Free API access to modern AI models is a reality in 2026, but “free” almost always comes with limits. There are two ways to get access to Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Qwen, and Gemini without a credit card: through newer AI routers that offer free models and starter credits (OrcaRouter, TeamoRouter, AgentRouter, Token Harbor, NaraRouter, FreeRouter), or through major platforms with ongoing free limits (OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, Groq, Mistral AI). The difference between these options is the size of the limits, reliability, and data handling policies.
This article covers 10 services with free API access: six routers tested on August 16, 2026 in a Habr roundup, and four major platforms whose free limits were confirmed by official documentation and independent reviews on the same date. For each service, we note what a new user gets after registration, what limits apply, and whether you can actually send requests through the API.
Quick takeaway. If you need starter credits for strong closed models — check out AgentRouter ($125 after registration). If you need a permanent free daily limit — NaraRouter (7 million tokens per day) or Google AI Studio (Gemini is free, but prompts are used to train models). If you need one key for many models — OpenRouter with its
:freecatalog. If you need speed — Groq. For prototypes and experiments with non-sensitive data, all ten are suitable; for production workloads, free plans are not intended.
Prepared August 16, 2026. Free-plan terms change quickly: models disappear, limits are revised, and free programs are shut down. Check the current terms yourself before using any service. There are no affiliate links in this article.
Contents
- What an AI router and free API are
- How the services were tested
- Six routers with free models
- Four major services with free limits
- Summary table: 10 services
- How to choose a free API by use case
- Data, privacy, and free-plan limitations
- FAQ
- How AI Dawn helps businesses deploy AI agents
- Bottom line
What an AI router and free API are
An AI router is an intermediary service that provides unified API access to models from different developers (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Qwen, Gemini, and others) through one key and one balance. Free API means free access to models through such a router or directly from the provider: free models with zero token pricing, daily request limits, or starter credits.
Why do routers offer free access? Three reasons:
- Onboarding: a free model or credits are a way to showcase the service with a low barrier to entry.
- Promotional subsidization: new services are willing to absorb inference costs in order to build a user base.
- Load-testing feedback: free requests help test infrastructure, although synthetic traffic is more commonly used for that than actual user prompts.
Important note: free does not mean unlimited. Every service has a limiting mechanism: a model quota (free_quota_exhausted), requests-per-minute and daily limits, a restricted free-model catalog, credit expiration, or data-related terms. Understanding the specific mechanism is more important than the fact that the balance shows "$0".
How the services were tested
The six routers were tested on August 16, 2026 by the author of the Habr roundup (“Free APIs for Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, and Other Models: 6 AI Routers with Free Access”): registration, balance check, calling /v1/models, real API requests to free models, and recording responses and errors.
Data on the four major services (OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, Groq, Mistral AI) were collected on the same day from official documentation on limits and from independent reviews with test dates listed (03/28/2026 — 08/16/2026). Where sources differ on the numbers, that is clearly noted.
We did not measure response speed, uptime stability, or generation quality on a single benchmark — those comparisons are not included or promised in the article.
Six routers with free models
OrcaRouter: four free endpoints with a zero balance
Website: orcarouter.ai
After registration: balance $0.00, no card required, API key issued immediately. Four free models are available:
orcarouter/freedeepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-freedeepseek/deepseek-v4-pro-freeqwen/qwen3.8-27b-free
API testing showed that DeepSeek V4 Flash Free, DeepSeek V4 Pro Free, and Qwen3.8 27B Free all work. orcarouter/free also works, but it has its own small quota: after several test requests, it returned free_quota_exhausted, while the direct free models continued to work.
Bottom line: there are no starter credits, but the free API really works; the router endpoint is better used as a backup rather than the primary option.
