What are OpenRouter's free rate limits?

For any :free model: 20 requests/min, 50 requests/day (per account, shared across all :free models). RPD rises to 1,000 after ≥10 credits purchased (all-time). Upstream providers may also 429.

When was this OpenRouter data last verified?

Oct 21, 2026, against: API limits; Models API (filter ':free').

Free tier/Report for October 2026

OpenRouter

Q: Does OpenRouter have a free API tier?

Free tier. 17 ':free' model variants today; 50 free requests/day per account, or 1,000/day once you have bought ≥10 credits.

Q: Does OpenRouter require a credit card?

No — based on the official docs, you can start without a payment method. Free models work at zero purchased credits (lower 50 RPD tier). A negative balance can block free models too.

Free API tier limits · Gateway / router

17 ':free' model variants today; 50 free requests/day per account, or 1,000/day once you have bought ≥10 credits.

Card not requiredVerified Oct 21, 20262 official sourcesGateway / router

20requests / minuteRank 5 of 9 that publish it

50requests / day · per accountRank 2 of 3 that publish it

—tokens / minute · unverified

No cardneeded to start

Requests/day is one account-wide counter across all :free models (reported as free_model_daily_requests by GET /api/v1/key) — not a per-model limit. 20 requests/minute applies to :free model requests.

Free allowance

Free-model requests: 50/day if you purchased <10 credits all-time; 1,000/day with ≥10 credits purchased.

RPD rises to 1,000 after ≥10 credits purchased (all-time). Upstream providers may also 429.

Payment method. Free models work at zero purchased credits (lower 50 RPD tier). A negative balance can block free models too.

Limits by model

Model / tier	RPM	RPD	TPM	TPD / other
Credits purchased < 10	20	50	—	—
Credits purchased ≥ 10	20	1,000	—	—

Models on the free offer

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b:freenvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b:freegoogle/gemma-4-31b-it:freegoogle/gemma-4-26b-a4b-it:freecohere/north-mini-code:freepoolside/laguna-s-2.1:freepoolside/laguna-xs-2.1:freeminimax/minimax-m3.1-flash:freethinkingmachines/inkling:freethinkingmachines/inkling-small:freenvidia/nemotron-3.5-super-vl:freedots-studio/dots-3-note-preview:free+5 more

Worth knowing

The daily free limit is account-wide: all :free models share one counter. It is not per model.
Free model list counted from the public /api/v1/models endpoint on 2026-10-21 (17 of 468 models).
Check remaining free requests via GET /api/v1/key → free_model_daily_requests.

Left blank on purpose: tokens per minute. No official public source as of Oct 21, 2026.

Change history

Oct 21, 202617 free models, 50 → 1,000 requests/day with ≥10 credits

Questions

Does OpenRouter have a free API tier?: Free tier. 17 ':free' model variants today; 50 free requests/day per account, or 1,000/day once you have bought ≥10 credits.
Does OpenRouter require a credit card?: No — based on the official docs, you can start without a payment method. Free models work at zero purchased credits (lower 50 RPD tier). A negative balance can block free models too.
What are OpenRouter's free rate limits?: For any :free model: 20 requests/min, 50 requests/day (per account, shared across all :free models). RPD rises to 1,000 after ≥10 credits purchased (all-time). Upstream providers may also 429.
When was this OpenRouter data last verified?: Oct 21, 2026, against: API limits; Models API (filter ':free').