Free LLM API tiers in 2026: the actual rate limits, and why they keep changing

Disclosure: I'm a co-founder of nopaywall, the catalog this post draws from.

If you've ever built a side project on a "free" LLM API, you know the problem: the free tier is real, but the limits are buried in docs, they change without notice, and the blog post you found last year is wrong now. I'll go through what the free tiers look like at the moment and how we keep the data current.

These are caps, not promises. Eligibility can vary by country, so check each provider's terms before you ship anything that depends on them.

nopaywall lists 100+ free API providers, with a model finder so you can search by model family instead of by vendor. Collection and checking are automated with source evidence: sources (GitHub repos and topic lists) are collected, then the official pricing or docs page is inspected. A card goes public only when it has a reachable destination and enough evidence for the limit. API providers and limits are re-checked within 72 hours. Cards are removed after a confirmed expiry or a failed verification. Unclear records stay off public pages.

Free, freemium, open-source and paid access are labeled separately. That way "free trial, card required" doesn't get mixed up with "free tier".