TeamoRouter: two free DeepSeek models with a 1M context
Website: teamorouter.com
After registration: balance $0.00, 37 models total in the catalog, including two free ones:
deepseek-v4-flash-freedeepseek-v4-pro-free
Both models have a context window of 1M tokens and a price of $0 for input / $0 for output. API check: deepseek-v4-flash-free returned as deepseek-v4-flash-0731, deepseek-v4-pro-free — as deepseek-v4-pro. Both requests completed successfully.
Bottom line: there are no starter credits, but two free DeepSeek models with a large context window are genuinely available through the API.
AgentRouter: $125 in credits after sign-up
Website: agentrouter.org
Registration is through GitHub, and based on the author’s observations, a brand-new GitHub account may not qualify — most likely, you’ll need an account that is at least a year old. Right after sign-up, $125.00 was added to the balance.
Only three models are available:
claude-opus-4-8— $3 / $15 per 1M input/output tokensclaude-opus-5— $2 / $10gpt-5.6-sol— $4 / $20
All three models were tested: claude-opus-4-8 and claude-opus-5 — through Claude Code, gpt-5.6-sol — through Qwen Code. One caveat: a direct curl request to /v1/models in the test returned unauthorized client, although the service worked through Claude Code and Qwen Code. After six requests, $0.51 was spent, leaving $124.49.
Bottom line: among the services tested, the most generous in starter credits is $125 after sign-up, with access to two Claude Opus models and GPT-5.6 Sol. Credits are spent at the models’ paid rates.
Token Harbor: two free models with a seven-day Free Access period
Website: tokenharbor.ai
After sign-up: balance $0.00, 17 models in the catalog, two of them free:
mimo-v2.5:freedeepseek-v4-flash:free
API access requires email verification. Free models must be enabled separately in the dashboard. The service warns that free requests and responses may be stored. API check: mimo-v2.5:free returned as mimo-v2.5, deepseek-v4-flash:free — as deepseek-v4-flash; both models work.
The seven-day Free Access period starts with the first request to a free model. After four test requests, $0.00 was spent, and the balance remained $0.00.
Bottom line: there are no starter credits, but after email verification you get access to two free models, with the caveat that requests may be stored — suitable for non-sensitive data.
NaraRouter: 7M tokens per day — the largest recurring limit
Website: router.bynara.id
After sign-up: balance $0.00, free limit 7M tokens per day, request limit 10 per minute, subscription term — no limit. /v1/models returned 51 model IDs, but far from all of them worked on the free tier.
Registration is available via Google. For the free API, you need to link Telegram and join the byNara AI channel; alternatively, top up your balance with at least $1.
Free tier check: agnes-2.0-flash, agnes-2.5-flash, laguna-s-2.1, mistral-large, mistral-medium-3-5, tencent-hy3-free — work. At the same time, some of the models from /v1/models did not work on the free tier: deepseek-v4-flash-free, mimo-v2.5-free, agnes-2.5-pro, grok-4.5, stepfun-3.7-flash did not respond, and ling-3.0-flash-free rejects requests.
After testing, 588 tokens, 9 requests, the balance remained $0.00, PAYG is disabled.
Bottom line: the largest free limit among the services tested is 7 million tokens per day, but free access is available only for some of the models in the main catalog. Check the specific model before integrating.
FreeRouter: a fully free service with one model
Website: freerouter.eu.cc
After registration: there is no monetary balance at all, and there is only one free model — qwen3.8-max with a context window of 100K tokens, limit 100 requests per minute, no card required.
API check: qwen3.8-max works, and the API confirmed a 100 requests/min limit. After the request, the counter showed 99 of 100, and the limit resets after 60 seconds. According to /v1/status model availability at the time of the check was 86.7%, so temporary outages are possible.
Bottom line: the service is completely free and has no cash balance, but right now only one model is available — Qwen 3.8 Max. It’s suitable for getting familiar with the API and for lightweight prototypes.
Four major services with free limits
These four platforms were not included in the Habr roundup, but they do have confirmed free limits and differ from newer routers in stability and scale.
