awesome-free-llm-apis

501+ free LLM APIs from 30 providers — find, compare & configure free models in seconds.

🌐 Live at freellm.net — Browse models · Playground · Config generator · API keys

🔄 Data refreshed daily from freellm.net — Last updated: 2026-10-07

🌐 English · 简体中文 · 繁體中文 · 日本語 · 한국어

Why This Exists

Finding a free LLM API shouldn't mean hunting through a dozen GitHub READMEs, signing up for five different platforms, or guessing which models still have a free tier.

This repo is a structured, machine-readable directory of every free LLM API — rate limits, context windows, one-click config snippets, and direct API key links. Updated daily.

Why this repo + freellm.net:

• ✅ Always up-to-date — data refreshed daily via automated monitoring, not a 2-year-old static list
• ✅ Credit card transparency — clearly shows which providers require a card, phone verification, or nothing at all
• ✅ One-click configs — ready-to-copy snippets for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Aider, and 10+ more tools
• ✅ Side-by-side comparison — compare context windows, rate limits, and modalities across providers instantly

How to Use — 3 Steps

1. Pick a provider — see Provider Directory below. Start with Groq (no credit card, 30 RPM free).
2. Get your API key — click any Get Key → link below, sign up (most need just an email), and copy your key. Takes < 1 minute.
3. Plug it in — copy the base URL + model ID, paste into the Quick Start examples below.

Configuring a specific tool? Claude Code · Cursor · Codex · OpenHuman · OpenCode · OpenClaw — one-click configs at freellm.net/config/.

Quick Start — Use Any Free API in 30 Seconds

Never used an API before? Here's the simplest path: go to console.groq.com/keys, sign up with just an email (no credit card), copy your free key, and paste it into any example below. You'll be running in under a minute.

All providers below expose an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Any tool that accepts baseURL + apiKey works — just swap the base URL and key.

Python (OpenAI SDK)

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.groq.com/openai/v1",  # free, no credit card
    api_key="GROQ_API_KEY",                     # get at console.groq.com/keys
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3.3-70b-versatile",            # see Best Models table below
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
# Groq free tier: 30 RPM, 14,400 RPD — generous for personal use

Codex CLI

export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.groq.com/openai/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-groq-key"          # get at console.groq.com/keys
codex --model "llama-3.3-70b-versatile"

Cursor

Settings → Models → Add Model
  Model name: llama-3.3-70b-versatile
  Base URL: https://api.groq.com/openai/v1
  API key: your-groq-key                       # get at console.groq.com/keys

Claude Code

# Claude Code needs an Anthropic-compatible API — use OpenRouter
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-or-v1-your-key"  # openrouter.ai/keys
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""                       # must be empty
# Note: OpenRouter Anthropic models need $10 top-up (one-time)

Using Other Tools?

Most AI dev tools accept custom API endpoints — just point them at any provider above. Grab your free key, then:

• Claude Code — set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL + ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Step-by-step →
• Cursor — Settings → Models → Add Model. Step-by-step →
• Codex CLI — set OPENAI_BASE_URL + OPENAI_API_KEY. Step-by-step →
• OpenHuman — edit config.toml. Step-by-step →
• Aider — edit .aider.conf.yml. Step-by-step →
• Cline (VS Code) — API provider settings. Step-by-step →
• Open WebUI — Settings → Connections. Step-by-step →

More ready-to-copy configs at freellm.net/config/.

All providers, base URLs, and API key links are in the Quick Reference below.

Provider Directory

⚡ Permanent Free Tiers

These providers offer a permanently free tier — no credit card required for most.

💰 Renewable Credits

Providers that periodically renew free credits.

Quick Reference — Base URLs & API Keys

Best Free Models by Provider

🖥️ Local / Self-Hosted (Unlimited, Private, Free Forever)

Top Free Models (by Weekly Usage)

Data from freellm.net, updated daily via API monitoring.

Repository Structure

awesome-free-llm-apis/
├── README.md              ← Complete provider directory & code examples
├── code-examples/          ← Ready-to-use config snippets
│   ├── claude-code.md
│   ├── cursor.md
│   └── codex.md
└── LICENSE                 ← MIT

For the full structured dataset with 453 models and daily updates, visit freellm.net.

Contributing

We welcome contributions!

• Add a missing free model — Open an issue or submit a PR
• Fix inaccurate data — Rate limits change, providers graduate. PRs welcome
• Add a config snippet — Have a working config for a tool we don't cover? Add it to code-examples/

Criteria for inclusion

A model belongs in this list if:

1. The provider explicitly offers a free tier (not just a trial credit)
2. The API is publicly accessible (no waitlist, closed beta, or reverse-engineering)
3. For trial credits: clearly labeled and minimum $1 credit value

Links

• 🌐 Live site: freellm.net — search, compare, playground, config generator
• 🔑 API key directory: freellm.net/free-llm-api-keys/
• ⚙️ Config generator: freellm.net/config/
• 🎮 Playground: freellm.net/playground/
• 📊 Compare models: freellm.net/compare/

License

MIT © open-free-llm-api

_{Last updated: 2026-10-07}