# Is the OpenAI API free?

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. The model pages we read for GPT-5.6 Terra and GPT-5.6 Luna list rate limits from Tier 1 upward only, so which models a Free-tier organisation can call, and at what rate, is not published on those pages.

Read from the provider page 2026-09-14.

## Free tier: OpenAI API, Free usage tier

Published on the provider page.

- Monthly spend cap: $100 — Free usage tier; the organisation must be in an allowed geography

- What moves you past this tier: Paying $5 moves the organisation to Tier 1; later tiers follow cumulative payments ($50 for Tier 2, $100 for Tier 3, $250 for Tier 4, $1,000 for Tier 5) with monthly usage limits of $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $200,000.
- Card required: Not stated by the provider
- Source: [OpenAI rate limits guide](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/rate-limits), read 2026-09-14

The guide does not state a free signup credit; we record none.

## Paid entry tier: OpenAI API, Tier 1

Published on the provider page.

Tier 1 starts once $5 has been paid: a $100 a month usage limit, and per-model rate limits published on each model page, for example 500 requests and 500,000 tokens a minute for GPT-5.6 Terra and the same for GPT-5.6 Luna.

- Monthly spend cap: $100 — Tier 1 usage limit
- Requests per minute (GPT-5.6 Terra): 500 — Tier 1, from the model page
- Tokens per minute (GPT-5.6 Terra): 500,000 — Tier 1, from the model page
- Requests per minute (GPT-5.6 Luna): 500 — Tier 1, from the model page
- Tokens per minute (GPT-5.6 Luna): 500,000 — Tier 1, from the model page

- What moves you past this tier: Cumulative payments move the organisation up: $50 paid for Tier 2 ($500 a month), $100 for Tier 3 ($1,000), $250 for Tier 4 ($5,000), $1,000 for Tier 5 ($200,000).
- Card required: Yes
- Source: [OpenAI model page: GPT-5.6 Terra (rate limits)](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models/gpt-5.6-terra), read 2026-09-14

Tier thresholds and monthly limits are from the rate-limits guide; per-model figures from the Terra and Luna model pages, both read the same day.

## Related

- [OpenAI API pricing](https://benchlm.ai/openai/api-pricing)
- [Compare paid LLM API rates](https://benchlm.ai/llm-pricing)
- [All free tiers](https://benchlm.ai/free-tier)

## FAQ

### Does the OpenAI API have a free tier?

OpenAI’s rate-limits guide lists a Free usage tier for organisations that have not paid, limited to allowed geographies and to $100 of usage a month. The model pages for GPT-5.6 Terra and Luna publish rate limits from Tier 1 upward only, so which models the Free tier can call is not stated on those pages.

### Does OpenAI give free API credits to new accounts?

The rate-limits guide does not state a signup credit, and the pricing page we read does not either. We record none rather than repeat a figure from a third-party page. If you see a promotional credit inside your own account, it is account-specific and not a published policy.

### What are the OpenAI API Tier 1 limits?

Tier 1 begins once $5 has been paid and carries a $100 a month usage limit. Per model, the published Tier 1 limits are 500 requests and 500,000 tokens a minute for GPT-5.6 Terra and the same for GPT-5.6 Luna, with batch queue limits listed separately on each model page.

### How do the OpenAI usage tiers increase?

By cumulative payments, not by time. $50 paid moves an organisation to Tier 2 with a $500 monthly limit, $100 to Tier 3 at $1,000, $250 to Tier 4 at $5,000, and $1,000 to Tier 5 at $200,000 a month. Rate limits per model rise with each tier and are listed on the model pages.

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