OpenRouter: one key for dozens of free models
Website: openrouter.ai
OpenRouter is the best-known model marketplace: a single OpenAI-compatible API, a catalog of hundreds of models, provider selection, and fallback routing. For a free start, there are two mechanisms:
- Router
openrouter/free— automatically chooses a free model from the available options, filtering by request requirements (image support, tool calling, structured outputs). At the time of the check (June 2026), there were about 25 free model options in the router; according to the review dated 08/16/2026, the catalog lists from 17 to 27+ free models — the lists change quickly. - Models with the suffix
:free— specific free endpoints, for exampleopenai/gpt-oss-120b:free,cohere/north-mini-code:free,poolside/laguna-s-2.1:free.
Free-tier limits (June–August 2026): free account — 20 requests per minute and 50 requests per day; after a one-time balance top-up of $10, the limit increases to 1,000 requests per day, while the 20 requests per minute limit remains. No card is required for the free tier, and topping up is optional.
Important: the free-model catalog is unstable. In June 2026, qwen/qwen3-coder:free, deepseek/deepseek-r1:free, and later moonshotai/kimi-k2.6:free and deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:free disappeared. Before integration, check whether a :free variant is available on the model page.
Bottom line: the best choice when you need one key for many models and flexible control (provider selection, fallback blocking, data policy filtering). Free models are for prototypes, not production.
Google AI Studio: free Gemini without a card, but with prompt training
Website: aistudio.google.com
Google AI Studio is the official free access to Gemini models (including flagship ones) and a number of open models. The key is issued without a bank card; the free tier works when there is an active project with no billing attached.
As of May 2026, the following were available for free access: gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-flash-lite, gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-3.1-flash-lite, gemini-3.5-flash and other text models. RPM/RPD limits for each model are visible only in the AI Studio account (reviews from March 2026 cited values around 10 RPM / 20 RPD, while later ones mentioned up to 1,500 requests/day; the numbers depend on the model and change over time).
Key caveat: on the free tier, prompts and responses are used to improve Google products. If you process data that the user did not intend to share anywhere, you need to take that into account. On the paid tier, training is disabled.
Bottom line: the only free access to a closed flagship model (Gemini) without a card, with generous context and multimodal capabilities. The trade-off is data use for training on the free tier.
Groq: the fastest free API for open models
Website: console.groq.com
Groq is an inference platform on its own hardware (LPU) that offers free limits on open models. The key is issued without a card. Published free-tier limits (07/29/2026):
| Model | RPM | Requests/day | Tokens/day |
|---|---|---|---|
llama-3.1-8b-instant |
30 | 14,400 | 500K |
llama-3.3-70b-versatile |
30 | 1,000 | 100K |
openai/gpt-oss-120b |
30 | 1,000 | 200K |
whisper-large-v3 |
20 | 2,000 | 28,800 audio seconds |
The main limitation is tokens per minute: for llama-3.3-70b the cap is around 12K TPM, so long context runs into throttling. According to the data, Groq does not store inference input and output by default and provides Zero Data Retention on request.
Bottom line: the best choice for latency-sensitive tasks and streaming generation on open models. One of the most generous daily limits (14,400 requests/day for 8B models) and a transparent data policy.
Mistral AI: one billion tokens per month for free
Website: mistral.ai
Mistral AI (La Plateforme) is a European provider of proprietary models (Mistral Large, Small, Ministral, and others). On the free "Experiment" tier, Mistral models are available with a limit of about 1 billion tokens per month and roughly 1 request per second (based on a review dated 03/28/2026). Registration is card-free, with SMS/email verification.
Bottom line: the most generous token-volume limit among proprietary-model providers; suitable for experiments and lightweight internal tools.
