What is Free LLM API Resources?

Free LLM API Resources is a curated collection of free Large Language Model inference APIs — allowing developers to build AI-powered applications without paying for API access. Maintained by the community, it tracks which providers offer free tiers, what models are available, and how to access them.

GitHub: https://github.com/cheahjs/free-llm-api-resources Stars: 20,310+ Language: Python License: CC0-1.0 (Public Domain)


The Problem: AI API Costs

Current Pricing (2026)

ProviderModelInput CostOutput Cost
OpenAIGPT-4o$5/M tokens$15/M tokens
AnthropicClaude 3.5$3/M tokens$15/M tokens
GoogleGemini Pro$3.50/M tokens$10.50/M tokens
MistralLarge$4/M tokens$12/M tokens

Problem: Building AI apps costs $50-500/month in API fees.

The Solution: Free Tiers

ProviderFree TierRate LimitModels
Groq100% free20 req/minLlama 3, Mixtral
Together AI$5 credit60 req/minVarious OSS
Fireworks AITrialVariesMultiple
OllamaLocalUnlimitedSelf-hosted
LM StudioLocalUnlimitedSelf-hosted

1. Groq — Fastest Inference

Website: https://groq.com Free Tier: Completely free (rate limited) Speed: 800+ tokens/second Models:

  • Llama 3 70B
  • Llama 3 8B
  • Mixtral 8x7B
  • Gemma 7B
import requests

# Groq API (free tier)
response = requests.post(
    "https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_FREE_API_KEY"},
    json={
        "model": "llama3-70b-8192",
        "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
    }
)
print(response.json()["choices"][0]["message"]["content"])

2. Together AI — $5 Free Credit

Website: https://www.together.ai Free Tier: $5 credit for new accounts Models: 100+ open source models Features: Fine-tuning, embeddings

import openai

client = openai.OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_TOGETHER_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.together.xyz/v1"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="meta-llama/Llama-3-70b-chat-hf",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

3. Ollama — Run Locally

Website: https://ollama.com Cost: Completely free (runs on your hardware) Privacy: 100% private Models: Pull from Ollama library

# Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

# Pull a model
ollama pull llama3

# Run API server
ollama serve

# Use the API
curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate -d '{
  "model": "llama3",
  "prompt": "Why is the sky blue?"
}'

4. LM Studio — GUI + API

Website: https://lmstudio.ai Cost: Free (local inference) Features: GUI model browser, API server Best for: Testing models, development

# LM Studio local API
import openai

client = openai.OpenAI(
    base_url="http://localhost:1234/v1",
    api_key="not-needed"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="local-model",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

5. Fireworks AI — Fast OSS Models

Website: https://fireworks.ai Free Tier: Trial credits Speed: Optimized inference Models: Llama, Mixtral, CodeLlama


Comparison Table

ProviderCostSpeedPrivacyEase of UseBest For
GroqFree⚡⚡⚡⭐⭐⭐Production apps
Together$5 credit⚡⚡⭐⭐⭐Experimentation
OllamaFree⭐⭐Privacy-focused
LM StudioFree⭐⭐⭐Development
FireworksTrial⚡⚡⭐⭐Fast inference

Use Cases

1. Development & Testing

  • Prototype AI features
  • Test prompts
  • Build MVPs
  • Learn LLM integration

2. Personal Projects

  • Chatbots for personal use
  • Content generation tools
  • Code assistants
  • Research assistants

3. Education

  • Learn AI development
  • Student projects
  • Open source contributions
  • Research experiments

4. Production (with care)

  • Low-traffic applications
  • Fallback providers
  • Cost-sensitive projects
  • Community tools

How to Choose

Decision Tree

Need API access?
├── Yes → Need high speed?
│   ├── Yes → Groq (fastest)
│   └── No → Together AI (most models)
├── No → Need privacy?
│   ├── Yes → Ollama/LM Studio (local)
│   └── No → Consider paid options

Rate Limits Matter

ProviderRequests/minTokens/minNotes
Groq206,000Generous for dev
Together6012,000Good for testing
OllamaUnlimitedHardware limitYour hardware = limit

Community & Updates

How to Contribute

The repository is community-maintained:

  1. Star the repo to support
  2. Submit PRs for new providers
  3. Report broken links
  4. Share your experience

Stay Updated

  • Watch the GitHub repo
  • Check monthly for new providers
  • Join discussions for tips
  • Follow @cheahjs on GitHub


Disclaimer: Free tiers have rate limits and may change. Always check the provider’s current terms. This is a community resource, not affiliated with any API provider.