# Free LLM API tiers, with the limits that apply

Which LLM APIs have a free tier, what the published limits are, where they are only shown in a console, and what moves an account to paid. Every value carries the provider source and the date we read it.

Limits read from provider pages; latest read 2026-09-14.

## By provider

- [Google AI Studio](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/google-ai-studio) — Free tier. The Gemini API free tier applies to an active project or free trial and needs no billing. Read 2026-09-11.
- [OpenRouter](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/openrouter) — Free tier. Models whose ID ends in :free cost nothing per token and are limited per account: 20 requests per minute, and 50 requests per day until the account has bought $10 of credits in its lifetime, after which the daily limit is 1,000. Read 2026-09-11.
- [DeepSeek](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/deepseek) — Signup credit. DeepSeek's pricing and rate-limit pages publish no free tier or trial amount. Read 2026-09-11.
- [Anthropic](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/anthropic) — Signup credit. Anthropic publishes no free API tier. Read 2026-09-11.
- [OpenAI](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/openai) — Free tier. OpenAI's rate-limits guide lists a Free usage tier for organisations that have not paid, available only in an allowed geography, with a $100 a month usage limit. Read 2026-09-14.
- [Mistral AI](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/mistral) — Free tier. Mistral's help article describes Free mode as the default with limited limits for testing and prototyping, and says the current limits, usage and tier are shown on the Limits page of the Admin panel (the console). Read 2026-09-14.
- [Groq](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/groq) — Free tier. Groq publishes sample Free-plan limits per model, applied at the organisation level, and says the current exact limits for an organisation are on the limits page in account settings, with possible exceptions. Read 2026-09-14.
- [Cohere](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/cohere) — Free tier. Every new Cohere account gets a Trial API key. Read 2026-09-14.
- [Together AI](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/together) — No free tier. Together's billing page states that Together AI does not currently offer free trials, and that access to the platform requires a minimum $5 credit purchase. Read 2026-09-14.
- [Cerebras](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/cerebras) — Signup credit. New Cerebras accounts receive $5 in free credits after adding a verified payment method; the credits expire 30 days after they are granted, and Playground and API access stay inactive until a payment method is added. Read 2026-09-14.
- [xAI](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier/xai) — No free tier. xAI's API page states that API usage is billed per token rather than free, and that the Playground comes with every Console account. Read 2026-09-14.

## How these pages are kept honest

Every limit is copied from the provider's own page on the date shown beside it, with a link to that page. When a provider stops publishing a number, the row says so and stays unpublished; nothing is filled from a forum post or another tracker.

## FAQ

### Which LLM APIs have a free tier?

Of the eleven providers on this page, Google’s Gemini API, Groq, Cohere’s Trial key and Mistral’s Free mode are free tiers without billing, OpenRouter offers free model variants metered by request, and OpenAI lists a Free usage tier by geography. Cerebras grants a $5 credit after a card is added. DeepSeek, Anthropic, Together AI and xAI publish no free tier.

### Is there a free LLM API for production use?

Not one you can plan a workload on. Free tiers are rate-limited per minute or per day, Google now shows its free limits only in the AI Studio console, and every provider can change them without notice. Treat a free tier as a prototyping budget and price the production workload on the paid rates.

### How often do free tiers change?

Often enough that the date matters. Google moved its Pro models to paid in April 2026 and stopped publishing free-tier limits on its docs page, and OpenRouter ties its daily cap to purchase history. Every limit here shows the date we read it from the provider’s page, and rows are re-read before they are published.

Canonical page: https://benchlm.ai/free-tier