Free LLM APIs
The 22 models listed at zero price on OpenRouter, kept apart from the paid table so that “free” is never confused with “no price data”.
22 of 22 models, sorted by context window — loading the complete list…
Each row: input / output price, then your monthly cost. Token prices per 1M tokens. Tick up to 4 models to compare.
“Your cost” applies the cache-read price only where the source lists one; a model with no price data shows a dash and is never ranked as cheapest.
Collected from the OpenRouter models API (466 entries). 99 models are cross-checked against provider list prices in the LiteLLM price table.
What “free” means on this page
A model is on this page when OpenRouter lists it with a price of exactly zero for input and for output. Most carry the suffix :free in their id and exist next to a paid entry of the same model. The price is the only thing this site knows about them: the request limits, the hosts that serve them and their data policies are set by OpenRouter and by each host, and are not tracked here.
Good uses
Free variants are useful for trying a model before paying for it, for prototypes, for teaching and for low-volume personal tools. Because the list is sorted by context window by default, you can also see quickly which free model accepts the longest prompt.
Before you depend on one
Free entries appear and disappear more often than paid ones: the change log records each model added or removed. When a prototype grows into a product, find the paid version in the main table or see the cheapest paid models: the lowest paid prices are a few cents per million tokens.
Questions and answers
Are these models really free?
They are the 22 models that OpenRouter listed with a price of zero for both input and output at the collection of 3 Oct 2026, 08:40 UTC. Free variants are subject to OpenRouter’s rate limits and usage policy, which this site does not track.
What is the catch with free variants?
They are rate limited, may be slower, may be served by a host that logs prompts for training, and can be removed or turned into paid models at any time. Read the model’s page on OpenRouter before sending anything sensitive.
Can I run production traffic on a free model?
It is risky. With no price there is no commitment on availability. A common pattern is to prototype on a free variant and move to the paid version of the same model, whose price you can find in the main table.
Why is a model free here but paid elsewhere?
OpenRouter lists free and paid variants as separate entries, the free one with the suffix “:free”. The paid entry of the same model appears in the main table.
Keep going
- Price tableEvery model and its price, sorted by your monthly bill.
- Cost calculatorYour monthly bill on up to four models, line by line.
- Cheapest modelsThe five lowest-cost models in each category.
- Price changesA dated log of every price that went up or down.
- Caching and batch discountsHow the two discounts work and what you save.
- Long-context pricingModels that read very long prompts, and what they charge.