{ "as_of": "2026-10-22", "stats": { "providers": 236, "providers_with_findings": 227, "findings": 1474, "confidence": { "high": 956, "medium": 439, "low": 79 }, "sunset_notes": 237, "corrections": 38, "fronts": 15, "extras_providers": 14 }, "fronts": [ { "id": "llm-apis", "title": "LLM & AI model APIs, inference and agent platforms", "summary": "", "providers": 18, "findings": 466, "startup": 18, "student": 17, "nocard": 17, "selfhost": 4 }, { "id": "cloud-credits", "title": "Startup cloud-credit programs (VC / accelerator funded)", "summary": "", "providers": 12, "findings": 310, "startup": 12, "student": 11, "nocard": 8, "selfhost": 2 }, { "id": "databases", "title": "Managed databases & data platforms", "summary": "Managed databases & data platforms: free tiers, trial credits, student and startup programs across Postgres/MySQL/NoSQL, vector DBs, search, time-series, and hyperscaler database offers. As of 2026-10-22.", "providers": 24, "findings": 303, "startup": 22, "student": 20, "nocard": 22, "selfhost": 8 }, { "id": "hosting-paas", "title": "Frontend hosting, PaaS & app deployment", "summary": "Frontend/edge hosting and app-deployment PaaS that, as of 2026-10-22, has a genuine free tier, free-trial credit, student offer, or startup credit program — verified against official pages. 2025–26 shifts worth knowing: Netlify moved all new accounts to credit-based plans (Sep 4, 2025; Free = 300 credits/mo, thin ~15 GB); Railway restored a permanent $1/mo Free plan (Aug 27, 2025) after running it down in 2024; Render flattened Pro to $25/mo with unlimited seats and cut Hobby bandwidth from 100 GB to 5 GB (Apr 23, 2026); Koyeb (now under Mistral AI, Feb 2026) closed its free Starter plan to new users; Vercel's Hobby is strictly non-commercial. Defunct / no genuine free offer in this front: Glitch (stopped hosting projects Jul 8, 2025 under Fastly), Heroku (no free tier since Nov 2022; from $5/mo \"Eco\" dyno), Cyclic (cyclic.sh redirects to GitHub; effectively down), Deta (Hugging Face–acquired; deta.space unreachable), and Kinsta / Pantheon / Pika / Cloudron (no perpetual free tier for new users). Entries 13–16 are from secondary 2026 comparisons (Northflank, Val Town, Puter, HF Spaces) — confirm on the vendor page before relying on them.", "providers": 15, "findings": 226, "startup": 14, "student": 14, "nocard": 14, "selfhost": 1 }, { "id": "vps-servers", "title": "VPS, bare-metal & dedicated servers", "summary": "As of 2026-10-22, the perpetual-free leaders for servers are Oracle Cloud (Always Free: up to 2 AMD micro VMs + a trimmed 2 OCPU/12 GB ARM slice, 200 GB block, 10 TB/mo egress) and Google Cloud (always-free e2-micro VM + 30 GB disk, us-* regions). The big clouds otherwise run time-boxed trial credits: since 2025-07-15 AWS no longer gives new accounts a 12-month EC2 free tier — it's now a $100+up-to-$100 credit \"Free Plan\" that closes at 6 months; Google gives $300/90 days; Azure $200/30 days. Second-tier VPS providers (Vultr, Linode/Akamai, OVHcloud, Hetzner, UpCloud, Kamatera) run $100–$200 trial credits or a $200/2-month no-commitment trial; note that Vultr's and Linode's trial amounts are now promo-code-dependent and no longer fixed in official docs, and DigitalOcean's old $200/60-day trial has been wound down to a ~$5/90-day standing credit. Startup credit programs (AWS Startups, Azure for Startups, Google for Startups, DigitalOcean Startups, Scaleway) add five-figure credits. Seeds with NO genuine free offer were excluded: Contabo, RackNerd, Aeza, Netcup, ExoScale, Kimsufi; IONOS offers only short trials. Several figures here (OVHcloud, Scaleway, UpCloud, IONOS, Kamatera, Azure/Google startup caps) are marked \"verify in-console\" because their marketing pages are JS-gated and could not be live-fetched this pass.", "providers": 13, "findings": 285, "startup": 12, "student": 12, "nocard": 8, "selfhost": 1 }, { "id": "devtools", "title": "Dev tools, IDEs, Git & CI/CD", "summary": "Dev tools, IDEs, Git & CI/CD front of the free-offers mega-index (offers verified against official pages as of 2026-10-22; web search budget was exhausted partway, so a few lower-confidence entries are flagged in notes).", "providers": 18, "findings": 278, "startup": 17, "student": 16, "nocard": 17, "selfhost": 7 }, { "id": "gpu-ml", "title": "GPU, ML training & notebooks", "summary": "GPU, ML training & notebooks — free tiers, trial credits, student offers and startup programs, verified against official pages (checked 2026-10-22). Verified live: Kaggle 30h/wk GPU quota, Colab free T4 (dynamic limits, 12h sessions), HF Spaces free ZeroGPU (5 min/day; as of July 2026 all new compute Spaces incl. CPU Basic are paywalled, free accounts keep only 2 ZeroGPU Spaces + free Static), Paperspace free M4000 notebooks, Modal $30/mo Starter, GCP $300/90d trial + e2-micro, Azure $200/30d + B1s 750h/mo x12mo, AWS new $200/6mo free plan (old p3 12h/mo free tier ended July 2025). NOT free (checked 2026-09/10, official pages show nothing free): TensorDock (no free credit), Vast.ai (no free credit), DataCrunch — now rebranded Verda (pure pay-as-you-go, no free tier/credit), Spheron (paid per-minute marketplace, H100 ~$2.98/hr; only sporadic community token giveaways), RunPod for ordinary users (no free tier; only a $1,000 startup-tier credit and enterprise/academic programs). Also closed: AWS SageMaker Studio Lab (free Jupyter+GPU) and Colab Pro for Education, both closed to new signups 2026-07-30. Lambda has no signup credit — only its competitive up-to-$5,000 Research Grant for academic researchers. Local open-source runtimes (Ollama, llama.cpp, LM Studio, GPUStack, SGLang) remain free-for-all on your own GPU.", "providers": 21, "findings": 310, "startup": 20, "student": 21, "nocard": 18, "selfhost": 4 }, { "id": "observability", "title": "Observability, monitoring, uptime & CDN", "summary": "", "providers": 20, "findings": 199, "startup": 19, "student": 18, "nocard": 19, "selfhost": 7 }, { "id": "auth-analytics", "title": "Auth, security, product analytics & feature flags", "summary": "", "providers": 19, "findings": 78, "startup": 18, "student": 16, "nocard": 18, "selfhost": 7 }, { "id": "email-messaging", "title": "Email, SMS, push & chat APIs", "summary": "", "providers": 22, "findings": 178, "startup": 20, "student": 16, "nocard": 19, "selfhost": 0 }, { "id": "apis-data", "title": "API marketplaces, free public APIs, search & CMS", "summary": "API marketplaces, free public APIs, search & CMS — genuinely free tiers, no-card trials, and open-source self-host options available to students and startups as of 2026-10-22.", "providers": 18, "findings": 84, "startup": 13, "student": 13, "nocard": 18, "selfhost": 9 }, { "id": "payments-fintech", "title": "Payments & fintech dev tools", "summary": "", "providers": 17, "findings": 80, "startup": 16, "student": 12, "nocard": 16, "selfhost": 0 }, { "id": "student-only", "title": "University & education-only programs (.edu / student email)", "summary": "Verification pass run 2026-10-22 against official pages. Verified this run: Azure for Students, GCP free/education, Unity, Discord UNiDAYS offer, JetBrains, MATLAB, Zoho, AWS Free Plan, Adobe, Claude for Startups. The session's shared WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-run, so remaining items are compiled from known programs and marked 'verify' where limits may have shifted. Major 2025-2026 changes flagged in notes (Azure $100 lump-sum credit; Unity $200K threshold; Adobe 74%; AWS Free Plan revamp Oct 2025; Discord has no permanent student discount; edX sunset into Google Cloud; JetBrains bootcamp sunset Oct 1 2026; Zoho Catalyst free for students Sept 2026; Google for Startups raised to $350K).", "providers": 23, "findings": 522, "startup": 22, "student": 23, "nocard": 18, "selfhost": 3 }, { "id": "oss-selfhost", "title": "Self-hosted open-source alternatives that replace paid SaaS", "summary": "Self-hosted open-source alternatives that replace paid SaaS — free community/self-hosted editions, vendor free cloud plans, and startup credit programs across the dev stack (workflow automation, internal tools, e-signature, CMS, docs, scheduling, analytics, observability, monitoring, web servers, publishing, surveys). Offers checked 2026-10-22 against official pages.", "providers": 25, "findings": 116, "startup": 15, "student": 16, "nocard": 15, "selfhost": 21 }, { "id": "extras", "title": "Extras: gap-fill finds and providers outside the 14 fronts", "summary": "", "providers": 14, "findings": 48, "startup": 9, "student": 8, "nocard": 5, "selfhost": 0 } ], "providers": [ { "key": "500 global", "name": "500 Global", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.500global.com/" ], "offers": [ "Accelerator investment (historically ~$50K-$100K for ~5-7% equity) bundled with ~$50K in partner tech/cloud credits (AWS, GCP, OpenAI, etc.) for demo-day companies." ], "notes": [ "NOT re-verified this run (WebSearch budget exhausted). 500 Global (ex-500 Startups) runs 500 Global + 500 Capital; specific 2026 credit caps change cohort to cohort - confirm on 500global.com before relying on a figure." ], "findings": [ { "name": "500 Global FounderHub — bundled partner cloud/tech credits (the actual 'Startup Cloud-Credit Program')", "detail": "Free perks platform for 500-affiliated founders: 400+ partner perks/discounts covering AI tools, hosting, banking, cap-table management, expert network, investor directory. Official 500 Eurasia program page states participants get 'access to over $1M in credits in the 500 FounderHub'. No per-provider dollar amounts (AWS/GCP/OpenAI not itemized publicly); partners include Deepgram, Mercury and others via the perks catalog. Platform launched 2022. There is no public-facing free cloud-credit program — the $1M+ credit pool is only reachable by 500-affiliated founders.", "eligibility": "500 portfolio companies, accelerator alumni, and 500 education-network alumni (1,400+). Free account at 500founderhub.com; no .edu requirement; not open to the general public — gating is by 500 affiliation. No funding cap stated; region limits only apply to the accelerator that grants access.", "claim": "1) Join a 500 program or be a 500 portfolio company. 2) Create a free account at 500founderhub.com (sign-in/signup page is public). 3) Redeem partner perks from the 400+ Perks catalog; book expert office hours, request investor intros.", "expiry": "Per-partner terms; 500 publishes no global expiry/renewal date", "gotchas": "'Credits' are mostly partner-usage allowances and discounts, not cash; per-provider caps vary by partner and are not public; access is gated (trial-vs-free: it is free only to 500-affiliated founders); platform counts 400+ perks but the $1M figure is marketing language from the Eurasia page.", "source_url": "https://500.co/founders/eurasia/accelerator(primaryclaimof$1M+credits);https://www.500founderhub.com/andhttps://www.500founderhub.com/auth/signup;https://500.co/partnerships", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "500 Fellowship (500 Global Flagship Accelerator, Palo Alto)", "detail": "Up to $50K upfront with 'potential for up to $1M more as you progress' (official flagship page, read today). 4-month in-person San Francisco program; Batch 37 cohort Nov 30, 2026 – Apr 9, 2027. Program fee: $35,000 per startup for Phase 1, excluding travel (fee is typically deductible from the investment). Not a free offer — VC deal with equity dilution plus a $35K program fee; the free component is only the bundled FounderHub perks/network.", "eligibility": "Early-stage tech startups; official page targets 'top 0.1% of founders' (just started, or first users/revenue/pilots all accepted); geographic requirement: founder in the U.S. or plans to be within six months. No .edu requirement; no funding cap published.", "claim": "1) Apply at flagship.aplica.500.co. 2) Five-stage process: Apply -> Talk to us (interviews) -> Kick off -> Build (weekly group days, 1:1s) -> Finish (demo to stakeholders). Batch 36 application close was Oct 11, 2026.", "expiry": "Batch cycles: Batch 36 closed Oct 11, 2026; current cohort runs Nov 30, 2026 – Apr 9, 2027", "gotchas": "$35K Phase 1 fee (excl. travel) — not free; old 'up to $150K for 6%' deal no longer published (deal restructured, see sunset_notes); US-presence requirement excludes most students/international founders; equity % not stated on the page.", "source_url": "https://500.co/founders/flagship", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "500 Global in Eurasia Accelerator (Tbilisi)", "detail": "$100,000 investment per accepted startup ('subject to final terms and diligence'), 12-week hybrid program: 2 weeks in-person Tbilisi (Sep 21–Oct 2, 2026) + 8 weeks remote (Oct 5–Nov 27, 2026) + Fundraising week in Tbilisi (Nov 30–Dec 11, 2026), Demo Day Dec 10, 2026. Includes 'over $1M in credits in the 500 FounderHub' (AI tools, hosting, banking, cap-table management). Third-party coverage (Eurasia Biz Monitor, May 2026) reports a $35,000 Phase 1 fee, but the official page does not state a fee.", "eligibility": "Early-revenue-stage tech startups with a functional prototype, global-market potential, cross-functional team with market expertise, 'VC backing potential'; must have direct or indirect operations in one of 28 listed Eurasian countries (Balkans, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Baltic states, etc.). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Apply year-round at eurasia.aplica.500.co. 2) Priority deadline for Batch 12: Aug 2, 2026; final deadline Aug 9, 2026. 3) Three-phase program with in-person Tbilisi phases.", "expiry": "Batch 12 application deadline Aug 9, 2026; Batch 11 demo day Dec 10, 2026", "gotchas": "Fee not disclosed on the official page (third-party reports $35K Phase 1 fee); $1M+ credits claim is program marketing, provider breakdown not public; country-restricted (28 countries); equity % not stated on page.", "source_url": "https://500.co/founders/eurasia/accelerator", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "500 LatAm Program (Silicon Valley immersion)", "detail": "500 Global commits $300,000 investment to the 5 most promising Latin American tech startups per cycle; package includes 3 weeks at 500 San Francisco HQ plus ongoing dedicated accompaniment from a 500 team member. No program fee or cloud/tech credits disclosed on the official page. A Nov 2025 press call (contxto, Nov 11, 2025) described the structure as $300K for 10% equity.", "eligibility": "Early-stage Latin American tech startups with a global vision; Latin America founders only. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Apply at latam.aplica.500.co ('APLICA AQUI'). 2) Official page: call open until July 31, 2026 (CONVOCATORIA ABIERTA HASTA EL 31 DE JULIO 2026).", "expiry": "Application deadline July 31, 2026; 2025-cycle Silicon Valley immersion was scheduled for April 2026", "gotchas": "Official disclaimer: participation does not include or guarantee an investment; only 5 startups selected per call; equity terms not published on the official page; page footer says 'updated as of Dec 2024' — verify current terms at application.", "source_url": "https://500.co/founders/latam", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global (MENA, Riyadh)", "detail": "Equity investment of 'US$100,000 and above' from 500 Global for selected startups; 12-week program in Riyadh (Batch 11: Apr 5 – Jul 1, 2026); Phase 1 program fee of $35,000 per startup excluding travel (stated on the official MENA page). Partnership between 500 Global and Sanabil Investments (Saudi PIF).", "eligibility": "MENA tech startups with an MVP and early traction, ready to scale; focus on the Middle East/North Africa region. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Apply via the MENA portal (mena.500.co/founders/mena/seed-accelerator). 2) Batch 11 deadlines: priority Feb 15, 2026, application close Mar 5, 2026; next cycle final deadline Aug 9, 2026 (Sep 27 – Dec 9, 2026 run).", "expiry": "Batch 11 closed Mar 5, 2026; next batch runs Sep 27 – Dec 9, 2026, final deadline Aug 9, 2026", "gotchas": "$35K Phase 1 fee reduces net cash value; region-restricted; no cloud-credit amounts published on the page.", "source_url": "https://mena.500.co/founders/mena/seed-accelerator", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "500 Education bootcamps / startup academies (Georgia Startup Academy, Egypt Seed Bootcamp, Sanabil Startup Unlocked)", "detail": "Country-local, typically government-backed short bootcamps (5-day bootcamps; Egypt Scale Up is a 7-week program) aimed at students and early-stage founders in Georgia, Egypt, and MENA. They are training programs, not funding deals: no investment, and no cloud/tech partner credits are disclosed anywhere in the official listings.", "eligibility": "Students and early-stage founders in the host country (Georgia, Egypt, MENA); application-based; no .edu email requirement stated. Free or low-cost in practice, but 500 does not publish cost or credit terms for these.", "claim": "1) Browse program pages from 500.co/accelerators (11 programs listed). 2) Use the quiz at 500.co/founders/quiz to identify the right program, then follow each program's application link.", "expiry": "Per-country rolling cycles; not published centrally", "gotchas": "No cloud credits, no funding — training only; cost/credit details not published, so do not assume 'free'; details page (500.co/founders/georgia) returned no content at fetch time, so treat Georgia Startup Academy specifics as unverified.", "source_url": "https://500.co/accelerators", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) No standalone public free cloud-credit program, free tier, or education license exists at 500 Global — the \"Startup Cloud-Credit Programs (VC/Accelerator Funded)\" front is realized only as bundled partner perks (the 500 FounderHub platform, 400+ perks, \"$1M+ in credits\" claim on the official Eurasia page) that are reachable exclusively by 500-affiliated founders; nothing is open to students or the general public. 2) Flagship deal restructured: the historical ~$50K–$100K for 5–7% (and 2025 third-party listings citing \"$150K for 6%, $37.5K fee\") is no longer published; the current official flagship page (read today, 2026-10-22) states \"up to $50K right away, up to $1M more as you progress\" with a $35K Phase 1 program fee — so known-so-far numbers are stale. 3) LatAm: the Nov 2025 call was \"$300K for 10% to 5 startups\" (contxto, Nov 11, 2025); the official page now shows a $300K investment commitment with a July 31, 2026 deadline, equity undisclosed. 4) Domain note: www.500global.com refused connections (ECONNREFUSED on a DigitalOcean IP, Oct 22, 2026) — the official site of record is 500.co; treat 500global.com as parked/unreliable. 5) No 2025–2026 sunset of the FounderHub perks platform itself; credit amounts are partner-controlled and unpublished." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "500 Global FounderHub — bundled partner cloud/tech credits (the actual 'Startup Cloud-Credit Program')", "link": "https://500.co/founders/eurasia/accelerator(primaryclaimof$1M+credits);https://www.500founderhub.com/andhttps://www.500founderhub.com/auth/signup;https://500.co/partnerships", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "a16z", "name": "a16z", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "verified-company" ], "urls": [ "https://a16z.com/" ], "offers": [ "No standalone credit program; a16z is an AWS Activate Provider and a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network member, so a16z-backed startups apply for AWS (up to $200K) / Azure (up to $150K) credits using a16z's referral/Org ID." ], "notes": [ "NOT re-verified this run. The benefit flows through the cloud providers' programs (AWS/GCP/Microsoft), not a direct a16z grant. The 'a16z Speedrun' accelerator also confers portfolio perks. 'verified-company' = needs confirmed a16z affiliation with the fund." ], "findings": [ { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio Credits via a16z Org ID (up to $200K)", "detail": "a16z is a confirmed AWS Activate Provider (listed as 'Andreesen Horowitz' in the Featured Activate Providers, alongside nvidia, carta, Y Combinator). a16z-backed startups use a16z's secure Organization ID to claim AWS Activate Portfolio credits: up to $200,000 USD in AWS Activate Credits at the Activate Portfolio (Pre-Series B) tier. Self-funded startups (no provider) are limited to the Activate Founders tier at up to $5,000. Invite-only AWS Credits for AI Startups ($200K+) are available post-Portfolio. All credits in USD under AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs.", "eligibility": "Must be backed/referred by an AWS Activate Provider (here a16z = a16z portfolio company or a16z referral). Pre-Series B, founded within the last 10 years, AWS account on the Paid Tier plan, and either new to Activate Credits or requesting more than previously received. No .edu email; global program (US-centric). Self-funded founders are NOT eligible for the Portfolio tier.", "claim": "1) Create an AWS Builder ID with a professional email and complete your profile; 2) choose the Activate Portfolio tier; 3) enter a16z's Org ID (request it from a16z); 4) provide startup product/funding/profile details; 5) link an AWS account and submit. Response in 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "Credits governed by AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions; portfolio credits are usable within a defined window from issuance (exact window not stated on the public page).", "gotchas": "Requires a live provider relationship (a16z investment/referral) and an Org ID; Paid Tier plan required; pre-Series B cap; self-funded startups are capped at $5K via the separate Founders tier; additional AI-startup credits are invite-only via an account manager.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://startups.aws.com/providers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "a16z Speedrun Marketplace credits ($10M+ pool across AWS/GCP/OpenAI/Anthropic/Microsoft/NVIDIA/Stripe/Deel)", "detail": "a16z's Speedrun residency (an a16z operating/accelerator program for early-stage startups) advertises a '$10M+ in free credits' speedrun Marketplace spanning AWS, GCP, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Stripe, Deel and others. Other perks: dedicated advisors/experts, Launch Lab, Brand Lab, Creator Connect, Press Club, talent matchmaking, immigration support (Global Founders Program), in-person Demo Day and access to a network reaching 1,000+ investors. No per-founder dollar cap is disclosed — '$10M+' is the aggregate program pool.", "eligibility": "Must be accepted into an a16z Speedrun residency; open to founders/companies worldwide, but the program takes place in the US (in-person Demo Day + residency component). No revenue/stage/headcount thresholds are published.", "claim": "Apply to Speedrun (a16z.com/speedrun); specific credit allotments and claim steps are shared post-acceptance. Next cohort SR008: Feb 1 - Apr 16/18, 2027 in San Francisco; applications close Nov 1, 2026.", "expiry": "No credit or perk expiry dates disclosed on the public page.", "gotchas": "Entirely gated behind residency acceptance (not open/self-serve); in-person/US component (international founders use the Global Founders Program); per-founder credit amounts, claim mechanics, and post-program access windows are withheld until after acceptance.", "source_url": "https://speedrun.a16z.com/perks", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "a16z x Alchemy onchain Startup Program ($5,000 AWS credits + Alchemy credits + 24/7 engineering support)", "detail": "An Alchemy co-branded program for a16z portfolio companies building onchain: qualified companies receive Alchemy credits applied directly to their account (offsetting pay-as-you-go or enterprise invoices) plus $5,000 in AWS credits and 24/7 dedicated engineering support on the infrastructure used by Visa/Stripe/Robinhood.", "eligibility": "a16z portfolio company building onchain (eligibility subject to team qualification). To receive the AWS credits specifically: pre-Series B, a company website/profile, founded in the last 10 years, an AWS account on the Paid Tier plan, NOT previously having received $5,000+ in AWS credits, and an active Alchemy Enterprise account.", "claim": "Fill out the form at alchemy.com/startup-program/a16z (mention a16z portfolio status to fast-track review); no pitch deck or lengthy application; team qualifies and credits can hit the account within days. Non-a16z teams are directed to the general Alchemy Startup Program.", "expiry": "No expiry date stated on the page.", "gotchas": "Onchain/blockchain-building only; requires an active Alchemy Enterprise account; the AWS-credit leg is blocked for teams that already received $5K+ in AWS credits (explicit anti-double-dip), so it complements rather than stacks with the main AWS Activate award.", "source_url": "https://www.alchemy.com/startup-program/a16z", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups / Azure credits via a16z (Investor Network referral, up to ~$150K) — UNVERIFIED", "detail": "Per prior context, a16z is a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network member, so a16z-backed startups apply for Microsoft/Azure credits (commonly up to ~$150K in Azure credits) using a16z's referral/Org ID. This was NOT independently verified this session: the Microsoft for Startups page returned 404 and the shared web-search budget was exhausted, so the exact current dollar figure and a16z's membership are unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "a16z-backed startup referred through Microsoft for Startups program terms (standard: early-stage, not already a large Microsoft enterprise account). Specific caps/duration not confirmed this session.", "claim": "a16z refers/submits the startup into the Microsoft for Startups program; the startup then completes onboarding and receives Azure credits.", "expiry": "Azure credit windows are typically ~12 months (not confirmed this session).", "gotchas": "Low confidence — not verified; a16z's current Microsoft Investor Network membership and the current Azure credit amount should be re-confirmed against microsoft.com/startups before relying on this figure.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "a16z is a VC, not a SaaS provider: it has NO standalone free tier, trial, or education (.edu) license of its own. Every \"free offer\" routes through third-party provider programs where a16z acts as an investor/provider/referrer (AWS Activate, Microsoft for Startups, Alchemy) or through its own Speedrun residency. Active as of 2026-10-22: (1) a16z is a confirmed AWS Activate Provider — Portfolio tier is currently capped at up to $200K; self-funded (Founders) tier only up to $5K; AI-startup credits are invite-only. (2) a16z Speedrun is not sunset — SR008 is scheduled Feb 1 - Apr 16/18, 2027 in San Francisco, applications closing Nov 1, 2026. (3) The a16z x Alchemy onchain program is active but explicitly excludes teams that already received $5K+ in AWS credits (no double-dipping). NOT completed this session: verification of a16z's Microsoft for Startups / Azure (~$150K) referral leg — the Microsoft page 404'd and the shared web-search budget was exhausted, so that finding is low-confidence and should be re-verified. No student-specific free offer from a16z was found." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "AWS Activate Portfolio Credits via a16z Org ID (up to $200K)", "link": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://startups.aws.com/providers", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "ably", "name": "Ably", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ably.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free (developer) tier: up to ~100,000 messages/mo, 2 apps" ], "notes": [ "Realtime messaging over sockets (also owns Pusher). HEDGED: verify current free tier." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free package (permanent free tier, no time limit)", "detail": "Officially verified 2026-10-22 from ably.com/pricing and ably.com/docs/platform/pricing/limits. Free package: $0/month, no commitment, no credit card required, no time limit. Limits: 6,000,000 messages/month, 250,000 messages/hour, 500 messages/second; 200 concurrent connections, 200 concurrent channels, 200 channels per connection, 200 presence members per channel; 64 KiB max message size; 1 day history/message storage; 100 apps per account, 100 API keys, 100 rules, 100 namespaces; bandwidth caps 2,384 KiB/s, 1.2 GiB/hour, 28.6 GiB/month. Includes Google/GitHub SSO. Support: community (Discord, Stack Overflow) + best-effort email, SLO not SLA. The previously-circulated '100,000 messages/month, 2 apps' figure is stale: current official free tier is 6M messages/month and 100 apps/account. Note: no per-region cap stated; channels are active in each regional datacenter that has attached clients.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone — no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region restriction stated on official pages. Free package is the default on sign-up.", "claim": "1. Go to https://ably.com/pricing/ and click 'Start for free' (links to /sign-up) or sign up directly at ably.com. 2. Create an Ably account (no credit card requested). 3. Free package is the default; create apps/keys in the dashboard. To upgrade later: account owner -> Account menu -> Billing -> choose Standard ($29/mo) or Pro ($399/mo); upgrade takes effect immediately, first invoice issued at start of the following calendar month, package fee pro-rated from upgrade point, usage counted from first message after upgrade.", "expiry": "Never expires and has no renewal — official docs state 'no time limit on how long you can try it for'. Monthly caps (6M messages, 250k/hour) reset each period; the package itself has no end date. Can be closed any time (permanently deletes all account data).", "gotchas": "Free tier is not a trial: it is a permanent package, so 'trial-vs-free' confusion is minimal, but hard concurrency caps apply — exceeding 200 concurrent connections/channels or 500 msg/s triggers restriction or Ably contacting you to upgrade (not overage billing on Free). 1-day message history only. No uptime SLA, best-effort support only. 64 KiB max message size vs 256 KiB on Pro. Upgrade mid-month switches you to pay-per-minute usage ($2.50/M messages, $1.00/M connection & channel minutes, $0.25/GiB extra data) with immediate effect. Downgrade to Free only takes effect at start of the following billing cycle. Google/GitHub SSO is the only SSO on Free. No data-residency/region routing on Free.", "source_url": "https://ably.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No official trial credits, startup program, or education license found (verified 404s)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22, Ably has no discoverable official free offer beyond the Free package: ably.com/startups returns HTTP 404, ably.com/education returns HTTP 404, and neither the official pricing page, docs pricing pages, nor the platform page mentions any trial credit, startup program, student/education discount, or .edu-verified offer. Third-party aggregators list a '$500 Ably startup credit' (e.g., saasoffers.tech, marked 'Verified October 2026') and StartupCreds notes 'ably.com/startups returns 404. Third-party $500 credit offers not on official site' — these aggregator listings are not backed by any official Ably page and should be treated as unverified. No .edu email or startup age/funding criteria apply anywhere in the official material.", "eligibility": "N/A — no official program exists to claim; the only free path is the standard Free package signup (no .edu, no CC, no region limits).", "claim": "Nothing to claim beyond the Free package: sign up at ably.com (no credit card). If a $500-credit listing is pursued, it originates from third-party aggregator pages, not ably.com; contact Ably sales to verify before relying on it.", "expiry": "N/A for non-existent offers. Free package itself: no expiry.", "gotchas": "Do not cite the aggregator $500-credit claims as official Ably offers. Verify any such deal directly with Ably (sales/CS); aggregator 'verified' stamps are not Ably-sourced.", "source_url": "https://www.startupcreds.com/programs/ably", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [ { "item": "Free (developer) tier: up to ~100,000 messages/mo, 2 apps", "text": "The free plan lists 6M messages per month, 200 concurrent connections and 500 messages per second. No app limit appears on the pricing page.", "url": "https://ably.com/pricing" } ], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free package (permanent free tier, no time limit)", "link": "https://ably.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "adobe creative cloud for students", "name": "Adobe Creative Cloud for Students", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.adobe.com/education.html" ], "offers": [ "74% off Creative Cloud Pro for students/teachers (20+ apps incl. Firefly AI); free trial; free Adobe Express and Student Spaces" ], "notes": [ "2025 change: discount increased from 66% to 74%; region pricing varies (US ~first-year discounted annual; verify local price)" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Adobe Express Free Plan", "detail": "Free tier of Adobe Express, no expiration, no credit card required. Includes 100,000+ templates, 1M+ royalty-free Adobe Stock assets, 4,000+ fonts, standard photo/video/document editing, 5 GB cloud storage, 10-day version history, 10 PDF Quick Actions/month, videos up to 30 min, and limited free generative AI: 'free daily generations' for insert/remove objects, 5 lifetime uses of Generate Presentations, and 2 lifetime uses of 5-second video generation. Export limited to JPEG/PNG/PDF/GIF/PPT (no transparent-background PNG). Paid Premium is US$9.99/mo (30-day free trial) with 250 monthly generative credits, 100 GB storage, 4K export, 3 accounts per social network.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a free Adobe account; no .edu email, no student status, no credit card required. Available worldwide (page shown in US locale; region-specific bundles exist, e.g., Airtel India, IM3 Indonesia). K-12 US educators can create free classroom accounts via Google Workspace for Education.", "claim": "1) Go to adobe.com/express 2) Sign up with a free Adobe account (email or social sign-in) 3) Use Express web/app free; do not select the Premium plan. Students may already have free Express Premium via school .edu login (per page FAQ).", "expiry": "No expiry; free tier has no time limit. Trial of Premium is 30 days; trial converts to paid (US$9.99/mo) unless cancelled.", "gotchas": "Generative AI on the free tier is heavily capped (lifetime uses, not monthly) and 'free daily generations' are standard-model only; 250 monthly Firefly credits require the US$9.99/mo Premium plan. Free tier has no 4K export, no transparent PNGs, 5 GB storage cap.", "source_url": "https://www.adobe.com/express/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student Spaces in Acrobat (AI study tools, free)", "detail": "Adobe's free AI study feature: Student Spaces turns notes into flashcards and quizzes ('an AI study buddy'). The official landing page states 'Get started for free'. Listed on Adobe's education page among 'several free tools students can start using right away', alongside Adobe Express and Firefly. No Creative Cloud subscription is required.", "eligibility": "Any student with a free Adobe account; no .edu email requirement stated on the page. No credit card required.", "claim": "1) Sign in at acrobat.adobe.com/studyspace/collection/create-new-project (link from adobe.com/education.html) 2) Upload notes or a document 3) Generate flashcards/quizzes in the free Student Spaces project.", "expiry": "Ongoing, no published sunset date. Some advanced Acrobat features remain in paid Acrobat Studio/Pro plans; Student Spaces itself is free to start.", "gotchas": "Landing page is thin on detail (title/headline only); confirm the full feature set (e.g., AI Assistant quotas, PDF import limits) in-app. Adobe's page copy ties it to Acrobat, so it may nudge toward paid Acrobat plans for heavy document workflows.", "source_url": "https://acrobat.adobe.com/studyspace/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "7-day free trial of Creative Cloud Pro (incl. Firefly)", "detail": "Full 7-day trial of Creative Cloud Pro: 20+ apps (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, Lightroom, Acrobat, Firefly, Express, Fresco) on desktop and iPad. Payment method required at signup but you are not charged until the trial ends; billing converts automatically to Creative Cloud Pro on Day 8 (regular US$69.99/mo; promo US$34.99/mo for first 3 months, new subscribers). A 14-day money-back window after conversion allows cancellation for a full refund. Desktop suite and iPad app are downloadable during the trial; the trial is NOT available on phones.", "eligibility": "Any Adobe account holder; only ONE 7-day CC Pro trial per person (trial already used = not eligible). Student/teacher front: eligible students can 'start a 7-day free trial' of the student plan before the paid student subscription (adobe.com/education/students/creativecloud.html).", "claim": "1) Go to adobe.com/creativecloud/free-trial.html (or the CC plans page) 2) Create/sign in to an Adobe account 3) Enter payment details (no charge until Day 8) 4) Download/install apps 5) To avoid paying: cancel via account page > Manage Plans > Cancel Plan within 7 days; if you miss the window you have 14 days post-trial to cancel for a full refund.", "expiry": "Trial = 7 days, one-time only; refund window = 14 days after trial ends. If not cancelled, plan auto-renews monthly at US$69.99/mo (or promo US$34.99/mo x3 then $69.99).", "gotchas": "Free-trial vs free-tier trap: this is a trial, not a free plan - a card/payment method is required on file and automatic billing starts on Day 8. One trial per person lifetime. Trial unavailable on phones (desktop/iPad only).", "source_url": "https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/free-trial.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Creative Cloud Pro for Students & Teachers (discount, not free) - verified at 71% (US) / 75% (EU)", "detail": "The discounted education plan: US$19.99/mo for the first year, then US$39.99/mo as long as eligibility continues ('Save 71%' vs US$69.99/mo list). EU listing shows 75% off: 19.66 EUR/mo incl. VAT (first year, annual-billed-monthly) vs 79.30 EUR/mo list; Israeli listing shows NIS 88.99/mo year 1, NIS 179.99/mo year 2+. Includes 20+ apps, unlimited standard generative AI features (e.g., Generative Fill), 4,000 monthly generative credits for premium AI video/audio (e.g., Text-to-Video), Firefly Boards (unlimited), non-Adobe models in Firefly (Adobe, Google, OpenAI), Express Premium, Frame.io, 100 GB cloud storage. A 7-day free trial of the student plan is available first. Note: the '74% off' figure in the brief is not what current pages show - US says 71%, EU says 75%.", "eligibility": "Students: 13+, currently enrolled at an accredited school/college/university or qualified online program; teachers: educators/staff at an accredited institution. Adobe verifies status and may request school-issued email, student/teacher ID, enrollment document, transcript, class schedule, pay slip, or offer letter from the current academic year. Purchase must be made by someone 18+ with a credit card. Renewal requires continuing eligibility (annual re-verification); year-2+ price doubles (US$19.99 -> US$39.99/mo).", "claim": "1) adobe.com/education/students/creativecloud.html 2) Select Creative Cloud Pro for Students, start 7-day trial or buy 3) Verify eligibility with school email/ID 4) If your school has a campus license, skip this entirely and use the institutional offer (see next finding). One subscription: sign-in on 2 computers, active use on 1.", "expiry": "Discount lasts as long as eligibility is verified; price rises after year 1 (US$19.99 -> US$39.99/mo). Renewal re-verification required each year.", "gotchas": "This is a paid discount, not free - 'free access' only via school institutional licensing. Year-1 vs year-2 pricing gap is the biggest trap. Requires age 18+ to pay; verification can be requested AFTER purchase. CC required for the full app suite; 100 GB storage does not cover heavy video projects (eject/egress: no public data-egress fees, but storage overage forces pay-as-you-go add-ons).", "source_url": "https://www.adobe.com/education/students/creativecloud.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Institutional / campus-wide Creative Cloud licensing (free for students at partner schools)", "detail": "Many universities and K-12 districts purchase 'Creative Cloud for education institutions' (20+ apps, plan=edu_inst; pricing by phone/institutional sales). At partner schools, students and faculty typically get the full suite at no personal cost by logging in with their school account; the education page states 'some schools provide free access to the full Creative Cloud suite' and directs students to their IT department. K-12 and higher-ed dedicated pages exist (/education/k12.html, /education/higher-ed.html); higher-ed page emphasizes FERPA/COPPA compliance and 'no training on student content'.", "eligibility": "Current students/faculty at institutions that hold an Adobe institutional or K-12 agreement (varies by country and school). Usually requires a school email/SSO; no personal credit card. No age/funding caps - it's per-institution, not per-startup.", "claim": "1) Check your school's portal / IT department / Adobe Admin Console login link 2) Sign in with your institution-issued Adobe account 3) Download CC apps - no purchase, no trial needed. If your school has no deal, fall back to the student discount plan above.", "expiry": "Valid for as long as you are enrolled/employed at the institution; access ends at graduation/resignation. No per-student sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Availability is entirely school-dependent and varies widely - no self-serve redemption steps are published; institutional pricing is phone-only (US 888-649-2990). Students at schools without a deal must pay the discounted plan themselves.", "source_url": "https://www.adobe.com/education.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program: none found", "detail": "Adobe has no startup program, startup credits, or startup discount as of the verified pages: adobe.com/startups.html and adobe.com/small-business.html are 404, and adobe.com/business.html explicitly has no 'Startups' category - only Business, Students & Teachers, Home & Personal, Government, Nonprofits. A startup's only Adobe offers are the standard 7-day CC Pro trial, team plans (10-or-fewer-license 'small business' tier; e.g., Acrobat Pro teams US$28.98/mo annual-billed-monthly with free trial), and 30-day Adobe Stock trials.", "eligibility": "No startup-specific eligibility (no company-age or funding cap exists because there is no program). General Adobe terms apply; team plans need a minimum of 1-2 licenses and a paying account.", "claim": "Nothing to claim - use the standard 7-day trial (one per person) and team plans; nonprofit/government categories exist but startup does not.", "expiry": "N/A (no program). Team-plan trials are 14 days with a cancellation fee of half the remaining annual commitment if cancelled 14 days after the trial.", "gotchas": "Don't assume a 'Adobe for Startups' exists from third-party blogs; the official pages show no such front. Cancellation fee clause applies to team plans.", "source_url": "https://www.adobe.com/business.html", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Adobe Express Free Plan", "link": "https://www.adobe.com/express/pricing.html", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "adyen", "name": "Adyen", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "verified-company" ], "urls": [ "https://docs.adyen.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free test/sandbox environment and free API testing in test mode (no fees, no real money); production pricing is enterprise/contract-based (interchange++ + fee, no API monthly minimum)." ], "notes": [ "Adyen's commercial pricing is not publicly published (sales-led, enterprise/global). The free element for developers is the test account + test mode; the API itself carries no setup/monthly fee. 2026: enterprise onboarding; Tink is listed among Adyen's partners." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free test/sandbox environment & test-mode API access (no credit card, no real money)", "detail": "Adyen's self-service developer offer: a free test Customer Area (ca-test.adyen.com), test API + test Client API keys, and Adyen-published test card numbers and test payment-method credentials to simulate payments, tokenization, fraud/3DS2 without real money. Adyen charges NO setup fee and NO monthly fee (confirmed on adyen.com/pricing: 'Pay per transaction, with no setup or monthly fees'; 'We do not have monthly fees, set-up fees, integration fees or closure fees'). Production is per-transaction (e.g., cards ~US$0.13 + Interchange++ + 0.60%; ACH ~US$0.37; Amex ~3.95%), and Adyen has a per-industry 'minimum invoice' (one 2025 review cites ~US$120/mo; Adyen states it varies and fees on the public page are 'indicative', not guaranteed).", "eligibility": "No .edu / student status, no company verification, no funding cap, and NO credit card required to use the test environment (self-service email + MFA signup). Open to any developer, student, or startup. Global (Adyen supports acquiring in 45+ markets; specific methods/currencies vary by region).", "claim": "1) Sign up for a free Adyen test account at ca-test.adyen.com (email + MFA). 2) In the test Customer Area, generate a test API key and a test Client API key for a test application (or use Adyen's pre-supplied test credentials). 3) Use Adyen's published test card numbers / test payment-method credentials to simulate transactions. 4) Build and test your integration against the test endpoint. To go live: contact Adyen sales, apply for a live account, sign a contract, and re-create the test setup in the live Customer Area.", "expiry": "No published expiry for test accounts/credentials (Adyen may close very long-inactive test accounts; test credentials stay valid until regenerated). Live account terms/renewal are per-contract and require ongoing Adyen sales engagement.", "gotchas": "Test mode moves no real money and CANNOT accept real payments/payouts - that needs an approved live account (sales + contract + per-industry minimum invoice). There is NO perpetual 'free production tier'; production is per-transaction and published fees are indicative, not guaranteed. Adyen for Platforms, Capital, and Issuing/Balance products are 'contact us' and priced separately (not self-service). Prices/minimums vary by industry and region.", "source_url": "https://docs.adyen.com/development-resources/testing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Adyen Accelerator program (impact / social startups)", "detail": "A week-long accelerator (public editions in 2021 and 2022; the 2022 edition ran June 13-17). Benefits: dedicated Adyen business mentors, workshops/talks, investor networking, a pop-up 'impact market' at Adyen's offices to trial Adyen technology, and a demo day pitching to impact-focused investors and Adyen board members. No participation fee, credit amount, or monetary stipend was published. This is a mentorship/visibility program, not a free-credit or pricing offer.", "eligibility": "EMEA-based, direct-to-consumer social/impact startups with a launched MVP and a clear impact aligned to a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Not for general commercial startups, not student/education-facing; no funding or age cap stated.", "claim": "Fill out the application form linked from Adyen's press release (2022 cycle closed mid-March for a June program). Selection is by application/review - no direct self-serve enrollment.", "expiry": "Ran on an annual cadence in 2021-2022. No 2025 or 2026 cohort is publicly confirmed on Adyen's site as of this check (page footer is '© 2026 Adyen' but the content is the 2022 edition), so the program appears dormant/sunset.", "gotchas": "Not a financial 'free offer' - no credits, fee waivers, or guaranteed discount; value is mentorship/visibility/investor access. EMEA/impact-only. Status unclear - treat as likely discontinued and verify with Adyen before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://www.adyen.com/press-and-media/adyen-opens-applications-for-second-annual-accelerator-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "'Adyen for Startups' integration credits (unverified)", "detail": "A third-party startup-credits directory (StartupFlow AI) lists 'Adyen for Startups' as 'discounted global payment-processing integration credits for early-stage startups,' eligible at pre-seed/seed, 'global, subject to the provider's eligibility and approval,' with no funding limit stated and no referral needed. The directory explicitly says it 'has not confirmed a direct application page' and only links to Adyen's main site. Adyen's own site and full developer-docs sitemap contain no confirmed public startup-credits program, no stated credit amount/limit, and no dedicated application URL.", "eligibility": "Reported (unconfirmed) as pre-seed/seed, global, no stated funding cap, no .edu requirement, no self-serve page - 'subject to Adyen approval.' Treat as unverified.", "claim": "No confirmed official application flow. Best effort: contact Adyen sales/partnerships to ask about a startup program or credits; no public self-serve form was found.", "expiry": "Unknown; no public start/expiration dates. Directory entry last verified 2 Aug 2026 but only against Adyen's main site.", "gotchas": "Low confidence / unverified: not confirmed by Adyen, no amount or limits published, no application URL - could be a generic directory placeholder. The only verifiable free developer surface Adyen offers is the test/sandbox environment.", "source_url": "https://startupflowai.com/directory/credits/adyen-for-startups", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "For Adyen (Payments & Fintech Dev Tools), of the four requested categories only the free test/sandbox environment + test-mode API access is a genuine, currently-available free offer. Verifications (all done via WebFetch of official Adyen pages + Adyen's docs sitemap + two third-party directories; the second WebSearch hit was blocked because the session web-search budget was exhausted): (1) No perpetual FREE production tier - adyen.com/pricing is per-transaction (cards ~US$0.13 + Interchange++ + 0.60%), 'no setup fee / no monthly fees,' with a per-industry minimum invoice; published fees are indicative, not guaranteed. (2) No 'trial credits' program - Adyen's dev flow is the self-service test/sandbox, not a time-boxed product trial. (3) Startup program: the 'Adyen Accelerator' (impact/social startups, EMEA, 2021-2022, mentorship/visibility, no fee) has no publicly confirmed 2025-2026 cohort and appears dormant; an 'Adyen for Startups' credits offer exists only as an unconfirmed third-party listing. (4) No student/education license or .edu discount found anywhere on Adyen's site or docs. The Adyen developer-docs sitemap (docs.adyen.com) contains NO page matching 'startup,' 'student,' 'education,' 'trial,' or 'free credit.' No material 2025-2026 change was detected: the 'no monthly fee / per-transaction / free test environment' model persisted." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free test/sandbox environment & test-mode API access (no credit card, no real money)", "link": "https://docs.adyen.com/development-resources/testing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "airplane", "name": "Airplane", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.airplane.dev/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: 5 free 'Airplane' internal tools (serverless UI/API functions) with unlimited users" ], "notes": [ "LOW CONFIDENCE: airplane.dev was unfetchable from this environment (DNS failure), so the 5-tool free limit is from pre-session knowledge - re-verify the page before publishing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan ('Start using Airplane for free')", "detail": "Final form (2023-2024, last archived official pricing page 2024-03-10): Free $0/user/month with unlimited users, unlimited objects, 2 environments, 3 days of activity history. Limits evolved: 2021 early access was $0/mo unlimited tasks+users; Mar 2022 free tier was up to 5 users + up to 5 runbooks/tasks + 3-day activity log; Sep 2022 was up to 5 users + up to 50 objects; by Sep 2023 it was unlimited users/objects + 2 environments + 3-day history (the widely-cited '5 internal tools, unlimited users' line is an intermediate 2022-era limit, not the final state). 