Our Free Model vs ECC
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A dsh plugin that gives access to hosted AI models without a login or API key.
Open source · MIT
A set of skills, memory, and security rules that makes AI coding agents work more carefully.
Our verdict
Our Free Model and ECC solve different problems, so they are not direct substitutes. Our Free Model is a beginner-friendly plugin for the dsh agent host that gives free access to hosted AI models with no sign-up or API key, though it is in beta and the free pool may record prompts. ECC is an add-on for AI coding agents such as Claude Code that bundles skills, workflows, memory and security checks to make the agent plan, test and review its work more carefully, and it is better suited to developers who already use a coding agent and want a shared process.
Pick Our Free Model if you already use dsh and want to try several hosted AI models for free without creating accounts or keys, and you are fine with a beta tool.
Pick ECC if you already use Claude Code or another AI coding agent and want consistent planning, testing, review and security checks across your work.
| Key difference | Our Free Model | ECC |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Free access to hosted AI models inside the dsh host | Workflow, skills and security rules for AI coding agents |
| Setup | Beginner; no login, sign-up or API key needed to start | Intermediate; installs as a plugin with guided setup |
| Requires | The dsh agent host only | An AI coding agent, best supported in Claude Code |
| Maturity and stability | Marked beta; model lists refresh from upstream gateways | Large public following on GitHub, with a broad feature set |
| Privacy caveat | Kilo free pool may record prompts; avoid sensitive code | No specific privacy caveat in the information provided |
Written with AI from both products' catalogue entries · updated 2026-10-29
Who each one is for
Choose Our Free Model if you need…
- Developers who already use dsh and want to try models without creating accounts or keys
- People who want to compare several hosted models inside one agent tool
- Users who want a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint for other tools on their own machine
- Testers who are comfortable with a beta plugin and can tolerate model availability changing
Choose ECC if you need…
- Developers who already use Claude Code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review
- Teams that want consistent agent behavior across several coding tools
- People who want an agent to reuse past fixes through saved skills and memory
- Developers who care about security checks on agent-generated code
Side-by-side
| Our Free Model | ECC | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 56.6k | 295k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Our Free Model
This is a plugin for DeepSeek Harness (dsh), an AI agent host. Once installed, it adds free hosted models such as DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Kimi K3 to dsh's model picker, with no sign-up or API key required. It also includes a local OpenAI-compatible port so other tools on the same machine can call those models. The README says the free models come from the OpenCode Zen and Kilo AI public gateways, and that the plugin is at beta status.
ECC
ECC is an open-source add-on for AI coding agents such as Claude Code. It bundles reusable skills, workflows, memory and security checks so the agent plans before building, tests its changes, reviews its own work, and keeps useful notes between sessions. You install it once instead of writing the same process instructions into every prompt. The README says it works best with Claude Code and has native Codex and Qoder plugin paths, with more limited adapters for Cursor, OpenCode, Gemini and Zed.
Best for
Our Free Model
- Developers who already use dsh and want to try models without creating accounts or keys
- People who want to compare several hosted models inside one agent tool
- Users who want a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint for other tools on their own machine
- Testers who are comfortable with a beta plugin and can tolerate model availability changing
ECC
- Developers who already use Claude Code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review
- Teams that want consistent agent behavior across several coding tools
- People who want an agent to reuse past fixes through saved skills and memory
- Developers who care about security checks on agent-generated code
Strengths
Our Free Model
- No login, sign-up, or API key is needed to start, according to the README
- Ships as a plugin without changing the dsh kernel and with no build step, per the README
- Includes a local dashboard and a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and the README says usage data stays on the machine
ECC
- MIT-licensed and open source, with a large public following on GitHub
- Installs as a plugin through a documented slug, so setup is mostly guided
- Explicit about which tools have full support and which have limited adapters
Not ideal for
Our Free Model
- Anyone sending sensitive or confidential code or text: the README says the Kilo free pool may record prompts to improve the service
- People who need stable, guaranteed uptime, since the project is marked beta and model lists refresh from upstream
- Users who do not run dsh, since the plugin only works inside that host
- People who want to install from npm: the README warns that the npm package named dsh-our-free-model is third-party and differs from this repository
ECC
- People who do not use any AI coding agent, since the project only adds value on top of one
- Users who need a single, simple tool with a short learning curve, because the README covers many harnesses and components
- Anyone who needs full feature parity across Cursor, Gemini or Zed, since the README describes those adapters as capability-limited
Trade-offs
Our Free Model
- The 'free with no usage cap' claim comes from the project itself and depends on upstream gateways, which can change or restrict access
- Some features, including the EAC channel, require a GitHub login and a star on the repository before conversations are allowed, according to the README
- Prompts sent through the Kilo free pool may be recorded by the upstream provider, so the README advises against sending sensitive content
ECC
- The README describes a large system with many parts, which makes it hard to know what to use first
- Best support is for Claude Code; other tools get capability-limited adapters
- Some paid hosted features (ECC Pro GitHub App for private repos) are mentioned alongside the free project
Getting started
Our Free Model
Install the plugin into a dsh web profile from a local source directory
dsh plugin --profile web add /绝对路径/dsh-our-free-modelECC
Install the npm package listed in the README (exact command not shown in the truncated text)
git clone https://github.com/affaan-m/ECCFrequently asked questions
Should I use Our Free Model or ECC?
Our Free Model and ECC solve different problems, so they are not direct substitutes. Our Free Model is a beginner-friendly plugin for the dsh agent host that gives free access to hosted AI models with no sign-up or API key, though it is in beta and the free pool may record prompts. ECC is an add-on for AI coding agents such as Claude Code that bundles skills, workflows, memory and security checks to make the agent plan, test and review its work more carefully, and it is better suited to developers who already use a coding agent and want a shared process. Pick Our Free Model if you already use dsh and want to try several hosted AI models for free without creating accounts or keys, and you are fine with a beta tool. Pick ECC if you already use Claude Code or another AI coding agent and want consistent planning, testing, review and security checks across your work.
What is the difference between Our Free Model and ECC?
Our Free Model: A dsh plugin that gives access to hosted AI models without a login or API key. ECC: A set of skills, memory, and security rules that makes AI coding agents work more carefully. Our Free Model suits developers who already use dsh and want to try models without creating accounts or keys, while ECC suits developers who already use claude code and want a shared workflow for planning, testing and review.
Are Our Free Model and ECC free?
Our Free Model: Free and open source. ECC: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Our Free Model or ECC?
Our Free Model is easier to get started with (rated beginner); ECC is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Our Free Model or ECC more popular?
ECC has more GitHub stars (295k) than Our Free Model (56.6k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Our Free Model and ECC?
Other options people compare them with include Ollama, DeepSeek, Trail-code, 9Router, Agentic Awesome Skills.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.