Credit programs
Free AI credits and startup programs.
Free tiers for trying models, plus startup programs that award larger cloud and AI credits. We checked every listing against the provider’s own pages on November 2, 2026. Terms change often, so confirm on the provider’s site before you rely on one.
Free tiers and trial credits
10 guides · scroll table →
| Provider | Program | Free access | Window | Who qualifies | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alibaba Cloud | Model Studio new-user free quota | About 1M tokens on each eligible model, plus media quotas | 90 days from activation | First Model Studio activation, Singapore region | Read guide |
| Anthropic | Claude API starter credit | Small one-time credit (amount not published) | Not published | New Claude Console accounts | Read guide |
| Cerebras | Free trial credit | $5 one-time credit | Expires 30 days after it’s granted | New account with a verified card | Read guide |
| Cloudflare | Workers AI | 10,000 Neurons per day | Resets daily at 00:00 UTC | Any Cloudflare account | Read guide |
| Cohere | Free trial API key | 1,000 API calls a month | Monthly allowance | Any Cohere account; not for production | Read guide |
| Groq | GroqCloud Free plan | Free API calls within per-model rate limits | Ongoing; per-minute and daily limits | Free GroqCloud account | Read guide |
| IBM | watsonx.ai Lite | 300K model tokens + 20 CUH per month | Monthly allowance | IBM Cloud account (IBMid) | Read guide |
| Mistral AI | Studio Free mode | Monthly usage at the lowest rate tier | Ongoing | Mistral account; no card needed | Read guide |
| OpenAI | Researcher Access Program | Up to $1,000 of API credit | Expires 1 year after award | Researchers in API-supported countries | Read guide |
| Replicate | Try for Free models | Free runs; count not published | Until the free runs are used | Replicate account; no card needed | Read guide |
These summaries aren’t offers, and listing a program doesn’t mean its credits can be transferred.
Startup credit programs
8 guides · scroll table →
| Provider | Program | Credit | Window | Who qualifies | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alibaba Cloud | AI Catalyst Program | Up to $120,000 + up to 2B Model Studio tokens | Apply by March 31, 2027 | Alibaba Cloud account; reviewed case by case | Read guide |
| AWS | AWS Activate | $1,000 self-funded; up to $200,000 via a provider | Usually 1–2 years | Pre-Series B, founded within 10 years | Read guide |
| Cloudflare | Cloudflare for Startups | $10,000, $100,000 or $350,000 by tier | 1 year, or until used | Up to Series B, founded within 10 years | Read guide |
| ElevenLabs | Startup Grants | 12 months of Scale: 33M characters | 12 months, then the Free plan | Fewer than 25 employees | Read guide |
| Google Cloud | Google for Startups Cloud Program | Up to $200,000; up to $350,000 for AI startups | 2 years | Funded, pre-seed to Series A | Read guide |
| Microsoft | Microsoft for Startups | $200 to start; up to $150,000 at usage milestones | 90 days to 2 years, by stage | Pre-Series C, owns a software product | Read guide |
| NVIDIA | NVIDIA Inception | No fixed NVIDIA amount; partner offers vary | Set by each partner offer | Under 10 years old, builds on NVIDIA tech | Read guide |
| Together AI | Startup Accelerator | $15,000–$50,000 by funding raised | Not published | Selection-based, at any funding level | Read guide |
Amounts are the most a startup can receive. Providers set the final amount case by case, and most ask for a company website and a business email.
Credits lose value as they near expiry.
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