Groq tightened its free tier — here's what still works
Groq cut its free-tier rate limits roughly in half this week. What changed, what still works, and when to add a fallback.
1 min read
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Free & cheap AI access
You do not need a paid plan to start building with AI. A handful of providers give away genuinely useful free AI API access — the trick is knowing which ones are real, which need a credit card, and where the free tier quietly runs out. This is the honest map.
We cover the providers worth your time — Google AI Studio (Gemini), Groq, OpenRouter, Mistral, Cerebras and Hugging Face — and for each one we test the actual free-tier limits: requests per minute, requests per day, and the model quality you get for zero dollars. Every guide states the catch out loud, whether that is a data-training clause, a hidden card requirement, or a daily cap that a real app blows through by lunchtime.
If you have been searching for a free LLM API key with no credit card, a free alternative to the OpenAI API, or just the cheapest way to run AI at small scale, start here. Everything is dated and re-tested, because free tiers change constantly.
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Free & cheap AI access
Get a free Gemini API key in Google AI Studio (and what the limits really are)
Get a free Gemini API key in Google AI Studio in 5 minutes — with the real rate limits we measured and the data-training catch explained.
3 min read
✓ verified 25d ago
Common questions
Free & cheap AI access: quick answers
Which AI APIs are actually free in 2026?
Google AI Studio (Gemini), Groq, OpenRouter, Mistral, Cerebras and Hugging Face all offer working free tiers. Each has different rate limits and model choices — our guides test them one by one and list the current numbers.
Do free AI APIs require a credit card?
Some do, some do not. Google AI Studio and Groq hand out keys with no card at all. Others ask for a card even on the free tier as a spam check. We flag the card requirement in every guide so there are no surprises.
What is the catch with free AI API tiers?
Usually one of three things: a low daily request cap, a clause letting the provider train on your prompts, or a card requirement. On most free tiers your data may be used to improve the model, so never send anything private until you move to a paid key.
What is the best free alternative to the OpenAI API?
For most people, Google's Gemini free tier via AI Studio is the easiest no-card option, and Groq is the fastest. OpenRouter is the best single endpoint for trying many free models at once. Which one wins depends on your rate-limit and quality needs.