'Objects' = internal apps (UI/API serverless functions).", "eligibility": "Anyone (personal or company). No .edu email, no startup stage/funding requirement. No credit card requirement documented on any archived page; sign-up was GitHub-login based ('Sign Up' button), Free tier had a 'Get started' CTA.", "claim": "Sign up at airplane.dev with GitHub, choose the Free plan ($0) - no form, no credits to redeem. Paid Team ($10/user/mo) and Business ($40/user/mo) tiers were marked 'Try for free'.", "expiry": "EXPIRED - service sunset 2024-03-01 (acquisition by Airtable); new signups closed 2024-01-03. No offer exists as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: the free plan was genuinely perpetual while live, but the whole platform was sunset so nothing persists. Data: 3-day activity-history cap on Free; self-hosted agents, group permissions and env/embed features were paid-only. Self-hosted agents were the only data-egress mitigation; no public egress/egress-fee schedule on Free. The live URL now redirects in a 301 loop on a Squarespace parking backend - any link to airplane.dev/pricing in old articles is dead.", "source_url": "https://www.airplane.dev/pricing(dead;archivedcopiesreadtoday:https://web.archive.org/web/20240310140454/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing,https://web.archive.org/web/20230926132128/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing,https://web.archive.org/web/20220325175750/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Airplane for Startups - up to $10,000 in credits", "detail": "Program ('Scalable tools for fast-moving teams'): eligible startups could redeem up to $10,000 in Airplane credits, valid for a year. Page was live from at least 2023-03 through its last 200 capture 2024-02-29, and already returning 404 by 2024-05-16. Intro blog post 'introducing-airplane-for-startups' appeared 2024-01-04.", "eligibility": "Three stated requirements: (1) fewer than 50 employees, (2) Series A or earlier (stage cap - no explicit dollar funding figure), (3) not a current paying customer. Work email required on the form (no .edu angle, it was a startup program); no region limits stated.", "claim": "Fill out the form on airplane.dev/startups ('Redeem your credits'): name, work email, company name, and an optional 'Anything specific you want to use Airplane for?' field; approval was manual. No credit card required. Program was dead once Airplane itself shut down.", "expiry": "EXPIRED - program ended with platform sunset 2024-03-01; /startups 404 by 2024-05-16. $10,000 of credits for a year is unredeemable and the platform it applied to no longer exists.", "gotchas": "Credits were Airplane-platform-only (valueless post-sunset). The 'up to $10,000' was a cap, not a guaranteed amount. 'Series A or earlier' is the only funding/stage gate. No student/education variant of this program ever existed.", "source_url": "https://www.airplane.dev/startups(dead;archivedcopiesreadtoday:https://web.archive.org/web/20240229194024/https://www.airplane.dev/startups;FAQ/announcement:https://web.archive.org/web/20240104062134/https://www.airplane.dev/blog/introducing-airplane-for-startups)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free trials on paid plans (Team 'Try for free', Business 'Try for free')", "detail": "Team at $10/user/mo and Business at $40/user/mo carried 'Try for free' CTAs on the 2023-2024 pricing page; trial duration and post-trial billing terms were not published on the page. (Enterprise was custom, 'Book demo'.)", "eligibility": "Anyone signing up; no startup/stage restrictions; no .edu requirement. No credit-card requirement documented on the archived page (sign-up via GitHub login).", "claim": "Click 'Try for free' on the Team or Business tier at airplane.dev/pricing.", "expiry": "EXPIRED - all signups closed 2024-01-03; platform sunset 2024-03-01.", "gotchas": "Trial terms (duration, CC capture) were not published and cannot be verified; treat as non-existent now.", "source_url": "https://www.airplane.dev/pricing(dead;archivedcopyreadtoday:https://web.archive.org/web/20240310140454/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "FULLY SUNSET - nothing live as of 2026-10-22. Timeline (verified today via DNS, live probing and Wayback): (1) 2024-01-03: Airtable announces acquisition of Airplane in official blog 'Airtable acquires Airplane' (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240310140454/https://www.airplane.dev/blog/airtable); same post states 'we will unfortunately be sunsetting the Airplane platform on March 1' and that new signups had already closed. (2) 2024-03-01: platform sunset date. (3) 2024-05-16: /startups already returning 404. (4) No 200-status HTML captures of any airplane.dev page (incl. subdomains) exist after mid-March 2024; all 2025-2026 captures are 301s. (5) As of 2026-10-22 the domain itself is lapsed/parked: authoritative Googledomains NS shows apex A-record 198.49.23.145 (NSI-style parking IP) and NXDOMAIN for www.airplane.dev; www paths serve self-referential 301 loops behind a 'Server: Squarespace' header, apex 301s to www - a broken-redirect parking loop, so even the parked page won't render. GitHub orgs 'rethink-dev' and 'getairplane' both 404. The team was absorbed into Airtable; Airtable did not continue Airplane as a standalone product on that domain. No education/student offer existed at any point: no /education, /students, or /student-programs pages in the archive and zero 'student'/'.edu' mentions on archived pricing/startup pages. Note the sunsetting happened in 2024, not 2025-2026; during 2025-2026 the domain simply went from dead to parked - no offer changes. All claims above therefore rely on archived copies of the official pages (read today), not on live ones, since the live pages no longer exist." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Airplane", "text": "Discontinued. Airtable acquired Airplane in January 2024, closed signups and shut the platform down on March 1, 2024. The free plan no longer exists. Remove this entry.", "url": "https://www.cbinsights.com/company/airplane" } ], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan ('Start using Airplane for free')", "link": "https://www.airplane.dev/pricing(dead;archivedcopiesreadtoday:https://web.archive.org/web/20240310140454/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing,https://web.archive.org/web/20230926132128/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing,https://web.archive.org/web/20220325175750/https://www.airplane.dev/pricing)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "airship", "name": "Airship", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.airship.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free tier: 100 MAU (Engage)" ], "notes": [ "Multichannel messaging (push/SMS/email). HEDGED: verify current free MAU." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "No verifiable free offer (free tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license) exists on Airship's official pages as of 2026-10-22. (1) The known 'Free tier: 100 MAU (Engage)' appears SUNKEN: the product name 'Engage' no longer appears anywhere on airship.com (checked nav, /pricing/, /docs/, homepage, /company/faqs/) — the product line was rebranded into 'Airship Experience Platform' (AXP) and 'Airship Essentials'. The current pricing page (https://www.airship.com/pricing/) lists only two tiers: AXP (enterprise, quote-form only) and Essentials (self-service registration at go.airship.com/accounts/onboarding/register/). No 'free', 'trial', '30 days', 'no credit card', or MAU figures appear anywhere on the page; the 'START WITH ESSENTIALS' CTA promises nothing about cost or trial. (2) The 'Airship guarantees results' promo (https://www.airship.com/lp/airship-results-guarantee/, reinforced by CEO blog post 2026-10-21) is an enterprise outcomes/money-back-style commitment, NOT a free offer; terms are not public. (3) No startup program and no education/student license were found on the current site. (4) The Essentials registration page is JS-rendered, so trial duration/credit-card requirements could not be verified from static fetch; if a trial exists it is not advertised with published terms. CAVEAT: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so I could NOT independently verify the exact sunset date of the legacy Engage 100-MAU free tier or scan for 2025-2026 announcements via search; absence claims are based on reading the official pages today (high confidence for absence-of-mention on the checked pages, medium for 'definitively sunset' since a trial may exist inside the unrendered registration flow)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free tier: 100 MAU (Engage)", "link": "https://www.airship.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "airtable", "name": "Airtable", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://airtable.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: no card, ~1,000 total records, ~200 automation runs/month, API access; plus free Airtable Education offers (Airtable Classrooms for teachers, student plans) for verified educators/students" ], "notes": [ "Airtable cut the free record cap from 5,000 to ~1,000 (2024). The education landing URL 404'd at fetch (2026-10) — check airtable.com for the current program name; free-plan caps should also be re-confirmed on the pricing table." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Airtable Free plan (permanent, no card)", "detail": "Free forever: 1,000 records per base (cumulative across all tables), 1,000 API calls per workspace/month (5 req/sec rate limit), 1 GB attachment storage per base, 2 weeks revision/snapshot history, 75 unique automations per base, 100 automation runs per workspace/month, 500 AI credits per editor+/month. Max 5 Editor/Creator collaborators + 50 Commenters + unlimited read-only. No extensions, no sync integrations, no 'Run a script' automation action, 'Send email' action limited to base collaborators, no record coloring, Airtable branding on forms cannot be removed. Data is never deleted when you exceed limits; new records/attachments are blocked until upgrade.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card, no trial. Free plan workspaces can coexist with paid workspaces on the same account.", "claim": "Sign up at airtable.com (any email) → first workspace auto-starts a 14-day Team trial → simply do NOT add a payment method → workspace stays Free. No application needed.", "expiry": "No expiry; plan persists indefinitely. API limits reset first day of each calendar month.", "gotchas": "1,000 API calls/month is a hard cap enforced since Jan 2025 (was previously effectively unlimited) — Zapier/Make/custom integrations can break silently. Record limit is per base, not per table: two tables of 500 records each already hit the cap. Automations cap was only raised from 50→75 in Sep 2026. The 14-day Team trial is one-time per account, so it can mask the real Free limits when evaluating headroom.", "source_url": "https://support.airtable.com/articles/2277136852-airtable-plans-overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day Team trial (automatic, first workspace only)", "detail": "First workspace of a new account is auto-upgraded to a 14-day Team trial. Trial caps: 50,000 records/base, 10 GB attachments, 365-day revision history, 25,000 automation runs/month, 10 synced tables, 7,500 AI credits/editor. Excludes 'Run a script' automation and premium form features (custom headers, branding removal, conditional groups).", "eligibility": "Any new Airtable account; no credit card required to start. Future Free workspaces under the same account do NOT get another trial.", "claim": "Automatic on account creation. To keep it free: don't add a payment method — after 14 days the workspace reverts to the Free plan. Adding a payment method during the trial auto-upgrades to paid Team and bills accordingly.", "expiry": "14 days, once per account.", "gotchas": "Trial revision history is only 2 weeks, not Team's 1 year. Easy to accidentally convert to a paid subscription just by saving a card. Paid Team is $24/user/month monthly (billed annually $20/user/month).", "source_url": "https://support.airtable.com/articles/2277136852-airtable-plans-overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Airtable Student plan — free Team for 6-24 months", "detail": "Qualifying college/university students: 120-day Team trial granted immediately when the account/workspace uses a .edu address, then application for a FREE Student plan = Team-level features for a single workspace for 6-24 months (length based on expected graduation date). Student plan caps: 50,000 records/base, 20 GB attachments/base, no 'Run a script' automation action, some form/view customization omitted.", "eligibility": "Requires .edu email (international .edu / accredited-institution emails also accepted; non-.edu applicants can apply but may need extra documentation). Must have an existing Airtable account tied to the applied email or Airtable cannot review the application. Reviews typically ~2 business days.", "claim": "1) Create an Airtable account with your .edu email → 120-day Team trial starts on first workspace. 2) Apply via 'Apply for a free student plan' (support.airtable.com/articles/4920135568, linked from airtable.com/pricing's 'Special plans for Nonprofits or Education'). 3) On approval, account's plan type is switched by Airtable support; use the .edu email to log in.", "expiry": "6-24 months from approval, tied to expected graduation date. No auto-renewal; after the window you revert to Free unless you (re-)apply while still a student or pay for Team.", "gotchas": "This supersedes the older 'Airtable Classrooms' branding — no standalone Classrooms product is listed on current official pages. Student plan covers ONE workspace only. The 120-day trial clock runs BEFORE any approval, so apply early in the trial. .edu required in practice; no regional lock (international students apply via the same form, per 2020 newsroom + current FAQ).", "source_url": "https://support.airtable.com/articles/4920135568-applying-for-non-profit-education-and-student-airtable-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education plan for staff/educators — 50% off Team", "detail": "Employees of accredited educational institutions: 50% off the monthly Team rate → $12/user/month (based on $24/user/month monthly Team; annual-plan discount does NOT apply to discounted plans, so effectively $144/user/yr). Includes 1-year revision/snapshot retention. Same 120-day Team trial via .edu email before application.", "eligibility": "Requires .edu email + certification that the institution is accredited and not-for-profit (usually provided by the institution's IT administrator). Only accredited educational organizations qualify; government, religious, and political organizations excluded. Application must match an existing Airtable account. Discounted plans require credit-card payment; no one-time payments.", "claim": "1) Account with .edu email (120-day Team trial auto-starts). 2) Apply via 'Apply for a discounted education plan' link on support.airtable.com/articles/4920135568. 3) Institute admin supplies accreditation proof; Airtable responds within ~2 business days. 4) Higher tiers (Business/Enterprise Scale edu discounts) are sales-only via Airtable Sales.", "expiry": "Runs while the person is employed at the institution; re-verification at renewal; no public auto-renewal term stated.", "gotchas": "Not free — 50% off, card required. Unaccredited/unregistered institutions cannot apply. AI features not covered by the discount per third-party summary (airtable.com/solutions/education says edu discounts on Business/Enterprise need a sales conversation).", "source_url": "https://support.airtable.com/articles/4920135568-applying-for-non-profit-education-and-student-airtable-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Airtable for Startups — up to $500 credit (direct application)", "detail": "One-time $500 in Airtable credit applied to a named workspace, plus access to startup content/office hours. Credit does not require equity. Applicants must create an Airtable account and submit the application form with personal/company info and the workspace ID where credits are applied. Review takes ~3-10 business days (listings say 3-5 days). Offer details (yayimages listing, re-published Airtable offer text): limited to companies that have raised up to Series B; not available to companies already on an invoiced Airtable plan; one redemption per company; existing Airtable customers are also eligible.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups (listings: bootstrapped/pre-seed/seed up to Series B funding cap). Company email strongly expected (personal Gmail/Outlook is a top rejection reason in program listings). No stated region limit.", "claim": "Create an Airtable account with your company email → fill the Airtable for Startups application form (current form: airtable.com/appGGpHNlmMUkfLol/shrghfGlQLt411Tyr; landing page airtable.com/startups) → wait 3-10 business days → credit appears in workspace settings → use credit toward Team/Business plans.", "expiry": "One-time $500; partner-distributed credits (see next finding) explicitly state they do not expire. No stated expiration on the direct $500 credit — confirm in the approval email.", "gotchas": "The official airtable.com/startups page could not be fully rendered for automated fetch (browser-gated), so exact current terms come from third-party listings that republish the offer text — verify amounts in the official form before applying. Credit applies to a single workspace; don't create new workspaces after applying. One startup listing (TechScoop) claims '1 year free Enterprise' for this program — this contradicts Airtable's sales-led Enterprise model and is almost certainly wrong; do not rely on it.", "source_url": "https://www.airtable.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "VC/accelerator partner credits — $2,000 Airtable credit (Wonder Ventures, SeedBlink, HubSpot for Startups, M Accelerator)", "detail": "Partner-marketplace versions of the Airtable startup offer pay $2,000 in credit (one redemption per company; existing Airtable customers eligible; US companies get an Airtable swag kit per the partner page). 'Credit does not expire' per partner pages. Credits appear in workspace settings after approval, and the same company email must be used as the Airtable account. M Accelerator lists '$2,000 with Airtable' in its perks catalog; HubSpot for Startups customers get the $2,000 offer via HubSpot's customer dashboard.", "eligibility": "Portfolios/customers of the named partner (VC, accelerator, or HubSpot for Startups). Companies within the partner's stage caps (HubSpot for Startups: seed to Series B-scale, under $10M raised as a program rule). Not self-serve for unaffiliated startups — use the direct $500 application instead.", "claim": "Redeem through the partner's marketplace/dashboard: sign up for free Airtable using your company email → submit the partner's form with the same email → credit posts to workspace settings after approval.", "expiry": "Credits state explicitly 'do not expire' (partner terms, as of 2025-2026 listings). One redemption per company per partner.", "gotchas": "Amount varies by partner ($500 direct vs $2,000 partner). Credits are product credit, not cash. Check which partner your investor belongs to before applying to avoid stacking conflicts ('cannot be combined with another deal of the same value or lower' applies to the $500 yayimages-distributed deal).", "source_url": "https://wonder-ventures.builtfirst.com/airtable-build-ai-powered-apps-and-workflows", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) Q2 2025 — Airtable discontinued the paid AI add-on; AI credits are now bundled into all plans (Free gets 500 credits/editor/month; paid tiers 7,500+). (2) Q3 2025 — ProductCentral add-on discontinued; Enterprise Scale Portals pricing moved to 'contact sales'. (3) Sep 2026 — a new 'automations per base' cap of 50 was imposed on ALL plans, then reversed two days later into tiered caps: 75 (Free) / 100 (Team) / 150 (Business) / 200 (Enterprise Scale) — automation RUN limits unchanged. (4) Airtable became part of Bending Spoons in Sept 2026 (per community announcements and third-party trackers) — program terms may shift; all offers above re-verified against official pages Oct 2026. (5) Third-party claim that the free record limit was 'cut from 1,200 to 1,000 in Feb 2026' (hackceleration) is unverified and contradicts the official 1,000-record limit that has stood since the 2023 pricing revamp — treat as noise. (6) 'Airtable Classrooms' is no longer a listed product; the current education offer set is the 120-day .edu Team trial + free Student plan (6-24 months) + 50% Education/Non-profit Team discount, all applied through support.airtable.com/articles/4920135568. Non-profit 50% Team discount exists in parallel but was out of scope (not a student/startup offer)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Airtable Free plan (permanent, no card)", "link": "https://support.airtable.com/articles/2277136852-airtable-plans-overview", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "airwallex", "name": "Airwallex", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free sandbox (instant, no production account, no real money) + free Explore plan: $0/user/month (US) if you deposit ≥$10K/month or hold ≥$10K; free API in sandbox; multi-currency cards/20+ currencies." ], "notes": [ "2026: US 'Explore' is $0/mo under the deposit/balance condition, else paid; 'Grow' adds platform fee by team size. Platform API / Embedded Finance / high-volume are custom (sales). Sandbox rate limit 20 req/s vs 100 req/s production." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Explore plan — free tier (US)", "detail": "US pricing page (read today) lists Explore at $0 per user/month with NO deposit/balance threshold in the fine print: multi-currency accounts in 20+ currencies, up to 10 free Spend users, free batch transfers to 120+ countries, unlimited multi-currency corporate cards with zero international fees, up to 2% cashback on local USD spend, 3.44% on USD with Yield, domestic USD & CAD transfers free, invoicing free. No credit card required to open (business KYC onboarding only). Business/legal-entity account required — no personal/student accounts exist.", "eligibility": "US-registered business (any size). New sign-up via airwallex.com/en-us/signup; KYC/onboarding required. No funding stage, no .edu, no minimum balance listed on the US page. Note: in AU/UK/CA the same plan historically is free only with a deposit/balance threshold (AU: A$5,000/mo deposit or A$10,000 balance, else A$29/mo; UK: £10,000, else £19/mo), so verify the threshold for your entity's registered market — third-party 2026 reviews still describe a $29/mo fallback in some markets even though Airwallex's own US page and 2026 blog say flat $0 with no minimum balance.", "claim": "Sign up free at airwallex.com/en-us/signup (no CC, no deposit on US page); plan is ongoing while you remain a customer.", "expiry": "Ongoing — no expiry or renewal conditions stated on the US pricing page.", "gotchas": "Free ≠ costless: card acceptance 2.80%+$0.30 domestic / 4.30%+$0.30 international, SWIFT transfers $15–$25 each, FX markup 0.5% (major) / 1% (other) above interbank still apply. Marketing 'free' claim in US changed over 2025: previously threshold-based ($0 if $5K/mo deposit or $10K balance, else $29). Legacy customers who signed up before June 1, 2025 were placed into Explore with no monthly fee as of July 1, 2025.", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free sandbox / developer tools (Payments & Fintech Dev Tools)", "detail": "Airwallex developer docs (airwallex.com/docs, API reference at /docs/api) include a 'Sandbox environment' developer tool to 'simulate transactions before going live'. Docs confirm existence of a self-serve sandbox; doc sub-pages are JS-rendered so exact 'no production account / no real money / no CC required' wording could not be re-verified today — treat those specifics as medium confidence. No per-call API pricing is published; production Platform APIs / Embedded Finance are custom-priced ('contact sales').", "eligibility": "Any Airwallex customer/developer; sandbox simulates transactions with test data — no real money. A registered business account for full production use.", "claim": "Open an account via airwallex.com/en-us/signup, enable developer tools, generate test/API keys in sandbox mode; docs at airwallex.com/docs.", "expiry": "Ongoing while docs/sandbox remain available; no stated sunset.", "gotchas": "Sandbox limits (rate caps, supported products, feature parity) are not published on the fetchable landing page — check /docs/developer-tools/sandbox-environment/sandbox-environment-overview in a real browser. Production API/Platform pricing is custom, not free; do not assume free API calls in production.", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/docs", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Airwallex for Startups (US) — startup program with fee credits", "detail": "US marketing page (read today): $150K in fee credits usable across FX, payments, payouts and platform fees for 12 months; no FX fees on your first $50,000 in transfers; no monthly global-account fees for the first 12 months (60+ countries); 6 months of t0 AI-CFO access; up to 2% cashback/fee savings on your first $800K when investors join the partner network. Partner-stack credits: Google Cloud $250K in credits, Nebius US$100,000 AI compute credits, 6 months of Notion Business (with Notion AI) free, 20% off first-year Carta subscription + waived onboarding, 20% off Deel first year. T&C (last updated Sept 9, 2026): card cashback = 10% rebate on eligible transactions for first 90 days of the Promotion Period, 2% thereafter (non-withdrawable, must offset future card spend/fees); a fee-waiver option of up to 'USD 25,000,00 equivalent' payments volume or 'USD 10,000,00 equivalent' FX volume (figures appear garbled in the fetched text — likely USD 250K / USD 100K volume caps; verify in a real browser). Rewards post by the 2nd of the following month; refunds/chargebacks reverse rewards.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed US-registered startups, pre-seed through Series A, having raised at least USD 500,000 in venture capital; Series B or later or valuations over USD $1B disqualify; NEW Airwallex customers only (existing customers explicitly not eligible per marketing page); enrollment via a direct Airwallex invitation link, acceptance at Airwallex's sole discretion. No .edu; no credit card required; company age not stated (funding stage is the filter).", "claim": "Apply/enroll on the Airwallex for Startups page (airwallex.com/en-us/startups) — no promo code for the US; sign up at /en-us/signup through the startup invitation flow. T&C at airwallex.com/en-us/terms/airwallex-for-startups-promotion.", "expiry": "Application window closes 31 December 2027, 23:59 PST (extendable/shortenable at Airwallex's discretion). Benefits run 12 months (fee credits/monthly fee waiver) or 6 months (t0 AI CFO); unused waiver capacity auto-expires; participation may be revoked at any time.", "gotchas": "Marketing-page figures ($150K fee credits, $50K FX waiver, $800K cashback base) do not line up cleanly with the fetched T&C text (garbled 'USD25,000,00'/'USD10,000,00' caps) — confirm exact caps before relying on them. Cashback is non-withdrawable and excludes card-present transactions, cash/ATM, gift vouchers, balance transfers, gambling, crypto/investments, government payments. Promotion cannot be combined with other Airwallex offers. Series B+/>$1B valuation and existing Airwallex customers are out.", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Airwallex for Startups — regional offers (AU/NZ, UK, Singapore)", "detail": "Refreshed global program launched 29 Oct 2025 (Singapore first, then global), three pillars: stage-appropriate financial infrastructure, Startup CFO Expert Panel mentorship, and an AI Sandbox track. AU/NZ: pre-seed = 3 months free on Explore tier; seed = 3 months free on Grow tier + waived fees on first AUD$100,000 of payments + fee-free FX on first AUD$100,000 of conversions + Airwallex Yield on AUD/USD; Series A+ = contact sales; redeem code AIRWALLEX2 when enquiring via partner Scendar; requires AU ABN or NZ NZBN and venture backing. UK: pay 0% payment-method fees on first £10,000; zero FX fees on first £10,000 of conversions; 2% cashback on first £10,000 of card spend. Singapore (via SMU IIE incubatees): cashback on card spend, free FX conversions, waived collection fees and 50% off annual fees on up to S$800,000 of usage; activate perks by making an S$1 deposit or transaction; sign up via partners.airwallex.com/SMUIIE.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed startups with a business entity registered in the program's region (AU/NZ: ABN/NZBN required; 'focused on' that region for now). UK page directs to startups@airwallex.com. No .edu requirement; no CC required.", "claim": "AU/NZ: apply on airwallex.com/en-au/startups and redeem AIRWALLEX2 with partner Scendar (or via approved accelerator/VC partner links; Series A+ only via VC partner links). UK: register interest on airwallex.com/en-uk/airwallex-for-startups or email the startups team. SG: open account through the SMU IIE referral URL.", "expiry": "No calendar end date published; tier offers (3-month Grow/Explore) are time-boxed to 3 months; AU terms document updated Oct 2025. Each company may redeem only one offer after Seed stage.", "gotchas": "Regional coverage is at Airwallex's discretion and varies by market; pre-seed AU applicants must be incorporated in Australia within 12 months before account activation and be building a technology product; eligibility/stage reclassification at Airwallex's discretion; requires an active Airwallex account and completed KYC.", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/en-au/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Partner Rewards catalog — free trials and credits for customers", "detail": "airwallex.com/en-us/rewards: free trials/credits from 25+ partners for Airwallex customers, incl. 6 months free Zendesk, Zegal 1 year free unlimited signing (or 2 months Standard), Pencil first 3 months free, Qwilr $90 free credits (3 months), A2X 20% off first 4 months (code AirwallexA2X), HelloTax 15% off (code AIRWALLEX), Oyster 20% off first 12 months, Amaka 100% free plan/14-day premium trial, Sostocked 30-day trial, Borderless360 up to 150 free shipments, Shipbob $300 shipping credit, Payability $250 sign-on bonus, Kickfurther 50% off first month, Klarna up to 20 bps off standard pricing, JoeLister 30-day trial, Zonguru 7-day trial + 10%, Lawpath up to 35% off, Reviews.io 30%, Linktree 1-month trial, Seller Candy $200 off (LAUNCHCA), TransImpact 60-day free audit.", "eligibility": "Airwallex customers only (existing account required) — not a new-user or student freebie. Redeem only via the Rewards page inside the Airwallex web app or the partner code/URL; partner-specific criteria may apply.", "claim": "Log in to Airwallex web app → Rewards page → follow partner link; enter listed codes at partner checkout where applicable. Terms: airwallex.com/terms/airwallex-rewards-customer-terms.", "expiry": "No expiry dates listed on the page; partner offers are 'subject to change without notice'.", "gotchas": "These are third-party trials (a 'free trial' here is not Airwallex money back); requires an account that itself incurs transaction fees; regional variants exist (AU codes/credits differ, e.g., Easyship AUD100, Sourci AUD$500).", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/rewards", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education offers — none public; education-adjacent programs only", "detail": "No .edu-based free tier, student license, or student discount exists: Airwallex is B2B-only (no personal accounts; a registered business + KYC is required), and /en-us/education and /en-us/students do not exist (404). What does exist (education-adjacent, mostly AU): (1) Airwallex Impact (Nov 2024, Pledge 1%): 1% of company equity pledged to philanthropy (~US$56M at pledge), funding scholarships/training/incubators; 43 University of Melbourne scholarships (up to A$30K each) via an A$3M 2022–2025 partnership (now extended with a further ~A$2M donation, announced 24 Apr 2026); 'discounted Airwallex product for select non-profits' was planned for mid-2025. (2) Latitude 37 (launched 30 Apr 2026): A$100,000 EQUITY-FREE grants to 10+ Australian AI founders under 25 each year, plus Airwallex network access and an SF/Singapore immersion tour; applications opened late May 2026 (window likely closed by Oct 2026 — verify). (3) UNSW Sydney Founders community perk: bonus A$100 credit plus free multi-currency account, no monthly fee — open only to UNSW Founders and requires an active ABN.", "eligibility": "Scholarships: University of Melbourne IT students (alumni program, not self-serve). Latitude 37: Australian AI founders under 25 (post-grad), grant-based. UNSW perk: UNSW Founders community members with an ABN. No .edu email pathway to a free Airwallex account for individual students.", "claim": "No self-serve student claim path. University programs are administered by the partner institutions (contact via the universities or sarah.kenny@unimelb.edu.au for UoM); Latitude 37 via its application window; UNSW perk via founders.unsw.edu.au/airwallex.", "expiry": "UoM 'Opportunity Fund' bursary closed (funding capacity reached); initial 2022–2025 partnership term ended, extended April 2026; Latitude 37 applications opened late May 2026.", "gotchas": "These are grants/scholarships/partner perks, not product free tiers — a student cannot simply open a free Airwallex business account as an individual; 'discounted product for nonprofits' (mid-2025) applies to non-profits, not students, and no percentage is published.", "source_url": "https://www.airwallex.com/global/newsroom/airwallex-impact-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Grow plan 'first month' trial (region-dependent, unverified for US)", "detail": "UK third-party 2025-2026 reviews (Wise) describe a free first-month trial for Explore/Grow in the UK ('The first-month trial is free'). The current US pricing page (read today) lists NO trial period, signup bonus, or trial credit — only the legacy-customer migration note (pre-June-2025 customers moved to fee-free Explore on 1 Jul 2025). So a general 'free trial credit' offer cannot be confirmed for the US.", "eligibility": "If offered in your market: new sign-ups; UK per third-party reviews.", "claim": "Check the regional pricing page at signup; no claim path on the US page today.", "expiry": "1 month where offered (UK third-party claim); none stated for US.", "gotchas": "UK-only per third-party sources — do not rely on it in the US; confirm with Airwallex before planning around it. Trial-vs-free distinction matters: a trial month still means the plan fee resumes (US Grow = $12/user/month + platform fee, up to 250 users; Accelerate = custom).", "source_url": "https://wise.com/gb/blog/airwallex-pricing", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) PRICING RESTRUCTURE (Jul 2025): Airwallex moved to per-user pricing (Explore $0/user/mo, Grow $12/user/mo + platform fee, Accelerate custom); customers who signed up before June 1, 2025 were placed into fee-free Explore as of July 1, 2025. The older market-conditional 'free Explore' thresholds (AU A$5K/mo deposit or A$10K balance, else A$29; UK £10K, else £19) still appear for AU/UK/CA, while the US page now markets Explore as flat $0 with no minimum — the task's known fact ('$0 if deposit ≥$10K/mo or hold ≥$10K') reflects the older threshold model, now superseded on the US page. (2) STARTUP PROGRAM REFRAMED (29 Oct 2025): the global 'Airwallex for Startups' program was relaunched in Singapore with three pillars (stage-appropriate infrastructure, CFO Expert Panel, AI Sandbox) before expanding to the US/UK; the prior version's 'win a $10,000 local-currency business acceleration grant in select regions' was replaced by the current per-stage perk structure (US: $150K fee credits etc.). US program T&C last updated Sept 9, 2026, application window open through 31 Dec 2027. (3) LATITUDE 37 (30 Apr 2026): new A$100K equity-free grant for under-25 Australian AI founders — applications opened late May 2026, likely closed by today's date. (4) UoM partnership extended 24 Apr 2026 with a further ~A$2M; its 'Opportunity Fund' bursary has reached funding capacity and is closed. No Airwallex free offer for students was sunset, because none ever existed as a public product tier." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 3, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Explore plan — free tier (US)", "link": "https://www.airwallex.com/en-us/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "aiven free plan", "name": "Aiven Free Plan", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://aiven.io" ], "offers": [ "Always-free plan covering PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, OpenSearch and Valkey — no credit card, no time limit (services power off after long inactivity)" ], "notes": [ "2025-26 change: Aiven now publishes a no-card, no-time-limit free plan (previously 30-day paid trials). Paid Developer tier from $5/mo (1 CPU/1 GB/8 GB)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Aiven Free Tier (always-free managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, Valkey)", "detail": "Aiven's always-free tier covers 5 services at $0/month: PostgreSQL (1GB storage, 1GB RAM, 1 CPU/VM, single node, network egress included), MySQL (1GB storage, 1GB RAM, network egress included), Apache Kafka (up to 250 KiB/s combined produce+consume, max 5 topics x 2 partitions, up to 3-day retention, free Karapace Schema Registry + REST proxy, only ONE free Kafka service per organization, no Kafka Connect/MirrorMaker 2/integrations/tiered storage), OpenSearch (4GB RAM, 20GB persistent storage, up to 20 shards, single node, k-NN/vector enabled by default), and Valkey (1GB RAM, network egress included). It is a permanent free tier, not a trial: no expiry, no time limit, no credit card required. Free services are automatically powered off during extended inactivity and can be reactivated anytime; Aiven reserves the right to shut down services that violate acceptable use or are unused for extended periods. No SLA; support is documentation-only. No specific cloud/region can be chosen (geographical area only, e.g. Europe/NA/APAC).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone — no .edu email, no age cap, no company verification, no region-of-residence restriction, and no credit card. Free of any trial or time limit. The only implicit caps: one free Kafka service per organization, and per-service resource caps listed above. ClickHouse has NO free plan.", "claim": "Sign up free at aiven.io (no credit card, no trial form), open the Aiven Console, create a service (PostgreSQL/MySQL/Kafka/OpenSearch/Valkey) and select the free plan — service is live in minutes. Startup credits: apply via the form at aiven.io/startups (Typeform), acceptance ~2 business days, 15-min kickoff call, then apply the credit code to your Aiven account.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal — the free tier persists indefinitely within limits; services power off on prolonged inactivity but can be reactivated at any time. Aiven can discontinue/reduce the program (they did reduce storage in 2025).", "gotchas": "Not a trial, but: (1) idle services auto-power-off, so no uptime SLA and no production use; (2) since 15 May 2025, PostgreSQL/MySQL free storage is only 1GB (was 5GB) — a full 5GB-database won't fit; (3) network egress is included only up to the free tier's stated network allowance — the free-tier page labels PG/MySQL/Valkey as 'network costs' included, verify on the plan page if your traffic is heavy; (4) you cannot pick a specific cloud/region on free plans, so cross-cloud peering/VPC features are unavailable; (5) no connection pooling or service integrations on free PostgreSQL; (6) the paid upgrade path is the new $5/month Developer tier (launched Nov–Dec 2025) with 8GB storage and no auto power-off; (7) one-off prize competitions (Dec 2025 $5,000 free-Kafka competition closed 31 Jan 2026; $1,000 free-tier competition closed 17 Apr 2026) are marketing campaigns, not recurring credits.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/free-tier;https://aiven.io/pricing;https://aiven.io/free-postgresql-database;https://aiven.io/free-opensearch;https://aiven.io/changelog/6d8b5811-882e-4a87-a346-66fbca7ed709", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Aiven for Startups (formerly 'Cluster') — up to $100,000 platform credits over 12 months", "detail": "Aiven for Startups (the program formerly called 'Aiven Cluster', revamped Aug 2023) grants from $12,000 up to $100,000 in Aiven platform credits usable over 12 months across all managed services (Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, OpenSearch, ClickHouse, Valkey, etc.), plus startup-Slack community, technical guidance/office hours from Aiven solution architects, promotion on Aiven channels, and virtual events. Partner-marketplace listings (e.g. Stand Together Ventures, Aug 2026) state explicit stage-based tiers: $12K pre-seed, $30K seed, $75K Series A, $100K Series B, with the option to upgrade tier as the company grows; the $12K tier also exists for startups with no partner affiliation. Credits are valid 12 months; no payment commitment after they expire.", "eligibility": "Startup founded no more than 7 years ago; external funding raised from pre-seed up to and including Series B; application with company website + business email (personal emails rejected as verification); preferred affiliation with an Aiven ecosystem partner (VC, accelerator, incubator — e.g. Techstars, Digital Ocean Hatch which offers a $10K variant, Aalto Startup Center, SMU iie with $30K). Excluded: agencies, consulting firms, NGOs, and educational institutions; applicants must be a new Aiven customer or a paying customer with monthly invoice under $400, and must not have previously received startup credits. No .edu requirement (it is a company program, not a student one).", "claim": "Apply through the Aiven for Startups form (aiven.io/startups, Typeform: aiven-startups.typeform.com/to/STphOA6R); select your VC/accelerator affiliation if you have one; on acceptance (~2 business days) you get a welcome email, book a 15-min kick-off call with the Startup Program Manager, and receive a credit code; sign up on Aiven, apply the code, and spend credits on any managed service for 12 months.", "expiry": "Credits must be used within 12 months of receipt; no auto-renewal. Program has been running since Nov 2021 (launched as Cluster), revamped Aug 2023 (funding cap raised Series A→B, age cap 5→7 years, new $12K tier), and is branded 'Aiven for Startups' as of 2026.", "gotchas": "The official page says amounts 'vary based on your startup's credit tier' without publishing the per-stage numbers — the $12K/$30K/$75K/$100K mapping comes from partner listings, not the main page. Credits are not cash: they offset Aiven service spend only, and unspent credits lapse after 12 months. Approval is discretionary ('apply anyway' is encouraged but not guaranteed). A partner (VC/accelerator/incubator) affiliation is effectively expected for the higher tiers. The Digital Ocean Hatch variant caps at $10,000 even though the headline is $100K. Verify current form/eligibility in the Typeform at application time.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/startups;https://aiven.io/press/aiven-unveils-revamped-cluster-startup-program;https://aiven.io/guide-for-startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated student/education program (negative finding)", "detail": "No dedicated education program, .edu license, student discount, or student credits program was found in Aiven's official pages or press releases as of 2026-10-22. Aiven supports students indirectly: (1) the always-free tier is explicitly marketed for 'learning databases & streaming' and is open to any individual — a student with a personal email can get free managed PostgreSQL/MySQL/Kafka/OpenSearch/Valkey with no credit card; (2) free online 'Aiven Developer Workshops' (aiven.io/developer-workshops) are open education events; (3) universities (Aalto Startup Center, SMU iie) partner on the STARTUP program side, where their incubatee startups (companies, not students) get $30K–$100K credits. Notably, the startup program explicitly EXCLUDES educational institutions as applicants. Confidence is medium rather than high because the web-search budget for this session was exhausted before a final confirming sweep of aiven.io/education-style URLs could run.", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no student/education offer exists to qualify for. (Students qualify for the general free tier by simply having an Aiven account; no .edu email required or beneficial.)", "claim": "No application or license step — students simply use the always-free tier (aiven.io/free-tier, no credit card). Free Aiven Developer Workshops (aiven.io/developer-workshops) are open, free training sessions on PostgreSQL/Kafka/OpenSearch.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Do not confuse university partner listings (Aalto, SMU) — those are startup-company offers for incubatees, not student licenses; the startup program's terms bar educational institutions. If Aiven ever launches an education program it would likely surface at aiven.io/startups or the press room; check the free-tier page, not a nonexistent '/education' page.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/free-tier;https://aiven.io/developer-workshops;https://startupcenter.aalto.fi/services-for-our-network/startup-growth-tools", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes that materially altered the free landscape: (1) 15 May 2025 — free-plan storage for PostgreSQL and MySQL reduced from 5GB to 1GB for all new and existing free services (changelog aiven.io/changelog/6ad6c429-6c1c-4418-abfb-2ca82f927414); no data loss, connections unchanged, but hobbyists needing more must move to paid 'hobbyist/Developer' plans. (2) Nov 12 / Dec 10 2025 — a new $5/month Developer tier launched for PostgreSQL and MySQL (1 CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, Basic support, services never auto-power-off, region area but not cloud selection); one changelog dated Nov 12 2025 says the Postgres Developer plan starts 'at $8 USD' while the Aiven blog states $5 — treat $5/month as the advertised starting price and verify in-console. (3) Dec 10 2025 — the Kafka free tier itself is new (previously Kafka had no $0 plan); before that date the free tier was PostgreSQL/MySQL/OpenSearch/Valkey only. (4) The startup program rebranded from 'Aiven Cluster Startup Program' to 'Aiven for Startups' (revamp in Aug 2023: age cap 5→7 years, funding cap Series A→B, new $12K non-partner tier; current form is aiven.io/startups). (5) One-off prize competitions, not recurring offers: $5,000 Free Kafka competition (closed 31 Jan 2026) and $1,000 Free Tier competition (closed 17 Apr 2026, winner announced 27 Apr 2026). Nothing was shut down in this window; the only reductions were the 2025 free-tier storage cut and Kafka's free-service-per-org limit (1)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Aiven Free Tier (always-free managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, Valkey)", "link": "https://aiven.io/free-tier;https://aiven.io/pricing;https://aiven.io/free-postgresql-database;https://aiven.io/free-opensearch;https://aiven.io/changelog/6d8b5811-882e-4a87-a346-66fbca7ed709", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "aiven startup program", "name": "Aiven Startup Program", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://aiven.io" ], "offers": [ "Up to $100,000 in Aiven credits over 12 months for eligible startups, plus technical expert access" ], "notes": [ "Listed under Aiven Solutions page 2026-10." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Aiven Free Tier ($0/month, perpetual)", "detail": "Standing $0/month free plan, no time limit, no credit card or payment details required. One free single-node service per type per account. Caps (network/egress costs still apply): PostgreSQL 1GB storage / 1GB RAM; MySQL 1GB storage / 1GB RAM; Valkey 1GB RAM; Apache Kafka up to 250 kb/s IN and OUT with retention up to 3 days; OpenSearch 20GB storage / 4GB RAM / up to 20 shards. Free services are single-node (multi-node HA is paid-only), no integrations or connection pooling. Aiven may shut down services that violate acceptable-use or stay unused an extended period.", "eligibility": "Any user — no .edu, no company email, no funding/age cap, no credit card. Open to students and individuals.", "claim": "Create a free Aiven account at console.aiven.io/signup (no payment details required), then deploy the desired service (ready in minutes). Upgrade to paid is one-click with no data migration/downtime.", "expiry": "No expiry / no trial clock. 'Always free.' Aiven reserves the right to shut down unused or policy-violating services.", "gotchas": "Capped resources, not for production; network/egress costs are not included; one free instance per service type; deleting a service deletes its data; Kafka retention max 3 days on free tier.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/free-tier", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trial / new-account credits", "detail": "Pricing FAQ offers a 'free 30-day trial' when you need more memory or advanced features. The Developer-tier page states new accounts get '$300 in free credits' and 'no credit card required.' The two pages describe the offer differently (the $300 figure appears only on the Developer-tier page, not on pricing), so treat the exact credit amount as unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "New Aiven accounts; no .edu requirement; no credit card required per the Developer-tier page.", "claim": "Sign up at console.aiven.io/signup and start a trial / pick a plan beyond the free tier. No card needed to start.", "expiry": "30-day window for the trial; free credits are new-account promotional credits. End-of-trial outcome (downgrade vs auto-charge) not stated on the page — consult docs; auto-billing behavior not confirmed.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free-tier distinction: the 30-day trial is for higher-memory/advanced features, not the perpetual free plan. $300 figure not corroborated on the pricing page, so verify in-console before relying on it. Whether a card is required after trial to continue is not confirmed.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Aiven Startup Program (startup-credits)", "detail": "Up to $100,000 in Aiven credits over a 12-month period (tiers from $12,000 up to $100,000), tiered by the startup's stage of growth and funding. Credits expire if unused by the end of the 12-month program. Plus perks: 1:1 technical expert mentoring/office hours, Aiven startup Slack community, blog/social/event feature opportunities, exclusive early-stage virtual events; perks are unlocked in levels based on activity/usage. Aiven may extend credits (not guaranteed, needs strong growth reasoning) and reserves the right to cancel on T&C breach/misuse. No credit card or payment requirement is stated on the page.", "eligibility": "Company founded no more than 7 years ago; external funding from pre-seed through Series B; must apply with a company/business email; proof of affiliation with a VC investor and/or an Aiven ecosystem partner (or an affiliated accelerator/incubator/co-working space) helps. Agencies, consulting firms, NGOs, and educational institutions are explicitly excluded. Existing Aiven customers with a monthly invoice under $400 may still qualify case-by-case. .edu email is NOT required.", "claim": "Submit the application via the Typeform on the startups page (primary: aiven-startups.typeform.com/to/STphOA6R; secondary: form.typeform.com/to/BqNrcMLJ). Reviewed on a rolling monthly basis, ~14 days for review. Once accepted, reserve a required personal kickoff session.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months and expire unused; one-time only ('you can only receive Startup credits once'). No program-wide sunset date is published.", "gotchas": "You can only receive the startup credits once. Perks/credits are level-gated on activity. One-time + 12-month expiry means no renewal. No sunset date stated, so confirm still-accepting status at the Typeform.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education license / .edu student program", "detail": "No dedicated education or student program exists. aiven.io/education returns HTTP 404. The free tier and Developer-tier FAQ mention students/solo developers/side projects as an audience, but there is no separate .edu-verified education license, no academic discount, and no student-only offer.", "eligibility": "N/A — no such offer found. Students are covered only via the general Free Tier (no .edu, no card).", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim; use the general Free Tier for student projects.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not assume an education license; verify only against aiven.io/free-tier and aiven.io/developer-tier.", "source_url": "https://aiven.io/education", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No free offer was sunset in 2025–2026. The aiven.io/education URL 404s (no dedicated education/.edu license has ever been offered; students use the general Free Tier). A dedicated /startup-program and /blog/aiven-startup-program URLs 404; the live startup program lives at aiven.io/startups and is currently active (Typeform applications open). WebSearch budget was exhausted this session, so 2025–2026 change claims could not be verified via search; findings above were read directly from the live official pages (aiven.io/free-tier, aiven.io/pricing, aiven.io/developer-tier, aiven.io/startups) today, so current-state detail is high-confidence. The $300 new-account credit figure and the 30-day trial end-of-trial behavior (auto-charge vs downgrade vs data deletion) are not fully corroborated on the official pages — verify in-console before relying on them." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Aiven Free Tier ($0/month, perpetual)", "link": "https://aiven.io/free-tier", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "linode", "name": "Akamai Linode", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.linode.