1. Start with credits
Signup credits are best for prototypes. Monthly-reset credits are better for small production workloads.
Free Tool · Updated Daily
AI Free API Checker
Find free LLM APIs, signup credits, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, rate limits, and China-friendly AI providers before you build.
88free/API providers tracked
44free API credit options
30OpenAI-compatible notes
34China-direct options
| Provider | Free credits / quota | Rate limit | API fit | Access | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01.AI (Yi)chat · coding | ¥10 | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Anthropic APIchat · coding · reasoning | $5 | 5 RPM | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Anyscalechat · coding | $10 free credits | 30 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Baichuan AIchat · reasoning | 500万 tokens | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Cerebrasapi · chat | 1M tokens/day | 30 RPM / 60K TPM / 1M TPD | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| ChatGLM (Zhipu AI)chat · coding · image | 500万 tokens | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Cloudflare Workers AIapi · chat · image | 每天 10000 神经元（永久有效） | 10000 requests/day | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Cohereapi · chat | 1000 calls/month | Trial rate limits | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Coze (ByteDance)chat · coding · image | Free tier | Varies | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| DeepSeekchat · coding · reasoning | $5 | 2 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| DGX Cloud Lepton (formerly Lepton AI)chat · coding | $10 free credits | 10 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Doubao (ByteDance)chat · image · video | 50万 tokens | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| ElevenLabsaudio | 10K chars/month | Varies | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| ERNIE Bot (Baidu)chat · image · coding | Free tier | 5 RPM | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| fal.aiimage · video | Promotional credits | N/A | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| FireRed-OpenStorylinevideo · agent · editing | Unlimited self-hosted | Local/self-hosted | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Fireworks AIchat · coding · image | $1 free credits | 600 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| FLUX (Black Forest Labs)image | Free via platforms | Varies | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Gemini (Google)chat · coding · reasoning | Free tier | 15 RPM | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Google AI (Gemini)chat · coding · reasoning | 免费 API 无需信用卡 | 15 RPM (Flash) | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Grok (xAI)chat · coding · reasoning | $25/月 | Varies | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Groqchat · coding · reasoning | Free tier（永久免费） | 30 RPM / 6000 TPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Hugging Facechat · coding · image | Free tier | Varies | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| iFlytek Sparkchat · coding | 200万 tokens | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Kimi (Moonshot AI)chat · reasoning · coding | ¥15 + 充 $5 送 $5 | 3 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| LM Studiochat · coding | Unlimited | Local | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| MiniMaxchat · audio · video | ¥15 | Varies | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Mistral AIchat · coding · reasoning | Free tier | 1 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Novita AIchat · image · video | $0.50 free credits | 60 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| NVIDIA Build (NIM API)api · chat · coding | 无限制（已取消额度限制） | 40 RPM（可申请提升到 200 RPM） | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| OctoAIchat · coding · image | $10 free credits | 60 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Ollamachat · coding | Unlimited | Local | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| OpenAIchat · coding · image | $5 | 3 RPM (free tier) | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| OpenRouterchat · coding | Free models | 20 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Qwen (Alibaba)chat · coding · reasoning | 7000 万 tokens（新用户一次性） | 按模型不同 | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Replicateimage · video · audio | Free tier | Varies | API credits available | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| SambaNovachat · coding · reasoning | Free tier（永久免费） | 30 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| SenseNovachat · coding | 公测免费额度 | 待官方控制台确认 | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| SiliconFlowchat · coding · image | ¥14 | Varies | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| StepFunchat · image · video | ¥10 | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Tencent Hunyuanchat · image · video | 100万 tokens | 5 RPM | OpenAI-compatible / similar | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Tiangong AIchat · search · image | Free tier | Varies | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Together AIchat · coding · image | $5（注册赠送） | Varies by model | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Viduvideo · image | $1 | N/A | API credits available | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Aidercoding · cli | MIT open-source; bring your own model API key, pay-per-use. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Brave Search APIsearch · api | 2000 free queries per month. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Cerebras Cloudapi · inference | Free developer tier at 30 RPM. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI)chat · coding · reasoning | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Claude (Anthropic)chat · coding · reasoning | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Clinecoding · agent | Free and open-source extension; plug in DeepSeek/Qwen for near-zero cost. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Codeiumcoding · autocomplete | Free forever for individuals with unlimited autocomplete and chat. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Continuecoding · agent | Apache-2.0 open-source, free. Pairs with local Ollama for zero-cost offline use. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Cursorcoding | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| D-IDvideo · avatar | 5 free minutes on signup. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Databricks Mosaic AIapi · enterprise | $400 free credits for new accounts. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| GitHub Copilotcoding | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| HeyGenvideo · avatar | 3 free generations/mo; Creator $29/mo. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| HFViewerchat | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Ideogramimage | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Janselfhosted · desktop | AGPL-3.0 open-source, free. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Jina AIembedding · api | 1M free tokens on signup. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Kling AI (Kuaishou)video · image | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| LocalAIselfhosted · api | MIT open-source, zero API cost when self-hosted. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Luma (Dream Machine)video · 3d | 免费试用 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Meshy3d · generation | 200 free credits per month. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Midjourneyimage | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Notion AIchat · coding | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| NVIDIA NIMapi · inference | 1000 free requests for developers. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| OnePass (Google AI Pro)chat · coding · reasoning | Google AI Pro 免费一年（绑 Visa 卡不扣费） | Google AI Pro 标准限制 | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Perplexity AIsearch · chat · reasoning | $0 | N/A | OpenAI-compatible / similar | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Pika Labsvideo · generation | Daily free credits; Standard $10/mo. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| PlayHTvoice · tts | 12.5K chars/mo free tier. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Poechat · coding · image | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Red Note AIwriting · marketing · social | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Runwayvideo · image | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Seedance (Doubao Video)video · image | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Stability AIimage · api | 25 free credits on signup. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Sunoaudio | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Supermavencoding · autocomplete | Free basic tier; Pro $10/mo. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Synthesiavideo · avatar | 3 min/mo free; Starter $22/mo for 120 min. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Tabbycoding · selfhosted | Apache-2.0 open-source, self-host for zero API cost. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Tencent Yuanbaochat · search · reasoning | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
| Tripo 3D3d · generation | 100 free credits daily. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Udiomusic · generation | 1200 generations/mo free; Pro $10/mo. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| vLLMselfhosted · inference | Apache-2.0 open-source. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Voyage AIembedding · api | 50M free tokens for new users. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Windsurfcoding · ide | Free plan with Cascade Base credits; Pro $15/mo unlocks premium models. | Check provider | Free web tier | Global / may need proxy | 2026-05-10 |
| Xiaobijiwriting · marketing · social | $0 | N/A | Free web tier | China direct | 2026-05-10 |
Data export: JSON · CSV. Please cite yangmao.ai when reusing the dataset.
How to choose a free AI API
2. Check API compatibility
If the endpoint is OpenAI-compatible, you can often reuse existing SDKs and switch only the base URL.
3. Match region and access
For China-based users, direct access and stable payment/signup paths matter as much as raw model quality.