Free can mean a client, a small inference allowance, or a trial with restricted output rights. Choose the task first, then read the catch in the same row. Use the cost-saving playbook to count setup, retries and review time; the October buying guide owns dated paid choices.
Coding/API directory checked October 3, 2026 against provider documentation. The creative audio/video entries have a separate October 13 source check. Task fits are editorial suggestions. Account access, inference, latency, quotas and accepted-result outcomes were not tested.
Start Here
| Task | Resource | What is free | Catch | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding agent | OpenCode / Zen | Client and selected Zen offers | Data-use exceptions. Limited-time offers; billing details required. Check training, retention and auto-reload. | Client / BYO-provider overview · Zen offers — checked October 3 |
| Internal API evaluation | NVIDIA trial API | Trial; no universal free quota verified | No production API or output. No confidential input; personal data needs express service permission. Content can support model improvement. | Trial rules |
| Text/audio prototypes | Groq | Limited API allowance | Model-specific limits. Retention exceptions for stateful features and reliability/abuse logs; check controls. | Limits · Data controls |
| Multimodal experiments | AI Studio / Gemini API | Studio and eligible API quota | Improvement use and human review. Avoid sensitive inputs; regional/billing exceptions below. Model-specific quotas. | Data exceptions · Terms |
| Small deployed features | Workers AI | 10,000 Neurons/day | Metered compute. Separate Workers limits; some models require paid billing. Free-plan requests stop at allowance. | AI pricing · Workers limits |
| Model comparison | OpenRouter | Limited requests to free variants | Limited requests. Capacity varies; upstream training/retention policies differ. | Limits · Provider policies |
| Agent IDE | Antigravity | $0 Individual plan | Weekly limits. Review interaction-data controls before sending project context. | Current access |
| BYO agent | AMP | Agent harness | Supply compute and model access. Old daily grants are historical. | Current access |
| Coding client | Kilo | Client; changing model offers | Inference/compute separate. BYOK, local and promotional routes have different terms. | Kilo guide |
| Local/offline | Local inference | No hosted API charge | Hardware and license constraints. Memory, electricity and setup still cost; check runtime networking. | Local guide · Gemma |
Creative audio and video
Documentation checked 13 October 2026; no account, generation or export tests. Generation credits, downloadable songs and permitted commercial use are different limits. For Google’s routes, start with the Lyria music guide or Flow video guide. The resources below are access checks, not comparative quality reviews.
Suno: song sketches with a separate download cap
Suno’s Free plan offers 50 generation credits per day for personal, non-commercial use. Credits reset rather than accumulate. The download FAQ separately describes up to seven lifetime trial downloads, not a monthly allowance. Check your unused downloads and any card-backed trial’s renewal terms before signing up.
For publication, check the track’s eligibility and permitted paid-plan download in the rights help. Upgrading alone is not a blanket retroactive licence; qualifying remixes of your own song have separate conditions. Copyright is not guaranteed. The privacy policy permits training; paid consumer exemption was not established. Private/Link Only means unlisted sharing, not an authenticated audience.
Higgsfield: hosted video tools or a separately billed API
Choose the website for its creative interface or the API for integration. Website credits and API dollars are separate. The launch page advertises $15 after business-email verification and adding a card; its seven-day label establishes no calendar cutoff or personal grant. Promotion availability and promotional-balance expiry remain unresolved. API top-ups start at $5; check optional auto-top-up before paying.
Website watermark rules do not establish API export rules, and upgrading does not remove old marks. Consumer commercial permission is subject to upstream restrictions; Seedance-specific exclusions remain unresolved. Consumer privacy permits training. The API terms describe a prospective Workspace opt-out, not a universal upstream-model exemption.
Seedance: choose the video provider before checking rights
Seedance 2.5 is a model family, not a shared allowance or licence. Its provider routes differ:
- Dreamina website: a free-start banner conflicts with subscriber, age and region eligibility. Free entitlement, numeric allowance and card conditions remain unresolved. The checked general terms restrict commercial use with possible supplemental permissions and direct US users to separate terms; check your regional contract. Privacy terms permit improvement/training.
- Higgsfield website/API: website model help lists Pro/Plus and above; the API endpoint is separate. Apply the payment, export and data checks above to your chosen route.
- BytePlus ModelArk: check the model documentation and activation terms for API use. Official indexed text indicates separate API and Playground terms, with Playground output limited to internal/private/non-commercial use. Those access-limited passages remain leads for a full contract read, not commercial clearance.
No current Lumina bonus or expired Dreamina promotion is recommended here. For any route, verify input rights and export permission before publishing; a free-start banner establishes neither.
Check the data path
Free or low-cost inference still needs a data-path decision. DeepSeek’s 2025 database exposure separates model capability, provider infrastructure, data terms and sharing controls. That historical record establishes neither present exposure nor present safety.
Gemini data exceptions
Google’s terms apply paid-service data handling throughout the EEA, Switzerland and UK, including unpaid quota. Elsewhere, Studio qualifies when your account has access to an actively billed Cloud project or is a Workspace enterprise account; API access qualifies through an actively billed project. Paid-service prompts/responses are not used for product improvement, but safety/legal logging remains. Serving API clients to users in those European regions requires Paid Services.
For Groq, use Data Controls to check zero-retention settings; persistence features and abuse/reliability exceptions make an unconditional privacy promise inaccurate. For OpenRouter, review both its own settings and the selected provider’s policy. Training opt-out is not a blanket no-retention guarantee.
For proprietary work, a free price alone is insufficient permission. In particular, NVIDIA’s trial terms exclude confidential inputs and production use of the service and generated content. The Kimi access guide separates model listings from tested entitlements.
FAQ
What is the best free AI coding tool right now?
Choose by task and restriction: a free client may still need paid inference, and a free hosted allowance may have data-use or trial limits. This directory does not rank an untested winner.
Where can I trial a coding API before paying?
Groq, Gemini API and OpenRouter document limited free access. NVIDIA is an internal-evaluation trial: neither the service nor its generated content may be used in production under the trial terms. Account eligibility remains untested.
Is Qwen still free on OpenCode?
Check the dated free-priced Zen roster in the OpenCode guide. A model name or an old promotion does not establish a current free entitlement.
Is Kimi still free anywhere?
NVIDIA lists Kimi K3, but its trial listing does not establish a universal no-payment quota. The trial service and generated content are excluded from production; use the Kimi access guide for current route boundaries.
What should I use if I want local or on-device AI?
Use the local-inference guide to choose a runtime and model that fit your hardware. Local inference avoids hosted API charges, but hardware, electricity, setup and model-license constraints remain.
Are ChatGPT Free and Claude Free good enough for coding?
They can help with occasional questions. For repeatable coding work, compare the workflow, allowance and data rules in this directory, then test a bounded task. No comparative outcome was measured here.
Related links
For OpenCode’s client and BYO-provider choices, use the client overview. For the October 3 snapshot, use the dated Zen offers. For a paid upgrade, return to the buying guide and evaluate cost per accepted result.
- Toybox Clock protocol — Protocol preview—results pending; historical seven-route snapshot, with current availability documented separately.