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "~$100 trial credit, ~30-60 days, via signup/promo link (not always published in official docs)." ], "notes": [ "Now 'Linode by Akamai.' The $100 figure is promo-dependent and absent from official docs as of 2026 (same pattern as Vultr) - confirm in-console. Cheapest plan 'Nanode' (1 vCPU/1 GB) from $5/mo after trial; card required." ], "findings": [ { "name": "US$100 promotional credit trial (the successor to the \"Linode $100 free trial\")", "detail": "New-customer promotional credit of US$100 applied automatically at signup; the current Akamai Cloud pricing/FAQ gives the window as 60 days (\"if you received a $100 credit for 60 days...\"). Credit covers Compute, Object Storage, Block Storage, and NodeBalancers; GPU plans are excluded. After the credit is exhausted or the window expires, the card on file is charged for remaining balance at standard rates; unused credits expire automatically. One promo code/redemption per business; transferred codes cause account termination.", "eligibility": "New customers only (\"not yet signed up for a free trial\"). A valid payment method is required — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, or PayPal (Google Pay with associated card); a card/PayPal backup is mandatory up front and a pre-authorization may be sent, but you are not charged during the trial. No .edu requirement. No region limit stated on the page (offer localized into 9 languages; Linode data centers still available). No free-CC path: credit card or PayPal IS required.", "claim": "1) Go to login.linode.com/signup (via the 'Try Akamai Cloud with US$100 in credits*' banner on akamai.com/cloud/pricing, or directly to https://www.akamai.com/lp/free-credit-100). 2) Sign up with Google SSO, GitHub SSO, or email. 3) Add a valid payment method (not charged during trial). 4) Agree to ToS; the US$100 credit is applied automatically to the new account. Fine print lives in the 'Promotion Redemption Rules & Conditions' linked from the asterisk.", "expiry": "60-day credit window per current FAQ example (standard promos historically 30–60 days; always check the exact period shown in your signup/confirmation). Promotional codes themselves expire after one year per the legal rules page; promo is new-customers-only with no published end date.", "gotchas": "It is a trial/credit, not a perpetual free tier — card gets charged for any active service after the credit window; no published extension/renewal. The 60-day figure comes from the pricing-page FAQ example; the LP page itself does not state a fixed day count (the legal rules page is a generic promo-code document: 'Credit amounts are nonstandard and granted at the sole discretion of the Akamai sales team', 'Promo codes expire after one year'). Older Linode links (linode.com/trial) now 404 — the offer only runs through the Akamai Cloud pages/signup. Promo codes don't apply to Marketplace/third-party services.", "source_url": "https://www.akamai.com/cloud/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Rise start-up program (Akamai Cloud start-ups)", "detail": "3-year start-up program. Year 1: 'between $500 and $120,000 in cloud credits' (tiered, decided case-by-case; no published formula). Years 2–3: continued discounted cloud services (no published percentage). Includes architecture/migration consulting (valued ~$250/hour), prioritized 24/7 support, dedicated account management. First-year credits do not roll over month-to-month or to subsequent years; overage in a month is billed that month. Contact: startups@akamai.com.", "eligibility": "Early-stage, for-profit company fewer than 7 years old; at least one of: paid staff beyond founders, active non-affiliated users, initial revenue, or VC backing; must commit to a concrete infrastructure scaling plan and use Akamai Cloud as a primary provider. Must register a commercial account with a corporate email on a matching domain plus a valid credit card. Existing Akamai customers cannot join; managed hosting firms, MSPs, system integrators, and resellers excluded; SaaS, media, and gaming prioritized.", "claim": "1) Complete the intake form on https://www.akamai.com/cloud/start-ups/rise (or email startups@akamai.com). 2) Internal review with status update within ~2 weeks. 3) Brief discovery call for qualified applicants. 4) Onboarding — credits loaded onto your account and next steps set with a program coordinator.", "expiry": "Program runs 3 years; year-1 credits expire monthly (no rollover). No published application deadline — rolling intake.", "gotchas": "Credit amount is highly variable ($500–$120,000) and sales-discretionary — most applicants will get far less than the max; monthly credit allotments burn down per month with no rollover. Not a free tier: you're expected to pay for overage. 'Discounted' years 2–3 have no published discount level. Corporate email + card required; individual/education applicants don't qualify.", "source_url": "https://www.akamai.com/cloud/start-ups/rise", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Partner start-up program (VCs / accelerators / investors)", "detail": "Enrollment for VCs, accelerators, and investors, on behalf of portfolio companies. Credits 'up to $3,000/month for a year' for qualified new Akamai Cloud customers (i.e., up to ~$36,000 total per portfolio company). Also technical enablement workshops and a path for strong portfolio companies into Akamai's Tech Partner Program. Developers in a partner's portfolio can start using credits immediately.", "eligibility": "The partner (fund/accelerator/investor organization) must apply; credits are restricted to 'qualified new customers' of Akamai Cloud (existing Akamai customers excluded). No fund-size or stage thresholds published.", "claim": "Fill out the 'Become a partner' form on https://www.akamai.com/cloud/start-ups/partner, or email startups@akamai.com — Akamai contacts you to discuss the partnership; portfolio companies then get credits loaded.", "expiry": "Credits: up to 12 months at $3,000/month. No published deadline — rolling partner enrollment.", "gotchas": "This is an investor-channel program, not something an individual startup can apply to directly — a startup without VC/accelerator sponsorship should use the Rise program instead. Monthly cap ($3,000) means large month-1 spikes bill to the company; 'qualified' is not defined on the page.", "source_url": "https://www.akamai.com/cloud/start-ups/partner", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Enterprise cloud credits (up to US$5,000) — context only, not a student/startup offer", "detail": "Akamai Cloud's main cloud page promotes 'up to US$5,000 in cloud credits' for new AND existing enterprise customers, requested via a contact/apply form (in-page '#request-credits'). Per the promo rules, credit amounts are nonstandard and granted at Akamai sales team discretion; one redemption per business; codes expire after one year. Included here for completeness because it's the only other published dollar-amount credit; it targets enterprise sales motion, not students or early-stage startups.", "eligibility": "Enterprise customers (new and existing), sales-driven; no .edu or startup-age criteria; a valid payment method on account is a standing requirement of the Master Services Agreement.", "claim": "Use the 'request credits' apply link on https://www.akamai.com/cloud (or Akamai sales); credits are provisioned by the sales team, not self-service.", "expiry": "Promo codes expire after one year; enterprise grants have no published duration beyond code expiry.", "gotchas": "Amount is discretionary (up to $5,000, not guaranteed); no self-service claim; don't confuse with the self-serve $100 new-customer promo.", "source_url": "https://www.akamai.com/cloud", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education/Academy: no free student hosting tier exists; free learning content moved to Akamai Academy", "detail": "No perpetual free-tier VPS plan, and no free student/educator hosting license was found on any current page. linode.com/education, linode.com/linode-education and the old Linode trial/education URLs all 404 today. The free learning asset that remains is the (former) Linode Academy, now Akamai Academy at training.akamai.com/learn (Cloud Computing Foundations and other free courses; certification is separate). Academy = free courses, NOT free hosting. I verified no education program is linked from the Linode homepage or the Akamai Cloud homepage (only 'Cloud Computing Foundations Certification' under training).", "eligibility": "Anyone can take Academy courses for free; no .edu email requirement found. No hosting entitlement attaches to it.", "claim": "Visit https://training.akamai.com/learn for free courses. (Note: this site is a JS app; I could not extract course/certification pricing today, so treat certification cost as unverified.)", "expiry": "n/a — no such free hosting offer is currently published; verify only via the official pages above.", "gotchas": "Old Linode student-facing pages are gone post-rebrand; do not rely on pre-2025 Linode 'education' or 'student trial' claims found in third-party blog posts. If a source cites a Linode student free tier, it is outdated.", "source_url": "https://www.linode.com/(noeducationlinkpresent);https://www.akamai.com/cloud(noeducationprogrampresent)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025 changes (verified against live pages on 2026-10-22): (1) Rebrand — Linode is now 'Akamai Cloud' following Akamai's 2025 acquisition of Linode; linode.com/pricing (and the whole marketing site) now 301-redirects to akamai.com/cloud, and signups still run through login.linode.com. The old standalone 'Linode $100/30-day trial' link (linode.com/trial) now 404s — the trial is now the 'US$100 in credits' promo on Akamai Cloud pages, with the FAQ example stating a 60-day window (older promos were 30 days; ~30-60 days is the right mental model, but the exact window is per your signup/confirmation). (2) No perpetual free VPS tier has ever existed at Linode — the only recurring 'free' element on the pricing page is Object Storage's monthly free outbound egress allowance before overage (quantity not quantified on the page). (3) learn.linode.com (Linode Academy) no longer resolves (DNS ENOTFOUND) — training content moved to training.akamai.com/learn; there is no student/educator free-hosting license at Akamai Cloud today, so any 2025/2026 source claiming a 'Linode free student plan' is outdated. (4) WebSearch was unavailable in this session (budget exhausted), so corroboration relied on official pages fetched today; the $100 offer's exact day count remains a FAQ example rather than a hard-published policy figure." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "US$100 promotional credit trial (the successor to the \"Linode $100 free trial\")", "link": "https://www.akamai.com/cloud/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "algolia free plan", "name": "Algolia Free Plan", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.algolia.com/pricing/free-plan" ], "offers": [ "Free: 10K search requests/month, 50K records, 5K recommendation requests, 5K crawls; no credit card required" ], "notes": [ "Verified 2026-10 against the official Free Plan T&C: the cap is now 50K records — a significant reduction from the 1 million free records offered under the 2023-2025 'Build' plan. Paid entry is pay-as-you-go (Grow: $0.50/1K requests + $0.40/1K records after 100K included)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Algolia Free Plan (free tier)", "detail": "Standing no-cost tier: 10,000 search requests/month, 50,000 records, 5,000 recommendation requests/month, 5,000 resources crawled (crawls)/month. Includes core Search, Recommend, SDKs and UI components; explicitly usable in production. Hard caps: 10 KB/record, 1 GB/application data, 1 GB/index, 1 application.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (developers, startups, teams). No .edu email, no company-age or funding cap, no region limit. No credit card required. Self-serve.", "claim": "Self-serve sign up at https://dashboard.algolia.com/users/sign_up (no application, approval, or code). Then open https://dashboard.algolia.com. FAQ links a demo request at https://www.algolia.com/demorequest.", "expiry": "No expiry stated (ongoing free tier). If account is inactive >30 days, Algolia may remove Subscriber Data. Reaching the usage limit: service may be suspended or an Algolia attribution may be added to search results.", "gotchas": "Not unlimited: 50K-record and 10K-request caps simply stop (no billing on the free tier, unlike Grow). 50K records vs 100K on paid plans. No hosting-location choice on Free (US/UK/EU only appear under Grow). At usage limit results may carry Algolia attribution; idle accounts can lose data.", "source_url": "https://www.algolia.com/pricing/free-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Algolia Startup Program (trial credits)", "detail": "$10,000 in Algolia credits, valid for 12 months, plus world-class support. Bonus perks: credits for other SaaS products (DataDog, Notion and more) and Algolia Academy education resources. After credits are used, the account is automatically moved to Pay-as-you-go, or committed plans with ~20% discounts.", "eligibility": "Startups only, and new Algolia customers only. Main-page criteria: company less than 7 years old AND less than $15M total funding raised. The page's FAQ contradicts this: less than 3 years old AND less than $5M raised. No founder-count requirement; no .edu requirement; no region limit stated.", "claim": "Apply via the form linked from the page (a support-ticket form): https://support.algolia.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=5005635939217 . Unresolved questions: startups@algolia.com.", "expiry": "Credits lapse after 12 months; unused credits expire. No renewal mechanism described (appears to be a one-time grant).", "gotchas": "Credits are non-transferable. Not eligible if you have used any other coupon code in the past. Eligibility numbers conflict on-page (7yr/US$15M on the main block vs 3yr/US$5M in the FAQ) - confirm current thresholds before applying. Post-credit auto-moves to pay-as-you-go.", "source_url": "https://www.algolia.com/industries/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Algolia for Open Source (AOS) free offer", "detail": "A Standard PAYG plan with 200 units free, which translates to 200,000 records + 200,000 search requests + up to 2,000,000 indexing operations per month - a stated ~$180/month value.", "eligibility": "Three buckets: (1) licensed open-source software under a valid OSS license; (2) developer-community projects that make content discoverable/searchable and useful; (3) legally-recognized non-profit or non-governmental organizations. All must be non-commercial, publicly available, and exceed the free tier's limits. Commercially-backed non-commercial projects are reviewed case-by-case. No .edu requirement; no startup age/funding cap.", "claim": "Submit your project through the application/submission form on the page (or use the 'Start Free' sign-up link). Questions: community@algolia.com.", "expiry": "Ongoing for qualifying projects; no stated expiry. If a project is terminated, acquired, or shifts to a commercial model, the account is downgraded 'in a timely manner.'", "gotchas": "Requires a 'Search by Algolia' logo attribution in your search results/site, linking to algolia.com (alternatives can be discussed). Must remain non-commercial and publicly available. Credit-card requirement not stated on the page. 200 units (~$180/month value) is the cap.", "source_url": "https://www.algolia.com/for-open-source", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Algolia for Non-Profit free offer", "detail": "Same AOS bundle: Standard PAYG plan + 200 units free = 200,000 records + 200,000 search requests + up to 2,000,000 indexing operations per month (~$180/month value).", "eligibility": "Legally-recognized non-profit / non-governmental organizations; must be non-commercial and publicly available. No .edu requirement; no startup age/funding cap.", "claim": "Submit through the application form on the page; questions to community@algolia.com.", "expiry": "Ongoing; account downgraded on status change, termination, or acquisition.", "gotchas": "Logo attribution required. The non-profit category overlaps with the open-source program. Credit-card requirement not stated. Status must remain non-profit/non-commercial or the account is downgraded.", "source_url": "https://www.algolia.com/for-non-profit", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Grow & Grow Plus 'Start for free' allowance (pay-as-you-go)", "detail": "Self-serve pay-as-you-go tiers that include a free allowance: 10,000 search requests/month + 100,000 records, then billed $0.50/1K requests (Grow) or $1.75/1K requests (Grow Plus, which adds AI Synonyms, AI Ranking, Advanced Personalization, Query Categorization, Collections, 90-day analytics retention), and $0.40/1K records. Billed monthly with no contract required. Hosting: US/UK/EU on Grow.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (self-serve). Not explicitly credit-card-free like the Free plan (a payment method is needed for pay-as-you-go overage). No .edu; no age/funding cap; regions US/UK/EU.", "claim": "Start from the pricing page (https://www.algolia.com/pricing) by choosing Grow or Grow Plus; billed monthly, no contract, no approval.", "expiry": "Free allowance resets monthly; unused allowance does not roll over. Ongoing pay-as-you-go; cancellable (no contract).", "gotchas": "Not a pure free tier - you are billed beyond the 10K requests / 100K records allowance. Grow Plus is pricier per request ($1.75 vs $0.50). Distinct from the no-CC 'Free plan', which has a hard cap and no billing. Search-as-you-type multiplies request count; multi-query bundling reduces billed requests.", "source_url": "https://www.algolia.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: On October 2, 2025 Algolia launched the Grow Plus plan, bringing AI search capabilities (AI Synonyms, AI Ranking, Advanced Personalization, Query Categorization, Collections, 90-day analytics retention) to the self-serve/pay-as-you-go lineup at $1.75/1K requests - a material expansion of the paid tiers; Grow plan terms were last updated June 30, 2025 (previous version Sept 25, 2024). No core free offer was sunset or reduced in 2025-2026: the Free plan still lists 10K requests / 50K records / 5K recommend / 5K crawls with no credit card required, matching the known figures. There is no dedicated student/education license: /education and /for-education both return 404 and the pricing page exposes no student URL; the only education-adjacent item is 'Algolia Academy' resources offered as a perk inside the Startup program. One unresolved on-page discrepancy in the Startup program: the main block says <7 years old and = 0.4 on a repo you maintain; (6) discretionary 'ecosystem impact' catch-all. Baseline requirements (secondary, Sept-2026-checked): GitHub account 2+ years old, public activity in prior 90 days, OSI-approved license, 18+. A Sept-2026-checked tracker adds: cap of 10,000 approved recipients and a 90-day activation window on the approval link.", "eligibility": "Open-source maintainers/contributors meeting one threshold; not limited to students or startups — relevant to students who maintain OSS projects. Criteria were overhauled in July 2026 (the older '5,000+ stars / 1M+ npm downloads' gate was replaced by these six thresholds).", "claim": "Apply now at claude.com/contact-sales/claude-for-oss ('Apply now' CTA; form mechanics beyond that not detailed on the page). Approved maintainers get an activation link (use within 90 days per secondary source).", "expiry": "Subscription lasts 6 months; 'complimentary subscription ends' with a reminder email beforehand; account falls back to Free plan after. No program sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Subscription, not API credit — does not fund API-based products. Overage after Max limits costs standard Max rates. A separate linked Terms document (anthropic.com/claude-for-oss-terms) governs details not shown on the page.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/contact-sales/claude-for-oss", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "API code execution free hours (platform feature, de-facto free tier)", "detail": "Official API pricing docs (read today): the code execution tool — used without web search/web fetch — gives 'Each organization receives 1,550 free hours of usage per month' (equivalent to the pricing page's '50 free hours of usage daily per organization'); beyond that it's $0.05/hour per container, 5-minute minimum. Also: 'Code execution is free when used with web search or web fetch' (no extra charge beyond token costs).", "eligibility": "Any organization/account using the first-party API (console account); no CC-only gate mentioned for the feature, but API billing overall is arrears-based and a payment method is needed for charged usage.", "claim": "Use the code execution tool in API requests; the free 1,550 h/month allotment applies per organization automatically.", "expiry": "Ongoing monthly allowance; no sunset published.", "gotchas": "Token usage (input/output) is still billed normally — the free part is container runtime only. If files are included in the request, execution time is billed even if the tool isn't called (files preloaded onto the container).", "source_url": "https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Claude via AWS Bedrock using AWS Activate credits (startup free-compute route)", "detail": "Anthropic's own program excludes Bedrock/Vertex for its credits, but startups can reach Claude through AWS Activate: founders tier $1,000–$5,000 self-funded (pre-Series B, founded within last 10 years; AWS says 'you'll hear back within 5–10 business days'); portfolio/VC-accelerator tier up to $200,000 via a VC or accelerator with an AWS Org ID; invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier $200,000+. The AWS Activate FAQ (checked Sept 2026) states credits 'are also redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock... like AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Cohere.' Counterpoint: Google for Startups credits are NOT usable for third-party models on Vertex, and Microsoft Foundry docs list credit-based accounts as unable to use Claude — so AWS is the viable credit path to Claude on a hyperscaler.", "eligibility": "Startups pre-Series B, founded within the last 10 years (AWS Activate); US global eligibility per AWS program terms; region limits apply to AWS accounts. Not a student program (student routes on AWS are separate, e.g., AWS Educate — not verified today).", "claim": "1) Apply for AWS Activate at aws.amazon.com/activate (self-serve or via your VC/accelerator); 2) claim the Org-ID-based credits; 3) enable Amazon Bedrock in your AWS account and select Anthropic Claude models; 4) spend Activate credits on those model calls.", "expiry": "Activate credit expiry is per-AWS-timer rules (typically fixed windows per tier, not re-verified today). No Anthropic-side expiry on Bedrock usage; AWS Bedrock usage pricing differs from first-party API pricing.", "gotchas": "Secondary source (checked 2026-09-25) — re-verify amounts on aws.amazon.com/activate before relying on them. Bedrock Claude pricing, rates and model availability differ from the first-party API; egress/data-transfer and Bedrock service fees can erode the credit value (data/egress costs gotcha). Anthropic startup credits cannot be used on Bedrock/Vertex — the two credit pools don't mix.", "source_url": "https://klymentiev.com/blog/claude-free-credits", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "External Researcher Access program — $1,000 API credits for AI-safety researchers", "detail": "A Sept-2026-checked tracker lists 'External Researcher Access: $1,000 in API credits' for AI safety researchers, reviewed monthly, with 'more for rare special cases.' The official page could not be located today (candidate URLs 404'd; the claude.com programs footer lists only Campus, Frontier Academy, Scientists, and Startups), so treat the dollar figure as unverified against a primary source.", "eligibility": "External AI-safety researchers (individuals/researchers, distinct from the institution-based AI for Science program); exact criteria not published on a locatable official page as of today.", "claim": "Per the secondary tracker: submit a short application/request for external researcher access (monthly review); if approved, $1,000 in API credits is added to the account. Locate the canonical form via Anthropic support or the AI-safety research channel.", "expiry": "Monthly review cycle; no published sunset.", "gotchas": "Secondary-source only — the amount and even the program name may have changed by now; do not quote it as official without re-verifying.", "source_url": "https://klymentiev.com/blog/claude-free-credits", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Menlo Anthology Fund — investment + Anthropic credits for pre-seed/Series A startups", "detail": "A $100M fund run by Menlo Ventures with Anthropic: investment 'starting at $100,000' at pre-seed through Series A, bundled with Anthropic API credits. The fund's own page was internally inconsistent when checked (Aug 2026): body text says '$25,000 in free credits' while its FAQ says '$30,000 in free Anthropic credits.' Applications via an Airtable form on a rolling basis; Menlo promised responses within two weeks.", "eligibility": "Pre-seed to Series A startups picked by Menlo; equity is taken (it is an investment, not a grant).", "claim": "Apply via the Airtable form at menlovc.com/menlo-anthology-fund/; if selected, the investment closes with bundled Anthropic credits. Alternatively, startups already backed by Anthropic's partner VCs can claim up to $100,000 in additional API credits 'through your VC' (stated on the official Claude Startups page read today).", "expiry": "No published sunset; application form rolling; page last updated Aug 2026.", "gotchas": "Equity dilution cost — this is a venture investment, not a free grant. Credit amount conflict ($25K vs $30K) on the fund page; confirm at close. The VC-claim path for up to $100K (official Claude Startups page) is the better-verified number.", "source_url": "https://menlovc.com/menlo-anthology-fund/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Claude for Startups program (credits + VC top-up)", "detail": "Program members access 'discounts and credits worth up to $45,000 from companies building with Claude' (offers from AI-native vendors across sales, design, data, meetings, engineering; each redeemed with a code in the Claude Console). Founders backed by a VC in Anthropic's partner network may receive up to $100K in ADDITIONAL first-party API credits, claimed through their VC. Members also get biweekly Applied AI webinars/AMAs and invites to Claude Startup events/hackathons.", "eligibility": "Early-stage founders. Page states no explicit company-age cap, funding ceiling, minimum team size, .edu requirement, or region limit. The $100K is gated to founders whose VC is in the Anthropic partner network. CURRENT COHORT IS CLOSED: 'our current cohort is now full, and we're not accepting new applications right now' as of today.", "claim": "Non-members: subscribe to the Claude Startup newsletter to be alerted when the next cohort opens. Existing members: sign in via Claude Console at platform.claude.com/claude-for-startups. The $100K VC credit is claimed through the VC, not the general application.", "expiry": "No published expiry/validity window for member credits. Benefits run on a membership/cohort basis. Upcoming dated event: Claude Founder House, San Francisco, Oct 6-8, 2026.", "gotchas": "Credits apply ONLY to the first-party Claude API via Claude Console and CANNOT be used on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or other third-party platforms. The program is cohort-based and applications are currently closed (must wait for the next opening). Trial-style, membership-gated, not a self-serve signup.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/programs/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Claude.ai Free tier (consumer, no startup needed)", "detail": "Free Claude account: $0, 'Free for everyone'. Includes chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation, code execution, memory, Artifacts, Design, Slides, Docs. Projects capped at up to 5. Available models on Free: Sonnet and Haiku only (no Opus).", "eligibility": "Everyone (no account prerequisites). No .edu required, no startup status required. No credit card required (listed 'n/a').", "claim": "Sign up at claude.ai; select the Free plan.", "expiry": "Ongoing; not a time-limited trial. Standard per-model usage limits apply (no fixed message count published; Anthropic links to a usage-limit-best-practices article).", "gotchas": "No Opus access on Free. Distinct from the paid Pro ($17-20/mo) and Max ($100+/mo) plans which DO require a credit card. Consumer chat product, not API access.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "API free / trial credits", "detail": "There is NO free API tier and NO standalone free API trial credits listed on the official pricing page today. API access is pay-as-you-go (e.g., Sonnet input $2/MTok, output $10/MTok). The $45K startup credits and the 'Team plan for scientists' are the free-ish routes to API usage.", "eligibility": "API requires a paid account / credit card. Free API use is only via the startup program credits or the scientist plan.", "claim": "Create an account in Claude Console (platform.claude.com) with a payment method; to use API without paying, qualify for the Claude for Startups program or the Team plan for scientists.", "expiry": "n/a (no free tier to expire).", "gotchas": "New API accounts need a card and are billed usage (data/egress/token costs apply). Anthropic historically offered a small free API trial credit for new accounts; that is NOT listed on the official pricing page as of 2026-10-22, so do not assume a fresh sign-up gives free API credit.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Claude Team plan for scientists (free academic/nonprofit research seats)", "detail": "Standard Team seats at $0/month (list $20; annual $0/$180 per seat); Premium seats $15/month (list $100). '10,000 scientists around the world can now get Claude at no cost to start.' 1-25 seats per group (contact for larger); Premium adds 5x usage; extra usage via the AI for Science grant program.", "eligibility": "Principal investigators (or equivalent) at ACCREDITED UNIVERSITIES and NONPROFIT research institutes in natural sciences, math, CS, engineering and related fields. For-profit companies, CROs, and industry R&D teams are EXCLUDED.", "claim": "Verify institutional affiliation at the 'Verify now' attestation link; confirm affiliation + brief research description; most applications reviewed within 5-7 business days; on approval admins add seats.", "expiry": "Promotional $0 pricing lasts 12 months from sign-up, then seats renew at the then-current plan price; inactivity for 90 days may return the group to standard Team pricing; 'promotional pricing is not guaranteed, given limited availability.' No calendar dates published.", "gotchas": "Requires an accredited-university / nonprofit-researcher affiliation (institutional, not just any .edu personal email). Cap on 10,000 scientists and limited availability. Renewal ends the free window after 12 months.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/programs/team-plan-for-scientists", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Claude for Teachers (free K-12 educator access)", "detail": "US K-12 educators and districts get FREE access to premium Claude features (teaching skills, evidence-based-curriculum connectors aligned to state standards, e.g., Learning Commons). Individual teacher account: free, premium features, extra usage limits apply, no numeric cap published. District tier: centrally managed accounts with RBAC/SSO, K-12 privacy agreement.", "eligibility": "US K-12 educators and school/district leaders. Verified via claude.ai/teachers (individual) or claude.ai/k12districts (districts). US-focused.", "claim": "Teachers: 'Verify now' -> claude.ai/teachers. Schools/districts: 'Get started' -> claude.ai/k12districts.", "expiry": "Sign up by June 30, 2027 for a full year of free access; terms/price subject to change at Anthropic's discretion afterward.", "gotchas": "US-only K-12. 'Extra usage limits apply' (no published numbers). Free annual window is tied to the June 30, 2027 sign-up deadline. Privacy: model training off by default for verified educators; FERPA/AFT Gold Standard oriented.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/solutions/teachers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / university license (institutional, not free self-serve)", "detail": "A 'comprehensive university-wide plan' covering students, faculty, and staff at discounted (institutional) rates, with dedicated API credits and educational features for student learning, plus training/enablement. No specific dollar discount/seat count/percentage published; it routes to 'Contact our Education team' (/contact-sales/education-plan). Named partners include Dartmouth, UVA, U Pittsburgh, Northeastern, Syracuse, LSE, Champlain, Northumbria, USF.", "eligibility": "Institutions purchasing an education plan (the .edu/affiliation benefit is institutional, not an individual free claim flow). No self-serve .edu sign-up or free student tier is offered on these pages.", "claim": "Institution contacts the Anthropic Education team via /contact-sales/education-plan; there is no individual student free-claim flow.", "expiry": "No published expiry. Ongoing commercial offer.", "gotchas": "NOT a free self-serve license — it is a paid institutional plan (discounted), so it is not a free offer in the same sense as the Free tier or the scientist/teacher plans. No student-per-seat free access is published.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/solutions/education", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, confirmed today on official pages: (1) Claude Startups was EXPANDED on Oct 6, 2026 (free year of Claude Team up to 5 Premium seats + $1,000 one-time API credit + $45K Startup Stack + up to $100K via partner VCs), but within days (~Oct 9–13) Anthropic PAUSED the free Team/credit offers after ~21x expected applications ('currently over capacity'; all applications re-reviewed), and the official page now (Oct 22) says 'Our current cohort is now full, and we're not accepting new applications right now' — the program continues for existing members; the benefit line items were dropped from the live page. Next cohort is TBA (newsletter signup is the only official channel). (2) The original Claude Startups invite-only (partner-VC-link) model of early 2026 was replaced by a direct self-serve form between May 21–31, 2026; older guides describing the VC-link flow are outdated. (3) Claude for Open Source criteria were overhauled July 2026: the 5,000+ stars / 1M+ npm-downloads gate no longer applies, replaced by the six usage/maintainer thresholds now on the official page. (4) Claude Campus is closed for Fall 2026 (application window Sep 1–12, 2026; program runs Sep 2026–Jun 2027; next cycle not yet announced). (5) Claude for Teachers: sign-up deadline June 30, 2027 for the free-year. (6) Nothing was sunset for the consumer Free plan or the API docs' 'small free credits to test the API.' General credit terms (secondary): promotional credits expire one calendar year from issuance; the Oct 2026 startup $1,000 credit was reported to expire six months after grant — the two sources conflict, re-verify per-award. Also note: Anthropic no longer maintains a public 'startup program official terms' page beyond the May 22, 2025 version; the active program now lives under claude.com/programs/* and the domain rebranded anthropic.com → claude.com (301 redirects), so some archived anthropic.com URLs now 404 or redirect. Research caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted mid-run; all primary claims above were verified by direct fetch of official pages today (claude.com/pricing, claude.com/programs/startups, /campus, /team-plan-for-scientists, /frontier-academy, /contact-sales/claude-for-oss, claude.com/solutions/education and /teachers, support.claude.com article 11199177, anthropic.com/news/ai-for-science-program, platform.claude.com/docs pricing); items marked medium/low come from the klymentiev.com tracker (checked 2026-09-25) and Oct 2026 press (TechCrunch, CNBC, 9to5AI, Times of India) or the fund's own page (Aug 2026).", "As of 2026-10-22 the Claude for Startups program has changed materially from its 2024-2025 form: it is now run in cohorts, and the current cohort is FULL with no new applications accepted, so the $45K/$100K credits are only claimable when the next cohort opens (newsletter sign-up is the only current action). No program is sunset, but two notes: (1) The Claude API no longer lists a standalone free trial-credit offer for new accounts on the official pricing page — free API usage is only via the startup credits or the Team plan for scientists, so any historical small free API trial should not be assumed. (2) Two genuinely free education-side offers DO exist today and are the effective 'education' equivalents of a free tier: the Claude Team plan for scientists (standard seats $0 for 12 months for accredited-university/nonprofit PIs, then renews at paid price) and Claude for Teachers (free premium access for US K-12 educators, sign up by June 30, 2027 for the free year). A university-wide 'education license' exists but is a paid discounted institutional plan, not a free self-serve student offer. WebSearch budget was exhausted this session, so claims above were verified by reading the official pages directly today (claude.com/programs/startups, /pricing, /solutions/education, /programs/team-plan-for-scientists, /solutions/teachers); figures like the $45K/$100K amounts and the $0 scientist pricing were confirmed on the pages, but I could not cross-check third-party news coverage of 2025-2026 changes." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Anthropic Claude API", "text": "Caveat needed (secondary source). No general free API tier was found. Claude for Startups, expanded Oct 6, 2026, now includes a free year of Claude Team for qualifying startups and a one-time $1,000 API credit. Anthropic says it is over capacity on those offers and is re-reviewing applications. Confirm on anthropic.com.", "url": "https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/changes" }, { "item": "Claude for Startups (Anthropic)", "text": "Figures are misleading (secondary source). The up-to-$45K figure is partner-offer value in the Claude Startup Stack, not API credit. The direct API credit is a one-time $1,000. VC-backed startups in Anthropic's partner network may get up to $100K in API credits, claimed through their VC, and those credits cannot be used on Amazon Bedrock.", "url": "https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/changes" }, { "item": "No free API tier or developer credit program", "text": "Monthly API credits exist for subscribers: Max 5x gets $100/month, Max 20x gets $200/month, and Team gets $20 per Standard seat or $100 per Premium seat (pooled, capped at $500/month). Claude Startups members get a one-time $1,000 API credit, but applications were closed as of Oct 13, 2026.", "url": "https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/api-credits-for-subscribers" }, { "item": "Up to $45K in Claude API credits/discounts", "text": "The $45,000 is partner discounts and credits for tools from companies building with Claude (the Claude Startup Stack), not Claude API credits. The Claude API credit is a one-time $1,000. Applications were closed as of Oct 13, 2026.", "url": "https://claude.com/resources/articles/were-expanding-the-claude-startups-program-to-help-founders-build" } ], "confidence": { "high": 13, "medium": 4, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Claude Startups program (free Claude Team year + $1,000 API credit, Oct 2026 expansion)", "link": "https://claude.com/programs/startups", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "appflowy", "name": "AppFlowy", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://appflowy.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted (AGPL-3.0); cloud Personal plan $0: 1 workspace owner, 100 MB storage, unlimited guest editors, 1 form + 1 chart" ], "notes": [ "Pro $12/member/mo annual; same tiers for self-hosted. ~78k stars; AppFlowy-Cloud repo archived 2026 but hosted service continues." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Personal plan: free cloud tier at $0/month", "detail": "Pricing page lists Personal at '$0/ month' with Billing 'None (free)'. Limits: 1 workspace owner; storage 'Up to 100 MB'; upload limit 'Up to 7 MB'; revision history 7 days; 1 form; 1 chart. Pro is '$12/ member / month' billed annually ($144 per member per year), or $16 per member per month billed monthly. Pro removes the storage cap, sets revision history to 90 days, and makes forms and charts unlimited.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who signs up. No student, .edu, startup, company-age, funding, or team-size check is stated, and no region restriction is mentioned. This is a free tier, not a student or startup program.", "claim": "Open https://appflowy.com/pricing/ and click 'Get started' on the Personal card, or 'Start for free' in the header. Both link to https://appflowy.com/app. The pricing page describes no payment step for Personal.", "expiry": "No end date stated for Personal. Per the pricing FAQ, cancelling Pro moves the workspace 'immediately' to Personal, and 'any usage above the free limits may be restricted'.", "gotchas": "The 100 MB storage cap and the 1-form and 1-chart caps are reached quickly by a small team. The changelog (v0.14.5, 2026-09-22) mentions file-size and workspace-storage limit messages, which suggests the limits are enforced. The brief's 'unlimited guest editors' is NOT confirmed for Personal: the pricing table shows Personal guest access as 'Not shown', and the FAQ's free guest-editor wording is attached to Pro. No credit card requirement is mentioned for Personal; this was not tested at sign-up.", "source_url": "https://appflowy.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-hosted AppFlowy under AGPL-3.0 (free to download and run; $0 cost not stated)", "detail": "License verified on https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy: the About sidebar reads 'AGPL-3.0 license' and the README reads 'Distributed under the AGPLv3 License'. The homepage has a 'Self-host AppFlowy' button and says AppFlowy can run 'on your infrastructure, in your cloud, or in a fully air-gapped environment'. No page read says self-hosting costs $0. The pricing page's AppFlowy Cloud / Self-Hosted toggle shows no self-hosted prices or limits, and 'Contact sales' is the only enterprise route. The homepage and docs call the product 'open core', and the homepage lists SSO, SCIM and LDAP with no cost wording. Changelog v0.14.10 (2026-10-21) says self-hosted workspaces require AppFlowy Cloud v0.19.10 or later.", "eligibility": "None stated. The license applies to anyone who obtains the code. No student or startup verification or cap is mentioned.", "claim": "Get the code or releases from https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy, then follow the self-hosting guide linked as 'Developer Docs' (https://appflowy.com/docs/Step-by-step-Self-Hosting-Guide---From-Zero-to-Production). That guide returned only its title in this run, so its steps were not read.", "expiry": "No sunset or end date stated for self-hosting. The AGPL-3.0 terms attach to each release a user receives.", "gotchas": "AGPL-3.0 section 13: if you modify the code and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer those users the source of your modified version. Startups that fork it need to plan for this. 'Open core' suggests some features may be paid or closed; which ones was not verified. Hosting, storage, and any self-hosted LLM or embedding models are your own costs, and AppFlowy does not price them on the pages read. The full LICENSE text was not read; the license name comes from the repo page.", "source_url": "https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AI features labelled 'Limited trial' (meeting notes, transcript, responses)", "detail": "The pricing page feature rows show 'Limited trial' for 'AI meeting notes', 'AI transcript' and 'AI responses', and 'Local AI' for 'AI search'. The page does not say which plan includes these, how long the trial lasts, the usage quota, or any credit amount. This is the only trial-type item found on official pages.", "eligibility": "Not stated.", "claim": "Not stated on the pricing page. Access presumably runs inside the app at https://appflowy.com/app; no steps are given.", "expiry": "Not stated. 'Limited trial' implies a time or usage cap that the page does not disclose.", "gotchas": "Not a free tier. Do not build a student or startup workflow on these AI features until the plan and quota are confirmed. 'Local AI' search is not explained; its cost and whether it needs self-hosting are unverified.", "source_url": "https://appflowy.com/pricing/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AppFlowy Partner Program (terms not readable)", "detail": "The pricing page links 'Partner program' twice, as a support card ('Learn more') and in the footer Resources column, both pointing to https://appflowy.com/docs/appflowy-partner-program. That page returned only its title, 'AppFlowy Partner Program | AppFlowy'. No benefit, discount, credit, eligibility, or application terms could be read, and nothing read ties it to students or startups.", "eligibility": "Unknown.", "claim": "Unknown. Open the page in a browser and read its terms before relying on any benefit.", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Do not assume a benefit exists. 'Partner' may refer to resellers or integration partners rather than discounts for end users.", "source_url": "https://appflowy.com/docs/appflowy-partner-program", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Personal plan: free cloud tier at $0/month", "link": "https://appflowy.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "appsmith", "name": "Appsmith", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://appsmith.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Self-hosted Community Edition free; Cloud Free plan: up to 5 users, 5 workspaces, 10 apps, public apps only; 15-day free trial of Appsmith Business" ], "notes": [ "Paid cloud from $15/user/mo (Business); free tier excludes workflows, reusable packages, audit logs, brand removal. Self-hosted edition is AGPL." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Cloud Free plan (permanent $0 tier)", "detail": "$0 on Appsmith Cloud, listed as 'Free' on the official pricing page. Limits per the official page: up to 5 users for cloud; 5 workspaces; Git versioning with 3 repos; 3 standard access roles; Google SSO (the comparison table also lists 'Google and GitHub OAuth', see sunset_notes); public apps only (table row 'Embed public apps'; private-app embedding is Enterprise); community support on Discord; 'Powered by Appsmith' branding stays on; backup/restore only when updating to a higher Appsmith version. Apps are listed as Unlimited in the comparison table. Not included on Free: Workflows, reusable packages, custom roles, audit logs, CI/CD, custom domains, SAML/OIDC, SCIM, managed hosting.", "eligibility": "Anyone who opens a cloud account. No student, .edu, startup or funding check on any page read. No region limit stated.", "claim": "Sign up at appsmith.com with an organization name (becomes orgname.appsmith.com). No payment step is described for the Free plan.", "expiry": "None stated. The homepage says the core platform is 'free to use forever'.", "gotchas": "The pricing page defines a user as any member added to a workspace, so viewers count toward the 5-user cap, not just builders. Going past 5 users means moving to Business at $15/user/month. The '10 apps' limit in the brief is not on Appsmith's official pricing (table says Apps: Unlimited); that figure matches ToolJet's free cloud plan (2 builders, 50 end users, 10 apps). The 'public apps only' restriction appears as the 'Public apps' bullet and 'Embed public apps' row; the page does not explicitly say login-protected apps are blocked on Free.", "source_url": "https://www.appsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Community Edition (free self-hosted, Apache 2.0)", "detail": "Free open-source edition you run yourself. Official pricing page: 'Our open-source low code application platform, available for free.' Homepage: Community Edition is 'fully maintained, community supported' and the core platform is 'free to use forever'. License: Apache 2.0 (Terms section 2.1.1 and the GitHub repo). Install routes in the repo README: Docker (recommended), Kubernetes, AWS AMI. No user or workspace cap is stated for Community; the 5-user limit is labelled 'for cloud'. Community is not a column in the comparison table, so whether Business-only features (workflows, custom roles, audit logs, CI/CD) are available on Community is not stated.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No account verification, student or startup check on the pages read. Runs on your own machine, private server or cloud VM.", "claim": "1) Pick an install route from the GitHub README (Docker recommended, Kubernetes or AWS AMI). 2) Follow the installation guide at docs.appsmith.com. 3) Only if you need Business features on your own server, use the self-hosted 15-day trial (see the trial finding) or buy a license.", "expiry": "None stated for Community; the homepage says the core platform is free to use forever.", "gotchas": "You carry the hosting costs (servers, storage, bandwidth), upgrades, backups and security patching; Appsmith publishes no estimate. Third-party site aitoolsatlas.ai says Community has 'unlimited users and apps'; this is not on Appsmith's own pages, so treat it as unverified. Business-only features are not documented as included in Community.", "source_url": "https://www.appsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Business Edition 15-day free trial (all new signups, cloud or self-hosted)", "detail": "Official pricing page: 'All new signups receive a 15-day free trial of Appsmith Business, and there is no credit card required to start.' Docs intro: 'Try the Business Edition free for 15 days, then continue with Community Edition or upgrade to a paid plan.' Self-hosted route: a 'Start free trial (self-hosted)' button; self-hosted signups receive a license key with setup instructions. This is 15 days of Business features, not a credit pool; no trial credits were found on Appsmith's pages.", "eligibility": "'All new signups'. No student, startup or .edu requirement stated. No region limit stated.", "claim": "Cloud: sign up at appsmith.com with an organization name and the trial starts. Self-hosted: click 'Start free trial (self-hosted)', receive the license key, follow the setup instructions and run the instance with that key.", "expiry": "15 days from signup. No renewal or extension stated. At the end you can activate Business or keep using the Free tier.", "gotchas": "Activating Business bills monthly by credit card you provide at activation (per the pricing page). The pages do not say what happens to Business-only features, or to accounts above the Free 5-user cap, when the trial ends, so check before inviting users. The no-card wording comes from the pricing page; the docs page is silent on it, so confirm at signup.", "source_url": "https://www.appsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Appsmith Startup Program: $30,000 in credits valid 12 months", "detail": "$30,000 worth of Appsmith credits, valid for 12 months once accepted, plus all Business plan features and access to Appsmith developer advocates. FAQ (summarised fetch): no restriction on usage hours or number of apps. Perks from the FAQ (medium confidence, summarised fetch): a 30% discount on upgrading to Enterprise as a program member; an extra 2 months free for each verified referral, requested by email to startups@appsmith.com. Credits are a platform credit, not cash; the page does not say how they are drawn down.", "eligibility": "All four apply: (1) you plan to use Appsmith for your own startup; (2) you have raised less than $10M in funding; (3) you were incorporated less than 2 years ago; (4) you are looking to host Appsmith on your own infrastructure. Existing Community users can enrol if they meet the same criteria. Not stated: region or country limits, a credit card requirement, a cap on accepted startups, or a program end date.", "claim": "1) Check the four criteria on appsmith.com/startup-program. 2) Click 'Join now' and fill in the linked Google Form. 3) Appsmith's team schedules a call after you apply. 4) Questions go to startups@appsmith.com. Acceptance timing is not stated.