2026 Free AI API Round-up: DeepSeek, Volcano Ark, Zhipu, Kimi, Qwen, and More — Which Is Best?
Reading time: 8 minutes
Audience: Developers, AI enthusiasts, technical founders
Free credits: Application tutorials for each platform at the end
TL;DR
In 2026, the threshold for AI development has dropped to rock bottom.
The combined free tiers of all the major providers are enough for you to develop a medium-sized project without spending a cent.
I've organized the most worthwhile free AI APIs right now. Bookmark this article, and you'll never get lost in selection.
👉 12 AI platforms Coding Plan summary (maintained by Wanfeng, the programmer)
What Is an AI API?
Plain English: Someone else has trained the AI model, and you can call it through an interface.
Just like you don't have to build your own power plant; you can just use the national grid's electricity.
Benefits of using AI APIs:
- No need to train your own model (saves $1M+)
- No need to buy GPUs (saves $100K+)
- Pay-as-you-go, controllable cost
- Easy integration, clear documentation
Free AI API Comparison
| Platform | Model | Free Tier | Recommendation | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek-V3 | Largest free credits | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Code, reasoning, cost-saving |
| Volcano Ark | Multi-model | Has credits | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Multi-model comparison |
| Zhipu AI | GLM-4 | Has free calls | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Chinese understanding, enterprise |
| Kimi | Moonshot | Has free tier | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Long text, web search |
| Alibaba Bailian | Qwen series | Has free tier | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Alibaba ecosystem |
| Tencent Hunyuan | Hunyuan | Has free tier | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Tencent ecosystem |
| iFlytek Spark | Spark | Has free tier | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Voice interaction |
| Baidu Ernie | Ernie | Has free tier | ⭐⭐⭐ | Baidu ecosystem |
For international readers, here are the equivalents:
| Platform | Free Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $5 free credit for new accounts | General purpose, GPT-4o |
| Anthropic Claude | Free tier on claude.ai; API free credits | Code, long context |
| Google Gemini API | Free tier with rate limits | Multimodal |
| Mistral AI | Free tier for experimentation | Open weights, European |
| Groq | Very generous free tier | Ultra-fast inference |
| Together AI | $5 free credit | Open-source models |
| Cohere | Free trial credits | Enterprise search/RAG |
| HuggingFace Inference API | Free tier | Open-source models |
| Replicate | Free credit for new accounts | Image/audio models |
Tier 1 Detailed Breakdown
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tier 1: Generous Free Tier + Good Chinese
1. DeepSeek (Largest Free Tier)
Why we strongly recommend it:
- Largest free credits: Among mainstream providers, DeepSeek's free credits are the largest
- Lowest price: API price is 1/10 of competitors
- Strong performance: DeepSeek-V3 on par with GPT-4o, super-strong coding
- Open source, self-hostable: Can be deployed locally for free
Test data:
1 | Same code task: |
Best for:
- Code generation, code completion
- Math reasoning
- Long text processing
- Budget development
How to apply: DeepSeek API application tutorial
2. Volcano Ark (Most Models)
Why we strongly recommend it:
- Many models supported: Doubao, GLM, DeepSeek, Kimi, MiniMax
- No tool usage restrictions: This is great, as many platforms limit tool calls
- Deep integration with OpenClaw: Suitable for automated workflows
- One platform for multiple models: No need to register on multiple platforms
Best for:
- AI programming
- Multi-model comparison testing
- Enterprise development
- Don't want to mess with configuration
How to apply: Volcano Ark API tutorial
3. Zhipu AI (Best Chinese Understanding)
Why we strongly recommend it:
- Tsinghua background: Strong technical capabilities, stable model quality
- Top Chinese understanding: GLM-4's Chinese understanding is industry-leading
- Open-source version is free: ChatGLM can be deployed locally, completely free
- Stable enterprise version: First choice for production environments
Best for:
- Chinese dialogue systems
- Knowledge base Q&A
- Long document processing
- Enterprise AI applications
How to apply: Zhipu AI API tutorial
4. Kimi (Long-text Champion)
Why we strongly recommend it:
- Ultra-long context: 128K context, can handle an entire book
- Strong web search: Accurate search results, clear citations
- Chinese-friendly: Strong Chinese understanding
- Great developer experience: Polished developer tools
Best for:
- Long article summarization
- Web search answers
- Document processing
- Beginner-friendly
How to apply: Kimi API tutorial
Tier 2 Detailed Breakdown
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tier 2: Each With Its Own Strength
5. Alibaba Bailian (Alibaba Ecosystem)
Why we recommend it:
- Qwen series models have full coverage
- Native integration with DingTalk, Taobao, etc.
- Comprehensive Alibaba Cloud ecosystem
Best for: Enterprise AI apps, e-commerce scenarios, Alibaba Cloud users
6. Tencent Hunyuan (Tencent Ecosystem)
Why we recommend it:
- WeChat ecosystem boost
- Access to Tencent Meeting, WeChat Work
- Top choice for social AI development
Best for: Social AI applications, game AI, WeChat Work integration
7. iFlytek Spark (Voice Interaction)
Why we recommend it:
- Voice interaction is its traditional strength
- Strong speech synthesis and recognition
- Rich experience in education scenarios
Best for: Customer service robots, voice assistants, education apps
Final Recommendations
| If you need… | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Code generation & debugging | DeepSeek | Cheapest, near-GPT-4 quality |
| Multi-model A/B testing | Volcano Ark | One platform, many models |
| Chinese understanding | Zhipu GLM-4 or Kimi | Top Chinese quality |
| Long documents | Kimi | 128K context |
| Voice interaction | iFlytek Spark | Speech is their strong suit |
| Enterprise stability | Zhipu AI | Tsinghua-backed, stable |
| Total free capacity | DeepSeek + Kimi + Zhipu | Combine for max free usage |
Pro tip: You can use the free tiers of all 7 platforms simultaneously, switching between them based on the task. Total free capacity: enough for a startup's first 6 months.
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