But we're not comparing a Claude subscription to using Claude at API prices; we're comparing it to using a cheap model like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at API prices. If I hit the 5-hour limit in 2 hours with Claude and have to wait 3 hours for it to reset, I get less value out of that subscription than I would have if I'd have just used DeepSeek to begin with, and the latter isn't more expensive.

So my original point about the limits being awkward still stands.