent for most professional work: code review, content creation, analysis, multi-turn conversations.
Good for straightforward tasks: simple queries, formatting, quick responses, bulk operations.
Zero marginal cost, requires hardware investment. Good for experimentation, prototyping, and tasks where quality matters less than cost.
We categorize agents by their primary function and map to appropriate model tiers:
| Role | Reasoning Need | Response Time | Volume | Recommended Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure / DevOps | High | Medium | Low | Tier S |
| Coding / Engineering | High | Medium | Medium | Tier S |
| Marketing / Content | Medium | Low | High | Tier A |
| Customer Comms | Low-Medium | Fast | High | Tier B |
| Coordination / Scheduling | Medium | Fast | Medium | Tier A |
| Monitoring / Alerts | Low | Fast | High | Tier C (local) |
| Research / Analysis | High | Low | Low | Tier S |
Our multi-agent architecture with specific model assignments:
Role: System administration, debugging, deployments, DNS, security, architecture decisions.
Needs: High reasoning, can tolerate slower responses, lower volume.
Model: GLM-5 (Tier S) — Built-in reasoning, $1/M input, 200K context. Fallback to local Qwen3-30B for quick tasks.
Cost estimate: ~$30-50/month API + unlimited local inference.
Role: Social media posts, blog content, ad copy, email campaigns.
Needs: Medium reasoning, creative output, high volume of content.
Model: Gemini 3.1 Pro (Tier A) — Strong creative capabilities, 1M context for research, good value at $2/M.
Cost estimate: ~$20-40/month depending on content volume.
Role: Food truck business ops, scheduling, inventory, vendor coordination.
Needs: Medium reasoning, moderate response time, moderate volume.
Model: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Tier A) — Reliable, good at structured tasks, handles business logic well.
Cost estimate: ~$15-30/month.
Role: Responding to customer inquiries, support tickets, FAQ.
Needs: Low-medium reasoning, fast response, high volume.
Model: Gemini 3.1 Flash (Tier B) — Fast, cheap, good enough for most customer interactions. Escalate complex issues to Tier A.
Cost estimate: ~$5-15/month.
Role: Calendar management, meeting coordination, reminders, task routing.
Needs: Medium reasoning, fast response, medium volume.
Model: DeepSeek V3.2 (Tier A/B) — Excellent value at $0.28/M, strong enough for coordination logic.
Cost estimate: ~$3-8/month.
For variable workloads, API tokens are most flexible. Monthly cost scales with usage.
For predictable heavy usage, subscriptions offer better value:
| Subscription | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Z.AI GLM Coding Max | $80/mo | Axon (infrastructure/coding) |
| Claude Max 5x | $100/mo | Heavy reasoning tasks, Alice/Bobby |
| ChatGPT Pro | $200/mo | All-purpose, includes image gen |
| Gemini Enterprise | $30/user/mo | Team collaboration, Google workspace |
Recommended stack for FTWS: Z.AI Max ($80/mo) for Axon + pay-as-you-go API for Alice/Bobby/Charlie/Delta (~$50-80/mo) + local inference for quick tasks = ~$130-160/mo total for 5-agent fleet.
5 agents × 50K queries/month × avg 500 tokens/query × $15/M input = $1,875/month
| Agent | Model | Est. Queries/mo | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axon | GLM-5 ($1/M) + local | 5K API + 45K local | $25 |
| Alice | Gemini Pro ($2/M) | 20K | $40 |
| Bobby | Claude Sonnet ($3/M) | 10K | $30 |
| Charlie | Gemini Flash ($0.5/M) | 50K | $25 |
| Delta | DeepSeek ($0.28/M) | 20K | $6 |
| Total | $126/month |
Savings: 93% vs all-Opus approach.
When an agent encounters a task beyond its model's capabilities:
1. Try with assigned model (e.g., Charlie on Gemini Flash)
2. If confidence < threshold OR task involves complex reasoning:
→ Escalate to next tier (Gemini Pro)
3. If still stuck OR task is critical infrastructure:
→ Escalate to Tier S (GLM-5 or Claude Opus)
4. If API unavailable OR cost limit reached:
→ Fall back to local model (Qwen3-30B)