Summary Table: 10 Services
| Service | What’s Free | Card | Limit | Data Policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrcaRouter | 4 free endpoints (DeepSeek V4 Flash/Pro Free, Qwen3.8 27B Free, router) | not required | router-endpoint quota | not checked |
| TeamoRouter | 2 free DeepSeek models, 1M context | not required | only 2 models | not checked |
| AgentRouter | $125 in credits, Claude Opus 4-8/5, GPT-5.6 Sol | not required (GitHub) | credits are consumed; direct /v1/models is rejected | not checked |
| Token Harbor | 2 free models (MiMo V2.5, DeepSeek V4 Flash) | not required | 7 days of Free Access; free requests may be saved | saving free requests is stated |
| NaraRouter | 7 million tokens/day, 10 requests/min | not required (Telegram or $1) | not all models work on the free plan | not checked |
| FreeRouter | Qwen 3.8 Max, 100 requests/min | not required | 1 model; 86.7% availability at the time of testing | not checked |
| OpenRouter | 25+ free models via :free and router openrouter/free |
not required | 20 RPM / 50 RPD (1000 RPD after a deposit of $10) | depends on the provider; training policy filter available |
| Google AI Studio | Gemini (including Pro) for free | not required | RPM/RPD by model, visible in the account | prompts are used for training on the free tier |
| Groq | Llama 3.1 8B (14,400 requests/day), Llama 3.3 70B, GPT-OSS-120B | not required | 30 RPM; TPM cap on long context | does not store data by default, ZDR on request |
| Mistral AI | ~1 billion tokens/month on Mistral models | not required | ~1 request/sec | subject to platform terms |
The table is based on data from a Habr roundup dated 08/16/2026 and official documentation/reviews from 03/28/2026 to 08/16/2026. The data policy of young routers was not disclosed in the verified sources — this is not proof of insecurity, but a gap in public information that needs to be closed separately.
How to Choose a Free API by Use Case
The choice depends on what you need for free: credits for strong models, a fixed daily limit, speed, or privacy.
1. Need starting credits for closed models (Claude, GPT). Check out AgentRouter ($125 after signup) and OpenRouter (:free catalog, and if needed, a one-time top-up from $10 for 1,000 requests/day). AgentRouter credits are spent on paid model tiers, so they will cover a limited number of tasks.
2. Need a recurring free limit every day. NaraRouter (7 million tokens/day) and Groq (up to 14,400 requests/day for 8B models) offer the largest ongoing quotas. Mistral AI has the largest monthly token volume (about 1 billion).
3. Need one key for many models. OpenRouter is a single OpenAI-compatible endpoint with provider selection and fallback. If you need access to a closed flagship model, use Google AI Studio (Gemini) if you are willing to accept the prompt-training terms.
4. Need speed and streaming generation. Groq uses specialized hardware for high throughput; among routers, FreeRouter claims 100 requests/min, but at the time of testing it had one model with 86.7% availability.
5. Need a clear data policy. Groq states that it does not store data by default (ZDR on request); Google AI Studio explicitly warns about prompt training; OpenRouter lets you filter providers by training policy. For newer routers, the data policy should be requested separately — it is not disclosed in verified sources.
General rule: free plans are for prototypes, learning, and non-sensitive data. For client documents, personal data, and mission-critical production workflows, you need a vendor with a contract, DPA, retention policy, and fallback plan — regardless of the size of the free allowance.
Data, Privacy, and Free Plan Limitations
Free access almost always has a hidden cost — and it is not money.
Prompt training. Google AI Studio on the free tier explicitly says that prompts and responses are used to improve products. Other services may have looser or stricter policies; the absence of an explicit disclosure is a reason to ask, not to silently assume it is safe.
Request retention. Token Harbor warns that free requests and responses may be stored. Before sending sensitive data to any free endpoint, check retention and your right to deletion.
Catalog instability. Models appear and disappear: in June 2026, OpenRouter lost qwen/qwen3-coder:free and deepseek/deepseek-r1:free; on NaraRouter, some models from /v1/models do not work on the free plan. Your integration should have a fallback or check model availability at startup.
Quota exhaustion. On OrcaRouter, the router endpoint returned free_quota_exhausted after several requests, even though the direct free models kept working. For a prototype, build in quota error handling and retries.
Different limit units. Requests, tokens, Neurons, and credits are different units. Groq’s “14,400 requests/day” and NaraRouter’s “7 million tokens/day” cannot be compared directly without accounting for prompt length.
FAQ
Which service offers the largest free limit?
Based on checks as of 08/16/2026: NaraRouter — 7 million tokens per day (permanent limit), Mistral AI — about 1 billion tokens per month, Groq — up to 14,400 requests/day on the llama-3.1-8b model. The units are different, so the comparison is only valid within the same type of limit.
Can I get a free API without a bank card?
Yes. All ten services in the article issue a key without a card. Some require other conditions: AgentRouter — a GitHub account (by observation, at least one year old), NaraRouter — linking Telegram and subscribing to a channel, Token Harbor — email verification.
Which free API is best for a prototype?
It depends on the prototype. For a fast start with one model — FreeRouter or OrcaRouter. For access to strong closed models — AgentRouter ($125 in credits) or OpenRouter. For steady load on a prototype — NaraRouter or Groq. For multimodality and a large context window — Google AI Studio.
Is it true that OpenRouter free models work?
Yes, models with the suffix :free really do accept requests, but the limits are low (20 requests/minute, 50 per day on a free account), the catalog changes, and availability depends on the provider. For production, OpenRouter recommends paid plans.
How do starter credits differ from a permanent limit?
Starter credits (AgentRouter — $125) are a one-time balance that is spent on paid model usage and eventually runs out. A permanent limit (NaraRouter — 7 million tokens/day, Groq — requests/day) resets every day and does not need to be topped up.
Is it safe to send data to free APIs?
Safety depends on the service and the type of data. Google AI Studio trains on free-tier prompts; Token Harbor warns about request storage; Groq says it does not store data by default. For sensitive data (customer databases, source code, personal data), free plans are not suitable — you need a provider with a contract and a DPA.
How AI Dawn helps companies implement AI agents
Free APIs are a convenient way to test a hypothesis with a prototype: build a demo chatbot, classifier, or draft assistant. But once the prototype proves value, a different question comes up — how to turn an experiment into a working business process with control over data, access, and quality. That is exactly the stage where you need a partner that handles AI implementation in an enterprise environment.
AI Dawn is a Russian integrator that implements AI agents in company business processes: it designs the architecture, connects communication channels and enterprise systems, deploys LLMs (including on-premises deployment), and builds RAG systems on corporate knowledge bases.
What you can do with AI Dawn:
- Audit a process for AI readiness. Determine which process (customer support, document workflows, analytics) is truly ready for automation, what data is needed, and what acceptance criteria should define success.
- Build a prototype on your data. Design and launch a pilot AI agent or RAG system on a corporate knowledge base — using proven models and a clear data handling approach.
- Plan a production rollout. Assess infrastructure requirements (including local model deployment), integrations with 1C, ERP, and communication channels, and prepare the team for operations.
The first step is to describe one process, its current metrics, data sources, constraints, and acceptance criteria. Then the AI Dawn team will help determine which models and architecture fit your use case and where a free API is no longer enough.
Discuss your project.
Bottom line
Free APIs for AI models really do exist and work in 2026. Six newer routers — OrcaRouter, TeamoRouter, AgentRouter, Token Harbor, NaraRouter, and FreeRouter — offer free models and starter credits without a bank card, while four major platforms — OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, Groq, and Mistral AI — provide ongoing free limits across dozens of models.
Whichever option you choose, remember three rules. First: free access is limited — by quotas, request caps, or data-related conditions. Second: pricing changes quickly, so check the current terms before integrating and build in a fallback. Third: free tiers are meant for prototypes and non-sensitive data; for production and customer data, you need a provider with a contract and a clear processing policy.
Start small: sign up for two or three services from the article, send a few test requests, and compare which one works best for your task. It will take less than an hour and give you an honest picture of what a free API can actually do.