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months once accepted. Program end date and acceptance start date are not stated.", "gotchas": "Hosting on your own infrastructure is a stated condition, so a cloud-only startup may not qualify; ask startups@appsmith.com. The $10M and 2-year limits are checkable. Arithmetic only, not program terms: at the $15/user/month Business list price, $30,000 equals about 2,000 user-months (about 167 users for 12 months). Third-party aggregators (sourcey.com, claimstartupgrants.com) list the same $30K offer; their eligibility text is secondary, so rely on the official page.", "source_url": "https://www.appsmith.com/startup-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Business Cloud 30-day free promo (limited time, June 2025)", "detail": "From the June 2, 2025 Forge launch-week post, Day 5: 'For a limited time, we're offering 30 days of Business Cloud for free to new subscribers. Email discount@appsmith.com to claim your free offer and start building.' This is a 30-day trial of hosted Business, not a student or startup program.", "eligibility": "'New subscribers' (not defined on the page). Not restricted to students or startups.", "claim": "Email discount@appsmith.com and ask for the 30-day Business Cloud offer.", "expiry": "Unknown. The post says 'limited time' with no end date. Could not confirm the offer is still running in October 2026.", "gotchas": "Probably lapsed since the June 2025 post; confirm by email before planning around it. Not a student or startup offer.", "source_url": "https://www.appsmith.com/blog/appsmith-forge-launch-week", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes and gaps as of 2026-10-22. (1) Jan 2025 pricing overhaul (announced in Launch Week, Jan 12, 2025): moved from usage-based pricing (tracker cites $0.40/hour) to Business at $15/user/month; Free capped at 5 cloud users (previously unlimited) and 5 workspaces (new quota); Business capped at 99 users (previously unlimited); Enterprise $2,500/month for 100 users. Sources: https://www.appsmith.com/blog/appsmith-launch-week-1 and https://pricingsaas.com/companies/appsmith/diffs/2025Q1. (2) GitHub SSO: the tracker says it was removed from Free in 2025, but the official page shows both 'Google SSO' (bullet) and 'Google and GitHub OAuth' (table). Verify before relying on GitHub login on Free. (3) The brief's '10 apps' Free limit is not on Appsmith's official pricing; it matches ToolJet's free cloud plan. (4) Third-party comparison pages dated Aug to Oct 2026 (Softwr, 30 Aug 2026; Taskade, Sep 2026; Jetadmin, 26 Sep 2026; Awesomic, 8 Oct 2026) show the same Free (5 cloud users, 5 workspaces, 3 Git repos) and Business ($15/user/month) terms, so the plan terms look unchanged through October 2026 (medium confidence, secondary sources). (5) No education, student, teacher or academic license found, so no education finding is listed. Checked: the pricing page; appsmith.com/industry/education (only 'Start building for free' and sales@appsmith.com); the docs intro; the homepage; and the GitHub Student Developer Pack page (Appsmith not found there; the fetch may not have shown every offer). Institutions are routed to sales@appsmith.com. (6) Startup program: no end date or acceptance timeline is stated; aggregator record dates (Sept to Oct 2026) are not program start dates. (7) The Business Cloud 30-day promo is from June 2025, time-limited, and its current status is unconfirmed. (8) Search gap: the web search budget ran out during this run, so I could not search for other 2026 announcements, other startup or education programs, or the current status of the Business Cloud promo. Official pages were fetched directly instead. To run those searches, raise CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_WEB_SEARCHES_PER_SESSION and rerun." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Cloud Free plan (permanent $0 tier)", "link": "https://www.appsmith.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "auth0 free plan", "name": "Auth0 Free Plan", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://auth0.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo free plan: up to 25,000 MAU, 5 organizations, 1 custom domain, 1 enterprise SSO connection, unlimited social connections, no card required" ], "notes": [ "Free tier raised 7,500 to 25,000 MAU on 2024-09-24 (Okta/\"Auth0 plans got an upgrade\"); B2C Essentials paid from $35/mo, B2B from $150/mo. Custom domain on Free needs a card on file for verification only. Auth0 for Startups program also exists for early-stage companies; separate startup entry not needed since the free plan is the main hook. Verified at auth0.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Auth0 Free Plan (always-free tier)", "detail": "$0/month, permanent. Up to 25,000 MAU; 1 tenant; 1 custom domain; 1 Enterprise Connection (added Feb 2026); Self-Service SSO and Inbound SCIM (added Feb 2026); unlimited Social Connections; unlimited Okta Connections (subject to system limitations); 5 Organizations on B2C, Unlimited* Organizations on B2B; 3 Admin/Contributor seats; 5 Actions + Forms; 1 Event Stream; 1,000 M2M tokens; 1-day log retention; 2 Token Vault slots; passwordless auth, passkeys, brand customization, Basic Attack Protection (brute force + suspicious IP throttling), community support, Inbound SCIM, Okta Universal Logout integration. No credit card needed to sign up. Sign up at https://auth0.com/signup (or dev.auth0.com/signup); the Free plan is the default subscription. Email Workflow is NOT available on Free. Exceeding 25,000 MAU triggers a quota warning; you cannot self-upgrade past the free cap without contacting sales.", "eligibility": "Anyone globally — no .edu email, no startup proof, no funding or age cap. No credit card required for the free plan itself. Free tenants historically available in 5 regions (US, UK, EU, JP, AUS).", "claim": "Sign up free at auth0.com/signup; the Free plan is automatic — no application, no card. Custom domain: add it in dashboard (a card is collected purely for verification and, per Auth0's FAQ, you are never charged).", "expiry": "No expiry — free forever, as of 2026-10-22. Existing free tenants had entitlements auto-applied when the plan was upgraded (Sep 2024).", "gotchas": "1 tenant max on Free (one 'team' per team-owner email; a second team needs a different email). Credit-card verification required to add the 1 custom domain (verification only, never billed, per official FAQ). 1-day log retention, no email workflows, no log streaming, no Pro MFA, no Role Management/Account Linking, no CIBA — many 'everything in Free, plus' claims in the marketing copy don't change these exclusions. 25,000 is an MAU cap (users who authenticated in a calendar month), not a total-user cap. Unlimited* is 'subject to system limitations'.", "source_url": "https://auth0.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "22-day paid-features trial (auto-activated on new tenants)", "detail": "New tenants automatically get a 'Starter Trial' subscription giving up to 22 days of paid-plan features (e.g., Pro MFA, higher API/feature limits) at $0, no credit card. When the 22 days elapse, the tenant automatically moves to the Free plan with no charge. Confirmed by Auth0 support/community staff (2023–2025) and by the Sept 2025 support article 'What Happens when the Auth0 Free Trial Expires'.", "eligibility": "Any new tenant/creator; up to 3 tenants per free account before the trial/teams limits matter. No card, no .edu, no startup criteria.", "claim": "Just create a tenant; the trial activates automatically. Do NOT create a tenant just for the trial if you want to stay clean — the trial lapses on its own into Free.", "expiry": "22 days per tenant from creation, then automatic drop to Free plan; tenant older than 22 days cannot re-trial paid features (per community guidance).", "gotchas": "Trial-of-paid is distinct from the Free plan; paid features are locked after day 22 unless you subscribe. The pricing page itself does not advertise the 22-day trial, so treat exact day count as community-confirmed (21–22 days reported in different threads). No CC required for the trial itself (CC only if you later add a custom domain or subscribe).", "source_url": "https://support.auth0.com/center/s/article/Question-regarding-the-Free-and-the-Trial-plan", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Auth0 for Startups program", "detail": "12 months of the B2B Professional plan free: up to 100,000 MAU, Enterprise MFA, unlimited* Organizations, 5 Enterprise Connections, 3 Third-Party APIs via Token Vault, Inbound SCIM. Trusted by 4,000+ startups. A partner channel exists (e.g., Mercury Perks) offering the same 12-month free B2B plan under looser-looking criteria (less than $5M raised and less than $1M ARR), for that bank's customers. After the 12 months, the company moves to self-service paid plans or Enterprise.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed, less than $5M total funding, less than $1M annual recurring revenue, less than 2 years from incorporation. NOT valid for existing paid Auth0/Okta customers (enterprise or paid self-service) or companies that were previously in the program. No .edu path; no region limit stated on the official page (global program).", "claim": "Apply at https://auth0.com/startups ('Apply now' routes to a Jira Service Desk portal, autheco.atlassian.net). Review takes days-to-weeks per third-party listings. Recommended path per Auth0: start on the Free plan during build, apply at launch. No card required for the free year.", "expiry": "Fixed 12-month term per program; no second participation (prior members excluded); after expiry you migrate to standard paid pricing (B2B Essentials from $150/mo at 500 MAUs).", "gotchas": "Must be VENTURE-backed — bootstrapped or solo startups under 2 years do not qualify (even though the 2020 version of the program was opened to 'anyone' meeting criteria). 100k MAU and 5 Enterprise Connections are hard caps for the free year. The program covers B2B Professional capabilities, not Enterprise plan tiers.", "source_url": "https://auth0.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student offer: none (no .edu license or student discount)", "detail": "Auth0 has no student plan, education license, or .edu-based discount. An Auth0 community manager confirmed in Dec 2024 that 'there aren't any special subscription plans for students; the best plan you could use would be the free plan.' The only education-adjacent free offering is Auth0 Learning (learning.auth0.com), relaunched Aug 2026 after splitting from Okta Learning (Feb 2025): free on-demand courses and skill badges, no sign-in required for content — free education content, not a product license. The Auth0 Ambassador Program is a volunteer/evangelism program (swag, travel for talks), not a free product tier, and is open to any developer, not students specifically.", "eligibility": "N/A for a license — the Free plan's eligibility (anyone, no .edu) is what students actually use.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim. Students should use the Free plan at auth0.com/signup and the free Auth0 Learning content.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not count on an .edu email unlocking anything at Auth0; any '.edu discount' claims circulating are unverified community anecdotes.", "source_url": "https://community.auth0.com/t/student-discount/156740", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Auth0 Free Plan (always-free tier)", "link": "https://auth0.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "autodesk education", "name": "Autodesk Education", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.autodesk.com/products/education-software/overview" ], "offers": [ "Free 1-year professional licenses (AutoCAD, Maya, Fusion 360, 75+ products), renewable while enrolled, for students and educators" ], "notes": [ "Verify via institutional email or school documents; non-commercial use only" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Autodesk Education Plan — free 1-year professional licenses for students", "detail": "Free one-year, single-user access to 75+ professional products (AutoCAD incl. LT/toolsets, Revit, Maya, 3ds Max, Fusion, Inventor, Civil 3D, Alias, Arnold, Flow Studio, Tinkercad, etc.) with the SAME features/functionality as paid subscriptions (not a reduced trial). Access includes current version plus up to 3 prior versions where available; English (some titles in more languages). Install on up to 3 devices. No credit card required — eligibility is verified via SheerID (proof of enrollment). Cloud SaaS services (rendering, simulation, Autodesk Drive storage) are included but users who regularly consume beyond 'market average' may face restrictions that can change without notice. Autodesk Flow Studio requires post-secondary students age 18+.", "eligibility": "Students enrolled at a qualified (government-accredited) educational institution — middle/high schools, junior colleges, universities, technical schools; meets minimum age requirement. Also eligible: homeschooled students (documented membership in a nationally recognized homeschooling body), students doing thesis/master's work, apprentices (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, UK only), registered participants in Autodesk-sponsored competitions. Typically verified with a school-provided (.edu or equivalent) email + SheerID verification; 'most educational institutions worldwide qualify' except countries under US trade embargo. Graduates lose eligibility but keep the account (and can buy paid licenses); school email can be changed if not using SSO. Minimum age: required per TOU (13+, per Autodesk account terms).", "claim": "1) Create/complete an Autodesk account at autodesk.com/education/edu-software (or get assigned a product by a teacher via institution account). 2) Confirm eligibility on the Education Products page using your school-provided email (SheerID may ask for proof of enrollment). 3) Click 'Complete Account Setup' from the confirmation email. 4) Download/install from the Autodesk Account 'All Products and Services' page; sign in to start. Alt path: educator's institution account assigns products — students skip individual verification but still need their own account.", "expiry": "1-year term; renewable annually while eligibility (enrollment) continues. Autodesk emails a reminder 30 days before expiration; missing the renewal forces a full restart of access and any subscriptions, even for already-installed products. Check expiration on the Education Products page banner.", "gotchas": "NOT trial-vs-free confusion: this is the full professional product, but licensed for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY — no commercial, professional, or for-profit work; also excluded: campus facilities design and commercially affiliated research. Cloud add-ons (rendering/simulation/storage) can be throttled for heavy users. SheerID profile details can't be changed after submission — keep them matching school records. Verification repeats every year. From Aug 7, 2026 education accounts must use SSO (school credentials) instead of standalone Autodesk passwords. Output/work may not be used commercially even with free tools. US trade-embargoed countries excluded (export compliance).", "source_url": "https://www.autodesk.com/support/account/education/students-educators/overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Autodesk Education Plan — educators and qualified institutions (free classroom/lab licenses)", "detail": "Free 1-year, renewable access for educators (employees/independent contractors whose primary purpose is teaching enrolled students at a qualified institution). An educator creates an Autodesk account FOR THE INSTITUTION and can assign/unassign products to up to 250 students per product; assigned students don't re-verify (eligibility inherits from the educator) but each still needs their own account. Institutions also get web services like Fusion for labs.", "eligibility": "Employees or contractors of accredited middle/high schools, junior colleges, universities, technical schools, or recognized homeschool bodies. NOT eligible: non-accredited institutions, training centers, churches, hospitals/health-care systems, public libraries, research labs, retraining programs; Autodesk Certified Instructors at ATC partners get genuine ATC licenses instead. Most countries qualify except US trade-embargoed countries.", "claim": "1) Go to Get Products (autodesk.com/education/edu-software) and select products. 2) Confirm eligibility with school-provided email (SheerID). 3) Create the institution's Autodesk account via the 'Complete Account Setup' email link. 4) Even if software is already installed, click 'Download' on the product card to trigger the entitlement. 5) Admins can enable SSO and assign products to up to 250 students per product.", "expiry": "Same as student plan: 1 year, renewable annually while employed/contracting at a qualified institution; renew before expiry or restart. Note region-specific sunset of new network/multi-seat licenses (see sunset_notes).", "gotchas": "Educational use only — no facilities use (designing/maintaining the school's own buildings) and no research run by commercial affiliates. ACIs are excluded. Multi-seat/network licensing is being phased out in favor of institution subscriptions (see sunset_notes), so long-term lab plans should migrate to Education institution subscriptions.", "source_url": "https://www.autodesk.com/support/account/education/admin/eligibility", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trials (users who don't qualify for the Education Plan)", "detail": "Autodesk's standard 30-day product trial remains available to users who aren't eligible for the Education Plan (trial vs free: this is a time-boxed trial of the full commercial product, not the free education license). Official pages explicitly state trial participants may NOT use trials for training purposes.", "eligibility": "Anyone not eligible for the Education Plan (e.g., training-center participants, unaccredited program attendees). No enrollment verification needed.", "claim": "Select 'Try' / 30-day trial on product pages at autodesk.com, create an Autodesk account. (Trial page specifics not re-verified today — site blocked this fetcher; see confidence.)", "expiry": "30 days from activation, no renewal; after trial you must buy a paid subscription.", "gotchas": "No training use permitted. Historically Autodesk trials don't require a credit card, but that was NOT re-verifiable today (autodesk.com returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher and the session web-search budget was exhausted), so treat the no-CC claim as unconfirmed. Trial licenses are commercial licenses — unlike the education plan, no usage restriction to education, but full paid version is commercial-only.", "source_url": "https://www.autodesk.com/support/account/education/students-educators/eligibility", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Tinkercad — free consumer tier (always free, no enrollment needed)", "detail": "Tinkercad (simple 3D design, 3D printing, circuits) is listed on Autodesk's education products page and is free to the general public; unlike the 1-year education plan it does not expire for casual use and needs no .edu email. It also remains available under the Education Plan as one of the included products.", "eligibility": "Anyone with an Autodesk account; no eligibility verification, no age restriction stated beyond account terms; no region restriction found.", "claim": "Sign up at tinker.com (now autodesk.com/tinker) — free, no credit card.", "expiry": "No stated expiration (persistent free product, not a 1-year subscription like the rest of the education catalog).", "gotchas": "Cloud-based only; data/egress and export limits apply per Autodesk's service terms. Free tier vs paid Tinkercad Pro: Pro adds advanced export/assembly features — free tier has export/length limits that were not re-verified today.", "source_url": "https://www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/overview", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Autodesk startup program — no active free startup offer found", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 no free 'Autodesk for Startups' / startup-credits program appears in today's search results for autodesk.com, and the education fronts are student/.edu-only. An earlier-generation Autodesk startup program (1-year professional licenses / discounts for young startups) could NOT be re-verified today: autodesk.com returned HTTP 403 to the fetcher and the session's web-search budget (200 shared calls) was exhausted on the startup-specific query. Treat any current startup program as unconfirmed; the safe conclusion is that Autodesk currently has no verifiable free tier, trial credits, or startup grant aimed at startups — free access is via the Education Plan (students/educators) or 30-day commercial trials.", "eligibility": "Unknown/unverified — no startup age/funding-cap criteria found in any official page retrieved today.", "claim": "Not determinable today. If one exists it would live under autodesk.com/company/startups or autodesk.com/education; neither could be fetched (403) or re-searched (budget exhausted).", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Do not cite a startup program without re-verification once autodesk.com is fetchable again; historical programs may have been folded into the 'Autodesk 10x' / A360-era discounts or discontinued in 2024-2025.", "source_url": "https://www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/overview", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes confirmed from official pages read today: (1) Single Sign-On mandate — Autodesk Education accounts will be required to use SSO (school credentials) starting August 7, 2026; schools like SMU enabled it in Aug 2025 (blog.smu.edu, 2025-08-07). (2) Multi-seat sunset — the US Education products page states 'Starting December 31, 2027, Autodesk will no longer offer new network and multi-seat licenses' and pushes institutions to Education institution subscriptions; the Asia-Pacific page (dated May 2025) states the cutoff as March 2026 for that region — i.e., the network/multi-seat lab-license model is being rolled off region by region starting 2026, so multi-seat classroom plans should be migrated now. (3) Startup program — status unverifiable as of 2026-10-22 (403 fetch blocks + exhausted shared web-search budget); no active free startup offer appeared in results. (4) No evidence today that the core 1-year free education license for students/educators changed, was reduced, or sunset — it remains 1-year, renewable, 3-device, full-feature. (5) Consumer free tiers (e.g., Fusion personal-use, AutoCAD Web basic) were NOT re-verified today and should be treated as unconfirmed; if they were sunset, that would land here after re-verification." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Autodesk Education Plan — free 1-year professional licenses for students", "link": "https://www.autodesk.com/support/account/education/students-educators/overview", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "aws", "name": "AWS (Amazon Web Services)", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "cloud-credits", "databases", "vps-servers", "gpu-ml", "observability", "email-messaging", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "startup", "free-for-all", "student" ], "urls": [ "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/", "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "https://aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing/", "https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/pricing/", "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "https://startups.aws.com/lp/aws-impact-bootcamps" ], "offers": [ "Up to ~$100K in AWS credits (Portfolio/Partner tier; ~$100 Founders self-serve), usable on Amazon Bedrock including third-party models (Claude, Llama, Mistral)", "New accounts: $100 signup credit + up to $100 more (explore key services), account closes after 6 months or when credits run out; 30+ services free within monthly limits", "3,000 emails/mo free for the first 12 months of a new AWS account; then $0.10/1K", "1M API requests, 10 custom metrics, 5 GB log data, 100 Synthetics canary runs, 3 dashboards, 10 alarms/month; plus 100K X-Ray traces free", "Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate credits (Portfolio tier, VC/accelerator-backed, pre-Series B); self-funded Founders tier $1,000 (up to $5,000); invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' adds $200K+. Credits now redeemable on Amazon Bedrock third-party models.", "$5,000 in AWS credits for underrepresented founders; top participants can win up to $50,000 in unrestricted grant funding plus an extra $15,000 in AWS credits at the AWS Founder Retreat.", "Up to $200 in credits ($100 at sign-up + up to $100 earned by exploring services) plus free usage of select services; 6-month free plan.", "Up to $200 in AWS credits over 6 months for new customers ($100 immediate + up to $100 earned) + 30+ always-free services; AWS Educate free self-paced curriculum", "New accounts: $100 credit at signup + up to $100 more by exploring services (up to $200 total) on a Free Plan that auto-closes at 6 months; no perpetual free EC2 for new accounts.", "$1,000 to $100,000+ in AWS credits for qualifying early-stage startups (amount set by program tier / funding stage).", "New accounts: $100 credit on signup + up to $100 more via service exploration = up to $200 over 6 months; free plan includes RDS, Aurora Serverless and DynamoDB with monthly limits; account auto-closes at 6 months or when credits run out", "Startup credits ranging ~$5K (self-serve) up to $100K (VC-backed track), plus training and support" ], "notes": [ "Amazon Bedrock itself has NO free token tier — it bills per token from the first call and runs down your AWS credits. New AWS accounts get up to $200 promotional credits (6 months). Larger Activate amounts need an investor/provider referral.", "The old '12 months free tier with 750h p2/p3' is gone: the p3 12h/mo free offer ended in July 2025, and accounts created after that date get the new $200/6-month plan instead. GPU instances are not on the free list — spend credits on SageMaker/Bedrock managed AI.", "Lowest per-email cost at scale; new accounts start in sandbox until production access requested; DIY setup (bounces/complaints via SNS). Long-standing AWS free tier.", "Free tier, part of AWS Free Tier. Application Signals/X-Ray free for 3 months or until volume caps. Auto metrics from AWS services are free.", "2026 change: cap raised to $200K (was ~$100K) and reorganized into Founders/Portfolio tiers; the old 'AWS Cloud Credit for Startups' seed is folded into this program. AWS is an Activate Provider for YC, a16z, Sequoia, Brex, Carta, Greylock, etc. 7-10 business-day review.", "Part of AWS's $30M commitment to Black/Women/Latino/LGBTQIA+ founders (2022). Rolling 2-day cities (Tokyo Mar 2026, Berlin Apr 2026). Eligible: self-funded, angel, or up to Series A founders. Distinct from the standard AWS Activate program.", "2026 overhaul: AWS moved to a credit-based free tier (up to $200, 6-month window) replacing the old 12-month free tier. Baseline offer for any new customer, including students/startups, before AWS Activate kicks in.", "Oct 2025 revamp: legacy 12-month Free Tier replaced by 6-month Free Plan with credits; a low-cost 'Free Plan Pro' (devs, ~$10, tied to Stripe public apps) exists — verify terms; AWS Academy historically adds $100 student credits in some regions", "Verify-2026: for accounts created on/after 2025-07-15 the classic 12-month EC2 free tier (750 hrs/mo of t2/t3.micro) was removed and replaced by this credit-based Free/Paid plan model; legacy accounts keep the old 12-month tier. 30+ 'Always Free' services (Lambda, DynamoDB, etc.) remain, but EC2 has no perpetual free allowance. The Free Plan account is deleted ~90 days after it closes.", "Formerly 'AWS Activate'; apply via the program or a partner VC/incubator. Credits apply broadly (EC2 and beyond). Verify the current tier amounts on the program page.", "2025 change: legacy 12-month RDS free tier (750 h/mo db.t4g.micro + 20 GB) was replaced for accounts created after 2025-07-15 by the credit-based model; always-free services (e.g. DynamoDB 25 GB) remain.", "Long-running program; specific credit brackets unverified this session — check aws.amazon.com/startups." ], "findings": [ { "name": "AWS Free plan (new-account credits: $100 base + up to $100 earned, 6-month window)", "detail": "As of 2026 AWS replaced the classic 12-month per-service free tier with a Free plan vs Paid plan model. New accounts are auto-enrolled in the Free plan and get $100 in AWS credits immediately, plus up to $100 more earned by completing 'Explore AWS' activities (up to $200 total). The Free plan runs at no cost for up to 6 months or until credits run out, whichever comes first, and the account closes automatically. Base credits expire 6 months from account creation; activity-earned credits expire 12 months; if you upgrade to the Paid plan remaining credits apply to bills and expire 12 months after account creation. 30+ 'always free' services with monthly caps remain on both plans. A payment method is NOT required to sign up for most new customers (a major change from the old credit-card-required model). Credits are USD, non-transferable between accounts, and can offset usage on eligible services including Amazon Bedrock model invocations and AI/ML workloads. Featured Bedrock access on the Free plan; Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is listed as a Paid-plan-exclusive service.", "eligibility": "Any new AWS account (personal or business). No .edu requirement, no funding criteria, no credit card required for most customers. Free plan restricts access to a subset of services; Paid plan allows a monthly spend limit starting at $20.", "claim": "1) Create a new AWS account (auto-enrolls in Free plan, no payment method needed for most customers) -> 2) $100 credits are applied on signup -> 3) Complete Explore AWS activities in the console to earn up to $100 more -> 4) Use credits on eligible services incl. Bedrock within the 6-month window -> 5) Optionally upgrade to Paid plan; remaining credits roll onto invoices until 12-month expiry.", "expiry": "Base $100 credits: 6 months from account creation. Earned up to $100: 12 months from account creation. Free plan itself auto-closes 6 months after account open or when credits are exhausted. No renewal or extension; credits cannot be transferred.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free confusion: this is a 6-month credit window, NOT the old 12-month tier. Once upgraded to the Paid plan you CANNOT downgrade back to Free. Legacy per-service allowances (EC2 750 hrs, S3 5 GB, Bedrock free-token lists) no longer appear in the new structure. Data transfer/egress and some advanced features may be excluded or Paid-plan-only. The old Bedrock 12-month free-token offer is gone from the free-tier FAQ and docs (see sunset notes). Credits only offset eligible services - check the Free Tier Categories list.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/(alsohttps://aws.amazon.com/free/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Founders tier (self-serve; $1,000 start, up to $5,000)", "detail": "The self-serve AWS Activate tier. $1,000 in AWS Activate Credits to start; select startups may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000 over time. Credits (USD, subject to AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs) can offset 200+ eligible AWS services including third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Mistral AI, Meta, etc.) via a single API. Application is reviewed within 5-10 business days.", "eligibility": "Self-funded / bootstrapped (no VC or accelerator backing needed). Must be: new to AWS Activate Credits, have a fully functioning company website, founded in the past 10 years, Pre-Series B, and have an AWS account on a Paid Tier plan (note: the new paid-plan requirement means the free-plan-only account must be upgraded). No .edu requirement. Business email matching the startup domain is required for the application.", "claim": "1) Create/verify an AWS Builder ID (personal email) -> 2) Complete the one-time AWS Activate profile with your business email -> 3) Choose the Founders tier -> 4) Provide startup details (product, funding stage, company profile) -> 5) Link an AWS account (on Paid plan) and submit -> 6) Hear back in 5-10 business days. Apply at https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/ ('Apply here' / 'Join now' on https://aws.amazon.com/startups/).", "expiry": "Promotional credits: no public per-tier expiry stated on the credits page today; AWS has said Activate credits generally expire in 1-3 years depending on package (the $200K-class credits are on 3-year expiry per the 2024 announcement). Credits are in USD, subject to Promotional Credit T&Cs, non-transferable.", "gotchas": "Only $1,000 is guaranteed; the $5,000 extension is selective. 'New to Activate Credits' - you cannot re-claim unless you are requesting more than previously received. Egress/data-transfer and some fees may be excluded from promotional credits (check the credits FAQ 'What is not covered'). Requiring a Paid-plan AWS account means a card/payment setup may be needed at the account level even though the Free plan itself needs no payment method.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio tier (provider-backed; up to $200,000)", "detail": "Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits (the tier ceiling was $100,000 until the June 2024 doubling for Series A-stage startups; the credits page now lists a single Portfolio tier up to $200,000). Usable on 200+ services including third-party Bedrock models (Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral, Meta, etc.), and can also be applied to Developer/Business AWS Support Plans. Program has provided $8B+ in credits to 350,000+ startups since 2013.", "eligibility": "Pre-Series B (most recent funding round within the last 12 months, if applicable), founded in the past 10 years, fully functioning company website, AWS account on a Paid Tier plan, new to Activate Credits or requesting more than previously received, AND an Organization ID (Org ID) from an AWS Activate Provider (VC firm, accelerator, incubator or angel group in the AWS network - e.g. YC, Sequoia, a16z, Greylock). Apply within 12 months of your most recent funding date.", "claim": "1) Confirm your VC/accelerator/angel is an AWS Activate Provider and obtain their Org ID -> 2) Create AWS Builder ID + complete Activate profile with business email -> 3) Choose Portfolio tier and enter the provider's Org ID (or use a direct provider invite) -> 4) Link AWS account and submit at https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/ -> 5) Reviewed in 5-10 business days; approved credits are added to your AWS account.", "expiry": "The $200K credit package expires 3 years from issuance (per the June 2024 change; previously the $100K package expired in 1 year). USD, subject to Promotional Credit T&Cs, non-transferable.", "gotchas": "You cannot apply yourself without a provider's Org ID or invite - a consulting partner cannot file it for you. 'Within 12 months of your latest funding date' is a hard window. Credits cannot be sold or transferred; check the 'not covered' list (data transfer and some support fees historically excluded, though Support Plan application is permitted). The old ~$100K ceiling is outdated in most third-party guides.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Credits for AI Startups (invite-only; $200,000+)", "detail": "A new tier launched with the 2026 credits-page redesign: $200,000+ in AWS Credits for AI startups 'ready to scale' beyond the Activate tiers. No open application exists - it is invite-only and accessed by talking to your AWS Account Manager. Additional credits beyond Activate are explicitly marketed for AI startups building on Amazon Bedrock (funding models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral, Meta, etc.).", "eligibility": "Startups that have already gone through Activate Portfolio and are ready to scale (AI-focused). No public age/funding/.edu criteria published; eligibility is determined case-by-case by the account team. No credit-card specifics published (linked to the existing AWS account).", "claim": "No self-serve claim. 1) Be an AWS Activate participant (Portfolio tier) -> 2) Contact your AWS Account Manager (or use 'If you need additional support, contact us' on https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/) -> 3) AWS reviews and issues credits to your AWS account.", "expiry": "Not published today; by analogy with the $200K Activate package, 3-year expiry is expected but unconfirmed. USD, promotional T&Cs apply.", "gotchas": "Invite-only means no guaranteed outcome or timeline; it is not a free product - it is a promotional credit negotiation. Amounts are not fixed ('$200,000+' is a floor, not a promise).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits (up to a year of Kiro Pro+ credits; Starter/Growth/Scale tiers)", "detail": "New AWS Kiro agentic-IDE credit offer (linked from the AWS credits page: 'Start building on day one... Start with Kiro Startup Credits, then grow into Activate Credits'). Up to one year's worth of Kiro Pro+ credits in three tiers by team size: Starter (up to 2 Kiro users), Growth (up to 10 users), Scale (up to 30 users). Credits expire 1 year after issuance to your AWS account; they cannot be refunded, re-issued, transferred or sold. Separately, Kiro main offers a $20 credit when you first sign up for a paid Kiro plan via social login or Builder ID.", "eligibility": "Early-stage through Series A startups, global. Requires an official business email on the startup's own domain AND an AWS Account ID using a matching email. EXCLUDED REGIONS: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China/GCR, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Syria, Crimea, DNR, LNR, UAE. Startups with active AWS Activate Credits are NOT eligible for this promotion (though Activate credits can still be applied toward Kiro). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Sign in with your AWS account -> 2) Apply via 'Apply for startup credits' (routes to https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/kiro) -> 3) Rolling review; decision by email -> 4) Approved credits are automatically added to your AWS account and activate immediately (no deferral) -> 5) To use them, log into Kiro via AWS IAM Identity Center (Kiro Enterprise) - social login (GitHub/Google) and Builder ID do NOT work with startup credits. After credits run out, standard Kiro Pro+ billing applies.", "expiry": "Credits expire 1 year from date of issuance to the AWS account. One application per startup at a time; re-application allowed only if eligibility status changed after a rejection. After 12 months of credit consumption you move to paid Kiro Pro+.", "gotchas": "The excluded-region list is long (much of the EU/MEA/APAC). Activation cannot be deferred, so issuance date = countdown start. Company-level credit pool shared only among authorized users of associated accounts. It is mutually exclusive with holding active AWS Activate Credits.", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro Student Offer (1,000 credits/month free for 12 months)", "detail": "Kiro's student program: 1,000 Kiro credits per month at no cost for one full year, explicitly 'no credit card required'. After the year, the account auto-downgrades to the public Kiro free tier (projects/specs stay on your machine and repos; no discounted paid plan for students). 1,000 is the Kiro credit unit for model usage (Kiro Pro+ is its paid tier).", "eligibility": "Enrolled student at one of ~150+ listed eligible universities (US-centric: MIT, CMU, NYU, Georgia Tech, ASU, etc., plus international). Account must use a university-affiliated email (.edu, .ca or equivalent) via Google, GitHub, or AWS Builder ID. Must be at least 18 years old. If your school isn't listed you can submit your university email through a 'Don't see your school listed?' form and Kiro may reach out later.", "claim": "1) Create or log into a Kiro account using your university email -> 2) On the account usage page, a banner appears if eligible; click verify and complete a SheerID check (first/last name, DOB, university; sometimes student ID or enrollment letter) -> 3) Once verified, the 1,000 credits/month activate automatically.", "expiry": "12 months from verification, then auto-downgrade to the public free tier. Credits do NOT roll over between monthly cycles; hitting the 1,000 cap means waiting for the next cycle; no add-on credit purchases on the student tier.", "gotchas": "No rollover of unused monthly credits; the ~150-university list is the real gate (many schools not included); SheerID can delay activation; after year one there is no student discount - only the base free tier. This is Kiro (agentic IDE credits for coding with frontier models, incl. Claude-class models), NOT Amazon Bedrock API access - for direct Bedrock API use, the AWS Free plan credits or Activate credits are the path.", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Academy (education license - free courses, not cloud credits)", "detail": "AWS Academy is AWS's education program (successor to AWS Educate, renamed ~2021) giving students and educators free structured AWS courses, hands-on labs via partner platforms, and discount pathways toward certification. It is a training/education license: it does NOT include AWS credits, Bedrock access, or LLM free tiers - students who want actual Bedrock usage must use the AWS Free plan, Activate, or Kiro offers above. (Could not be re-verified live today: https://aws.amazon.com/academy/ returned 404 and the training sub-page was unreachable; details from general knowledge.)", "eligibility": "Open to students and teachers at partner institutions; typically .edu/institutional affiliation or partnership enrollment (e.g., via AWS Academy Accelerate Your Career or institutional programs). No credit card needed for the free learning content.", "claim": "1) Enroll through your institution's AWS Academy partnership or an open course on the AWS Academy/Skill Builder platform -> 2) Complete free courses -> 3) Certifications and advanced access are paid or partner-subsidized.", "expiry": "N/A - ongoing educational access; no credit expiry because no credits are granted.", "gotchas": "Not an LLM offer at all - it is courses/labs. Do not confuse with free Bedrock or Kiro student credits. Institutional access rules vary by country/partner.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/academy/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AWS Free Account (new credit-based Free plan) — the restructured AWS Free Tier", "detail": "New AWS accounts automatically enter a credit-based Free plan: $100 USD credits at sign-up + up to $100 more earned by activating foundational services = up to $200 total, spendable across 90+ services. Free plan runs up to 6 months (account auto-closes at 6 months or when credits run out, whichever is first). 30+ services also have recurring 'Always Free' monthly limits on both plans. On the Paid-plan path, the same credits are valid for up to 12 months from account creation. Free-plan accounts are migrated from the legacy usage-based 12-month Free Tier for accounts created on/after July 15, 2025; a new sign-up experience launched October 2026 (older accounts still use the legacy credits console view).", "eligibility": "New AWS customers only (existing/previous account holders excluded). No .edu requirement; open to students and startups alike. Payment method NOT required to sign up for most new customers, but AWS may request a payment method or extra info to verify identity. Unavailable in China (Beijing and Ningxia) regions and AWS GovCloud (US) (with a note that some services such as Lambda are exceptions in GovCloud).", "claim": "1) Create a new AWS (Builder ID) account via the registration portal — Free plan is selected automatically; 2) use the $100 signup credit, then earn up to $100 more by activating foundational services (credits appear in billing console within ~30 min); 3) optionally upgrade to Paid (remaining credits become bill credits expiring 12 months post-creation).", "expiry": "Free-plan credits: 6 months from account opening or exhaustion, whichever first; account then suspends, data retained 90 days, then account and data permanently erased if not upgraded. Paid-path credits: 12 months from account creation. No renewal; downgrading Paid back to Free is not allowed.", "gotchas": "Legacy 12-month per-service Free Tier no longer exists for new accounts. Activating 'advanced features' is irreversible and voids remaining earnable credits; joining an AWS Organization or deploying a Control Tower landing zone immediately voids remaining earnable credits. Paid-only services are excluded from the Free plan. After 6 months the account closes itself — you lose access to resources/data unless you upgrade within the 90-day grace window. Egress/data transfer and overages beyond limits are paid.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/(plushttps://aws.amazon.com/free/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate — Founders tier (self-funded/bootsrap startups)", "detail": "$1,000 in AWS Activate credits guaranteed; select participants may qualify for up to $5,000 over time. Credits apply to 200+ AWS services (compute, RDS, DynamoDB, S3, CloudFront) and Amazon Bedrock, so founders can evaluate/customize/deploy third-party models from OpenAI, Mistral AI, Anthropic, and Meta. Excluded: Mechanical Turk, AWS Managed Services, AWS Professional Services, AWS Training & Certification. Credits apply monthly to new usage, never retroactively. Application processed within 5-10 business days.", "eligibility": "Self-funded/bootsrap startup (no VC backing needed), founded within the last 10 years, pre-Series B, AWS account on the Paid plan, either new to Activate credits or requesting more than previously received. No .edu or institutional requirement; professional email required for the Builder ID.", "claim": "1) Create an AWS Builder ID with a professional email; 2) select the Founders tier at /startups/join?destination=/credits/apply; 3) provide product, funding-stage and company-profile details; 4) link your AWS account to the Builder ID and submit; decisions in 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "Credits 'usually expire within 1-2 years depending on the package' (official FAQ wording). No renewal, but you may reapply if you request a higher amount than previously approved and haven't hit the lifetime credit cap.", "gotchas": "The extra $4,000 (up to $5,000) is discretionary ('select participants'), not guaranteed. Requires a Paid-plan AWS account, so expect a billing relationship even if credits cover usage. Credits don't cover AWS Professional/Managed Services or certification fees. $1,000-5,000 amounts are small vs the Portfolio tier — check provider-backed tracks first if you have accelerator/VC contact.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/(tiers)andhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activate-credits/(expiry/Bedrockdetails)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate — Portfolio tier (VC/accelerator/angel-funded startups)", "detail": "Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate credits for VC/accelerator/angel-backed startups, claimed with an Organization ID issued by the participating provider (network includes Andreessen Horowitz, Brex, Carta, Greylock, Sequoia, Y Combinator; 'thousands' of providers). Providers structure multi-step offers (FAQ example: $25K at pre-seed stepping up to $100K at seed; you receive the difference between tiers). Credits usable on 200+ services including Amazon Bedrock third-party models (OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, Meta).", "eligibility": "Backed by an Activate Provider (VC, accelerator, angel investor, or enabling organization); founded within the last 10 years; pre-Series B (the /free/offers/ hub phrases it as 'up to and including Pre-Seed, Angel, Seed, Debt Finance, and Series A'); must apply within 12 months of the most recent funding date; affiliation with the provider must still be active; AWS account on Paid plan; new to Activate or requesting more than previously received.", "claim": "1) Get the provider's Organization ID from your VC/accelerator; 2) apply at /startups/join?destination=/credits/apply selecting Portfolio tier and entering the Org ID; 3) submit company/funding details and link your AWS account; 4) response in 5-10 business days (offers hub says 7-10). Alternatively the provider portal can claim on your behalf.", "expiry": "Per package, credits usually expire within 1-2 years (official FAQ). Reapply for a higher tier amount if you've raised further, as long as you're under the lifetime cap and still affiliated; you receive the difference between the old and new tier.", "gotchas": "Without an active provider relationship you cannot access this tier (fall back to Founders). The /free/offers/ hub still shows the Activate range as '$1,000 to $100,000', contradicting the credits page/FAQ's $200,000 portfolio ceiling — the offers hub appears stale. Credits don't cover excluded services (Professional/Managed Services, Training & Certification) and never retroactively apply to past bills. Applying outside the 12-month post-funding window is not allowed.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activate-credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Credits for AI Startups (invite-only, above the $200K Portfolio cap)", "detail": "$200,000+ in additional AWS credits, positioned for 'startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio' — i.e., AI startups that have exhausted the Portfolio ceiling. Official FAQ wording: 'Additional AWS Credits above $200,000 are available for AI startups ready to scale beyond Activate's tiers.' Invite only; no public dollar figure beyond '200,000+'.", "eligibility": "Invite-only; AI-focused startups already at/above the $200,000 Activate Portfolio ceiling (or approaching it). AWS reaches out; existing customers work through their Account Manager. No public self-serve application.", "claim": "No public claim path. Routes: (a) AWS outreach/invitation; (b) ask your AWS Account Manager or Activate provider about additional AI-startup credits; (c) the /startups/credits/ page routes AI-tier interest to the account-manager channel.", "expiry": "Governed by the AWS Promotional Credit T&C; per the Activate FAQ, Activate credits generally burn down over 1-2 years depending on package. Exact expiry for the AI tier is not published.", "gotchas": "Amount, eligibility thresholds and even the program's public name are not itemized on the credits page — treat specifics as account-manager-mediated. Do not confuse with Kiro credits or the Founders/Portfolio tiers. Credits still exclude AWS Professional/Managed Services.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/('AWSCreditsforAIStartups'card)andFAQhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-aws-activate-credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro startup credits (1 year of Kiro Pro+ IDE access)", "detail": "Up to 12 months of Kiro Pro+ credits (AWS's agentic AI IDE) in three team tiers: Starter (up to 2 Kiro users), Growth (up to 10 users), Scale (up to 30 users). No USD figure published. Issued at the company level, so authorized users on associated AWS accounts can share it. Once exhausted, the account automatically switches to standard Kiro Pro+ billing.", "eligibility": "Early-stage to Series A startups; a business email matching your company domain AND a matching AWS account ID. Startups with ACTIVE AWS Activate credits are NOT eligible (though existing Activate credits can be spent on Kiro). Regionally limited: available in most countries where AWS billing works, excluding Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China regions, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Syria, Crimea/DNR/LNR, and UAE.", "claim": "Apply through the AWS Startups portal at kiro.dev/startups (rolling review, email notification). On approval credits are automatically added to your AWS account; to use them you must log into Kiro via AWS IAM Identity Center (Kiro Enterprise) — GitHub/Google social login and AWS Builder ID will not work.", "expiry": "Credits expire 1 year after issuance. One application per company; a rejected applicant whose eligibility later changes may reapply. No refund, reissue, transfer, or sale.", "gotchas": "Marked 'for a limited time only' with no published end date. Choosing a plan above Pro+ or exceeding your tier's user cap triggers charges. If you're mid-Activate-credits, this offer is off the table (but your Activate credits already cover Kiro, so no loss).", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon RDS free database (legacy 12-month tier for accounts created before July 15, 2025)", "detail": "For legacy accounts: up to 750 hours/month of a single-AZ instance on select database classes, across MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server (Express Edition only), plus 20 GB General Purpose SSD (gp2) storage and 20 GB automated backup storage per month, for up to 12 months. Usage aggregates across instance types. Accounts created on/after July 15, 2025 instead get the credit-based Free/Paid plans ($100 + up to $100) in place of this 12-month free database.", "eligibility": "New AWS accounts created before July 15, 2025 (or existing legacy accounts still within their 12-month window). Not available in AWS GovCloud (US) or China (Beijing) regions. No extra eligibility gate beyond a new account.", "claim": "1) Create a new (pre-cutover) AWS account; 2) launch an eligible single-AZ RDS instance in an eligible engine; 3) stay within 750 instance-hours + 20 GB storage + 20 GB automated backup per month for 12 months. Nothing to activate — it applies automatically.", "expiry": "12 months from account creation. After that, standard on-demand pricing. For post-cutover accounts, the equivalent benefit is the $100-200 account credit instead.", "gotchas": "Single-AZ only (Multi-AZ is paid); SQL Server Express only for that engine; cross-AZ VPC traffic (EC2 in a different AZ than RDS) costs $0.01/GB in/out; backup storage beyond 20 GB is paid. Manual snapshots beyond the automated-backup allowance are charged. Don't rely on it: new accounts after July 15, 2025 cannot get this tier.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/rds/pricing/(FreeDatabasesection)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon DynamoDB free tier (ongoing per-region allowances + account credits)", "detail": "Current per-Region, per-payer-account monthly free allowances: 25 WCUs + 25 RCUs, 25 GB of data storage, 25 rWCUs for global tables deployed across two Regions, 2.5 million DynamoDB Streams read requests, and 1 GB data transfer out (15 GB during your first 12 months, aggregated across AWS services). The page notes it is 'enough for about 200M requests/month' at small item sizes. New accounts can also get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits to 'experience the full set of DynamoDB features for up to 6 months'.", "eligibility": "Per-Region monthly allowances apply to all accounts (Standard table class, provisioned capacity model). The $200/6-month credits require a new AWS account (new-customer Free/Paid plan enrollment).", "claim": "Allowances are automatic per Region — no activation. The $200 credits come automatically when creating a new AWS account on the Free plan; apply at signup.", "expiry": "Allowance is recurring monthly (no published sunset; legacy 12-month wording no longer appears on the page — it now reads as ongoing per-Region benefits tied to the new free-tier structure). Credits: 6-month window on the Free plan.", "gotchas": "Applies to provisioned capacity + Standard table class only; on-demand capacity workloads pay standard rates. Data transfer-out beyond 1 GB/month (15 GB in year one) is paid. Free allowances are per Region, so multi-Region deployments multiply costs.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon Redshift free trial (Serverless $300 credit / 90 days; provisioned 2-month trial)", "detail": "Serverless: new users are eligible for a $300 credit with a 90-day expiration toward compute and storage use. In Regions where Serverless is not available, customers can start a free trial for provisioned clusters that expires after two months or when usage exceeds 750 hours per month, after which you must shut down or pay the standard on-demand rate.", "eligibility": "New Redshift users/accounts. No funding or .edu requirements; the trial attaches to a new-customer account.", "claim": "1) Activate Redshift Serverless in the console — the $300 credit applies automatically; or in a non-Serverless region, launch a provisioned cluster free for the trial window. No separate application.", "expiry": "Serverless credit: 90 days from issuance. Provisioned trial: 2 months or 750 cluster-hours/month, whichever comes first, then standard on-demand pricing.", "gotchas": "The legacy RA3/RA2 developer free tier (1-node, 12 months) and 30-day standard tier are no longer shown on the current pricing page — the trial structure changed in the 2025-2026 credit-model restructure. The page does not publish node size/warehouse size for the provisioned trial; verify in console. After trial, standard on-demand rates apply immediately.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/redshift/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Glue Data Catalog free tier (recurring, data-platform front)", "detail": "First million metadata objects stored are free and the first million catalog requests per month are free, every month (ongoing allowance, not a 12-month grant). Lake Formation permissions are also 'provided at no charge', and Lake Formation example billing shows $0 catalog/permissions usage inside the free tier. Pricing varies by Region per the regional product-services table.", "eligibility": "All AWS accounts; per-Region recurring allowance; no funding or .edu requirements.", "claim": "Automatic — no activation. Using the Glue Data Catalog / Lake Formation permissions under the allowances simply bills $0; the first million objects + first million requests per month are deducted first.", "expiry": "No published sunset; allowance recurs monthly. (The legacy '1 million source records processed per month' Glue ETL free allowance no longer appears on the current Glue pricing page — ETL/crawler/development-endpoint work is billed per DPU-hour, so that recurring ETL freebie is effectively gone from the published pricing.)", "gotchas": "Compute (ETL jobs, crawlers, DataBrew, development endpoints) is paid per DPU-hour — 'catalog free' does not make pipeline runs free. Data transfer and storage (S3) remain separate paid items. Verify Region-specific availability.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/glue/pricing/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate (free education license/program for students, 13+)", "detail": "Completely free self-paced cloud training and hands-on labs (S3, EC2, VPC, RDS, compute, storage, networking, databases, cloud operations), plus shareable digital badges, a job board (18+), and the AWS Emerging Talent community. Coverage: learners as young as 13; open to any individual regardless of education stage, technical experience, or career — not restricted to students/educators or accredited institutions.", "eligibility": "Anyone 13+ can register with just an email address — no .edu email, no institutional enrollment required. Job board access requires 18+. No credit card needed to register (the 'no credit card' label refers to registration, not cloud credits — the program bundles no AWS usage credits).", "claim": "Register at awseducate.com (learner registration link carries promo code 'EducateLP'), sign in, then take courses and complete labs at no cost.", "expiry": "No expiry for the program; badges are permanent. Course catalogs evolve over time; labs run in AWS-provisioned lab environments, not your account.", "gotchas": "No cloud usage credits, no exam vouchers, and no certification discounts are published on the page — do not expect a free Cloud Practitioner exam. Labs are scoped sandbox environments, not your own AWS account. Employer/recruiter features are a separate registration.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Skill Builder free digital courses", "detail": "600+ free digital courses (the startups AI hub cites 900+ free courses in 11 languages) curated by AWS, self-paced and at no cost; paid Skill Builder subscriptions unlock additional lab experiences on top of the free catalog. Free training events (Twitch/virtual) also advertised at no cost.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone with a free AWS Builder ID / Skill Builder account — students, educators, or self-learners; no .edu requirement, no funding requirement.", "claim": "Create a free account at skillbuilder.aws (or via the Builder ID), browse the free digital catalog, take courses; events via /training/events/.", "expiry": "Course access has no published expiry; free vs paid boundary changes with subscription offerings.", "gotchas": "Certifications themselves are NOT free (exam fees still apply; the AI hub's 'Certified AI Business Strategist' cert is sold separately). Paid lab tiers cost extra. Free courses refresh/retire, so the exact count (600 vs 900) varies by page and date.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/training/(and/startups/ai-for-startups/citing900+)/https://skillbuilder.aws/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Impact Bootcamps (with Techstars): up to $5,000 in AWS Activate credits", "detail": "Two-day intensive bootcamp for underrepresented startup founders, run with Techstars in six cities: Atlanta (Sep 8-9, 2025), New York (Sep 15-16, 2025), Mexico City (Oct 1-2, 2025), London (Oct 16-17, 2025), Tokyo (Mar 26-27, 2026; apply by Feb 27, 2026) and Berlin (Apr 16-17, 2026; apply by Mar 13, 2026). Selected startups get access to up to $5,000 in AWS Activate credits to build, train, and launch products, plus consideration for Techstars Founder Catalyst / accelerator and AWS startup programs. Up to 50 founders per city, ~300 founders annually. Workshops: fundraising mindset, customer discovery, go-to-market, AI product optimization, SAFE/convertible notes, pitch practice. Launched Jul 30, 2025, building on AWS's 2022 $30M commitment to Black, Women, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ founders.", "eligibility": "Self-funded, angel-funded, or early-stage startups (press release: raised up to Series A) with a goal to scale or prepare to raise funds; at least one founding/exec team member must identify with a historically underrepresented community (Black, women, Latino/Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities) OR be engaged in work supporting such communities. In-person attendance at the two-day event. No .edu email required; no credit card required for participation; global (any region, in-person at the city stop).", "claim": "All 2025-2026 cohort application windows are closed (Tokyo closed Feb 27, 2026; Berlin closed Mar 13, 2026); as of 2026-10-22 no open application window is posted on the official page, so the $5,000 offer is not currently claimable - watch for new city cohorts. To claim the $5K: apply to a bootcamp before its deadline, attend, then apply for the AWS Activate credit through the AWS Startups portal (startups.aws.com); review takes ~5-10 business days and the credit is issued to a good-standing AWS account.", "expiry": "Not a rolling offer: cohort-based. 2025 (US/EU/LatAm) and 2026 (Tokyo, Berlin) cohorts have concluded; future cohorts to be announced (the learn page said more locations would be announced in 2026). Credits, once issued, follow AWS Activate terms (page did not state a burn period today).", "gotchas": "Press release states $5,000 is given; the landing page says 'up to $5K', so awards are at AWS discretion. The bootcamp page currently returns HTTP 500 at the server level even though its content payload is intact. 'AWS Activate Credits' are promotional credits subject to AWS's standard rules: startup <10 years old, funding stage <= Series A, most recent funding round within 12 months of application, application email domain must match the AWS account domain, free email providers rejected, website must be live, and AWS may decline applications in its sole discretion; availability can be limited by country/region.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/lp/aws-impact-bootcamps(servingHTTP500;fullcontentrecoveredfromitsembeddedNext.jspayload;cross-checkedwiththeJul30,2025pressreleasehttps://press.aboutamazon.com/aws/2025/7/aws-and-techstars-launch-impact-bootcamps-to-support-underrepresented-founders-globallyandhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/what-to-expect-from-the-aws-impact-bootcamps/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Founder Retreat (bootcamp capstone): up to $50,000 unrestricted grant + up to $15,000 extra AWS credits", "detail": "Invitation-only weekend capstone for 'best-in-class' bootcamp participants: in-person investor meetings and a chance to win up to $50,000 in unrestricted grant funding plus an extra $15,000 in AWS promotional credits, per cohort (up to 4 winners per press-release math; actual 2025 event: 12 finalists from the Atlanta, NYC, London and Mexico City bootcamps attended a retreat at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, culminating in a pitch competition for US$100,000 in grants with three recipients - Pilou, FoodStream Network, SyncPop). Includes one-to-one mentoring with AWS leaders and investors.", "eligibility": "Invite-only; top-performing AWS Impact Bootcamp participants (hand-picked from hundreds of global participants). Underlying bootcamp eligibility applies (underrepresented early-stage founders, self-funded/angel/early-stage, goal to scale or raise).", "claim": "Cannot apply directly. Path: apply to an AWS Impact Bootcamp -> be selected as a top participant -> receive the Founder Retreat invitation. Currently no open path (all bootcamp windows closed as of 2026-10-22).", "expiry": "Event-based; one per program cycle. The Tokyo/Berlin 2026 cohorts will presumably feed a 2026/2027 retreat.", "gotchas": "The 'up to $50,000' grant is per capstone event, not per winner; the 2025 cohort split a US$100,000 pool among 3 winners (i.e., ~$33K each, not $50K). Winners are also 'considered' for Techstars programs, not guaranteed. In-person, US-based venue in 2025.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/learn/fresh-ideas-and-new-connections-at-the-aws-founders-retreatandhttps://press.aboutamazon.com/aws/2025/7/aws-and-techstars-launch-impact-bootcamps-to-support-underrepresented-founders-globally", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Program (flagship startup credit program; the VC/accelerator-funded front): up to $100,000 - $200,000 in AWS credits", "detail": "AWS Startups portal (read live 2026-10-22): the join page advertises 'Apply for up to $200,000 in Activate Credits' and the credits widget says 'Eligible startups can receive up to $100,000 in AWS Activate Credits. These credits can be used for AWS services and support, including infrastructure and emerging technologies.' Credits are claimable in one step when affiliated with an AWS Activate Provider (VC, accelerator, angel group, or other partner); the portal notes 'Home to over 350,000 startups globally.' Legacy structure (2023-2025): standard AWS Activate up to $1,000 in credits; Accelerate (VC/accelerator-backed) up to $100,000 over 12+ months. The $200K figure on the live join page indicates a 2026 headline increase; the $1,000 standard-tier copy no longer appears on the pages read today. Benefits besides credits: partner offers/exclusive deals, global events, training, technical support.", "eligibility": "Startup founded within the last 10 years; funding stage at or below Series A (Series B+ explicitly rejected); most recent funding round within 12 months of application; application email domain must match the AWS account email domain (free email providers rejected); company website must be live and functional (no under-construction/maintenance/404/redirect); account in good standing; reseller-affiliated accounts need reseller confirmation; not available in every country ('AWS Activate is not available in your country' rejection exists); if you already received equal-or-greater Activate credits, a new award is the current offer minus the previous amount. No .edu requirement; no credit card to receive the credit itself (a payment method is normal for the AWS account).", "claim": "Apply at the AWS Startups portal (startups.aws.com) - if you have a VC/accelerator/angel partner, apply 'in one step' through provider affiliation (provider must confirm within 30 days or the application can stall). Processing ~5-10 business days. Alternatively, the $5,000 bootcamp credits are claimed through the same Activate application flow. As of 2026-10-22 the program is live and open to qualifying startups.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "'Up to' is literal: actual awards are tiered and smaller than the headline (widget says $100K max while the join page says $200K - the $200K ceiling is not broken down on the pages read today). Promotional credits are not redeemable for data egress/inter-region transfer beyond free allowances and expire unused. Duplicate applications rejected; email-domain mismatch is the most common rejection reason; provider non-confirmation after 30 days stalls the application. Regional availability restrictions apply.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/aws-startup-credits-promotionandhttps://aws.amazon.com/startups/activate/(portalappshellreadlive2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier (revamped): Free plan - up to $200 in credits, 90+ services for up to 6 months; Paid plan - pay-as-you-go plus up to $200 in credits", "detail": "Current AWS Free Tier page (read live 2026-10-22) describes a restructured model: Free plan - 'Start building on AWS with up to $200 in credits. Get access to over 90 services for up to 6 months as you build and experiment with no charges and no surprise overages.' Paid plan - 'Access the full range of AWS services with pay-as-you-go pricing. New customers on the Paid plan are also eligible for up to $200 in credits.' Short-term trials - 'Try selected Paid plan services through limited free trials. Your trial begins when you activate the service, and any eligible credits automatically apply to usage beyond the trial limits.' Always Free - '30+ AWS services are always free within monthly usage limits on both the Free and Paid plans; if you go beyond these limits or access paid features, credits are automatically applied to cover the costs.'", "eligibility": "All new AWS customers (including students; no .edu email or credit card documented on the page). Free plan requires simply opening a new account; a payment method is normally required for the account but the Free plan's usage up to limits is covered by the $200 credits with 'no surprise overages'.", "claim": "No application: open a new AWS account at aws.amazon.com; Free plan benefits and trial offers are automatic, and the $200 credits apply to usage within the 6-month window / beyond trial limits.", "expiry": "Free plan: up to 6 months of covered access; Always Free items: indefinite within monthly limits; $200 credits: burn off over the period, unused value does not roll over as cash.", "gotchas": "This is NOT the old '12-month free tier' - see sunset_notes. The $200 is a usage-credit ceiling, not a cash grant; after 6 months or when credits run out, Paid-plan usage is billed. Data transfer, inter-region egress, and paid features beyond always-free monthly limits can incur charges ('credits are automatically applied to cover the costs' - credits, not a no-cost promise, cover overage). Trial periods are per-service and only start on activation.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate: free education license for students and educators (no credit card)", "detail": "Official AWS Educate page (read live 2026-10-22): 'AWS Educate provides students and educators with no-cost access to cloud computing skills training developed by AWS experts, plus career pathways for students.' Includes self-paced free learning ('build your cloud skills... completely for free'), hands-on labs - e.g., build a static website on S3, EC2 instance, VPC networking, RDS database, Cloud operations course with a cost-estimation lab - and a job board / employer program ('AWS Educate for employers'). Page states explicitly: 'Sign in to AWS Educate: No credit card needed.' No dollar credit pool; the value is free training + sandboxed lab access rather than account credits.", "eligibility": "Students, K-12 and higher-ed educators, and employers (recruiters). No .edu email is documented as required on the current page; no credit card needed. Institution-based accounts have historically been free 12-month licenses renewable annually - the current page does not state a duration, so treat renewal terms as unverified.", "claim": "Register at https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/ (Register for AWS Educate), sign in to the AWS Educate portal, then complete courses/labs for free. No payment or card at any step per the page's 'No credit card needed' statement.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Not a credits offer - no cloud spend allowance for personal AWS accounts beyond the generic Free Tier. Distinct from AWS Academy, which is an institutional/licensed program (usually paid by the institution) - AWS Academy's own site was unreachable during this research, so no claim is made about it. Labs are time-boxed sandbox environments.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Skill Builder: 600+ free courses and certification exam prep", "detail": "AWS Skill Builder (skillbuilder.aws, read live 2026-10-22): 'an online learning center where you can learn from AWS experts... With access to 600+ free courses, certification exam prep, and training that allows you to build practical skills.' Free for self-directed learners, including students; no enrollment gate, no credit card. This is the successor to much of AWS's formerly free training content.", "eligibility": "Anyone, for free; no .edu requirement, no card. Free content is the baseline; AWS has added paid professional subscription tiers in recent years (not verified in today's read - treat as a gotcha, not a fact).", "claim": "Sign up at skillbuilder.aws and take courses/digital badges at no cost.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Do not assume everything is free if you later see 'Professional' tier marketing; today's read confirms the free 600+ course base only.", "source_url": "https://skillbuilder.aws/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Free Plan (new accounts, credit-based, in effect since 2025-07-15)", "detail": "New accounts get $100 in credits immediately at sign-up, plus up to $100 more by completing 'Explore AWS' service-exploration activities in the Console Home widget (filtered to 'Earn AWS credits') = up to $200 total usable over 6 months. Covers 90+ services for up to 6 months, including Amazon RDS, Aurora Serverless, and DynamoDB. 'No charges and no surprise bills on the Free plan' unless you convert to a Paid plan or activate paid-only services. Account auto-closes at the earlier of 6 months after account opening or when credits run out; on expiration AWS suspends the account and retains your data 90 days (upgradable to Paid within that window), then account/content is permanently erased. Free plan is NOT eligible for promotional credits (e.g. AWS Activate).", "eligibility": "One free grant per identity: 'ineligible for the Free plan or Free Tier credits if you have an existing AWS account or have previously had one'. Payment method NOT required for most new signups (AWS may still request one for identity verification). Credits are USD, apply across participating global regions; NOT available in China regions or AWS GovCloud (US). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Sign up for a new AWS account choosing the Free plan at aws.amazon.com/free -> $100 credit applied automatically. Complete service-exploration activities in the 'Explore AWS' widget on Console Home (filter: 'Earn AWS credits') within 6 months of account creation to earn up to $100 more.", "expiry": "Initial $100 credit expires when the 6-month Free plan window ends (credit validity stated as 'up to 12 months' on service pages; activity-earned credits expire 12 months after account creation per FAQ). Account auto-closes at 6 months or when credits are exhausted, whichever is first; 90-day data retention after closure; no renewal, no second grant on a new identity-linked account.", "gotchas": "Auto-close at 6 months means long-lived free work must be migrated/billed; data permanently deleted 90 days after closure. Free plan excludes promotional credits (Activate) and some paid-only services; upgrading to Paid to unlock those is irreversible (cannot revert to Free plan). Credits apply across regions but China/GovCloud excluded. Upgrading converts to pay-as-you-go once credits burn.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Paid Plan new-customer credits", "detail": "New customers choosing the Paid plan get 'up to $200 USD free credits' plus full access to all AWS services (including paid-only services like Bedrock AgentCore) and eligibility for promotional credits. Selected services can be trialed via 'limited free trials'; the trial clock starts at activation and remaining credits 'automatically apply to usage beyond the trial limits'. Pay-as-you-go billing applies beyond credit exhaustion.", "eligibility": "Same one-free-grant-per-identity rule; a billing/payment method is in practice expected for a Paid plan (Free plan needed none). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Sign up choosing the Paid plan, or convert an existing Free-plan account to Paid (irreversible).", "expiry": "Credits usable 'for up to 12 months' on the Paid plan per service pages (e.g. Aurora pricing page), vs the 6-month Free-plan window; trial clocks start at service activation.", "gotchas": "Pay-as-you-go charges begin the moment credits run out; Free-to-Paid conversion is one-way; trials are time-boxed per service.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aurora/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Legacy 12-month Free Tier for RDS (accounts created before 2025-07-15)", "detail": "Grandfathered pre-2025-07-15 accounts keep the service-level 12-month free tier: up to 750 hours/month of single-AZ instance databases (aggregated across instance types), engines limited to MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server (Express Edition only), 20 GB/month of gp2 general-purpose storage, and 20 GB/month of automated backup storage for 1 year.", "eligibility": "AWS accounts created before July 15, 2025 only; not the credit-based model.", "claim": "N/A - grandfathered automatically; nothing to claim.", "expiry": "12 months from account creation, then billed.", "gotchas": "No free-tier credits available in AWS GovCloud (US) regions or the China (Beijing) region; SQL Server only in Express edition; 750 hours aggregate means running multiple RDS instances splits the hours.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/rds/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "DynamoDB always-free allowances plus credit boost", "detail": "Per the DynamoDB pricing page today: 25 WCUs and 25 RCUs of provisioned capacity (per Region, per payer account, monthly), 25 GB of data storage, 25 rWCUs for global tables deployed across two regions, 2.5 million stream read requests from DynamoDB Streams, 1 GB data transfer out per month (15 GB for the first 12 months, aggregated across AWS services); plus 'up to $200 USD in credits' to use the full DynamoDB feature set for up to 6 months on the Free plan.", "eligibility": "Always-free allowances apply while you are an AWS customer (Free or Paid plan); the $200 credit boost is for new accounts under the credit-based model. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Always-free allowances apply automatically; the credit boost comes with a new Free/Paid plan account (see the main Free plan finding).", "expiry": "Monthly allowances recur; the 12-month egress allowance lapses at month 12; the $200 credit is within the 6-month Free plan window (or 12-month credit validity on Paid plan).", "gotchas": "The page presents allowances without an explicit legacy/new split - the '15 GB first 12 months' egress language is legacy-style; request-based allowances (25 WCUs/25 RCUs) are the current always-free shape. Old (pre-2025) free tier was expressed as 25 GB + 2.5M write/5M read requests, so verify the exact current RCU/WCU mix against AWS Billing if cost-critical.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Aurora free availability (Free plan) + credit validity", "detail": "The Free plan 'provides Aurora PostgreSQL serverless instances with up to 4 ACUs and 1 GiB of storage per cluster' (paid plans scale to 256 ACUs and 256 TiB). New customers receive '$100 in AWS credits at sign-up' usable 'for up to 12 months, in both Free and Paid plans' plus 'an additional $100 in credits, for a total of $200'.", "eligibility": "New AWS accounts (Free or Paid plan); no .edu requirement; no payment method required for most Free-plan signups.", "claim": "Automatic with new-account signup ($100); extra $100 via service-exploration activities.", "expiry": "Credits usable up to 12 months per the Aurora page; the Free plan account itself auto-closes at 6 months - so the 12-month credit validity practically matters only if you convert to the Paid plan before closure.", "gotchas": "Only Aurora PostgreSQL Serverless is named as a free-plan offering (not MySQL, not provisioned instances, no I/O/storage free GB figures on today's page - the legacy 120 hours db.t3.medium/10 GB storage/100 GB backup tier is not listed on the current Aurora page).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aurora/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Founders (self-funded / bootstrapped startups)", "detail": "'Up to $5,000 USD in Activate Credits', with 'Start with $1,000 USD in Activate Credits' - select participants may qualify for the full $5,000. Credits offset infrastructure, data services, and AI/ML models, and are redeemable on third-party models on Amazon Bedrock. Includes mentorship, AWS Startup Advisor, and partner-network co-build/co-market access.", "eligibility": "Pre-Series B stage; founded in the last 10 years; must have an AWS account on a Paid-plan tier; must be 'new to Activate Credits or requesting more credits than previously received'; apply with an AWS Builder ID using a professional email - no .edu requirement and no country restrictions stated on the page. USD credits subject to AWS Promotional Credit T&C.", "claim": "Create an AWS Builder ID -> choose self-funded (Founders) tier at aws.amazon.com/startups/join?destination=/credits/apply -> provide product, funding stage, and company details -> link/create a Paid-plan AWS account and submit; response in 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page - governed by the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions (typically ~12-month burn-down, unverified today).", "gotchas": "Amount is 'up to' $5,000 - default grant is $1,000; must run a Paid plan (the Free plan excludes promotional credits entirely); no .edu, but a professional email is required.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio (VC / accelerator / angel-backed startups)", "detail": "'Up to $200,000 USD in Activate Credits' for Pre-Series B startups, gated by an 'Organization ID (Org ID)' issued by an Activate Provider (accelerator, angel investor, or VC firm; named examples: Andreessen Horowitz, Brex, Carta, Greylock Partners, Sequoia, Y Combinator). The /startups/ page headlines 'Get up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits and expert support'.", "eligibility": "Pre-Series B; founded in the last 10 years; AWS account on a Paid plan; must be new to Activate credits or requesting more than previously received; requires provider-issued Org ID (no .edu requirement; no country restrictions stated on the page).", "claim": "Get an Org ID from your VC/accelerator/angel provider, then apply via the AWS Builder ID credits-application flow choosing the Portfolio tier; 5-10 business day review.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page - AWS Promotional Credit T&C apply.", "gotchas": "The ceiling is 'up to' $200,000 (variable award); provider gating means bootstrapped founders cannot use this tier; credits are USD and promo-T&C bound.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Credits for AI Startups (invite-only add-on track)", "detail": "'$200,000+ in AWS Credits' described as 'Invite only for startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio', accessed through an Account Manager; separate 'AI startups ready to grow may be eligible for additional credits beyond Activate' noted on the main startups page.", "eligibility": "Invitation-only; aimed at AI startups that have already gone through Activate Portfolio; via an AWS Account Manager.", "claim": "No self-serve application - request via your AWS Account Manager after Activate Portfolio participation.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page - promo T&C apply.", "gotchas": "Invite-only means no guaranteed path; the '+' after $200,000 is not quantified on the page.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits (separate, smaller credit track)", "detail": "A separate, smaller AWS credit program 'available to eligible startups without current Activate Credits' from the Kiro agentic IDE program (launched 2025); also described as 'Kiro credits designed for startups'. Exact amounts, duration and eligibility criteria were not retrievable today (kiro.aws and /aws.amazon.com/kiro/ did not resolve from this environment).", "eligibility": "Startups without current Activate credits, per the credits page; further criteria unknown.", "claim": "Details not retrievable in this environment; check Kiro's official site/credits page directly.", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Unquantified in official AWS pages fetched today; treat any third-party numbers as unverified.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AWS Educate (free student/individual training, not a credit program)", "detail": "AWS Educate (successor of Cloud Academy) is active and 'completely for free': free self-paced online training and hands-on labs covering Storage (S3), Compute (EC2), Networking (VPC), Databases (RDS) and Cloud Operations, with shareable digital badges. Open to any individual, 'no credit card needed'; learners as young as 13 can register with just an email address; 18+ also get job-board access; 'AWS Educate for employers' gives recruiters access to the trained talent pool. The page (copyright 2026) contains no dollar-credit amounts and no mention of granting personal AWS Free Tier accounts.", "eligibility": "Any individual with an email - no .edu requirement, no institutional enrollment required; age floor 13.", "claim": "Register at aws.amazon.com/educate/ with any email address; complete self-paced courses and labs; earn badges.", "expiry": "No expiry; free while the program is live.", "gotchas": "Not a money-credit offer - value is training/badges, not AWS usage credits; if you need actual AWS usage (RDS/Aurora/DynamoDB) you still sign up for the regular AWS account (and, if brand-new, get the Free plan credits under the general program, which does not itself require .edu).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/educate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Plan (new-customer Free Tier): up to $200 credits over 6 months", "detail": "New AWS customers get $100 in Free Tier credits immediately on account creation, plus up to $100 more earned by completing 5 console activities in the 'Explore AWS' widget ($20 each: launch & terminate an EC2 instance; configure an RDS database; build a Lambda function with a function URL; submit a prompt in the Bedrock text playground; create an AWS Budgets alert). The Free plan covers 90+ services for up to 6 months with 'no charges and no surprise bills'; 30+ services remain always-free within monthly limits on both plans. Credits are auto-applied to eligible usage, including always-free overages. Free-plan accounts cannot use 'certain AWS services that would rapidly consume the entire credit amount, or hardware purchases'; Amazon Bedrock AgentCore is paid-plan exclusive. Announcement: AWS 'what's new' July 16, 2025; AWS News Blog July 15, 2025. Eligible EC2 free-tier instance types for accounts on/after Jul 15, 2025: t3.micro, t3.small, t4g.micro, t4g.small, c7i-flex.large, m7i-flex.large (t2.micro no longer eligible). RDS free on db.t3.micro / db.t4g.micro (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server Express); Aurora PostgreSQL serverless up to 4 ACU + 1 GiB storage; Aurora DSQL always free at 100k DPU + 1 GiB storage/month.", "eligibility": "New AWS customers only (any existing or previously-held AWS account disqualifies you). All customers can sign up online; no .edu or startup requirement. Excluded regions: China (ZHY) and China (BJS) regions, and AWS GovCloud (US) regions (with a carve-out for certain services such as Lambda in GovCloud). Credit card NOT required to sign up for most new customers (AWS may request a payment method to verify identity in some cases).", "claim": "Go to https://aws.amazon.com/free/ -> 'Create a free account' -> choose the Free account plan during signup. $100 credit posts automatically (may take up to ~10 min to appear on the Credits page). Complete the 5 Explore AWS activities inside 6 months to earn the remaining $100. Monitor balance via the Cost & Usage widget on console home.", "expiry": "Free plan expires at the earlier of (a) 6 months from account creation or (b) credits exhausted. Unused credits stay usable up to 12 months from account creation if you upgrade to a Paid plan within the window. After the Free plan period, you have 90 days to upgrade; then AWS permanently closes the account and deletes content/resources. Earned-credit activities must be completed within 6 months of creation; eligibility to earn ends permanently if you join AWS Organizations or set up a Control Tower landing zone.", "gotchas": "Free plan is NOT eligible for promotional/incentive credits (e.g., AWS Activate) - those require a Paid plan; enrolling a Free-plan account in AWS Organizations auto-upgrades it to Paid. Usage is aggregated across all regions; no monthly free-usage rollover. AWS may reclaim resources unused for 3 months after 30 days' notice. Free plan is for evaluation only - 'should not be used for processing sensitive data'. Data transfer/egress beyond always-free allowances draws on credits, then pay-as-you-go once credits run out. New sign-up experience launched October 2026 (credit expiry view moved to Settings Portal; older accounts use the Credits page in the Billing console).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/(plushttps://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/,https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2025/07/aws-free-tier-credits-month-free-plan/,https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/aws-free-tier-update-new-customers-can-get-started-and-explore-aws-with-up-to-200-in-credits/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Always Free offers: 30+ services with monthly free usage limits (all customers)", "detail": "On both Free and Paid plans, '30+ AWS services are always free within monthly usage limits' (ongoing monthly allowances, e.g., Lambda free requests/month, Aurora DSQL 100k DPU + 1 GiB storage/month). If usage exceeds the monthly allowance, remaining Free Tier credits auto-apply to cover eligible costs (Free plan); on Paid plans you pay standard rates beyond the credit balance. Per-service numeric limits are listed on the Free Tier page filters ('Explore our offers' by offer type + product category) and on individual product pricing pages; the main page does not publish the full numeric list.", "eligibility": "All AWS customers, new and existing, on either plan. No credit card needed to keep an account. No regional restrictions stated beyond the general Free Tier exclusions.", "claim": "Nothing to claim - always-free allowances are automatically active on any AWS account. Find each service's allowance at https://aws.amazon.com/free/ via the offer-type/category filters, or on the product's pricing page.", "expiry": "Ongoing for as long as you have an AWS account (no 12-month sunset). Unused monthly allowances do not roll over. AWS may terminate any offer at any time (Free Tier Terms, last updated Jul 9, 2025).", "gotchas": "Overage handling differs by plan (credits vs pay-as-you-go). A few services/trials are paid-plan exclusive. AWS can reclaim resources idle for 3 months (30 days notice); usage is aggregated across regions.", "source_url": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/free-tier.htmlandhttps://aws.amazon.com/free/terms/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Legacy 12-month Free Tier (accounts created before July 15, 2025)", "detail": "Accounts created before Jul 15, 2025 keep the classic per-service 12-month Free Tier instead of the credit model: e.g., EC2 750 hrs/month of t2.micro/t3.micro with free-tier-eligible EBS (standard, st1, sc1, gp2, gp3); legacy allowances like 30 GB EBS / 2M I/Os / 1 GB snapshot storage and 750 hrs/month ELB (Classic+ALB shared, 15 GB data processing, 15 LCUs). Exceeding limits bills pay-as-you-go. RDS legacy free usage (db.t3.micro/db.t4g.micro) runs up to 12 months from signup for such accounts. The legacy EC2 free-tier box in the console only appears for pre-Jul-15-2025 accounts.", "eligibility": "Only AWS accounts created before July 15, 2025.", "claim": "No claim - applied automatically at legacy signup; track via the EC2 'Free Tier usage' console box (end-of-month forecast / exceeds-free-tier warnings).", "expiry": "12 months from account creation; then standard pay-as-you-go rates with no credit-based protection.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse the two regimes: new accounts (on/after Jul 15, 2025) have NO per-service 12-month allowances - usage is instead covered by the $200 credit pool and always-free offers. t2.micro is not free-tier eligible for new accounts.", "source_url": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-free-tier-usage.htmlandhttps://aws.amazon.com/rds/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Founders (self-funded startups): $1,000, up to $5,000 credits", "detail": "Activate Founders tier: start with $1,000 USD in AWS Activate credits; 'select participants may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000' over time. Credits offset costs on 200+ AWS services incl. infrastructure, data services, and third-party models on Amazon Bedrock (OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, Meta). Includes technical guidance, business mentorship, and go-to-market resources. AWS Activate has served 350k+ startups and granted $8B+ in credits since 2013.", "eligibility": "Self-funded/bootstrapped startup; new to AWS Activate Credits; fully functioning company website; founded in the last 10 years; AWS account must be on a Paid plan (Free-plan accounts are ineligible).", "claim": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ -> 'Apply now' (/startups/join?destination=/credits/apply) -> create/sign in with an AWS Builder ID using a professional (business-domain) email -> complete the one-time AWS Activate profile with your business email (matching startup domain) -> choose Founders tier -> provide product description, funding stage, company profile -> link your AWS account and submit. Response in 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "Govered by AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions; check the specific award notice for the credit's expiry window (not stated on the program page).", "gotchas": "Paid-plan account required - convert your Free plan account first; using an inconsistent email domain hampers validation; if you previously received equal-or-greater Activate credits you cannot re-claim. Kiro Startup Credits exist as an on-ramp for startups that do NOT yet hold Activate credits. Credits are USD and non-transferable between programs.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by-step-guide/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio (VC / accelerator / angel-backed startups): up to $200,000 credits", "detail": "Activate Portfolio tier: up to $200,000 USD in AWS Activate credits, applied through the backing provider's Organizational ID (Org ID). Named provider examples on the page: Andreessen Horowitz, Brex, Carta, Greylock Partners, Sequoia, Y Combinator, NVIDIA (among 'thousands' of VCs, accelerators, and startup-enabling organizations). Credits work across 200+ services and Bedrock third-party models. Program page headlines 'Get up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits' and notes AI startups 'may be eligible for additional credits beyond Activate'.", "eligibility": "Pre-Series B stage (most recent funding round within the last 12 months, if applicable); affiliated with an Activate Provider who issues your Org ID; not previously received AWS Activate credits of equal or greater value; functioning company website; founded in the last 10 years; AWS account on a Paid plan.", "claim": "Verify your investor/accelerator is a listed Activate Provider at https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ -> apply with the provider's Org ID (same Builder ID / Activate profile flow as Founders) -> submit startup details -> link AWS account. Rolling review, 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs apply; per-award expiry is in the award notice.", "gotchas": "Without an Org ID from a participating provider you cannot access this tier - bootstrapped founders should use Founders instead. Pre-Series B requirement and 10-year founding-age cap apply. The Free plan does not qualify (Paid plan required), and Free-plan accounts became ineligible for promotional credits effective Feb 16, 2026.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Credits for AI Startups (invite-only): $200,000+ credits", "detail": "Separate, invite-only track on the official credits page: '$200,000+ in AWS Credits' for 'startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio', accessed by 'talk with your Account Manager'. The June 4, 2026 step-by-step guide confirms 'Additional AWS Credits above $200,000 are available for AI startups ready to scale beyond Activate's tiers.'", "eligibility": "AI-focused startups that have already moved through Activate Portfolio and are scaling; not publicly self-service - routed via an AWS Account Manager. Pre-Series B context applies to the Activate program family; account on Paid plan.", "claim": "Engage your AWS Account Manager; no public application form.", "expiry": "AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs; per-award notice.", "gotchas": "Not available to self-funded/bootstrapped founders; no public quota or deadline - purely relationship/invite-driven.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by-step-guide/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits: up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+ credits (3 user tiers)", "detail": "Kiro (AWS's agentic AI IDE) offers startups 'up to 1-year's worth of Kiro Pro+ credits' in three tiers: Starter - up to 2 Kiro users; Growth - up to 10 users; Scale - up to 30 users. Credits are added to the startup's AWS account and used via AWS IAM Identity Center. Described as designed for startups and serving as an on-ramp for startups that do not yet hold Activate Credits.", "eligibility": "Early-stage to Series A startups; official business email address matching the startup's domain; an AWS Account ID with a matching email required. Startups already holding active AWS Activate credits are NOT eligible for this promotion (their existing credits can still be used toward Kiro). Offer excludes residents of several listed countries/regions (listed on the page).", "claim": "Submit the form on the linked AWS Startups page (kiro.dev/startups/) -> sign in with your AWS account -> applications reviewed on a rolling basis -> if approved, credits are automatically added to your AWS account.", "expiry": "Credits expire one year after issuance to the AWS account; after depletion, billing automatically switches to standard Kiro Pro+ billing. No dollar amount is published (value = 1 year of Kiro Pro+ at the tier's user count).", "gotchas": "No exact dollar figure on the official page; tier is by user count, not dollars; region exclusions apply; Kipro... (correct: Kiro) usage requires logging in through AWS IAM Identity Center - set that up before claiming.", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Builder Center Student Rewards (launched Aug 20, 2026): up to $579 value for verified university students", "detail": "New student program on AWS Builder Center, part of AWS's $500M+ commitment to student cloud/AI training: verified + profile complete = 12 months of Skill Builder Premium ($449 value; 900+ courses, hands-on labs, cert exam prep, game-based learning); 7 badges = $10 AWS credits; 14 badges = additional $20 AWS credits; 21 badges = AWS Foundational-level certification exam voucher (~$100, e.g., Cloud Practitioner). Total potential value $579/student. Free Builder Center workshops (no credit card) and Student Builder Groups in 60+ countries available to all.", "eligibility": "Students 18+ enrolled at an accredited higher-education institution, worldwide; enrollment verified via SheerID (name, college name, school email; sometimes extra documentation, 24-48h). No .edu-only restriction beyond SheerID verification; no credit card.", "claim": "https://builder.aws.com -> sign in with AWS Builder ID -> /student-rewards -> start SheerID student verification -> complete profile (photo + About section) to unlock the 12-month Skill Builder Premium -> earn community badges (publish articles, comment, maintain 7/30/90-day activity streaks, wishes) to unlock $10 / $20 credits and the exam voucher -> claim at builder.aws.com/profile/rewards.", "expiry": "Skill Builder Premium lasts 12 months from claim. The 21 badges include time-gated ones (7-day, 30-day, 90-day streaks), so the program effectively requires sustained engagement over ~90 days to capture the full value; credits/voucher per promotional terms.", "gotchas": "The credits/voucher are NOT handed at signup - they require earning 7/14/21 Builder Center activity badges (community badges, not course-completion badges). Start long-timer badges on day 1 or you can stall at 15-18. Verification is individual; your college does not need to be an AWS Academy member.", "source_url": "https://builder.aws.com/student-rewardsandhttps://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-student-rewards-free-cloud-ai-training", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate ('Cloud Skills for Education'): free self-paced learning, hands-on labs, no credit card", "detail": "AWS Educate is open to any individual regardless of education, experience, or career stage: free curated learning paths in cloud and AI with five hands-on 'Getting Started' lab tracks (Storage/S3 static website, Compute/EC2, Networking/VPC, Databases/RDS, Cloud Operations/cost estimation), shareable digital badges, and a Job Board (learners 18+; separate recruiter portal). Learners as young as 13 can register with just an email address - 'no credit card needed'. Complemented by free self-paced digital training on AWS Skill Builder (500+ on-demand courses, 17 languages) and free Builder Center workshops in real AWS environments.", "eligibility": "No .edu email required - any valid email; age 13+ to register, 18+ for the Job Board. Global.", "claim": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/ -> sign in / register for AWS Educate; each hands-on lab links to a registration page (promo code 'EducateLP'); Skill Builder at https://skillbuilder.aws (free tier) or Builder Center workshops.", "expiry": "Ongoing program - no expiry. (Legacy monetary grants no longer exist; see sunset notes.)", "gotchas": "Since Feb 21, 2023 AWS Educate focuses on pre-professional learners and no longer offers grants to institutions or educators; classroom credit allotments now run through AWS Academy/instructor-managed labs. Educator tools were migrated to AWS Academy. Hands-on lab accounts are restricted/sandboxed (third-party docs describe ~3-hour activity logoff and feature limits).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Academy: free ready-to-teach curriculum + educator certification vouchers (instructor/education track)", "detail": "AWS Academy provides higher-education institutions a free, ready-to-teach cloud/AI-ML curriculum (6 foundational courses incl. Generative AI Foundations and ML Foundations, 5 associate-level courses, 2 lab sets, plus an ad-hoc 'Learner Lab' sandbox). Educators: complimentary enablement sessions, 100% discount vouchers on AWS Certification exams, and complimentary 12-month AWS Skill Builder subscription. Students: complimentary 12-month Skill Builder subscription and, on course completion, access to the Emerging Talent Community (challenges redeemable for discounted certification exam vouchers). Institutions: 50% discount voucher on certification exams (redeems to students for 100% of value). No cost to join. Third-party university IT docs (Univ. of Iowa) describe 'Learning Labs' giving instructors $100 of AWS credit per student for the course duration, no credit card from students, instructor-funded.", "eligibility": "Institution level: higher-ed institutions offering accredited degrees, diplomas, certificates, or continuing-education programs, with an authorized Program Administrator/CPOC who applies. Educators must be nominated by the member institution and complete the mandatory Educator Getting Started course (associate-level courses additionally require educator certification). Courses may only be delivered to students enrolled at the institution.", "claim": "Institution applies via https://aws.amazon.com/training/awsacademy/ -> CPOC nominates educators -> educators set up portal access, acknowledge Program Guide, complete onboarding course -> deliver courses (synchronous/asynchronous, LMS integration allowed) -> students register an AWS Training & Certification account and get course links; classroom credits (where available) are provisioned by the institution's AWS team.", "expiry": "12-month Skill Builder subscriptions from award; certification vouchers per program terms ('all rewards subject to change'); Emerging Talent Community rewards vary.", "gotchas": "This is an education-license/curriculum offer, not direct cash credits - the per-student classroom credits (~$100, per institution docs) are not published on AWS's national pages and depend on your institution's enrollment; confirm amounts with your AWS regional team. No cost to join, but delivery requirements (accredited educators, full curriculum) apply.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/training/awsacademy/faq/(supportingthird-partydoc:https://its.uiowa.edu/services/amazon-web-services-aws/using-aws-your-classroom)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Cloud Credit for Research: up to $5,000 for students, uncapped for faculty/staff", "detail": "AWS Public Sector Cloud Credit for Research Program grants AWS Promotional Credit to support finite research projects: building cloud-hosted science-as-a-service applications/tools, proof-of-concept or benchmark tests of moving research workloads/open data to the cloud, or training the community via workshops/tutorials. Student awards capped at $5,000; faculty and staff awards are not capped; recipients may receive less than requested. EC2 usage is on-demand and spot instances only. Awards are AWS Promotional Credit under the AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs, valid one year from application to the account or until fully utilized.", "eligibility": "Full-time faculty, full-time research staff, or graduate/post-graduate/PhD students at an accredited research institution. An institution-issued email (.edu, .org, or equivalent) is REQUIRED - non-institution domains are not accepted. An existing AWS account is required. Program is global except the greater China region (India administered by AISPL). Effective Feb 16, 2026, Free Tier (Free plan) accounts are ineligible for promotional credits.", "claim": "Submit a short single-page proposal (problem statement, project summary, specific AWS services, timeline/milestones, plan to share outcomes, future use, AWS contacts, any AWS Public Datasets used) via https://pages.awscloud.com/aws-cloud-credit-for-research.html; rolling review; decisions via aws-research-credit@amazon.com.", "expiry": "Credits valid 1 year from application to the account or until fully used - plan the project timeline accordingly.", "gotchas": "Does NOT fund administrative workloads, operations, ongoing/established research, or general lab funding. Review cycle is listed as 30-60 days on the apply page (the main page says 90-120 days) - plan ahead. Promotional credits cannot cover upfront fees of services. Free-plan accounts are excluded as of Feb 16, 2026 - you need a Paid-plan account to hold the award.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/research-and-technical-computing/cloud-credit-for-research/(FAQ:.../faqs/;apply:https://pages.awscloud.com/aws-cloud-credit-for-research.html)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon SageMaker Studio Lab: free hosted Jupyter ML environment (CPU/GPU sessions, no AWS account)", "detail": "SageMaker Studio Lab is a completely free notebook environment for learning/experimenting with ML code and models: Jupyter-based with terminal access and GitHub integration; per university ITS documentation, access to CPU (12 hours per user session) and GPU (4 hours per user session) plus 15 GB of persistent storage that survives between sessions. No credit card or even an AWS account needed - a valid email is enough. Instructors can obtain reference codes from their regional AWS team for classroom access.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a valid email address; no credit card, no AWS account, no .edu requirement. Class-wide access via instructor-issued reference codes.", "claim": "Sign in at https://studiolab.sagemaker.aws/ (linked from https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/studio-lab/) with a valid email; instructors request reference codes from the AWS team supporting their institution.", "expiry": "Session-based limits (CPU/GPU hours per user session); the 15 GB persistent storage persists between sessions.", "gotchas": "For learning/experimentation only - not a production or long-term workload environment. Exact current session caps should be confirmed at sign-in (the site blocked automated fetching today, 403; figures above are from a 2024 university IT page).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/studio-lab/(detailscorroboratedbyhttps://answers.illinois.edu/illinois/119420)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier (2025 revamp) — Free account plan: up to $200 credits, 6 months no-cost", "detail": "Since July 15, 2025, new AWS accounts get $100 USD in credits immediately at sign-up, and can earn up to $100 more (5 activities x $20: launch/terminate an EC2 instance, RDS basics, Lambda function URL, Bedrock text playground, AWS Budgets) = up to $200 total. The Free plan incurs no charges for up to 6 months or until credits are exhausted, whichever comes first; the account then auto-closes unless converted to a Paid plan (upgrade must happen within 90 days of expiry notice or AWS permanently deletes account content/resources). 30+ services remain 'Always Free' on both plans. Not available in GovCloud (US) or China regions. A new sign-up experience launched October 2026 (credits tracked in Settings Portal instead of Billing console).", "eligibility": "All new AWS customers (no prior/existing AWS account). No .edu required, no funding cap, no minimum funding; explicitly aimed at students, developers and early entrepreneurs. Payment method/credit card NOT required to sign up for most new customers (AWS may request one for identity verification in some cases). Free plan excludes 'hardware purchases' and services that would rapidly burn credits; enrolling the free account in AWS Organizations upgrades it to Paid and forfeits Free Tier credits.", "claim": "Create a new AWS account, choose the Free account plan (or Paid plan, which also gets the $200 credits), $100 is credited automatically; complete the five 5-activity tasks in the 'Explore AWS' widget to earn the remaining up to $100; upgrade to Paid at any time one-click. No application, no CC needed.", "expiry": "Free plan period ends 6 months after account creation or when credits are used up. Terms state Free Tier credits expire 12 months from account opening; Free Tier FAQ says credits expire 6 months — treat 6 months (Free plan) as the practical window; on the Paid plan unused credits remain usable up to 12 months from sign-up. 'Always Free' offers never expire.", "gotchas": "Legacy 12-month tier (750 hrs/mo t2.micro/t3.micro, 30 GB EBS, 100 GB egress/mo) applies ONLY to accounts created before July 15, 2025. Credits cannot be combined with other promotional offers, one account only, not transferable. Exceeding Always-Free limits auto-applies credits; beyond that you must be on Paid plan. Free plan accounts are 'for evaluation purposes, not for sensitive data'. Unused monthly allowances don't roll over; AWS may reclaim resources idle for 3 months on 30 days' notice. EC2 free-tier-eligible instance types under new model are t3.micro/t3.small/t4g.micro/t4g.small/c7i-flex.large/m7i-flex.large — no bare-metal (e.g. c7i-metal) or dedicated-host free offer exists; those are billable to credits only. No separate VPS product: the VPS front is covered by EC2 micro/small instances charged against credits rather than the old 750-hour cap.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Founders (self-funded startups): $1,000 credits, up to $5,000", "detail": "Activate Founders package grants $1,000 USD in AWS Activate Credits; 'select participants may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000' total over time. Credits are USD, governed by the AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs, and can offset 200+ AWS services including Amazon Bedrock third-party models. Decision within 5-10 business days of submission.", "eligibility": "Self-funded (bootstrapped) startup; founded in the past 10 years; fully functioning company website; new to AWS Activate Credits; pre-Series B by definition (no external round). No .edu email requirement, no published HQ-country restriction. Must hold an AWS account on a Paid plan to receive credits.", "claim": "1) Create/verify an AWS Builder ID (personal email). 2) Complete the one-time AWS Activate profile using your business email (matching startup domain). 3) Choose the Founders tier on the credits application page. 4) Provide product/funding details, link your AWS account, submit; track status on the Credit Application Status page. Apply at aws.amazon.com/startups/join?destination=/credits/apply. A new 'apply using your AI agent' path also exists.", "expiry": "Validity window not stated on the current official credits page (deferred to Promotional Credit T&Cs). Historical materials: 2-year validity windows for pre-seed tiers in 2024 AWS Japan materials; CNBC (June 2024) reported the legacy $100K tranche expired in 1 year vs 3 years for the $200K. Verify at grant time.", "gotchas": "Requires a paid AWS account (payment method implications), so the 'no credit card' property of the Free Tier does not carry over. Inaccurate funding info can cause denial. Credits are one-way: amount is fixed once selected (per 2024 materials). Support plan fees (Developer/Business) have historically been credit-eligible per AWS materials, while partial/all-upfront Reserved Instances are NOT eligible.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio (VC/accelerator-backed): up to $200,000 credits", "detail": "Activate Portfolio grants up to $200,000 USD in credits to provider-backed startups. The ceiling was $100,000 and was doubled to $200,000 in June 2026 (confirmed by the redesigned live credits page and awslabs/startups content update, June 2026). Credits offset infrastructure, data services and AI/ML models; redeemable on third-party foundation models in Amazon Bedrock. AWS has provided over $7-8B in Activate credits since 2013 to 350,000+ startups.", "eligibility": "Associated with an AWS Activate Provider (VC, CVC, accelerator, angel, e.g. a16z, Greylock, Sequoia, YC, Brex, Carta) and holding that provider's Organizational ID; has not previously received AWS Activate Credits of equal or greater value; pre-Series B with the most recent funding round within the last 12 months (if funded); founded in the past 10 years; fully functioning company website; AWS account on a Paid plan. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Founder creates/verifies AWS Builder ID. 2) Complete AWS Activate profile with business email. 3) Choose Portfolio tier and enter the provider's Org ID. 4) Provide startup/funding details, link an existing or new AWS account, submit; decision in 5-10 business days. If funded after a pre-seed grant, top-up to the higher tier is possible (historically the system grants the difference, validity reset per terms).", "expiry": "Not published per-tier on the official page (governed by Promotional Credit T&Cs). CNBC (June 28, 2024) reported the $200,000 tranche valid for 3 years vs 1 year for the old $100,000 — treat as indicative only. June 2026 cap doubling is documented on the live page (© 2026) and in the awslabs/startups repo changelog.", "gotchas": "The June 2024 CNBC report ('$200K for Series A funded in past year, effective July 1, 2024') was not reflected in 2025 official materials (which still said 'up to $100,000'); the official cap only moved to $200,000 in June 2026. Credits cannot be applied to partial/all-upfront Reserved Instances; some services are excluded. No self-service: you need a provider Org ID — cold-start founders without VC ties get Founders ($1k-5k) only.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Credits for AI Startups (invite-only, above Activate)", "detail": "A new tier announced alongside the June 2026 credits-page redesign: 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' offering $200,000+ in AWS Credits, invite-only, for AI startups 'ready to scale post Activate Portfolio.' Access is via your AWS Account Manager; no public application form. Amount has no stated cap.", "eligibility": "AI startups that have completed/exhausted the Activate Portfolio tier and are scaling beyond it; engagement is AM-driven (invite-only). Implied pre-Series B / within Activate program terms, but no published caps.", "claim": "No self-serve path: talk with your AWS Account Manager (or request via the AWS Startups team) to be referred for the AI startup credit offer. Application still anchored on the AWS Builder ID + Activate profile.", "expiry": "Not published (invite-only, per-account). Governed by AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs like all Activate credits.", "gotchas": "Amounts not disclosed publicly; eligibility is at AWS's discretion; 'apply using your AI agent' from the IDE (AWS Startup Advisor) is a new 2026 convenience but the >$200K tier itself requires AM engagement.", "source_url": "https://github.com/awslabs/startups/pull/75", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits: up to 1 year of free Kiro Pro+ (2-30 users)", "detail": "Kiro (AWS's agentic IDE) offers early-stage startups up to a 1-year's worth of free Kiro Pro+ usage credits in three tiers: Starter (up to 2 users), Growth (up to 10 users), Scale (up to 30 users). Credits are delivered to the AWS account and expire one year after issuance; when depleted the account auto-switches to standard Kiro Pro+ billing. Not refundable, re-issuable, transferable or sellable; can be shared among authorized users of the same company.", "eligibility": "Early-stage to Series A startups; matching business-domain email and corresponding AWS Account ID required; companies with ACTIVE AWS Activate Credits are excluded from this promotion (though Activate credits can still be applied to Kiro usage); a list of excluded countries/regions applies (not itemized on the page).", "claim": "Sign in at kiro.dev/startups with your AWS account, select a tier (2/10/30 users), submit; review on rolling basis with follow-up email; approved credits are added automatically to your AWS account. Use Kiro via AWS IAM Identity Center (not Builder ID or social login).", "expiry": "Credits expire 12 months after issuance to the AWS account; tier caps usage seats, not dollar amount.", "gotchas": "If your startup already holds AWS Activate Credits, you are not eligible for this Kiro promo — plan which benefit to take. 'Kiro' is a tool-specific credit, not general AWS infrastructure credit.", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Impact Accelerator (launched April 2025): $125,000 cash + up to $100,000 AWS credits", "detail": "Under a >$30M, three-year commitment, each qualifying startup receives $125,000 cash plus up to $100,000 in AWS credits (up to $225,000 combined), an 8-week personalized program with AWS startup experts, mentoring, investor networking and Amazon-leader introductions. Runs in founder-demographic tracks: Black Founders (inaugural cohort, June 2025, US-based), Women Founders (H2 2025, US-based), with Latino and LGBTQIA+ tracks following.", "eligibility": "High-potential, pre-seed early-stage startups led by Black, women, Latino, or LGBTQIA+ founders (track-dependent); US-based cohorts at launch. No .edu or funding-stage exception beyond pre-seed.", "claim": "Apply through the program's dedicated application page when a track opens (inaugural Black Founders track applied via aws-startup-lofts.com, linked from the AWS announcement). Cohort-based: application windows are per track, not rolling.", "expiry": "Program commitment spans three years from the April 2025 launch; individual cohort windows open/close per track. Whether tracks remained open in 2026 could not be re-verified (web-search budget exhausted this session).", "gotchas": "Competitive cohort selection, not a self-serve credit grant. Cash leg ($125k) is separate from the AWS-credit leg. Demographic eligibility narrows applicant pool vs generic Activate.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/aws-launches-30m-impact-accelerator-for-underrepresented-founders/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Generative AI Accelerator (GAIA): up to $1,000,000 AWS credits (cohort program)", "detail": "GAIA is AWS's flagship cohort accelerator for generative-AI startups. The official 'What's New' page states the 2025 cohort 'will receive unmatched benefits designed to accelerate both technical growth and market traction, including up to $1 million in AWS credits' (per-startup figure cited by third-party trackers; the official page only states 'up to $1 million in AWS credits' for the cohort). Includes hands-on AI expertise, GTM resources, and investor/mentor connections. 80 startups were selected for the 2024 program.", "eligibility": "Early-stage generative-AI startups; cohort is competitive/selected (applications open in cycles; 2025 cohort applications were open at time of the What's New entry). No .edu requirement. No public funding cap stated.", "claim": "Apply during open application windows on the GAIA program page (linked from AWS Startups news; the deep URL I attempted returned 404, so use the AWS Startups 'What's New' / Generative AI Accelerator landing when live).", "expiry": "Cohort-based; 2025 cohort cited; a 2026 cycle likely but not verified in this session (search budget exhausted). Credit validity per-grant not published on fetched pages.", "gotchas": "The exact per-startup dollar figure (commonly reported as up to $1M for top cohorts) is not confirmed on the pages I could load; cohort status for 2026 unverified.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/learn/whats-new", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AWS education / student offers: free learning (no .edu required), no student-specific credits", "detail": "AWS has no student-specific free credit program and no 'education license' VPS offer. Free offers for students are: (1) the standard AWS Free Tier (up to $200 credits, 6 months, explicitly marketed to students — no .edu email and no credit card required for most new customers); (2) free digital training / courses and certification-voucher programs (AWS Academy resources, AWS Educate-style free self-paced content); (3) institutions can get 'special pricing for education customers' via sales (discounts, not free). The education page confirms 17,000+ education customers but lists no student credit dollar amounts.", "eligibility": "Students: same as general Free Tier — new AWS account, no .edu requirement, no CC for most customers. Institutions: separate education customer pricing negotiated via AWS sales. No funding caps (N/A).", "claim": "Students: sign up for AWS Free Tier (Free or Paid plan) at aws.amazon.com/free and complete the credit-earning activities. Training: enroll in free AWS digital courses / Academy resources (free signup, no .edu). No application steps for credits themselves.", "expiry": "Free Tier: 6-month plan / 12-month credit expiry (see Free Tier finding). Free training content has no expiry. Education-institution special pricing has no published sunset.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse 'AWS Academy' (partner-facilitated, some paid programs) with 'free digital training'. There is no dedicated .edu-gated offer; a school email is NOT required anywhere in the AWS free stack. Any 'student voucher' deals are ad-hoc campaign offers, not standing programs.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Free Plan (new accounts, since Jul 15 2025): up to $200 credits, 6-month free plan", "detail": "New AWS customers get $100 USD in credits immediately at signup and can earn up to $100 more by completing five 'explore' activities ($20 each: launch/terminate an EC2 instance, launch an RDS database, build a Lambda web app with a function URL, run a Bedrock prompt in the text playground, and create an AWS Budgets cost budget). Total up to $200. Choosing the Free account plan (the default at signup) means zero charges: 'no surprise bills', access to 90+ services for up to 6 months. The account auto-closes 6 months after opening or when credits run out, whichever is first. AWS suspends the account at expiry, retains your data 90 days, then permanently deletes account + content. Free plan includes Basic Support. Free plan cannot receive other promotional/incentive credits (e.g., AWS Activate), cannot buy hardware, and some 'large enterprise' services are unavailable; upgrade to Paid plan anytime (credits then remain valid until 12 months from signup).", "eligibility": "All new AWS customers (anyone creating a brand-new AWS account); students and startups qualify exactly like everyone else — no .edu email, no student verification required. A credit/payment method is NOT required for most new customers (FAQ: 'A payment method isn't required to sign up for most new customers'; AWS may still request one or other identity info for verification in some cases). Excludes accounts that already have (or ever had) an AWS account; one Free Tier credit grant per person. Excluded regions: AWS GovCloud (US) and China (Beijing/Ningxia) regions; all other commercial regions GA.", "claim": "1) Go to https://aws.amazon.com/free/ and create a new AWS account, selecting the Free account plan during sign-up. 2) $100 credit appears automatically. 3) In the AWS Management Console, complete the 5 explore activities (shown in the 'Explore AWS' widget / Credits page in Billing & Cost Management console; credits may take up to 10 minutes to post). 4) Track balance/expiry on the Credits page; AWS emails reminders as expiry approaches. 5) To keep using AWS after the 6-month free window, upgrade to Paid plan within the 90-day data-retention window (Settings portal > Payment > Upgrade).", "expiry": "Free plan period: 6 months from account creation or credit exhaustion, whichever is first — no extension possible. Credits expire 12 months from account creation (if you upgrade to Paid, unused credits stay valid to that 12-month mark). After free-plan expiry: 90 days of data retention, then permanent deletion. A new sign-up experience is noted to launch in October 2026 (FAQ).", "gotchas": "This replaces the old free 750 h/month EC2 VPS: on the new plan EC2 usage is credit-based (eligible instance types changed — t2.micro no longer listed; free-tier-eligible types are t3.micro, t3.small, t4g.micro, t4g.small, c7i-flex.large, m7i-flex.large), so a running VM burns your $100-$200 credits. Credits are non-transferable and non-stackable with any other AWS promo (Activate/Partner) credit. Enrolling in AWS Organizations or a Control Tower landing zone voids remaining explore activities and extra credits (account auto-upgrades to Paid). Resources unused for 3 consecutive months can be reclaimed on 30 days' notice. Go beyond always-free monthly caps on the Free plan and remaining credits are auto-deducted; once depleted you must upgrade to Paid. Free plan is intended for evaluation and 'should not be used for processing sensitive data'.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Legacy 12-month Free Tier (accounts created before July 15, 2025)", "detail": "Accounts created before 15 Jul 2025 still hold the old 12-month offers: EC2 free-tier-eligible instances t2.micro and t3.micro (the classic 750 h/month 'free VPS'), plus legacy per-service 12-month allowances (e.g., RDS db.t3.micro/db.t4g.micro for MySQL/PostgreSQL/MariaDB/SQL Server Express; S3, Lambda, etc. per the old terms, last updated Aug 14, 2018). Usage past limits is billed pay-as-you-go during the 12 months. This is now strictly legacy: the cutoff date is 15 Jul 2025 — new accounts cannot obtain it.", "eligibility": "Only AWS customers who created their account before July 15, 2025. Not claimable by new accounts under any circumstances.", "claim": "Already enrolled automatically for pre-cutoff accounts; nothing to do. For new accounts: not claimable.", "expiry": "12 months from account creation (legacy terms, last updated 2018-08-14); after that, standard pay-as-you-go. Legacy RDS/other service offers follow their own per-service legacy pages (e.g., https://aws.amazon.com/rds/free/ shows 'Legacy Free Tier' for accounts activated before Jul 15, 2025).", "gotchas": "Any 2024-era guide saying 'free t2.micro for 12 months' is stale for new signups — since 15 Jul 2025 there is no hours-based EC2 free tier for new accounts; new accounts are on the credit-based Free Plan instead. Exceeding legacy monthly limits before the 12-month end triggers pay-as-you-go charges.", "source_url": "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-free-tier-usage.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always Free tier (30+ services, monthly caps, indefinite, both plans)", "detail": "30+ AWS services remain 'always free within monthly usage limits' on both the Free and Paid plans, indefinitely. Verified example today: AWS Lambda free tier = 1,000,000 requests + 400,000 GB-seconds per month, free 512 MB ephemeral storage, first 6 MB streamed response per request free (100 GB/month streamed bytes). Other long-standing always-free allowances across the catalog (e.g., S3 storage, DynamoDB, CloudFront egress) live on individual service pricing pages; the /free/ page now routes per-service limits to those pages. Usage is aggregated across all regions; unused monthly amounts do not roll over.", "eligibility": "All AWS customers (new AND existing) — including Paid-plan customers who skip the free plan. No credit card required for the always-free usage itself; no region/industry exclusions stated.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — automatically applies to any account on eligible services within the monthly caps. Monitor via service dashboards/Billing console.", "expiry": "No expiry; perpetual monthly allowances. Amounts do not roll over between months. AWS may reclaim resources unused for 3 months (30-day notice) and may terminate any offer at any time.", "gotchas": "On the Free plan, overflow beyond always-free caps automatically consumes your remaining Free Tier credits (and once credits are gone, you must upgrade to Paid to keep resources running). On the Paid plan, overflow is billed at standard rates. Concrete always-free numbers for each of the 30+ services must be checked per-service (today's /free/ page no longer prints them); only the Lambda figures above were re-verified on an official page today. Lambda provisioned concurrency has NO free tier.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/lambda/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Activate / AWS for Startups — up to $200,000 in credits + partner offers", "detail": "AWS for Startups (includes the former AWS Activate): headline is 'up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits' (credits offset infrastructure, data services, and AI/ML model costs, and are redeemable on third-party models on Amazon Bedrock). The /free/offers/ page states the Activate grant as '$1,000 to $100,000 in AWS credits' (tier-dependent) plus 'access to 80+ exclusive offers' in third-party products, memberships, and education programs, valued at up to $800,000. 'AI startups ready to grow may be eligible for additional credits beyond Activate' (no amount published). A separate 'Kiro credits' offer for startups is referenced (amount not published). Application is processed in 7-10 business days; an 'AWS Startup Advisor' can scaffold architecture and apply from an IDE.", "eligibility": "Startup must be self-funded or externally funded up to and including Pre-Seed, Angel, Seed, Debt Finance, or Series A; must have a company website or public company profile; must have been founded in the past 10 years. No .edu/student track is published — student/educator access is via the general new-account Free Plan (above) or, as a new customer, AWS Free Tier + activation.", "claim": "1) https://aws.amazon.com/startups/ → 'Join now' (/startups/join); for credits specifically: /startups/join?destination=/credits/apply. 2) Submit application (company details, public website); AWS reviews in 7-10 business days; decision by email. 3) Important: an account on the Free Plan is NOT eligible for Activate/promotional credits — you must be on the Paid plan (the new-account $200 Free Tier credits exist but the Free Plan 'cannot receive' other incentives).", "expiry": "Per-tier credit durations are not published on the pages read today (legacy program historically allowed credits over 12-36 months depending on stage; not verifiable today due to web-search budget exhaustion — treat durations as unconfirmed). Credits governed by AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions.", "gotchas": "Cannot combine with the Free Plan: AWS Promotional Credit terms bar combining Free Tier credits with other promo/incentive offers, and the Free Plan FAQ says Free-plan accounts can't receive other promotional credits like AWS Activate — so to collect Activate you must run a Paid plan and rely on standard pricing. Amounts: the public range is $1,000-$100,000 (Activate tiers) with a program headline of 'up to $200,000' plus unspecified extra AI credits. 80+ partner offers are third-party value, not AWS dollars. Kiro credits banner references an AI IDE credit program whose amount isn't disclosed on the pages read.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education: no standalone free student/educator VPS or credit program published (AWS for Students/Faculty)", "detail": "The AWS education pages publish no student- or educator-only free instance/VM program and no .edu-gated credit offer. What exists: (1) students get the same universal new-account AWS Free Plan ($100 + up to $100 credits, 6 months) as anyone — no .edu verification; (2) free hands-on training content (AWS Training & Certification: self-paced digital courses, free digital certificates via the Skill Builder / free-course paths); (3) institutions: 'special pricing for education customers' by contacting public-sector sales (/government-education/contact/), on-campus training, and an education catalog on AWS Marketplace. The former dedicated AWS Activate portal for students/educators (historically up to $100k/$150k credits for verified students/faculty and accelerators) is no longer at its old URL — /activate/ now serves the AWS for Startups program page. No per-service 'education license' free-tier (like GitHub Education's free cloud credits) exists on AWS pages read today.", "eligibility": "Students: standard new AWS account requirements (no .edu email required, no payment method required for most). Institutions/faculty: engage AWS public-sector sales for education pricing; free courses open to anyone via AWS Training.", "claim": "Students: create an account at https://aws.amazon.com/free/ (same as any new customer) to get the $100-$200 Free Plan; take free courses at https://aws.amazon.com/training/. Educators/institutions: request education pricing through /government-education/contact/; no self-serve credit application exists.", "expiry": "N/A — no published education-only credit program to expire. Universal Free Plan rules apply (6 months/credits, 12-month credit expiry) to student accounts exactly as to all new accounts.", "gotchas": "Do not expect a perpetual free VPS for students from AWS: the old 'free for 12 months' EC2 offer is gone for new accounts of any kind (15 Jul 2025 cutover). AWS has no .edu-verified free-credits program on its public pages today; the startup-track (Activate/Startups) is the only published large-credit program and it targets companies, not individuals (a solo founder's startup can qualify if it has a public company profile and fits the 10-year/ Series-A funding caps). Web search budget was exhausted mid-research, so absence-of-offer claims reflect the official pages fetched today, not an exhaustive search of AWS announcements.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "CloudWatch / X-Ray / Synthetics Always-Free offers (Monitoring + Uptime)", "detail": "Unlimited-duration, per-account monthly allowances confirmed on the CloudWatch pricing page today: 10 custom or Detailed Monitoring metrics; 1M CloudWatch API requests/month (excluding GetMetricData, GetInsightRuleReport, GetMetricWidgetImage, which are always charged); CloudWatch Logs 5 GB/month covering ingestion + archive storage + Logs Insights data scanned, plus 1,800 Live Tail minutes/month, 1 Contributor Insights rule/month and first 1M matching log events/month free; 3 custom dashboards referencing up to 50 metrics each (all Automatic Dashboards free); 10 alarm metrics (Standard resolution, direct metric listing, no Metrics Insights queries); Synthetics 100 canary runs/month (uptime checks); X-Ray first 100,000 traces recorded/month and 1,000,000 traces retrieved/scanned/month; RUM one-time trial of 1M web events; Application Observability: 3-month trial per account OR caps of 100 GB ingested / 1M X-Ray trace-summary spans / 100M signals, whichever first. The 'known so far' amounts (1M API requests, 10 metrics, 5 GB logs, 100 canaries, 3 dashboards, 10 alarms, 100K X-Ray traces) are all still correct today.", "eligibility": "All AWS customers, new and existing, indefinitely; no .edu email, no startup status, no funding cap, no credit card required for most sign-ups (payment method may be requested for identity verification in some cases). Not available in China (Beijing/Ningbo) or AWS GovCloud (US) regions; limits are aggregated across all regions per account, no monthly rollover.", "claim": "Nothing to claim or activate: create a normal AWS account (Free plan at sign-up gets zero charges) and usage under these caps bills as $0 automatically. Verify in Billing console > Free Tier page; CloudWatch Free Tier usage alerts fire at 85% of a limit.", "expiry": "Always-free: no sunset, caps reset monthly, do not roll over. Under the new Free plan (accounts after Jul 15 2025), Always-Free offers are the only offers active on the Free plan; on the Paid plan, overage past these caps is automatically covered by remaining Free Tier credits, then standard pay-as-you-go.", "gotchas": "GetMetricData / GetInsightRuleReport / GetMetricWidgetImage API calls are ALWAYS charged even within the 1M limit; High/Composite alarms, Container Insights observations, OTel metrics ingestion ($0.50/GB), Metrics Streams and Anomaly Detection alarms cost extra; exceeding a cap on the Free plan suspends the account once credits run out (no overage bills possible, but your monitoring dies); 3-month Application Observability trial starts on first use.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier credit model (up to $200 credits, 6-month Free plan)", "detail": "As of Jul 15, 2025 the 12-month free tier for NEW accounts was replaced by a credit model: $100 credit at sign-up + up to $100 more earned via 5 activities in the Explore AWS widget (EC2 launch/terminate, RDS config, Lambda web app, Bedrock prompt, AWS Budgets budget = $20 each), max $200. Free plan: no charges ever, expires at earlier of 6 months or credit exhaustion, then account is suspended with a 90-day window to upgrade to Paid before AWS permanently deletes the account and data. Paid plan: same credits but pay-as-you-go after they run out; new customers on Paid can still redeem promotional credits (e.g. AWS Activate). 30+ always-free services remain on both plans.", "eligibility": "All new customers worldwide, students included; no .edu email required; new AWS customers ONLY — anyone who has ever had an AWS account is ineligible; payment method not required for most new customers (social sign-in via Google/GitHub/Apple/Amazon supported since the Oct 2026 new sign-up experience); excluded from China (ZHY/BJS) and GovCloud regions.", "claim": "Create account at aws.amazon.com (or new sign-up flow) choosing Free or Paid plan; complete the 5 activities within 6 months to earn the extra $100; upgrade to Paid within 90 days of suspension to keep resources and remaining credits.", "expiry": "Free plan: 6 months from account creation or credit depletion, whichever first; 90-day post-suspension grace then permanent deletion. Credit expiry is inconsistent across AWS pages: FAQ says base $100 expires 6 months and earned credits 12 months from account creation (upgrade to Paid shifts remaining credits to a 12-month window per Jul 2025 terms), while the Jul 9 2025 Terms say 12 months — plan on the EARLIER date and check the Credits page / Settings Portal in your account.", "gotchas": "Free plan accounts are NOT eligible for promotional/Activate credits and cannot purchase paid offers — startups needing Activate credits must run a Paid plan; joining AWS Organizations or a Control Tower landing zone instantly upgrades Free to Paid and you stop earning credits; on Free plan only the ~90 services on the restricted list are available and overage on always-free items consumes your credit pool; no credit transfer between accounts; Free plan is for evaluation only (no sensitive data).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Credits for startups (Founders up to $5K, Portfolio up to $200K)", "detail": "Two tiers read from aws.amazon.com/startups/credits today: (1) Activate Founders — self-funded/seeded: $1,000 at start, select participants up to $5,000 total; (2) Activate Portfolio — must use an Organization ID (Org ID) from an Activate Provider (accelerator/VC/angel, e.g. Y Combinator, Sequoia, a16z, Brex, Carta, Rho): up to $200,000. Credits apply to 200+ AWS services, third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock, Kiro, and eligible Support plans. An invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier offers $200,000+ post-Activate via your Account Manager. Application turnaround 5-10 business days.", "eligibility": "Startups: pre-Series B (most recent funding round within last 12 months, if applicable), founded in the last 10 years, fully functioning company website, AWS Account on Paid Tier Plan required, and must be new to Activate Credits or requesting more than previously received; no .edu email involved; no hard 'funding cap' — stage gates it. Portfolio tier additionally requires being affiliated with an Activate Provider and holding their Org ID.", "claim": "1) Create/verify an AWS Builder ID (personal email); 2) complete the AWS Activate profile (use your business-domain email); 3) pick tier — Founders directly, or Portfolio with your provider's Org ID; 4) link your AWS account and submit; AWS responds in 5-10 business days and credits are applied to the account.", "expiry": "Promotional-credit expiry by size (since Jun 2024): $100K-class credits expire in 1 year, $200K-class in 3 years from receipt; confirm exact dates on the Credits page. The program itself is ongoing, not a trial; repeated applications are allowed only when requesting more than previously received.", "gotchas": "AWS Account must be on a Paid plan (so a real billing payment method is effectively required — the Free plan cannot hold Activate credits); Free-plan accounts get none of this; credits do not cover AWS Marketplace purchases, RI upfront, training/cert fees or professional services; AWS has final say even with a provider vouch; multiple startups per founder or equal/higher prior credits can make a startup ineligible; credit exhaustion auto-switches to pay-as-you-go.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits (AI IDE, for early-stage startups)", "detail": "Relaunched Apr 7, 2026: up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+ (agentic AI IDE by AWS) across three tiers — Starter (up to 2 users), Growth (up to 10), Scale (up to 30). Approved credits are deposited into the startup's AWS account and bill Kiro usage for free until exhausted or expired, then standard Kiro Pro+ billing starts automatically on the card on file. The original v1 (launched Dec 3, 2025 at re:Invent, up to 100 users, pre-seed to Series B, apply by Dec 31, 2025) is closed and was replaced.", "eligibility": "Early-stage to Series A startups; current promotion states VC-backed; official business email whose domain matches the startup's company website AND an AWS Account ID using that same email; 18+; excludes residents of Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China/GCR, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Syria, Crimea, DNR, LNR, UAE. Startups with ACTIVE AWS Activate Credits are NOT eligible (Activate credits can instead be used to pay for Kiro; Kiro first, then Apply to Activate is allowed).", "claim": "Apply at aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/kiro (window Apr 7 – Dec 31, 2026, rolling review, email notification). On approval: enable IAM Identity Center in AWS (required first step), create users/groups, activate the Kiro subscription in the AWS console, and sign developers in to Kiro via the org identity (Builder ID or Google/GitHub sign-in will NOT redeem the credits).", "expiry": "Application deadline Dec 31, 2026; credits expire exactly 1 year after issuance to the AWS account; non-refundable, non-reissuable, one subscription per startup; overage past your tier's user count or upgrade above Pro+ incurs charges.", "gotchas": "Team members must cancel their individual paid Kiro accounts after setup or they get double-billed; choosing the wrong region when enabling IAM Identity Center causes silent sign-in auth failures; credits activate on provision, not on your schedule — claim only when you'll use it within the year.", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups/terms/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate + Student Rewards on AWS Builder Center (students)", "detail": "AWS Educate is now a free, self-paced learning platform (labs for S3/EC2/VPC/RDS + job board) open to anyone 13+ with just an email address — no credit card needed, no .edu required, and no universal credit grant (institute credit grants were discontinued Feb 2023; some member institutions still run their own grants, e.g. $100/yr per student, refreshed until graduation; legacy qwikLABS 'Starter Account' gave $75 credits no-CC). The new student money program is Student Rewards (launched Aug 2026, part of a $500M commitment): verified university students 18+ get 12 months Skill Builder Premium (900+ courses/labs, $449 value) for a complete profile, $10 AWS credits at 7 badges, $20 at 14 badges, and a $100 AWS Foundational exam voucher at 21 badges — up to $579 total per student. Credits redeem as promo codes in the Billing console and apply to eligible AWS services (not Marketplace, exam fees, RI upfront, or Pro Services).", "eligibility": "Student Rewards: verified higher-ed enrollment via SheerID (enrollment check, not a .edu email), 18+; open to students worldwide in 60+ countries. Educate: anyone 13+ with an email (verified), no payment method; institutional grant variants require enrollment at a participating school.", "claim": "Sign in to AWS Builder Center, complete SheerID student verification, fill the profile (unlocks Skill Builder premium), then earn badges by publishing articles/comments/engagement to unlock the $10 + $20 credit codes and the $100 exam voucher; redeem codes in AWS Billing & Cost Management > Credits.", "expiry": "Skill Builder access lasts 12 months from unlock; the program is ongoing (no published end date; rolling); institutional grants renew annually until graduation where the school still participates.", "gotchas": "The $30 in credits is modest — the real value is Skill Builder + exam voucher; to redeem into a standalone AWS account, AWS may still ask for a credit card on file; do NOT plan a project around Educate credits that no longer exist; legacy 12-month and pre-Jul-2025 free tier limits are gone — use the Free Tier credit model instead.", "source_url": "https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-student-rewards-free-cloud-ai-training", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "CloudFront Free plan (CDN/Uptime front)", "detail": "CloudFront now ships a standing $0/month 'Free' plan tier (alongside Pro/Business/Premium/Custom): 100 GB of data transfer out per month + 1M requests/month, 'no overage charges', 5 GB of S3 Standard storage credits, default WAF/DDoS/TLS with 5 WAF rules. This is the successor presentation of the classic 'always-free 100 GB/month CloudFront' allowance. Missing from Free tier: Uptime SLA, logging, bot management, advanced DDoS, private origins, origin failover, high-speed origin routing, and >5 WAF rules.", "eligibility": "All AWS customers indefinitely (standing plan tier, not a trial or 12-month offer); no .edu or startup status; no credit card required for most sign-ups; same region/policy constraints as standard CloudFront.", "claim": "Create a CloudFront distribution and leave it on the Free plan (default); upgrade to Pro/Business/Premium/Custom when you need the missing features — overage does not exist on Free, you simply upgrade.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no sunset date. 'May not be combined with other offers, promotions, or discounts.'", "gotchas": "No Uptime SLA or CloudWatch access logs on Free (your monitoring/dashboards that rely on them lose data — relevant to the Uptime & CDN fronts); 5-WAF-rule cap; the S3 'credit' is a 5 GB storage allotment, not $ value; if your distribution outgrows 100 GB you must move to a paid plan, which has its own egress pricing.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Academy (accredited-institution education license)", "detail": "For AWS-accredited universities/institutions: free instructor-led curriculum (Cloud Foundations, ML Foundations; Associate level adds Cloud Development/Architecting/Cloud Operations/Data Analytics), free lab environments, a 50% discount exam voucher for AWS certification exams for students, and labs provisioned with up to US$100 of AWS credits per student per lab (budget provided by the institution, not a universal student grant).", "eligibility": "Students and faculty at AWS-accredited institutions; faculty must complete AWS Academy instructor accreditation for Associate-level courses; no individual self-serve enrollment — it is an institution license, so eligibility is effectively 'your school must be an AWS Academy partner.'", "claim": "Institution becomes AWS Academy accredited; faculty enroll students into class; students access learning + lab environment with institution-provisioned credits.", "expiry": "Institution license term; the 50% exam voucher is one-time per license grant; lab credits refresh per lab as provisioned.", "gotchas": "Not a universal student offer — if your institution is not accredited, there is no personal grant; credits are per-lab, not a standing balance; exam discount is 50%, not free.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/training/awsacademy/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Education Equity Initiative (education-focused orgs)", "detail": "Part of a $100M commitment of AWS technology: edtech companies, non-profits, governments and CSR teams building digital learning solutions for underserved learners can apply for up to $10,000 USD in AWS credits plus technical advising from AWS Solutions Architects (advice/demos only — no build service). Applications reviewed on a rolling basis, responses ~3 weeks; typically each organization is supported once.", "eligibility": "The ORGANIZATION applying (edtech/startup/non-profit/government), not individual students; pro-social enterprises welcome; new-to-AWS orgs self-serve the application; existing customers with an Account Manager go through the AM.", "claim": "Submit the application form (or ask your AM), describe underserved audience + quantified reach + proposed solution; credits + SA advising issued on award.", "expiry": "Ongoing program; credits are standard AWS promotional credits (subject to AWS Promotional Credit T&Cs).", "gotchas": "Not monitoring/observability-specific and not a student offer — included only because it sits under the education front; advising is guidance, not implementation; 'we typically support organizations once.'", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/our-impact/education-equity-initiative/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Free Plan (credit-based Free Tier, 2025 revamp) — up to $200 in trial credits, 6 months", "detail": "New customers get $100 in AWS credits immediately on signup, plus up to $100 more earned by completing 'Explore' activities in key services (Explore AWS widget); total up to $200 usable over up to 6 months. Covers access to 90+ services on the Free plan for up to 6 months (the start-here page says 100+ services, incl. EC2, S3, DynamoDB, Lambda, Bedrock, SageMaker AI). Going beyond always-free monthly limits or using paid features is auto-covered by remaining credits. No charges unless you convert to the Paid plan. New customers on the Paid plan are also eligible for up to $200 in credits; the Paid plan offers limited free trials of selected services and a monthly spend limit starting at $20 (alerts at 50/75/90%, workload paused at limit).", "eligibility": "All new customers; NOT eligible if you have ever had an AWS account before. No credit card required to start for most new customers (AWS may run a fraud check that places a USD $1 hold for 3-5 days, no charge). Region limits: credits not available in China (ZHY) and China (BJS) or in AWS GovCloud (US) except certain services (e.g., Lambda for GovCloud). Credits apply across global regions, calculated monthly in USD.", "claim": "Create a new AWS account (Fast sign-up with Google/GitHub/Apple/Amazon login creates an 'AWS Builder ID' personal profile; or advanced account creation for region control) at aws.amazon.com/free or signin.aws.amazon.com/signup?request_type=builderId — Free plan auto-enrolled, $100 credit lands in the billing console; earn the second $100 within 6 months by completing Explore activities (may take up to 30 minutes to appear).", "expiry": "Free plan lasts the EARLIER of 6 months from account creation or credit exhaustion; account then auto-closes, cannot be extended. On expiry AWS suspends the account; data retained 90 days, then permanently erased. You can upgrade to Paid within the 90-day window; remaining credits roll onto Paid bills (FAQ states they expire 12 months after account creation, while the Advanced-Features section states 6 months — treat as 6-12 months, check billing console). No downgrade back to Free plan.", "gotchas": "Free plan is a LIMITED subset of services (Bedrock AgentCore is Paid-plan exclusive) and excludes services that would immediately consume the whole credit amount or require hardware purchases. Free-plan accounts are INELIGIBLE for promotional/incentive credits (e.g., AWS Activate) — startups need a Paid-plan account. Joining an AWS Organization/Control Tower or activating Advanced Features (multi-region, enterprise services) makes you ineligible to earn extra Explore credits and credits then expire 6 months after account creation. Credits are not transferable. GPU/ML note: no GPU-specific free allotment; GPU instances (EC2 P-series, SageMaker GPU notebooks) are payable with the $200 credits rather than always-free.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always Free layer — 30+ services free within monthly usage limits, indefinite", "detail": "Separate from the 6-month credit-based Free plan: '30+ AWS services are always free within monthly usage limits on both the Free and Paid plans.' Applies to ALL customers (new and existing), no application. If usage exceeds the monthly limits, remaining Free Tier credits automatically cover the cost (on Free plan). The hub page (aws.amazon.com/free) lists flagship services (EC2, S3, Aurora, RDS, DynamoDB, AWS Transform, Bedrock, SageMaker AI) as available on both plans but does NOT publish the per-service monthly quota numbers on the page fetched today; per-service limits live on each product pricing page.", "eligibility": "All AWS customers on Free or Paid plan; not restricted by region except the same China/GovCloud caveats as the Free plan.", "claim": "Automatic — no signup step beyond having an AWS account; available on aws.amazon.com/free.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no renewal, no sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Quota figures (hours/GB/requests) are not on the free-plan hub; verify per-service numbers on each service pricing page before relying on a specific limit. Egress/data transfer beyond limits and any charged feature draws on credits (Free plan) or bill (Paid plan).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon SageMaker free notebook allowance (ML notebooks front) — 250 hours sc.t3.medium, first 2 months", "detail": "Per the SageMaker pricing page (SageMaker Unified Studio era): AWS provides 250 hours of sc.t3.medium notebook instances during the FIRST 2 MONTHS of a new account, for Amazon SageMaker notebooks. Also always-free monthly items for the SageMaker Catalog (built on DataZone): 20 MB metadata storage, 4,000 API requests, and 0.2 compute units per account per billing month; plus 'always-free' core Unified Studio requests (IdC-based domain setup, user/project management, policy grants). SageMaker Data Agent (new) is pay-as-you-go at $0.04 per credit, no free allowance. Non-GPU only (sc.t3.medium); GPU notebook/training instances (p3/p4/p5, Trainium) are paid and can be covered by Free Plan credits or Activate credits.", "eligibility": "New AWS account, first 2 months only; available to Free and Paid plans (notebook hours) per the pricing page; notebook service 'honors your current AWS Free Tier allocations'.", "claim": "Create a SageMaker notebook (Unified Studio) on a new account within the first 2 months; the 250 sc.t3.medium hours apply automatically; no separate application.", "expiry": "250-hour notebook allowance: first 2 months of account, no renewal. Catalog always-free allowances: recurring monthly, indefinite.", "gotchas": "This is a material shrink vs the legacy free tier's 750 hours/month of ml.t3.medium for 12 months (old figure from the pre-revamp page, not re-verified today). Storage (S3), EKS clusters, endpoints, and GPU instances cost extra; SageMaker usage through Unified Studio is billed per underlying service. Data/prep jobs are not listed as free in the section fetched.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate (AWS for Startups) credits — Founders up to $5,000, Portfolio up to $200,000, AI startups $200,000+", "detail": "Three tiers on the current credits page: (1) Activate Founders (self-funded/bootstrapped): start with $1,000 in credits, earn up to $5,000 total; apply directly. (2) Activate Portfolio (VC/accelerator/angel-group backed, use the provider's Organization ID): up to $200,000 in credits. (3) AWS Credits for AI Startups: $200,000+ for 'AI startups ready to scale', invite-only, via your AWS account manager. All credits in USD, redeemable on AWS services including third-party models on Amazon Bedrock. Beyond credits: mentorship (ex-founders, CTOs, VCs, angels), technical/business guidance, co-build/co-market/co-sell, AWS Marketplace listing, and the new 'AWS Startup Advisor' (IDE-integrated cost tracking and credit applications). The separate offers page still lists the program as '$1,000 to $100,000' plus '80+ exclusive third-party offers valued at up to $800,000' — figures now inconsistent with the credits page (up to $200,000).", "eligibility": "Founded in the last 10 years; pre-Series B stage (offers page says funded up to Series A); company website required; needs an AWS account ON THE PAID plan; must be new to Activate credits or requesting more than previously received. Apply with a Builder ID using a professional (company) email. No funding-amount cap is printed; no credit-card detail stated (Paid plan implies a payment method).", "claim": "4 steps from aws.amazon.com/startups/credits: 1) create AWS Builder ID with professional email; 2) pick tier — Founders (self-funded, apply directly) or Portfolio (with provider's Activate Org ID); 3) provide product, funding-stage, company details; 4) link an AWS Paid-plan account and submit. Response within 5-10 business days (credits page; offers page says 7-10).", "expiry": "No renewal mechanism published; credits are one-time grants (duration-of-use window not stated on page fetched today).", "gotchas": "Free-plan accounts are INELIGIBLE for Activate (FAQ confirms Free plan excludes promotional/incentive credits) — you need a Paid account, i.e., the Free Plan's 6-month account that auto-closes is the wrong vehicle; startups should stay on Paid. Kiro Startup Credits are mutually exclusive with active Activate credits. The '/free/offers' page figures ($1K-$100K, 7-10 days) look stale versus the dedicated credits page ($5K/$200K, 5-10 days) — trust the credits page.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kiro Startup Credits (separate, non-Activate track, 2025/2026 new)", "detail": "Up to one year of Kiro Pro+ credits (Kiro is AWS's agentic IDE) delivered in three tiers: Starter — up to 2 Kiro users; Growth — up to 10; Scale — up to 30. Credits are automatically added to the linked AWS account on approval. Not AWS infrastructure credits — covers Kiro Pro+ subscription only.", "eligibility": "Early-stage through Series A startups, global, but EXCLUDED: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, China/GCR, Cuba, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Syria, Crimea, DNR, LNR, UAE. Requires a business email matching the startup's domain and an AWS Account ID tied to that email. Startups with active AWS Activate Credits are excluded (Activate credits can still be spent on Kiro separately).", "claim": "Submit the form at kiro.dev/startups (or the AWS Startups Kiro credits page); reviewed on rolling basis, follow-up email; one application at a time per startup; redeem via Kiro using AWS IAM Identity Center sign-in (not Builder ID or social login).", "expiry": "Credits expire one year after issuance to the AWS account. Not refundable, re-issuable, transferable, or sellable; shareable across authorized users of associated accounts in the same company. Once depleted, standard Kiro Pro+ billing applies.", "gotchas": "Only relevant if you build in Kiro; does not fund GPU/ML compute. Heavy region exclusions (many of the EU, LatAm, ex-USSR).", "source_url": "https://kiro.dev/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate (education license / student path) — free digital training and credentials, no .edu email required", "detail": "Free, curated learning paths and hands-on labs (starter labs in Storage, Compute, Networking, Databases, Cloud Operations); earn shareable digital badges (Credly network). Job board access for learners 18+. Recruiter accounts for employers to source talent. No institutional enrollment needed: 'open to any individual'.", "eligibility": "Any individual — NO .edu email required; learners as young as 13 can register with just an email address; 'No credit card needed'.", "claim": "Register at aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate with any email address; take labs; earn digital badges. No application or license to claim.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no renewal or sunset noted. (A historical faculty/classroom-licensing front: aws.amazon.com/education/awsclassroom returns 404 — no public classroom-license page found today; institutions are instead directed to contact AWS for 'special pricing for education customers', i.e., not a public free offer.)", "gotchas": "This is learning content, not compute: no GPU/ML training credits; no AWS account credits. The education landing page is high-level; program details live on the awseducate page. AWS Academy/partner-institution programs are separate and not free-publicly.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Account: up to $200 in Free Tier credits covering Amazon SES (new signup experience, live ~Oct 2026)", "detail": "New AWS accounts get a credit-based free tier: $100 in credits immediately at sign-up, plus up to $100 more for completing 'Explore AWS' activities = up to $200 total. Credits are redeemable on eligible services, explicitly including Amazon SES (replaces the old per-service SES allowance of 3,000 emails/month). Sign-up is a choice between a Free plan and a Paid plan; Free plan lasts 6 months after account creation and the account auto-closes '6 months after you open it or when your credits run out, whichever comes first'. On the Free plan, 'no charges incurred unless you upgrade to a Paid plan or activate paid-only services'. Base credits expire 6 months from account creation; if you upgrade to Paid, remaining credits keep applying to bills and expire 12 months from account creation. After the Free plan ends, AWS retains your data 90 days before deletion. A separate 'always free' bucket of 30+ services with monthly limits continues on both plans, with credits covering overages. A payment method is NOT required for most new customers ('AWS may still ask for one to verify identity in some cases').", "eligibility": "Any new AWS account under the new sign-up experience (rolled out October 2026). No credit card required in most cases; no .edu or startup status needed. No region limit stated on the credits themselves.", "claim": "Create a new AWS account at the new sign-up flow, choose the Free plan (or Paid and let credits apply to bills), and use SES/SMS/push messaging within the $100-$200 credit envelope; upgrade to Paid if you want to continue past 6 months. Credits apply automatically to new eligible charges.", "expiry": "Free plan: 6 months from account creation (account auto-closes). Base credits: 6 months; credits on Paid plan: 12 months from account creation. Data retained 90 days post-closure.", "gotchas": "The old per-service 12-month free tiers (incl. SES 3,000 emails/month) are no longer listed on the official pages — they were replaced by this credit model. Free Plan auto-CLOSES the account, so anything not migrated by month 6 is gone after the 90-day data retention. Credits apply to new eligible charges only, not retroactively.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/free/faqs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Amazon SES pricing/plan model (2025-2026): new accounts default to 'Essentials' plan from July 21, 2026; à-la-carte $0.10/1,000 emails", "detail": "SES pricing is 'per account per region per month'. À-la-carte outbound email is $0.10 per 1,000 emails (matching the 'then $0.10/1K' figure) and inbound $0.10/1,000; attachment data $0.12/GB; dedicated IPs $24.95/IP/month; Mail Manager email processing $0.15/1,000. NEW: 'New SES accounts and account x region combinations with no metered SES activity since June 1, 2025 will start on the Essentials plan beginning July 21, 2026'. Plans: Essentials $0.16/1K (0-10M), no monthly fee; Pro $0.22/1K with $105/mo fee; Enterprise $0.23/1K with $500/mo fee (all with virtual deliverability manager; volume tiers drop to $0.14/$0.17/$0.18 at 10-100M and $0.11/$0.12/$0.13 above 100M). 'You can upgrade or switch to à-la-carte pricing at any time'; downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle.", "eligibility": "All SES users in commercial regions (per-account-per-region pricing; GovCloud/sovereign clouds excluded from some features). No card/edu/startup requirement — a standard AWS account (which under the new model may need no card for 6 months on Free plan).", "claim": "Just start sending in the AWS console or via API; new/inactive accounts are put on Essentials by default from 2026-07-21 — if you want the cheaper $0.10/1K à-la-carte rate, switch to à-la-carte pricing in the console; Free Account credits (up to $200) offset early usage.", "expiry": "No expiry; pricing structure. Note the old 3,000 emails/month SES free allowance is no longer published on the pricing page — it is superseded by the $200 credit model and the Essentials/à-la-carte structure.", "gotchas": "Gotcha: the default Essentials rate ($0.16/1K) is ~60% MORE than à-la-carte ($0.10/1K) — switch deliberately, downgrades lag a billing cycle. Extra metered costs alongside SES: S3 storage for message transfer, SNS notifications, CloudWatch custom metrics/dashboards. Regional price differences apply per account per region.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Push notifications free tier: first 1,000,000 push notifications per month free (AWS End User Messaging)", "detail": "On the AWS End User Messaging pricing page: 'You pay $0 for the first 1,000,000 push notifications that you send each month', then $0.000001 each. No time limit or region restriction is stated on the page (language is recurring 'each month'), implying a standing allowance for End User Messaging. This is the successor to Amazon Pinpoint's push channel: AWS 'will end support for Amazon Pinpoint on October 30, 2026'; console and Pinpoint resources (endpoints, segments, campaigns, journeys, analytics) end, while 'APIs related to SMS, voice, mobile push, OTP, and phone number validate are not impacted' and continue under AWS End User Messaging. (Legacy Pinpoint console also offered $0 for 1M pushes/month and $0 for first 100M events collected, first 5,000 targeted endpoints, first 15,000 in-app message requests.)", "eligibility": "Any AWS customer sending push notifications through End User Messaging (post-Pinpoint APIs). No card/edu requirement beyond normal AWS account rules (new accounts can be card-free for 6 months on Free plan). No region limit stated.", "claim": "Use the End User Messaging mobile push API; the first 1M pushes/month are $0 automatically — nothing to redeem. Migration users: keep API usage (APNs/FCM/WNS) intact past 2026-10-30 since campaigns/journeys/console state in Pinpoint does NOT survive the sunset.", "expiry": "Standing monthly allowance, no stated expiry. Hard date to act on: 2026-10-30 Pinpoint support ends — move off Pinpoint console/journeys before that.", "gotchas": "Post-1M pushes cost $0.000001 each. Push is one channel of EUM; SMS/voice/email in the same app are billed separately (email via SES; no free SMS). Inbound/egress data and any EC2/S3 behind your app add cost.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/pricing/andhttps://aws.amazon.com/pinpoint/(deprecationnotice)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "SMS (End User Messaging): no free SMS quota published — pay-per-message with carrier surcharges", "detail": "The End User Messaging pricing page lists NO free SMS/MMS/voice message allowance (unlike push's 1M free). SMS: 'price varies by destination country and, in some cases, carrier within a country' (e.g., Canada toll-free: $0.00581 AWS + $0.00705 carrier). MMS (US/Canada outbound): $0.02 base + $0.01 carrier. Voice (outbound): US $0.013/min, requires a dedicated voice-enabled long code. OTP: $0.045 per successful verification plus the SMS price. Phone Number Validate: $0.006/request. Add-ons: SMS Protect Monitor/Filter $0.01/message; Notify managed feature $0.030-$0.045/message volume-tiered plus channel fee; phone number leasing $1-$995/mo; short codes US setup $650 + $995/mo. The legacy '100 free SMS/month in US regions' SNS free tier is no longer published anywhere on the current End User Messaging/SNS pricing pages — likely absorbed into the $200 Free Account credit model.", "eligibility": "Any End User Messaging customer. No free tier to claim; new accounts' up-to-$200 Free Account credits can offset early SMS spend. No card needed during the 6-month Free plan.", "claim": "Nothing to claim for SMS specifically — usage is metered; if you need zero-cost SMS, rely on the up-to-$200 new-account credits or an AWS Activate credit grant.", "expiry": "No free tier, so no expiry question; pricing is standing. Legacy 100-msg US free tier: no longer listed as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "High gotcha surface: carrier fees are passed through on top of AWS fees (so 'real' per-SMS cost is higher than the AWS number); promotional SMS in many markets is heavily regulated; OTP and Phone Number Validate are separate paid features; scaling past 'Notify' requires dedicated phone numbers + brand verification (US 10DLC etc.), which cost money.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Chat APIs (WhatsApp & RCS via End User Messaging): no free tier — metered with Meta/carrier surcharges", "detail": "WhatsApp: AWS fee $0.005 per outbound message globally (except India Authentication/Utility at $0.002), $0.001 per inbound globally; WhatsApp voice calling $0.005/min outbound (India $0.003), $0.001/min inbound; Meta's separate message fees are added on top and vary by country/message type. RCS (US): Rich RCS outbound $0.007/segment AWS + $0.00494/segment carrier; Rich Media RCS $0.020/message AWS + $0.00949 carrier. 'Businesses are only charged when a message is successfully delivered.' No free messages for WhatsApp or RCS.", "eligibility": "Any End User Messaging customer; no free tier to claim. No card requirement during the new-account Free plan window.", "claim": "Use EUM WhatsApp/RCS APIs; expect cost from message #1 unless you hold AWS credits (Free Account $200 or Activate grants).", "expiry": "Standing metered pricing; no trial stated.", "gotchas": "Double billing: AWS fee + Meta fee (WhatsApp) or AWS fee + carrier fee (RCS); 'only charged on successful delivery' cuts both ways for delivery-failure accounting.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Founders tier: $1,000 in AWS credits (up to $5,000 over time) for early-stage, self-funded startups", "detail": "Founders tier (current as of the June 2026 applying guide): $1,000 in AWS Activate Credits; 'select startups may qualify for up to $5,000 over time'. Eligibility: new to AWS Activate Credits, self-funded, fully functioning company website, founded in the past 10 years. Credits expire within 1-2 years depending on package and are applied monthly to new eligible charges only (never retroactive). Processing 7-10 business days. Credits are redeemable across 200+ AWS services, including third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock (OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, Meta, etc.). No credit-card requirement mentioned for the program itself. Re-applying is allowed for a larger tier; you receive the difference up to a lifetime cap; submitted applications can't be edited (cancel + unlink + resubmit).", "eligibility": "Startup founders (individuals applying on behalf of a company): self-funded (no institutional funding), company < 10 years old, working company website required, first-time Activate recipient, business email matching the startup domain. Applies to startups of any funding stage at or before Pre-Series B.", "claim": "Create/sign in to an AWS Builder ID (personal email) → complete one-time Activate profile (business email) → choose Founders tier → enter company + funding details → link your primary AWS account (root/admin) → verify in console → submit. Credits land on the linked AWS account and automatically offset SES/SMS/push spend.", "expiry": "Credits expire 1-2 years from grant depending on package; no stated renewal — you can re-apply when you qualify for a bigger tier.", "gotchas": "Self-funded only — a small funding round or accelerator affiliation pushes you to the Portfolio tier instead. Credits cover new usage only; pre-existing debt on the account is not credited. $5K 'over time' is discretionary/select.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by-step-guide/(plushttps://aws.amazon.com/startups/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate Portfolio tier: up to $200,000 in AWS credits for provider-backed startups (pre-Series B)", "detail": "Portfolio tier: 'up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits'. Eligibility: associated with an AWS Activate Provider (accelerator/VC/ecosystem org, 'thousands worldwide') and hold their Organizational ID; Pre-Series B (most recent funding round within last 12 months, if funded); founded in the past 10 years; working company website; no prior AWS Activate Credits of equal or greater value. Beyond $200K, 'AI startups ready to grow may be eligible for additional credits' via an Account Manager. Credits redeemable on 200+ services incl. Bedrock third-party models; expire within 1-2 years; applied monthly to new eligible charges. Program stats: 350,000+ startups, $8B+ in promotional credits since 2013. Note: an older marketing page (startups.aws.com LP) still advertises 'up to $100,000' — the June 2026 guide and main page confirm $200,000 as the current ceiling; also a new 'Kiro credits' offer for startups exists (kiro.dev/startups).", "eligibility": "Startup companies affiliated with an Activate Provider (Org ID), pre-Series B funding cap (most recent round <= 12 months old), < 10 years old, working website. Not for individuals or non-startup businesses; no .edu involved (student startups go through their university's provider agreement — see Educate finding).", "claim": "Obtain your provider's Org ID → AWS Builder ID + Activate profile (business email) → choose Portfolio tier → submit funding/company details → link primary AWS account → wait 7-10 business days; credits apply monthly to new eligible usage.", "expiry": "Grant-to-expiry 1-2 years per package; re-application gives the difference vs previously held credits up to the lifetime cap.", "gotchas": "The headline number moved from $100K to $200K (some pages stale); 'most recent round within last 12 months' is a hard timing rule; credits are new-charge-only; wrong/funding details = denial (inaccurate info results in denial).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by-step-guide/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Educate: student program at partner institutions (credits ~$100/yr; some universities offer up to $5,000 for student startups)", "detail": "AWS Educate (successor to AWS Academy's classroom content) is offered through enrolled institutions: students get free self-paced courses, labs, and a promo credit (commonly ~$100/yr, redeemed by code in Billing & Cost Management -> Credits). Some university startup programs (e.g., AWS Activate partnerships at universities like Syracuse's Blackstone LaunchPad) extend student-startup eligibility to up to $5,000 in credits valid ~2 years plus 1 year of AWS Business Support. Note: the official Educate landing page could not be fetched today (404/DNS), so dollar amounts are from university-published pages updated in 2025; treat as approximate.", "eligibility": "Enrolled students/faculty at a partner institution; the ~$5,000 startup path requires the university's Org ID and meeting Activate Portfolio-style requirements (website, funding stage). Verification via the institution's enrollment, not a .edu email alone.", "claim": "Register through your school's AWS Educate portal, complete the AWS Educate application, then redeem the emailed credit code in AWS Billing & Cost Management; for student startups, apply through the university's Activate provider page (Org ID) for the larger grant.", "expiry": "Educate credits typically annual per-enrollment; university startup grants ~2 years. Verify current numbers with the school's page.", "gotchas": "Credit codes are account-bound (redeem on the account you'll use, they don't transfer); some schools cap or restrict production use (learning-only policies, e.g., UC Berkeley's disclaimer that these are sandbox resources, not for launching a business).", "source_url": "https://support.sou.edu/kb/articles/amazon-web-services-educate-program(institutionalreference;officialpagehttps://awsacademy.com/amazon-educate/wasunreachabletoday)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AWS Builder Center student rewards: free Skill Builder year + badge-earned credits, no credit card required", "detail": "Verified students at accredited higher-education institutions (verified via SheerID with name, college name, and school email — .edu domain NOT strictly required) get: 1 year of AWS Skill Builder (900+ courses, labs, cert exam prep, game-based learning) just for completing a profile; badge-based rewards — 7 badges = $10 AWS credits, 14 badges = $20 AWS credits, 21 badges = $100 AWS Certification voucher; plus free workshops/courses/community, explicitly 'No credit card'. Student Builder Groups (student-led campus communities) also exist.", "eligibility": "Students (or staff) of an accredited higher-education institution, verified by SheerID (most checks minutes; up to 24-48h with extra docs). No startup/funding rules.", "claim": "Sign in with an AWS Builder ID at builder.aws.com → complete SheerID student verification → complete profile (unlocks Skill Builder) → earn badges (articles, comments, streaks) to unlock the $10/$20 credits and $100 voucher. Credits apply to AWS usage (incl. messaging services) if you have/created an AWS account.", "expiry": "Skill Builder benefit is 1 year; badge credits/voucher have no expiry stated on the page; program is ongoing.", "gotchas": "Rewards are small ($10-$20 credits, $100 voucher) — meaningful but not a production budget; the cert voucher is a voucher, not exam free passage; no card needed but actual AWS production usage still requires a billing account.", "source_url": "https://builder.aws.com/student-rewards", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier — Free Plan: up to $200 credits, 6 months, no charges", "detail": "As of the July 15, 2025 revamp (current structure, verified today): new customers get $100 in credits immediately on sign-up and can earn up to $100 more (5 console activities worth $20 each: launch an EC2 instance, create an RDS database, build a Lambda web app, try a Bedrock foundation model, set an AWS Budgets cost budget). Free plan = access to 90+ select services for up to 6 months with no charges and no surprise overages; you cannot exceed limits — remaining credits auto-apply. Upgrade to Paid plan any time; on the old sign-up experience unused credits stay usable up to 12 months from sign-up, but under the new sign-up experience (launched Oct 2026) the FAQ states Free Tier credits expire 6 months from account creation. Free plan accounts auto-enroll at account creation.", "eligibility": "New AWS customers only (an existing or previously-had AWS account makes you ineligible). No .edu email or student status required — open to anyone worldwide. Credit card NOT required for most new customers (FAQ Q4: 'A payment method isn't required to sign up for most new customers. In some cases, we may request additional information, such as a payment method, to verify your identity'). NOT available in China (ZHY/Ningxia, BJS) regions or AWS GovCloud (US) regions (certain services such as Lambda excepted). Free plan + credits are NOT available through AWS Organizations: enrolling a Free plan account in Organizations upgrades it to Paid, and an Organization can benefit from offers via only one account (usage aggregated).", "claim": "1) Create an AWS account, select Free plan (default). 2) $100 credit appears on the Credits page (up to 10 minutes to show). 3) Complete the five 'Explore AWS' activities in the AWS Management Console Home widget to earn up to $100 more. 4) Monitor balance/days remaining via the Cost & Usage widget or Settings Portal (new sign-up experience) / Credits page in Billing console (pre-Oct-2026 sign-ups). 5) Upgrade to Paid plan to continue after expiry.", "expiry": "Free plan expires at the earlier of 6 months from account creation or credit exhaustion (cannot be extended). After expiry AWS suspends the account and resources; data is retained 90 days, then the account and all content are permanently erased unless upgraded within 90 days. Credits expire 6 months from account creation on the new sign-up experience (FAQ); 12 months per the July 2025 Free Tier Terms for earlier sign-ups.", "gotchas": "Suspended after expiry — move data/projects before the 90-day window or lose them. Free plan is 'evaluation only' per terms (sensitive data processing disallowed). Credits can't be transferred to other accounts. AWS may reclaim resources after 3 months of inactivity with 30 days' notice. Unused monthly free amounts don't roll over. Activating paid-only services upgrades you to Paid plan (bills on pay-as-you-go beyond credits). EC2/RDS/S3/API Gateway on new accounts are no longer fixed monthly free allowances — they consume the $200 credit pool; new free-plan-eligible EC2 types: t3.micro, t3.small, t4g.micro, t4g.small, c7i-flex.large, m7i-flex.large (t2.micro is legacy only).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier — 30+ Always Free services (all customers, indefinite)", "detail": "All AWS customers (new and existing, Free and Paid plans) get over 30 'Always Free' services with monthly usage caps; usage is aggregated across all regions; excess usage automatically applies Free Tier credits (Free plan) or bills at standard on-demand rates (Paid plan). Representative always-free caps (per service docs and community verification, not all published on the /free/ page itself): Lambda 1M requests + 400,000 GB-seconds; DynamoDB 25 GB + 25 provisioned RCU / 5 WCU; SQS 1M requests; SNS 1M publishes; CloudWatch 10 custom metrics + 10 alarms + 1M API requests; CloudFront 1 TB data transfer out.", "eligibility": "Any AWS customer — no .edu, no student status, no credit card required for the account itself. Available in regions where AWS operates (Always Free offers are region-broader than the Free Plan credits, which exclude China and GovCloud).", "claim": "Automatic once you have an AWS account; no application.", "expiry": "No expiry while you hold an AWS account; monthly limits reset each month with no rollover. AWS may terminate any offer at any time.", "gotchas": "Data transfer out (egress) beyond CloudFront's 1 TB and inter-region traffic are billable; paid add-on features auto-bill on Paid plans; individual service caps vary — check each service's pricing page before heavy use. The per-service figures above are medium-confidence (sourced from the EC2 docs and builder-community summaries, since the /free/ page lists service tiles without caps).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier — short-term trials on selected Paid-plan services", "detail": "Selected Paid-plan services can be 'tried' with limited free trials; the trial begins when you activate the service, and any eligible Free Tier credits automatically apply to usage beyond trial limits. Some offers are limited in duration or free-usage amount; on a Free plan, activating a paid-only service upgrades the account to Paid plan.", "eligibility": "New AWS customers (per-service trials listed on aws.amazon.com/free/); no .edu required; same region caveats (Free Plan credits unavailable in China/GovCloud).", "claim": "Activate the trial service from the console; track the trial end date yourself — AWS does not always notify when a trial ends.", "expiry": "Per-service trial windows; AWS may end any offer at any time.", "gotchas": "Trial vs Always Free confusion: trial periods end and pay-as-you-go billing starts without a notification in some cases — delete trial resources before expiry. Egress/data-transfer and public IPv4 charges ($0.005/hr) commonly surprise trial users.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Educate — free self-paced curriculum, hands-on labs, badges, job board", "detail": "Free, self-paced online cloud training 'designed for beginners': hundreds of hours of content incl. Getting Started with Storage (S3), Compute (EC2), Networking (VPC), Databases (RDS), and Cloud Operations + cost-estimation labs, a Cloud 101 pathway, and a Cloud Literacy interactive badge. Includes free hands-on labs in a sandboxed AWS Console environment (time-boxed, unlimited retries), shareable Credly digital badges, an invitation to the AWS Emerging Talent Community, and an AWS Educate Job Board (18+) with in-demand jobs and internships. No dollar-denominated AWS cloud credits — it is a learning program, not a credit grant.", "eligibility": "Open to any individual regardless of education, experience, or career journey — NO .edu email or university affiliation required. Register with just an email address; no credit card needed. Minimum age: 'as young as 13' per the current page; the Educate FAQ says 14+ generally, with EU 16+; Algeria, Lebanon, Portugal 18+; not offered in China or Switzerland.", "claim": "1) Register at the AWS Educate sign-up page (promo code 'EducateLP' referenced on the page) or sign in to AWS Educate. 2) Choose a learning path (Cloud 101 recommended for new-to-cloud). 3) Complete labs/courses. 4) Claim digital badges on Credly. 5) Job board access at 18+.", "expiry": "No expiry; content and lab time limits update over time; lab attempts are time-boxed but retries are unlimited.", "gotchas": "Labs run on shared sandboxes, not your own AWS account (does not stack with your Free Tier account). No monetary credits. Employer direct-messaging on the job board is US-only per the FAQ. Age minimum varies by country (higher in EU and some regions than the '13+' marketing). No certification exam included — AWS certifications remain paid (see AWS Academy vouchers).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/education/awseducate/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Skillbuilder — 500-600+ free self-paced digital training courses", "detail": "AWS's Training FAQ: 'Self-paced digital training on AWS Skill Builder is free.' Free digital training includes 500+ on-demand courses in 17 languages (the /training/ page markets '600+ free digital courses'); free digital badges (knowledge, Cloud Quest) earned at >=80% on the associated assessment, claimable on Credly. Paid Individual/Team subscriptions add more content and labs; free webinars/Twitch training events also exist, while classroom training and certification exams cost money.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu or student status; sign in with a free AWS Builder ID (or APN credentials / company Team subscription if an org member). No credit card.", "claim": "1) Open AWS Skill Builder and sign in or create a free AWS Builder ID. 2) Enroll in any free digital course. 3) Score >=80% on the assessment to earn a badge. 4) Claim the badge via Credly.", "expiry": "No stated expiry for free access; subscription content changes with plans.", "gotchas": "Only part of Skillbuilder is free — advanced lab-heavy content is behind paid Individual/Team subscriptions; certification exams are paid (vouchers only via AWS Academy pathways); don't confuse free digital badges with paid AWS certification badges.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/training/faqs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate — Founders package: $1,000 credits (select participants up to $5,000)", "detail": "For self-funded, early-stage startups new to AWS Activate Credits: $1,000 USD in AWS credits (per AWS's gaming-startups page: 'Start with $1,000 USD in Activate Credits. Select participants may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000'). Credits redeem on 200+ eligible AWS services incl. third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock. Also includes technical support, business mentorship, co-build/co-market/go-to-market resources, free pre-built cloud templates, AWS Startup Advisor, AWS Support Plans eligible for credits, and access to 80+ third-party offers. New customers also get the AWS Free Tier when creating a new account.", "eligibility": "Startup program — NOT an education/.edu program (student-founded startups can apply as startups). Criteria: self-funded (or pre-Series B per AWS's June 2026 guide), founded in the past 10 years, a fully functioning company website or public company profile, new to Activate Credits (or requesting more than previously received), and a business email matching the company domain. No student-specific grant exists.", "claim": "1) Create a personal AWS Builder ID with a professional email. 2) Complete the AWS Activate profile. 3) Choose the Founders package. 4) Submit company/product/funding details (accurate info required; inaccuracies can be denied). 5) Link an AWS account and submit; decision in 7-10 business days by email, trackable in the console.", "expiry": "Credits are subject to the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions (fixed validity from grant, not re-stated on these pages); not renewable at the same value without a larger request.", "gotchas": "Without a functioning startup/website you won't qualify. AWS has final say; website professionalism is weighted heavily. Credits don't cover Marketplace third-party services, Route 53 domain registration/transfer, most support tiers, or Professional Services (except Bedrock third-party model charges). AWS offers generally not available in China regions.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/lp/aws-activate-credits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate — Portfolio package: up to $200,000 credits (provider-backed)", "detail": "For startups affiliated with an AWS Activate Provider (accelerator, VC, incubator, or partner org — e.g., Y Combinator, a16z, nVIDIA, Carta): up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits per the main /startups/ page and AWS's June 4, 2026 step-by-step guide ('The Activate Portfolio tier offers up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits for provider-backed startups'); AI startups ready to scale can get additional credits beyond $200,000 via their Account Manager. Also: 80+ exclusive third-party offers/memberships valued up to $800,000, dedicated account managers, and solutions architects. Note: the /free/offers/ comparison page still lists the range as '$1,000 to $100,000' with eligibility 'funded up to and including Series A' — the $200k / pre-Series-B figures come from AWS's newer 2026 pages, indicating the cap and funding stage were raised in 2025-2026.", "eligibility": "Must hold an Organizational ID from an AWS Activate Provider; pre-Series B (most recent funding round within the last 12 months, if applicable); founded in the past 10 years; a fully functioning company website; business email; must be new to Activate Credits or requesting more than previously received. Not open to direct application — provider affiliation is mandatory. No .edu/student path.", "claim": "1) Enroll in a program with an AWS Activate Provider and get their Org ID/invitation. 2) Create an AWS Builder ID + complete the AWS Activate profile. 3) Choose the Portfolio package with your Org ID. 4) Submit details; link an AWS account; decision in 7-10 business days.", "expiry": "Per the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions (fixed validity from grant).", "gotchas": "Provider gatekeeping (AWS has final say and gets pickier above $5,000). Official AWS pages conflict today on the cap: $100k on /free/offers/ vs $200k on /startups/ and the June 2026 guide — treat 'up to $200,000' as the current advertised max and verify at application. Legacy sub-tiers ($5k/$10k/$25k/$100k; YC's up to $250k) are no longer publicly listed.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Academy — free participation for accredited higher-education institutions (+ exam vouchers)", "detail": "AWS Academy 'provides higher education institutions with a free, ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum' (aligned to AWS certifications) plus Learner Labs. FAQ: 'There is no cost to join.' Educators may request a 100% discount voucher on AWS certification exam cost; member institutions may request a 50% discount exam voucher that students redeem at 100% of the voucher's value; students in badge-eligible courses earn Emerging Talent Community points redeemable for rewards such as discounted AWS certification exam vouchers. This is AWS's closest university-scoped free offer.", "eligibility": "Institutional, not individual: accredited higher-education institution offering degrees, diplomas, certificates, or continuing-ed programs, with an authorized Program Administrator or Central Point of Contact (CPOC). No .edu-email-only rule, but institutional membership is required; individual students/educators can't self-enroll.", "claim": "1) Institution applies to join AWS Academy (or is added to an existing membership). 2) CPOC nominates educators; educators complete the mandatory Getting Started course. 3) Educators teach courses; students use Learner Labs. 4) Educators/students claim exam discount vouchers per program rules.", "expiry": "No expiry while the institution remains a member; voucher/reward programs are 'subject to change' per the FAQ.", "gotchas": "Vouchers discount exam fees only — they are not AWS usage credits. Institutional onboarding can be slow; the free value to students is mainly the curriculum, labs, and exam discounts — hands-on AWS usage still comes from the regular Free Tier (which needs no Academy affiliation).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/training/awsacademy/faq/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "SUNSET / MATERIAL CHANGES 2024-2026: (1) The classic AWS 12-month free tier (EC2 750 hrs/mo, S3 5 GB, 1M input + 1M output free Bedrock model-invocation tokens per month for 12 months across ~75 models, RDS 750 hrs, etc.) has been SUPERSEDED by the new Free plan / Paid plan model: $100 signup credits + up to $100 earned, 6-month window, 30+ 'always free' services, and notably no payment method required for most new customers. The Bedrock-specific free-token docs page (docs.aws.amazon.com/bedrock/latest/userguide/free-trial.html) now renders empty/removed, and the new Free Tier FAQ contains zero mention of Bedrock free tokens, 750 EC2 hours, or 5 GB S3 - legacy per-service allowances no longer exist. So the 'free Bedrock tokens for students' front is effectively dead; Bedrock access now comes via (a) Free plan $100-200 credits, (b) AWS Activate credits, or (c) Kiro credits for agentic coding. (2) June 2024: AWS doubled the portfolio/accelerate credit ceiling from $100,000 to $200,000 (announced July 1, 2024, for startups that raised Series A in the past 12 months; seed stage stayed at $100,000 at the time; credits' expiry moved from 1 year to 3 years - per CNBC 2024-06-28). The current credits page (2026) shows one Portfolio tier at up to $200,000. (3) 2026: the credits page was redesigned (awslabs/startups PR #75, June 2026) renaming tiers to Activate Founders ($1,000 start, up to $5,000 - NOT the ~$100 sometimes misreported; the $100 figure matches the new Free plan signup credit, not Activate), Activate Portfolio (up to $200,000), and adding the invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier ($200,000+) plus the new Kiro Startup Credits program. (4) 'Known so far' figures from the task (~$100K Portfolio, ~$100 Founders) are outdated: Portfolio is now up to $200K and Founders is $1,000-to-start/up-to-$5,000. No standalone student Bedrock/LLM free offer from AWS exists today - the closest student fronts are the no-card Kiro Student Offer (1,000 credits/month x 12 months) and AWS Academy (training only, no credits). Verification caveat: today's live fetches of aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/ and free sub-pages intermittently returned 403 via proxy, but credits-page content was captured today via the official page mirror in the awslabs/startups repo and search snippets of the live page; free-plan figures came directly from aws.amazon.com/free/ and /free/free-tier-faqs/ read today.", "Major 2025-2026 changes (all verified on official AWS pages fetched today, 2026-10-22; WebSearch budget was exhausted so only official-page fetches were used): (1) The legacy usage-based 12-month AWS Free Tier (750 RDS hours, 5 GB S3, etc.) was replaced by a credit-based model for accounts created on/after July 15, 2025 — $100 at sign-up + up to $100 earned, Free plan (6-month auto-closing account) vs Paid plan (12-month credit validity); a refreshed sign-up experience launched October 2026, and pre-October accounts still see the old credits console. The RDS pricing page still documents the legacy 750-hour/20 GB free database for pre-July-15-2025 accounts only. (2) Per-service 'Always Free' and legacy free-trial figures (e.g., Athena GB-per-month, Redshift RA3/RA2 1-node 12-month developer tier and 30-day standard tier, Glue 1M source-records ETL free allowance, Bedrock character-based free tiers) no longer appear on today's service pricing pages — the credit model absorbed them, so do not quote legacy numbers for new accounts. (3) Activate program structure is now three tiers: Founders ($1,000, up to $5,000), Portfolio (up to $200,000 via provider Org ID), and an invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier adding $200,000+ for AI startups scaling past the Portfolio ceiling. Credits now explicitly cover Amazon Bedrock third-party models (OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, Meta). Note a discrepancy: /free/offers/ still lists Activate as '$1,000 to $100,000' — likely stale vs the $200,000 ceiling on the credits page/FAQ. (4) New Kiro startup credits program (up to a year of Kiro Pro+, 2/10/30-user tiers, 'limited time only', excludes France/Germany/Italy/Spain/Poland/UAE and ~13 other countries). (5) AWS Academy / Cloud Career Academies: no working page found on today's main AWS site (URLs 404; cloudcareeracademies.org DNS-failed) — status unconfirmed; AWS Educate (free, 13+, no credits/vouchers) is explicitly still active with a 2026 copyright. Also of note: AWS Educate bundles no cloud credits and no free exam vouchers on any page I could read today.", "(1) AWS Free Tier revamp: the classic structure - 12 months of Free Trial on ~75 services plus a separate 'Always Free' tier - is no longer on the official page; it has been replaced (2025-2026) by the Free plan / Paid plan model with up to $200 in credits, 90+ services for up to 6 months, and '30+ services always free within monthly usage limits'. The exact launch date of the revamp could not be confirmed (web-search budget exhausted mid-session); the page read today (2026-10-22) shows only the new structure. (2) AWS Activate: the legacy 'standard program up to $1,000 in credits' copy no longer appears on the live portal; the join page now says 'Apply for up to $200,000 in Activate Credits' while the application widget caps at 'up to $100,000' - consistent with a headline increase beyond the old $100K Accelerate ceiling, unconfirmed via a dated press release. (3) AWS Impact Accelerator, the US-only predecessor (part of AWS's 2022 $30M commitment to Black, Women, Latino and LGBTQIA+ founders), was superseded by the global AWS Impact Bootcamps announced Jul 30, 2025; the 2022-2023 US cohorts are closed. (4) All AWS Impact Bootcamps application windows through the 2026 Tokyo and Berlin cohorts are closed (deadlines Feb 27 and Mar 13, 2026), so as of 2026-10-22 the $5,000 credits, $50K grant and $15K credits are only obtainable in future, not-yet-announced cohorts. (5) Research caveat: https://startups.aws.com/lp/aws-impact-bootcamps currently returns HTTP 500 at the server level (its Next.js content payload is intact and was extracted from the raw HTML); the shared WebSearch budget for this session was exhausted, so 'was this changed in 2025-2026' checks rely on today's live pages rather than dated announcements.", "Key 2025-2026 changes: (1) 2025-07-15 cutover - AWS replaced the legacy 12-month service-level Free Tier with a credit-based model: new accounts get a 6-month 'Free plan' ($100 signup credits + up to $100 service-exploration credits = up to $200) or a Paid plan; accounts created before 2025-07-15 are grandfathered on the old 12-month per-service free tier (e.g. RDS: 750 hours/month single-AZ, 20 GB gp2 storage, 20 GB backup). (2) Free-plan accounts auto-close at 6 months or when credits run out; data retained 90 days, then permanently erased. (3) Startup program restructuring: the /startups/credits/ page now lists 'Activate Founders' (up to $5,000; starts at $1,000) and 'Activate Portfolio' (up to $200,000, was the $150,000 Founders' Program era ceiling; the previous 'Accelerate' up to $100,000 tier name no longer appears) plus two newer tracks - 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' ($200,000+, invite-only post-Portfolio) and 'Kiro Startup Credits'. The exact 2025-2026 rename/retirement dates could not be confirmed: WebSearch budget for this session was exhausted, so only the current official pages could be verified. (4) No .edu-gated student dollar-credit license was found: the education front is AWS Educate (free training/badges, no credits) and institutional 'special pricing' programs; AWS Academy pages returned 404 on fetched sub-paths, so its current status/offerings are unverified rather than confirmed active or sunsetting. (5) Free-plan credits are unavailable in China regions or AWS GovCloud (US); the Free plan also excludes all promotional credits (Activate), so startup credits effectively require a Paid-plan account.", "Major 2025-2026 changes: (1) July 15, 2025 - the classic 12-month per-service Free Tier was replaced for NEW accounts with a credit-based model: $100 sign-up credit + up to $100 earned via 5 console activities, a 6-month Free plan window (account closes at 6 months or when credits run out), 90+ services, and 30+ always-free services; accounts created before July 15, 2025 retain the legacy 12-month tier. Free-tier-eligible EC2 instances changed too (t2.micro dropped; t3.small, t4g.small, c7i-flex.large, m7i-flex.large added). (2) Short-term free trials are now paid-plan-only; the Free plan only gets 'Always Free' offers. (3) Feb 21, 2023 - AWS Educate stopped its old monetary grants ($35/$100 student grants, $75/$200 educator grants); educator tooling moved to AWS Academy. (4) Feb 16, 2026 - Free plan (Free Tier) accounts became ineligible for promotional credits, which affects AWS Cloud Credit for Research and similar programs (a Paid plan is required to hold awards). (5) Aug 20, 2026 - AWS launched Student Rewards on AWS Builder Center as part of a $500M+ student commitment; the old 'AWS Activate for Students' style offer no longer appears on aws.amazon.com - student benefits are now Builder Center Student Rewards + AWS Educate + AWS Academy. (6) October 2026 - new AWS sign-up experience launched; credit-expiry display moved to the Settings Portal (accounts that signed up before Oct 2026 still use the Credits page in the Billing console). No free offer listed above was fully sunset as of 2026-10-22.", "Major 2025-2026 changes: (1) July 15, 2025 — AWS replaced the long-standing 12-month Free Tier (750 hrs/mo t2.micro/t3.micro + 30 GB EBS + 100 GB egress, 30+ always-free services) with a credit-based model for NEW accounts: $100 sign-up credits + up to $100 earned = up to $200, with a 6-month no-cost Free plan that auto-closes. Legacy 12-month benefits remain ONLY for accounts created before July 15, 2025. Also, since the revamp, a credit card/payment method is no longer required to sign up for most new customers (previously mandatory). A new sign-up experience (Settings Portal credit tracking) launched October 2026. (2) June 2026 — AWS Activate Portfolio credit ceiling doubled from $100,000 to $200,000; the Founders tier was standardized at $1,000 with an 'up to $5,000' extension for select participants; a new invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' tier (>$200K) was introduced (confirmed by the redesigned aws.amazon.com/startups/credits page © 2026 and the awslabs/startups repo content update June 16, 2026). Note: CNBC's June 28, 2024 report that Series A startups got $200K from July 1, 2024 was NOT reflected in 2025 official materials (which still said 'up to $100,000'); the cap only officially moved to $200K in June 2026. (3) April 2025 — AWS launched the $30M Impact Accelerator (new program, not a sunset). (4) No VPS/bare-metal/dedicated specific free offer was sunset, because none existed as a standalone front: bare-metal and dedicated hosts have never had free tiers and remain credit-eligible under Activate/Free Tier credits only. (5) GAIA 2025 cohort status and Impact Accelerator 2026 track openings could not be re-verified this session (shared web-search budget exhausted); confidence ratings above reflect that.", "Sunset/changed in 2025-2026: (1) 15 Jul 2025 (announced AWS Summit NY, 15-16 Jul 2025): the 12-month Free Tier was retired for NEW accounts and replaced by the credit-based Free Plan ($100 signup credit + up to $100 explore credits, 6-month auto-closing plan, 90-day post-expiry data retention); pre-cutoff accounts keep their legacy 12-month offers until each one's own expiry. (2) EC2 free-VPS offer sunset: t2.micro (and hours-based t3.micro 750 h/mo) free tiers no longer apply to new accounts; new free-tier-eligible EC2 types are t3.micro, t3.small, t4g.micro, t4g.small, c7i-flex.large, m7i-flex.large, consumed via credits. (3) AWS Activate was folded into AWS for Startups: /aws.amazon.com/activate/ now serves the startups program (startups.aws.com); headline credit figure is 'up to $200,000' with published tiers $1,000-$100,000, 80+ partner offers valued up to $800,000, plus undisclosed extra AI-startup credits and Kiro credits — replacing older multi-year $1M total caps and old student/faculty Activate tiers (up to $100k/$150k) which no longer appear on official pages. (4) The Free Plan explicitly cannot combine with any other promotional/incentive offer, and joining AWS Organizations/Control Tower auto-upgrades to Paid and voids remaining explore credits. (5) AWS signals a new sign-up experience in October 2026 (FAQ note); Free Tier Terms last updated 9 Jul 2025. Note: session web-search budget was exhausted, so 2025-2026 change verification relied on WebFetch of official AWS pages (free/, free/offers/, free/free-tier-faqs/, free/terms/, startups/, education/, EC2 docs, Lambda pricing, RDS free page, what's-new Jul 2025 entry, AWS blog 15 Jul 2025) rather than broader search.", "Material 2025-2026 changes (all verified against AWS pages today, 2026-10-22): (1) Jul 15, 2025 — the legacy \"12 months free\" tier was replaced for NEW accounts by a credit-based Free Tier: $100 sign-up credit + up to $100 earned, 6-month Free plan; every legacy 12-month offer on pre-Jul-15-2025 accounts (including legacy CloudWatch 12-month items) has now fully lapsed. (2) Oct 2026 — AWS launched a new sign-up experience: social sign-in (Google/GitHub/Apple/Amazon), no credit card needed for most customers, and credit tracking moved from the Billing console to a Settings Portal for accounts signed up after the rollout; the Free Tier FAQ now states base credits expire 6 months (vs. 12 months in the Jul 9, 2025 Terms) — a live contradiction AWS hasn't harmonized, so treat 6 months as the safe planning horizon. (3) Dec 3, 2025 — Kiro Startup Credits v1 launched (up to 100 users, pre-seed to Series B, apply by Dec 31, 2025) and closed; relaunched Apr 7, 2026 with 2/10/30-user tiers, early-stage to Series A (VC-backed per the current promotion), apply by Dec 31, 2026; startups with active AWS Activate credits are excluded from the Kiro promo. (4) Jun 2024 (context) — AWS doubled Portfolio credits $100K to $200K and extended expiry 1 year to 3 years; still the structure in effect. (5) Feb 2023 (context) — AWS Educate stopped issuing universal/institutional credit grants; it is now free learning only, and student credits now flow through Builder Center Student Rewards (up to $579 incl. $30 credits + $100 exam voucher, launched Aug 2026). (6) CloudFront's classic \"100 GB/month always-free\" line is now presented as a standing $0 \"Free\" plan tier with 100 GB + 1M requests + 5 GB S3 storage credits and no overage charges — not sunset, but restructured. No CloudWatch/observability offer was sunset; the known limits (10 metrics, 1M API requests, 5 GB logs, 100 canaries, 3 dashboards, 10 alarms, 100K X-Ray traces) all still apply as ALWAYS-FREE allowances. There is no CloudWatch-specific startup or student grant beyond the general AWS Free Tier credits and Activate credits, which can offset CloudWatch usage on a Paid plan.", "Major 2025-2026 changes verified on official pages today (2026-10-22): (1) The legacy 12-month Free Tier is gone — the old 'free for 12 months' language no longer appears on aws.amazon.com/free; it has been replaced by the credit-based Free Plan ($100 signup + up to $100 explore = up to $200 over 6 months), after which the account auto-closes (data kept 90 days, then erased). (2) The classic 'Always Free' list was narrowed in messaging to '30+ services' with monthly limits (legacy tier had 60+ services); per-service quota numbers are no longer published on the hub. (3) SageMaker notebook free allowance shrunk to 250 hours of sc.t3.medium for the first 2 months (vs legacy 750 hours/month ml.t3.medium for 12 months). (4) AWS Activate tiers renamed/revalued: 'Activate Community' no longer appears on the current credits page — it is now 'Activate Founders' (up to $5,000, start $1,000) alongside 'Activate Portfolio' (now up to $200,000, previously up to $100,000) plus a new invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' ($200,000+); a new Kiro Startup Credits track (up to 1 year of Kiro Pro+, 1/10/30 users) was added. The stale /free/offers page still shows old $1,000-$100,000 figures and 7-10 day processing, inconsistent with the current credits page ($5,000/$200,000, 5-10 days) — treat the credits page as authoritative. (5) WebSearch was unavailable during this run, so no third-party press confirmation of announcement dates was possible; all claims above are from the official AWS pages fetched today.", "1) Amazon Pinpoint sunset (HARD DATE): AWS ends support for Amazon Pinpoint on October 30, 2026 — console access and all Pinpoint resources (endpoints, segments, campaigns, journeys, analytics) terminate that day; only the messaging-channel APIs (SMS, voice, mobile push, OTP, phone number validate) continue under the rebranded \"AWS End User Messaging\" service. Anyone relying on Pinpoint journeys/campaigns must migrate before 2026-10-30. 2) Legacy per-service Free Tier replaced: the old model — e.g., \"SES: 3,000 emails/month free for the first 12 months, then $0.10/1K\" and \"SNS: 100 SMS/month free, US regions\" — is no longer published; as of the October 2026 sign-up experience, new accounts instead get up to $200 in Free Tier credits over 6 months (Free plan auto-closes at 6 months or when credits run out). The \"then $0.10/1K\" figure survives, but as the à-la-carte SES price, while NEW SES accounts default to the more expensive Essentials plan ($0.16/1K) starting July 21, 2026. 3) The formerly permanent \"3,000 emails/month free (US regions, no purchase of sending capacity)\" SES allowance is not listed on today's official pricing page — treat it as superseded by the credit model for new accounts; legacy account behavior not verifiable (docs pages didn't render). 4) The legacy 100-free-SMS/month US-regions tier also no longer appears on End User Messaging pricing; SMS is now fully pay-per-message. 5) AWS Activate credit ceiling was raised to $200,000 (some pages still show the old $100,000 figure — a 2025-2026 program change, not a sunset).", "2025-2026 changes (verified against official AWS pages on 2026-10-22): (1) Classic 12-month Free Tier sunset for NEW accounts on July 15, 2025 — replaced by the credit-based Free Plan ($100 + up to $100 earned = up to $200 over 6 months, auto-enrolled, no charges); accounts created before July 15, 2025 remain on legacy 12-month terms (750 hrs/mo t2/t3.micro etc.); legacy terms still published. (2) October 2026: AWS launched a new sign-up experience; the current FAQ now states Free Tier credits expire 6 months from account creation (vs 12 months under the July 2025 Free Tier Terms) and moved credit tracking to the Settings Portal — AWS's own FAQ is internally inconsistent between sections (6 vs 12 months), so treat credit expiry on the new experience as 6 months and verify per-account in the Settings Portal. (3) AWS Activate restructured in 2025-2026: old tiers (Starter $5k / Portfolio up to $100k / YC up to $250k / $5k-$100k sub-tiers) are no longer publicly listed; current structure is Founders ($1,000, up to $5,000 for select participants) + Portfolio (up to $200,000, cap raised from $100,000), with eligibility shifted from 'funded up to Series A' to 'pre-Series B, most recent funding round within the last 12 months', and the application flow now goes through the AWS Builder ID. AWS pages are inconsistent today: /free/offers/ still advertises '$1,000 to $100,000' while /startups/ and the June 4, 2026 AWS blog advertise 'up to $200,000'. (4) No education-only (.edu/student-email) free credits exist at AWS: no free offer requires a .edu or student email — AWS Educate is open to anyone 13/14+ with just an email, the Free Tier is open to any new customer, and AWS Marketplace 'education pricing' is a paid discount, not free. The only university-scoped free offer is AWS Academy (free institution participation + exam vouchers). (5) Free Plan/credits unavailable in China (ZHY, BJS) and GovCloud (US) regions, and not usable via AWS Organizations (auto-upgrades to Paid plan). (6) AWS Educate availability excludes China and Switzerland and raises minimum age in the EU (16) and Algeria/Lebanon/Portugal (18)." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "AWS Activate (Amazon Bedrock)", "text": "Figures are out of date. The Activate Founders self-serve package is $1,000 (select participants can reach $5,000), not about $100. The Portfolio package, for startups tied to an Activate Provider with an Org ID, is now up to $200,000; it was $100,000 before June 2026. Credits can be used on Bedrock third-party models. AI startups ready to scale can talk to an account manager about more.", "url": "https://aws.amazon.com/aws-startups/learn/applying-for-aws-activate-credits-a-step-by-step-guide/" }, { "item": "AWS Startups", "text": "Range is outdated. Current tiers are Activate Founders at $1,000 (up to $5,000 for select startups) and Activate Portfolio at up to $200,000 (raised from $100,000 in June 2026). The top of the range should read $200,000 for Portfolio, not $100,000+.", "url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/" }, { "item": "Up to ~$100K in AWS credits (Portfolio/Partner tier; ~$100 Founders self-serve)", "text": "The current official maximum is up to $200,000 for the Portfolio tier (requires a provider Org ID; pre-Series B). The Founders (self-funded) tier starts at $1,000, with up to $5,000 for select participants, not about $100.", "url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/" } ], "confidence": { "high": 68, "medium": 18, "low": 4 }, "best_offer": "AWS Free plan (new-account credits: $100 base + up to $100 earned, 6-month window)", "link": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/free-tier-faqs/(alsohttps://aws.amazon.com/free/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "axiom free plan", "name": "Axiom Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://axiom.co/pricing" ], "offers": [ "5 GB ingest/month free + $10 signup credit; log & metric analytics with fast querying" ], "notes": [ "Logs/metrics/analytics platform; free tier of 5GB ingest/month plus a one-time $10 credit. Usage-based beyond that." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Personal free plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "Free forever Personal plan: 500 GB/month data-loading (ingest) compute, 10 GB-hours query compute, 25 GB storage, 30-day retention. Includes full APL access and all integrations; community support. Soft limits on datasets / fields per dataset / query concurrency that 'can be lifted on request'. No hard numeric caps published for those. Verified on the official pricing page on 2026-10-22: '500 GB load / 10 GB-hours / 25 GB storage, free forever' is also restated on the Startups solution page.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone, including students and early startups. No credit card required (pricing page: 'No credit card required'; quickstart: 'No schema, no credit card'). No .edu email required, no age/funding/region limits stated.", "claim": "Sign up at axiom.co (no payment method), create a dataset, ship logs via OTel or Axiom SDKs (5-minute quickstart at /docs/getting-started). No application needed. Request soft-limit lifts via support (axiom.co/support) if needed.", "expiry": "Permanent ('Permanent' on pricing page; FAQ calls it 'free forever with a generous allowance'). No expiry or renewal.", "gotchas": "Only 30-day retention and 25 GB storage on free tier — long-term archives need paid Axiom Cloud (customizable/Forever retention). The free plan is a real perpetual tier, not a trial. Soft limits on dataset counts/concurrency can bite heavy users. Previously-seen '5 GB ingest + $10 credit' figures are stale — see sunset_notes.", "source_url": "https://axiom.co/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Axiom for Startups program (compute discount + platform-fee waiver)", "detail": "For qualifying startups: 30% off Data Loading and Query Compute, 'up to $10,000 in compute savings' over 'up to 12 months' (whichever comes first), plus the $25/mo Axiom Cloud platform fee waived for 12 months. The always-free included usage (first 1 TB load + 100 GB-hours query per month, 100 GB storage) still applies. Worked example on page: 10 TB load + 2,000 GB-hrs query/mo saves ~$5,340/yr including the fee waiver. Verified on official page 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Startup stage 'between Seed and Series A'. Must be NEW to paid Axiom Cloud — free-tier users may apply; existing paid customers are NOT eligible. Company must not have received an Axiom startup benefit before. No startup-age, funding-dollar-cap, or location restrictions stated beyond the Seed–Series A stage.", "claim": "Submit the form at https://axiom.co/axiom-for-startups: describe your company, how you found the program, and provide a funding announcement, investor portfolio page, or accelerator profile (or an access code / confirming contact if private). Axiom reviews and replies by email. Once approved the program is enabled on your org; the 12-month clock starts when you upgrade to Axiom Cloud (which requires a credit card on file).", "expiry": "30% compute discount lasts up to 12 months OR until $10,000 in savings, whichever comes first (hitting $10k ends the discount early but the fee waiver runs its full 12 months). After 12 months, standard pricing including the $25 platform fee resumes. No renewal path is described. No program sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Not self-serve: application must go through a participating accelerator, investor, or startup community and requires proof. Cannot combine with committed-use pricing or another promotional compute discount. Storage and add-ons (SSO $100/mo, Directory Sync $100/mo, RBAC $50/mo, Audit Logs $50/mo) stay at standard pricing. Axiom Cloud itself needs a card on file. Billing caps pause (not bill) overage, which can interrupt queries/monitors at the cap.", "source_url": "https://axiom.co/axiom-for-startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Axiom Cloud 'always free' allowance baked into the $25/mo plan (startup-adjacent offer)", "detail": "Axiom Cloud: $25/month platform fee, no minimum commitment, with an always-free allowance of 1 TB (1,000 GB) data loading + 100 GB-hours query compute + 100 GB storage per month; usage beyond is credit-based (1 credit = $1 by default; data loading from 0.12 credits/GB down to 0.06 at high volume; committed-use pre-purchase up to ~47% off at 2.5M credits/yr on 36-month term; pre-purchased credits 'never expire'). A hard spend cap can be set in the Console — overage is paused rather than billed (cap feature introduced 2025-09-22). Useful for students/startups who need more than the Personal tier but want a cost ceiling: worst case is the $25 fee.", "eligibility": "Anyone who upgrades to Axiom Cloud; credit card required (card on file). No age/funding/education restrictions. Students can use it with a spend cap to guarantee max cost = $25/mo.", "claim": "Upgrade from Personal at axiom.co/pricing (add card), optionally set a monthly spend limit in the Console; claim the Axiom for Startups program instead if you qualify for the 30% discount + fee waiver.", "expiry": "Ongoing; allowance renews monthly with the plan. No expiry date published.", "gotchas": "Credit card required (differs from the free Personal plan). Hitting the spend cap PAUSES usage (queries/monitors stop) until next cycle — 'may cause service interruptions'. Overage beyond the 1TB/100GB-hr free block can still add cost within the cap. Add-ons (SSO, RBAC, audit logs, Directory Sync) are extra $50–100/mo.", "source_url": "https://axiom.co/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student program: none found", "detail": "No dedicated Axiom education license, student program, or .edu-based offer exists on the site as of 2026-10-22: /education returns 404, the sitemap has no education/student/campus/trial URLs, the pricing page, FAQ, and 2025–2026 blog index contain no student or academic pricing. Students' effective free offer is the credit-card-free Personal plan (finding 1); startups' is the Axiom for Startups program (finding 2).", "eligibility": "N/A — no program to be eligible for. Students use the general Personal free plan (no .edu email required, no credit card).", "claim": "Nothing to claim separately; students simply sign up at axiom.co for the free Personal plan.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Absence was verified via sitemap, 404 checks on /education, and blog index, but WebSearch budget was exhausted so I could not sweep press/third-party sources for a partner-run student deal; confidence medium rather than high on the negative.", "source_url": "https://axiom.co/sitemap.xml(absencecheck)andhttps://axiom.co/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) The previously known '5 GB ingest/month + $10 signup credit' is STALE. On 2025-04-21 Axiom 'Reimagined pricing' (blog/reimagining-pricing): the old ingestion-focused Personal/Team/Enterprise tiers were replaced by credit-based Axiom Cloud pricing ($25/mo platform fee, 1 credit = $1, always-free 1TB/100GB-hr/100GB block) plus a new credit-card-free Personal free tier now at 500 GB load/mo (current pricing page), 10 GB-hrs query, 25 GB storage, 30-day retention. 2) The $10 signup credit no longer appears on the pricing page, FAQ, or 2025–2026 blog; it is not a documented current offer (treat as discontinued/unverified). 3) 2025-09-22 changelog added compute-credit pre-purchase discounts and spend caps (overage pauses rather than bills) — a material change for cost safety. 4) Axiom's docs moved from docs.axiom.co to axiom.co/docs in 2026. 5) No 2025–2026 sunset of the startup program found — /axiom-for-startups is live with current terms as of today's fetch." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Personal free plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://axiom.co/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "baseten", "name": "Baseten", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks" ], "offers": [ "Up to $25,000 in credits for dedicated deployments/training and up to $2,500 for model APIs, as a Google for Startups ecosystem perk" ], "notes": [ "Accessed through the Google for Startups Perks program, not Baseten self-serve. Baseten models are also available via Hugging Face Inference Providers and Amazon Bedrock." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Starter credit for every new Baseten workspace (~$30, no application needed)", "detail": "Every new Baseten account gets a one-time starter credit of ~$30 applied automatically to the workspace's invoice before any payment method is charged; no redemption step. Credits cover Model API calls (per-token, e.g. DeepSeek/GLM/Kimi/gpt-oss open models) and dedicated GPU deployments/training (per-minute GPU billing). The default Basic/Startup plan is $0/month with pure pay-as-you-go: no platform fee, no minimums, no idle-time billing (scale-to-zero supported). Baseten's FAQ states verbatim \"new Baseten accounts come with $30 of free credit so that you can start running models for free\"; the current pricing page FAQ says only that new accounts \"come with credits\" without restating the figure. There is no perpetual free tier or free-model tier.", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up — no .edu, no startup screening, no credit card required to sign up or receive the credit. One-time per workspace (spinning up a second workspace under the same account does not stack). No region limit stated. After the credit is exhausted, a payment method is required to keep deployments running (deployments are deactivated otherwise).", "claim": "1) Sign up at app.baseten.co (email/Google/GitHub); 2) confirm the email; 3) create a workspace (name + region) — it is the billing boundary; 4) the starter credit is credited automatically, nothing to redeem; 5) check the balance in the billing dashboard; 6) add a payment method only if you want to continue past the ~$30.", "expiry": "One-time grant, not renewable, no recurring monthly allowance; no published expiry date for the credit itself. Standing offer as of 2026 (last re-verified by third parties in Sep-Oct 2026).", "gotchas": "Trial-then-paid, not a free tier: once ~$30 is burned, pay-as-you-go with a card is required. Basic-tier default rate limits are ~15 req/min and ~100K tokens/min (not a guaranteed no-card free allowance). The $30 figure comes from Baseten's FAQ/changelog, not the current pricing page headline, so treat as ~$30 and confirm against your own workspace's billing view. If you are an eligible startup, using this credit on your first workspace can disqualify you from the AI Startup Program (net-new-customers rule — see next finding).", "source_url": "https://www.baseten.co/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Baseten AI Startup Program — up to $25,000 (Dedicated Inference/Training) + up to $2,500 (Model APIs)", "detail": "Two separate credit pools: up to $25,000 in credits for Dedicated Inference or Training, and up to $2,500 in credits for Model APIs (combined ceiling $27,500, discretionary — amounts granted vary by startup, not guaranteed). Program perks beyond credits: response-time support escalating to shared Slack/Zoom channels, exclusive networking events, cross-cloud autoscaling access, and GTM support (launch/funding amplification, consultations, webinars). The same offer is listed as a non-starred entry on Google Cloud's Startup Perks page: \"Up to $25K for Dedicated Deployments or Training and up to $2.5K for Model APIs — Get inference and training credits to get started on Baseten platform\"; the Google Cloud Startup Perks page confirms the entry is unchanged in this form in 2025-2026.", "eligibility": "Early-stage AI-first, VC-funded startups: funding stage Seed to Series A, company started less than 5 years ago, AI core to primary products. Net-new Baseten customers only (never received any Baseten credits before). No .edu email, no funding cap, and no regional limit stated; education institutions, governments, nonprofits, IPO'd/acquired companies, dev shops/consultancies/agencies are excluded per Baseten program acceptance terms. Not a student offer — there is no Baseten student/education program (no .edu path exists; third-party 'education discount' listings for Baseten are unverified boilerplate).", "claim": "Direct route: submit the application at https://www.baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program (form; Baseten follows up; manual, selective review — not guaranteed). Google route: join the Google for Startups Cloud Program (Start tier: unfunded digital-native startup, founded within 24 months, up to $2,000 GCP credits; Scale tier: VC-funded, up to $200K GCP credits, up to $350K for AI startups), then redeem the Baseten perk via the Perks page (cloud.google.com/startup/perks). Have funding-stage proof ready; the Baseten application gates you even when arriving via Google.", "expiry": "No credit expiry date or renewal mechanism is published on the program page as of today.", "gotchas": "'Up to' figures are ceilings, not grants. Net-new-customer rule: if you already burned the ~$30 starter credit on a workspace you plan to use, you likely disqualify yourself — route your first serious workload through the application instead. Amount awarded is at Baseten's sole discretion; applications are selective. Whether a credit card is required to enroll, and any regional limits, are not stated on the official page. The Google channel adds a prerequisite (Google program membership) but the Baseten criteria still apply on top.", "source_url": "https://www.baseten.co/startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Startup Perks — Baseten entry (channel: redeem via Google for Startups Cloud Program)", "detail": "On Google Cloud's Startup Perks page (AI infrastructure and tools section), Baseten's perk is one of 30+ partner offers and, unlike starred entries (Datadog, ElevenLabs 33M credits, Cartesia 12 months, OpenRouter $1K), it carries no star — meaning it is open to all Google for Startups Cloud Program members, not just Scale-tier (VC-funded) members. Redemption happens through the Perks page after joining the program. Google's own program credits (Start tier up to $2,000 valid 1 year; Scale tier up to $200K, up to $350K for AI-first startups, year 1 100% up to $100K/$250K plus 20% up to $100K more in year 2) are separate from the Baseten credits. The Baseten entry text on the Perks page matches Baseten's own program page figures exactly.", "eligibility": "Members of the Google for Startups Cloud Program. Start tier: technology startup planning to seek VC funding soon, founded within the last 24 months, not yet received Google Cloud credits beyond free trial. Scale tier: VC-funded, Pre-Seed/Seed within last 5 years and Series A within last 12 months, not yet received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits. The Baseten perk itself additionally requires Baseten's own startup criteria (Seed-Series A, <5 years, AI-first, net-new Baseten customer). No .edu path; no student tier.", "claim": "1) Apply to the Google for Startups Cloud Program (cloud.google.com/startup) and get approved; 2) open the Startup Perks page (cloud.google.com/startup/perks); 3) select the Baseten entry and follow its claim/application flow (which lands on Baseten's application form); 4) complete the Baseten application with funding-stage evidence.", "expiry": "Google program: GCP credits valid 1 year; Baseten credits: no expiry published. Perks catalog is ongoing; Baseten's figures unchanged in 2025-2026. Some Google-wide perks on the same page carry their own terms (e.g., Google Workspace Business Plus free 12 months requires the company domain not have been on paid Workspace within 31 days).", "gotchas": "The Perks page is JS-rendered and could not be fetched directly today — its Baseten entry was verified via the search-provider's full text of cloud.google.com/startup/perks, which matches Baseten's own program page; re-check before acting. Non-starred does not mean automatic: the Baseten application is still selective. Stacked credits (GCP program + Baseten) don't change Baseten's 'net new customer' rule.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/perks", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Fall Into Inference (Sept-Dec 2025, sunset 2025-12-20): Baseten ran a promo, 'Until December 20, 2025... up to $10,000 of free inference credits' for new Baseten customers (official page baseten.co/talk-to-us/fall-into-inference, acceptance terms last updated 2025-09-02). It has ended and is no longer listed on the current Google Perks page or Baseten's site; as of 2026 the standing offers are only the ~$30 starter credit and the AI Startup Program ($25K/$2.5K). No 2025-2026 change to the Startup Program amounts: both $25K and $2.5K re-confirmed on Baseten's official program page and on cloud.google.com/startup/perks today. No student/education free offer exists for Baseten — no .edu email or education license anywhere; Baseten's program acceptance terms explicitly exclude educational institutions, government entities and nonprofits. Baseten's pricing-page FAQ no longer restates the $30 figure (says only 'new accounts come with credits'), so the exact starter-credit amount rests on Baseten's FAQ/changelog (~$30) and third-party re-verification; minor model deprecations in Sep 2026 do not affect credit programs." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Starter credit for every new Baseten workspace (~$30, no application needed)", "link": "https://www.baseten.co/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "baseten startup program", "name": "Baseten Startup Program", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://baseten.co/" ], "offers": [ "Up to $25,000 credits for Dedicated Inference/Training plus up to $2,500 for Model APIs; new accounts also get unannounced signup credits" ], "notes": [ "Application-based for eligible startups. Baseten is GPU inference/training cloud, so credits buy real GPU time (not just API tokens)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Baseten AI Startup Program (\"Baseten for Startups\") — up to $25,000 credits (Dedicated Inference/Training) + up to $2,500 (Model APIs)", "detail": "Per-application grant, not automatic: 'Up to $25,000 in credits for Dedicated Inference or Training' plus 'Up to $2,500 in credits for Model APIs'. Credits are non-cash, applied to Baseten Inference and Training Services under Baseten T&C. Acceptance is at Baseten's sole discretion; the amount awarded is set per applicant. Extras with admission: support starting at response times 'within a few business hours', shared Slack channels and Zoom calls, cross-cloud autoscaling, GTM amplification for launches/raises, invitations to Baseten-hosted networking events. Page fetched live 2026-10-22; terms unchanged since the legal disclaimers' last update (October 7, 2025).", "eligibility": "Early-stage AI-first startups: 'artificial intelligence needs to be core to your primary products or solutions'; funding stage Seed to Series A; started less than 5 years ago; 'VC funded' framing on the page (criteria do not hard-require VC backing — bootstrapped AI startups appear possible but must confirm at application). Net-new customers only: never received any Baseten credits, and the company domain must not have been subscribed to a paid Baseten Service plan within 31 days of applying. Excluded: IPO'd or acquired companies, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies, agencies, crypto mining companies. No .edu requirement (students are not the target), no region limit stated. No credit card required to apply; no equity requested.", "claim": "1) Sign up for a Baseten account (login.baseten.co/sign-up). 2) Apply via baseten.co/startup-program/ → 'Join the program' → baseten.co/talk-to-us/startup-program/. 3) Wait for manual review (third-party trackers report ~2–10 business days; acceptance is discretionary). 4) On acceptance, credits are applied to your account. Do NOT burn any paid plan or use more than the default signup credits before applying — net-new status (no Baseten credits ever) and the 31-day paid-plan rule are the main disqualifiers.", "expiry": "Credits expire 6 months from grant date ('used within 6 months of their grant date and will expire if not consumed after 6 months'); no stated end date or renewal for the program itself.", "gotchas": "'Up to' amounts — award size is per-applicant, not guaranteed maximum. Net-new rule: receiving the default signup credits or a paid trial before applying can disqualify you. 31-day paid-plan rule (legal disclaimer #2, last updated 2025-10-07). Credits cover inference/training compute and Model API usage only; after the 6-month window unused credits vanish. Support SLA is 'business hours', not 24/7. JPMorgan's tracker lists tech support response at max 48h via dashboard UI. Common rejection reasons per trackers: personal email instead of company domain, thin/placeholder website, application data mismatched with Crunchbase/PitchBook.", "source_url": "https://www.baseten.co/startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "New-account signup ('starting') credits — unannounced amount, no application", "detail": "Official pricing FAQ (fetched 2026-10-22): 'Do you offer free credits to get started? Yes, new Baseten accounts come with credits so you can get to know the UI and experiment with deployments for free.' Baseten's billing docs (docs.baseten.co/organization/billing) add: 'New workspaces receive credits for testing and deployment. Baseten applies credits to the current invoice before charging a payment method; you do not need to redeem them.' No exact dollar amount is published by Baseten. Third-party trackers (pricepertoken.com, infrabase.ai, Perkstack, aicredits.dev — per their notes the figure traces to Baseten's changelog announcement of usage-based pricing) report the amount as $30 per new workspace; treat $30 as plausible but unconfirmed (the live balance in a new workspace's billing dashboard is authoritative). One-time, per-workspace grant; not recurring.", "eligibility": "Any new Baseten account/workspace, no application, no funding/age/status requirement. No credit card required to receive the starting credits.", "claim": "Sign up at app.baseten.co (email, Google, or GitHub), verify email, create a workspace. Credits are attached automatically — nothing to redeem. They offset all usage (dedicated GPU time, Model API calls, training) and are deducted before any payment method is charged; balance visible on the billing dashboard. If you don't see them, Baseten's docs say to contact them.", "expiry": "No published expiry for the starting-credits balance; docs say 'Baseten doesn't offer a separate free tier or perpetual free plan' — beyond the starting credits you pay standard per-minute / per-token rates. When credits run out with no payment method on file, Baseten deactivates your models until one is added.", "gotchas": "Exact amount is unannounced by Baseten (the $30 figure is third-party/changelog-sourced — verify in your billing dashboard). This signup credit counts toward 'never received any credits from Baseten before', so it affects Startup Program net-new eligibility — apply for the program before spending/using paid features. No idle-time billing (scale-to-zero supported). Model API rate limits on the Basic plan are defaults, not a free allowance.", "source_url": "https://www.baseten.co/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education / student offer — none exists (negative finding)", "detail": "Baseten has no education license, .edu program, or student credits. Official support KB (support-legacy.baseten.co, article last updated ~1 month before 2026-10-22): 'We don't have a self-serve credits program for individual students or projects, so we can't grant credits from a support request — sorry to be the bearers. What does exist: Startups may qualify for the Baseten Startup Program.' The Startup Program's legal disclaimers explicitly exclude 'educational institutions'. Occasional one-off hackathon sponsorships (e.g., shared endpoints at HackMIT 2024, ad-hoc extra credits on request) are the only student-facing touches; none are standing offers.", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no standing student/education offer. .edu email confers no benefits. Educational institutions are ineligible for the Startup Program.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. If you are a student or academic, your only paths are the generic new-account starting credits, or forming an AI-first early-stage company to apply to the Startup Program.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://support-legacy.baseten.co/articles/7684075988-do-you-offer-credits-for-students-researchers-or-open-source-projects", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Baseten AI Startup Program (\"Baseten for Startups\") — up to $25,000 credits (Dedicated Inference/Training) + up to $2,500 (Model APIs)", "link": "https://www.baseten.co/startup-program/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "better stack free plan", "name": "Better Stack Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://betterstack.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "10 monitors & heartbeats + 1 status page (custom domain), 100K exceptions, 5K session replays, 3 GB logs / 30 GB metrics; free for personal projects" ], "notes": [ "Rebranded from Better Uptime + Logtail. Bundles uptime, status page, incident mgmt, logs, error tracking at $0. Paid Responder $29-34/seat/mo; 30% off for startups." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Better Stack Free Plan (\"Free for personal projects\")", "detail": "$0/month forever tier (verified on official pricing page fetched 2026-10-22, plus pricing.md copy and a PulseSignal change-history snapshot verified 2026-10-20). Exact free allowances: 10 monitors and 10 heartbeats combined; 1 public status page (1,000 status-page subscribers included; custom sub-domain on a betterstack subdomain or your own CNAME sub-domain listed in the feature set); 100,000 exceptions/month for error tracking; 5,000 session replays/month; 3 GB logs/month retained 3 days; 3 GB traces/month retained 3 days; 30 GB metrics; 3 GB web events/month retained 3 days; Slack and e-mail alerts only (no phone/SMS on free); on-call scheduling and basic single-channel Slack/Teams integration listed as included; 3-minute minimum check interval on free (30-second requires a paid Responder). Team member (Telemetry access) roles are $0/month — unlimited dashboard-only viewers free.", "eligibility": "No student-specific or .edu requirement, no region limit: the free plan is open to anyone who signs up (e-mail/Google sign-up at betterstack.com/users/sign-up), but the plan is explicitly labeled \"Free for personal projects\" — signaling personal/non-commercial intent. No credit card is listed as required for the free plan (only the 60-day money-back guarantee, which applies to paid plans).", "claim": "1) Sign up free at betterstack.com/users/sign-up (no CC step advertised). 2) In the dashboard create up to 10 monitors + 10 heartbeats. 3) Create the included status page and attach monitors. 4) Add up to 3 GB/month logs, 30 GB metrics, 100K exceptions, 5K session replays under the free caps.", "expiry": "No expiry — it is a permanent $0/month plan, not a trial. Paid plans carry a 60-day money-back guarantee; that does not apply to or alter the free tier.", "gotchas": "1) Labeled for personal projects — commercial/startup production use may fall outside the stated intent of the free plan (no explicit commercial prohibition published on the pricing page). 2) Alerts on free are Slack + e-mail only; phone-call, SMS and unlimited push require a Responder license ($29/mo annual, $34/mo monthly billed). 3) Free check interval is 3 min vs 30 s paid; 4) log/trace/web-event retention is only 3 days; 5) status-page upgrades are steep (white-label, SSO, IP allowlisting $250/page/mo; custom CSS/JS $15/page/mo; extra page $15/mo). 6) Additional monitors cost $25/mo per 50-pack (monthly) and heartbeats $20/mo per 10-pack — the free plan is not a trial of paid volume.", "source_url": "https://betterstack.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Telemetry team seats (and new \"Free responder access\" entry, added 2026-10-06)", "detail": "On the official pricing page, the \"Team member (Telemetry access)\" role is $0/month with no stated seat cap, so any number of dashboard-only viewers is free. A third-party price tracker (PulseSignal, verified 2026-10-20) records that on 2026-10-06 the plan previously named \"Free\" was renamed \"Free for personal projects\" and a new plan entry \"Free responder access\" ($0) was added — i.e., Better Stack has recently added free responder-tier access for at least some users. I did not see a \"Free responder access\" row in today's pricing fetch, so treat the exact scope (all accounts vs. one free responder per account) as unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "Free for any Better Stack account (team-member roles); the new free-responder entry's qualification rules are not published where I could read them.", "claim": "Invite extra team members as Telemetry-access members ($0 each). Check the plan picker at betterstack.com/pricing for the \"Free responder access\" option and select it when creating a team.", "expiry": "No published expiry on the free roles; the free-responder entry is brand new (2026-10-06) and its terms may still be evolving.", "gotchas": "Telemetry members cannot receive phone/SMS alerts or be on-call; anything on-call-capable is a paid Responder. The 2026-10-06 change means older third-party comparisons describing Better Stack's free offer are one revision stale.", "source_url": "https://getpulsesignal.com/changes/betterstack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup deal via third-party aggregators (\"6 months free Pro\" on SaaSOffers; 25% off annual via Freelance Stack) — NOT a vendor-run startup program", "detail": "betterstack.com/startups returns 404 and the pricing page contains no startup program. SaaSOffers (aggregator, self-labeled 'verified October 2026') advertises a '6 months free Pro' deal for startups (~$300 claimed value, 'accelerator-backed startups' eligibility described with generic template language); Freelance Stack advertises an 'additional 25% off annual plans' Better Stack partner promo for new customers. Neither is a Better Stack-published program with stated eligibility (funding cap, company age, headcount).", "eligibility": "As documented by the aggregators only: SaaSOffers says qualifying/accelerator-backed startups, no referral needed, apply via the aggregator; no .edu or funding-cap criteria published by Better Stack itself. Region: global.", "claim": "SaaSOffers path: create a free SaaSOffers account (no CC) -> open saasoffers.tech/offers/betterstack -> click 'Claim Deal' and follow the activation steps to apply the discount to a new Better Stack paid plan. Freelance Stack path: sign up through their deal link, subscribe to a new account, then request cashback/discount per their instructions.", "expiry": "Third-party deals; no vendor-published end date. '6 months' is the deal value itself, not a program duration; both aggregators note offers change frequently.", "gotchas": "These are affiliate/deal-aggregator offers, not an official Better Stack startup program — eligibility and mechanics are enforced by the aggregator, not the vendor. No funding cap or age cap is documented anywhere on betterstack.com. A paid subscription is required to benefit, so this is a discount/trial-credit path, not a permanent free offer; if you outgrow the free plan, the free tier remains available independently.", "source_url": "https://saasoffers.tech/offers/betterstack", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education/student program: none found (explicit negative)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 there is no Better Stack education license or student offer: betterstack.com/education is 404, the pricing page lists no student/education tier, the official docs FAQ mentions no education discount, and two independent price trackers explicitly mark Better Stack education terms as 'not verified/unknown'. Students can only use the general 'Free for personal projects' plan (finding 1). A nonprofit plan does exist ('We're happy to support non-profit organizations... apply for our non-profit plan' in the official docs FAQ) — adjacent, but not a student/startup offer.", "eligibility": "n/a — no eligibility rules exist because no program exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim for students. A student's only free options: the standard free plan (betterstack.com/users/sign-up) or the third-party aggregator deals (finding 3).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Absence confirmed by negative evidence (404s + trackers saying 'not verified') as of 2026-10-22; Better Stack could introduce an education offer at any time. Do not cite SaaSOffers' '6 months free Pro' as a student offer — its stated audience is startups.", "source_url": "https://betterstack.com/docs/uptime/frequently-asked-questions/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Non-profit plan (out of scope for students/startups, noted for completeness)", "detail": "Better Stack's official docs FAQ states: 'We're happy to support non-profit organizations. Learn more about our non-profit plan and how to apply on this page' (link on the FAQ page not fully retrievable in this pass). No amounts or eligibility details were visible on the page I read.", "eligibility": "Non-profit organizations only; not students or startups.", "claim": "Apply via the link on the official docs FAQ page (betterstack.com/docs/uptime/frequently-asked-questions/) or contact hello@betterstack.com.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Details unconfirmed; treat as a lead to follow up with the vendor directly.", "source_url": "https://betterstack.com/docs/uptime/frequently-asked-questions/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes, none of which sunsetting the free plan: (1) 2026-10-06 — the plan previously named \"Free\" was renamed \"Free for personal projects\" and a new \"Free responder access\" ($0) entry appeared (PulseSignal change history, vendor page verified 2026-10-20). (2) 2026-09-11 — Responder monthly price rose from $29/mo to $34/mo (annual rate stayed $29/mo) per FrontDeskReview's correction log. (3) 2026-08-01 — telemetry pricing was restructured into per-region bundles (US / Europe / Singapore) with old \"Bundle\" plan names removed. (4) 2026-08-25 — a standalone \"Transaction Monitoring\" plan was removed; transaction (Playwright) monitoring moved to per-minute usage pricing, and \"1 responder included in the starting offer\" was added to Responder terms. (5) Macro pivot 2025-2026: after an $18.6M Series A (led by Creandum), Better Stack stopped selling monitor-count tiers (old \"Freelancer/Small Team/Business\" names seen in third-party articles are stale) and now prices per Responder seat plus telemetry bundles — so third-party pages still showing \"$24 Basic / $45 Freelancer\" pricing are outdated. (6) The free-tier telemetry allowances have grown over time: secondary 2026 early-year sources cite 1 GB logs free; the current official page lists 3 GB logs, 3 GB traces, 30 GB metrics — no limits were removed, only expanded. (7) Rebrand context: Better Uptime + Logtail were merged into the \"Better Stack\" platform (2022-2023 press post); pricing survived the merge unchanged. (8) An adjacent non-profit plan exists per the official docs FAQ but no student or formal startup program ever existed on betterstack.com (betterstack.com/education and /startups both 404 as of 2026-10-22)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Better Stack Free Plan (\"Free for personal projects\")", "link": "https://betterstack.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "blender", "name": "Blender", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.blender.org/" ], "offers": [ "Blender 3D suite is 100% free and open source (no license cost, any use)" ], "notes": [ "Seed item; no student-specific program — included because it is universally free" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Blender 3D suite — 100% free, no license, all uses (students, universities, startups included)", "detail": "Blender 5.2.3 LTS (5.3 expected 2026-11-10; also beta, daily/Early Access builds) is free for everyone: GPL (source v2+; binary distributions compatible under v3+), 'Free to Use. Free to Change. Free to Share. Free to Sell Your Work.' No license, registration, account, credit card, or internet required. Output work is the user's sole property. Foundation commitment: 'keep Blender free and open for everyone, forever.' Platforms: Windows x64/ARM, macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux, Steam, source code. Startups and companies get the same free use as students — there is no commercial 'seat' cost at all.", "eligibility": "Universal. No .edu or student email, no proof of status, no region limits, no org size cap. Universities can deploy it on unlimited machines free of charge. This is the entire 'student offer': nothing to discount because there is no license to buy.", "claim": "Download directly from https://www.blender.org/download/ — no signup, no payment, no trial. Daily builds at builder.blender.org. Nothing to claim or renew.", "expiry": "Never — perpetual free access; version updates are also free. Renewal not applicable.", "gotchas": "Free tier vs paid ecosystem: the app is free, but Blender Marketplace add-ons/assets are paid, and Blender Studio (see next finding) is a paid subscription that names students as an audience — do not confuse the free app with paid services. Optional donation via fund.blender.org supports development but is not required.", "source_url": "https://www.blender.org/about/license/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "education.blender.org — free open-licensed education resources for teachers and students", "detail": "Blender Foundation-backed community site offering: 'Education Recipes' (lesson plans/curricula, e.g. 'Modeling & animation for absolute beginners', 'VR Class'), 'Quests' (step-by-step tutorials: Party Monkey, House, Rocket, Maze, Chair, Landscape, etc.), 'Concepts' material, and 'Education Badges' — a tiered 7-discipline skill framework (Modeling, Animation, 2D Art, Sculpting, Rigging, Lighting/Camera/Rendering, Video Sequencer, 3-4 levels each). All content released under CC BY-SA 4.0 (or later); source repo is open at projects.blender.org/blender/blender-education-docs. Site framing: 'unrestricted access to high-quality tools without financial barriers or privacy concerns.'", "eligibility": "Open to all teachers and students; no account, no .edu verification, no fee, no region limit. Educator support via chat channel #blender-education on chat.blender.org.", "claim": "Browse/download directly at education.blender.org; contribution via its 'Get Involved / Contribute' pages. No application.", "expiry": "Perpetual — CC BY-SA license; no sunset date.", "gotchas": "This is curriculum/reference material, not a software license or certification — badges are a self-reference framework, not graded credentials. It complements the free software rather than adding to it.", "source_url": "https://education.blender.org/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Blender Studio (studio.blender.org) — official paid training/production platform; NOT a free offer; no student discount (gotcha)", "detail": "Paid subscription funding the Studio team's films and training. Individual plan: €17/month, or €34.50 per quarter (€11.50/month equivalent, 'Save €5.50/month'). Team plan: from €500/month, unlimited seats on a company email domain, up to '8 hours of dedicated training' on higher tiers. Includes: full production-asset access, Open Movie production logs, unlimited trainings (courses, workshops, docs, production lessons), commenting. Payment: major credit cards, PayPal, direct bank transfer. Fees are non-refundable. cloud.blender.org 301-redirects to studio.blender.org — there is no separate free 'Blender Cloud' rendering service.", "eligibility": "The individual plan is explicitly marketed 'for freelancers, students, and instructors' — but at standard price: no free tier, no trial, no student/education discount, no startup program. Students pay the same €17/month.", "claim": "Join at studio.blender.org/join/ (account via OAuth login required) or /teams/ for the team plan. No free claim path exists.", "expiry": "Subscription cancels per terms; content access ends with the subscription.", "gotchas": "Most likely thing to misread as a student offer because 'students' is in the audience line — it is a paid plan with no concession. The free software itself (finding 1) already covers students at zero cost; Studio adds the Foundation's film production content only. Display bug seen on the studio homepage ('€1150/month') — /join/ page is authoritative: €17/mo.", "source_url": "https://studio.blender.org/join/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Blender 3D suite — 100% free, no license, all uses (students, universities, startups included)", "link": "https://www.blender.org/about/license/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "bookstack", "name": "BookStack", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.bookstackapp.com/" ], "offers": [ "Completely free self-hosted documentation/wiki (MIT), no cloud service and no limits" ], "notes": [ "PHP/Laravel; books-chapters-pages structure; the go-to lightweight self-hosted Confluence alternative." ], "findings": [ { "name": "MIT-licensed BookStack software is free to self-host (no trial, no expiry)", "detail": "Source is MIT licensed and free. Homepage: 'There is no cost to downloading and installing your own instance of BookStack.' FAQ: 'No, we don't provide custom, or enterprise versions of BookStack.' and 'We do not, and we don't intend to' (official managed hosting). 2025 blog: no paid features, no dual licensing, no open core, no in-app up-sells. Requirements per install docs: PHP 8.2 or newer, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or newer, Composer 2.2 or newer, Git, and a PHP-capable web server.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No .edu email, student status, startup age or funding cap, team size or region limit. No card and no sign-up form (per the open-source documentation page).", "claim": "Get the source from the Codeberg repository linked on bookstackapp.com (GitHub is a mirror), or follow https://www.bookstackapp.com/docs/admin/installation/ and pick a manual release-branch install, a community Docker image (LinuxServer.io or solidnerd), or the Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 script. Supply your own server, MySQL or MariaDB database and SMTP mail details.", "expiry": "None. The MIT licence has no term or renewal.", "gotchas": "Your server, backups, SMTP and upgrades are the real cost; the homepage's '£2.50 IONOS VPS' is an example, not a fee. 'BookStack does not currently support shared PHP hosting.' The Ubuntu 26.04 script is for a fresh OS only and could overwrite an existing web setup. You apply security releases yourself; 2026 releases include v26.05.1 to v26.05.5 and v26.09.2 (21 Oct 2026). Not a student or startup programme: the licence is the whole offer.", "source_url": "https://www.bookstackapp.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "BookStack community support is free with no response guarantee", "detail": "Free channels: community discussions, Codeberg issues and Reddit, plus free documentation and YouTube guidance. Support page: 'No assurance of response, support or resolution.' Paid plans are separate and carry no discount: Professional £450/year (email or help-desk support, install and update help, priority triage) and Enterprise £4,500/year (includes Professional, up to 10 video-support hours a year), both provided by HTTP Functions Ltd. The support page lists no education, student, startup, nonprofit or trial terms.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No account, card, .edu email, startup or region condition is stated for community channels.", "claim": "Search the docs at https://www.bookstackapp.com/docs, then post in the community discussions or on Reddit, or open a bug or request on Codeberg (https://codeberg.org/bookstack/bookstack/issues). Do not email for general help: the contact page lists only security reports and donation or sponsorship questions not answered on the donate page as email topics.", "expiry": "None; nothing to renew.", "gotchas": "No response, support or fix is promised. Discord was deprecated in 2026 and a new Zulip-based community site was set up (14 Jul 2026 post), so older guides that point to Discord are stale. The only route with a response commitment is the paid Professional plan, and it is not free. Current support pricing says VAT is 'not included in current pricing although may be chargeable in future'.", "source_url": "https://www.bookstackapp.com/support/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "BookStack public demo instance (free trial of the software, not hosting)", "detail": "Official 'test drive' at demo.bookstackapp.com, linked from the homepage, using the demo admin login published there. The demo database and image storage reset automatically every 30 minutes. Restricted in the demo: user deletion, user updates and setting updates.", "eligibility": "Anyone who opens the demo. No sign-up, card, .edu, startup or region condition is stated.", "claim": "Open the 'Open demo site' link on https://www.bookstackapp.com/ and sign in with the demo admin login shown there.", "expiry": "Data resets every 30 minutes; no trial length applies.", "gotchas": "A sandbox only. Anything entered can be wiped within 30 minutes. It is not a hosting trial and does not give you an instance you keep.", "source_url": "https://www.bookstackapp.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Third-party Stellar Hosted: 14-day free trial, no card needed to start", "detail": "Not a BookStack project offer. Vendor page: 'We offer a 14 day free trial and 100% money back guarantee.' FAQ: 'You can sign up and use BookStack for 14 days without entering your payment details.' Standard and Premium show 'Start free trial'. List prices (EUR, monthly, ex VAT): Standard €49, Premium €99, Custom from €199; add-ons €25 to €499. Annual billing: 'Get 2 months for free, 17% discount on a yearly plan!' (17% applies when paid upfront). Hosted in Amsterdam (EU).", "eligibility": "No conditions listed: no .edu, student, startup, company-size or region rule for the trial. No card is needed to start.", "claim": "On https://www.stellarhosted.com/bookstack/, click 'Start free trial' on Standard or Premium, sign up without payment details, and use the 14-day instance.", "expiry": "14 days. At the end you must pick a plan and enter payment details to keep the instance and data. The page does not say what happens if you do not subscribe.", "gotchas": "Stellar Hosted is a bronze sponsor on bookstackapp.com, but the homepage says listed services are 'not tested, vetted nor supported by the official BookStack project in any manner', so this is not a BookStack-endorsed offer. The money-back guarantee has no stated conditions or time window. Add-ons and enterprise terms cost extra.", "source_url": "https://www.stellarhosted.com/bookstack/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Third-party Elestio: $20 free trial credit with 3-day validity", "detail": "Not a BookStack project offer. Elestio pricing page: 'Our free trial gives you $20 in credits to use with a 3-day validity,' usable for BookStack or any other app in its catalogue. Credits bill hourly against the chosen VM. The first support level is free with each instance. The currency is not named (shown only as '$').", "eligibility": "Not stated: the page gives no new-account, region, student, startup or card requirement for the trial.", "claim": "Create an Elestio account and deploy BookStack from its catalogue, drawing on the trial credit. The page does not describe the sign-up steps.", "expiry": "3-day validity (start point not stated). The same page also says 'The credits never expire', which conflicts.", "gotchas": "Contradictory terms on the page. If auto-recharge is disabled and credits run out, the BookStack instance and other resources are stopped; Elestio says it emails before that. