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Best free AI model APIs and gateways (2026)
4 of the 11 AI model APIs and gateways we rank have a free plan, free tier or free open-source release. In our ranking order, the best free option is OpenRouter (#1), followed by Hugging Face (#2) and Groq (#3).
The 4 free options, in ranking order
From each tool's own pricing page- #1 OpenRouter
- Free plan: Free plan with 25+ free models and 50 requests a day.Source: openrouter.ai, checked Our verdict: One API and bill for hundreds of models from many providers.
- #2 Hugging Face
- Free plan: Free account to start, to explore and build with machine learning on the Hub.Source: huggingface.co, checked Our verdict: The hub for open models and datasets, plus hosted inference.
- #3 Groq
- Free plan: Free tier to start. The Developer tier is pay as you go.Source: console.groq.com, checked Our verdict: Very low-latency inference for popular open models.
- #10 SandBase
- Free plan: Start at $0. Eligible data APIs share 100 free calls a day per organization, catalog search is free, agent sandboxes are free for now with fair-use caps, and failed calls are not charged.Source: sandbase.ai, checked Our verdict: One API key and balance for language, image and video models, data APIs like search and scraping, free E2B-compatible sandboxes and an OpenAI Agents API compatible agent runtime. Pay per call with no subscription. Newer and less proven than OpenRouter.
Ranks are from our full ranking of model APIs and gateways (11 tools). Ranked tools not listed have no ongoing free plan on their pricing page or our fact sheet. Free plans change often, so check the official page before you rely on one. Nothing on this page is sponsored.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is the best free API for open and frontier AI models?
OpenRouter, ranked #1 of 11. Its free option: Free plan with 25+ free models and 50 requests a day. Source: https://openrouter.ai/pricing, checked 2026-11-10.
Which model APIs and gateways tools are free?
OpenRouter (#1), Hugging Face (#2), Groq (#3), SandBase (#10).
How did you check the free plans?
We opened each tool's own pricing page or repository on Nov 10, 2026 and wrote down what the free option includes. Tools whose only free option is a trial or a one-time signup credit, or whose pricing page did not load for us, are left out.
Is the order the same as the full ranking?
Yes. Tools appear in the same order as our full ranking of model APIs and gateways, which is based on how well each tool does the job, not on price.
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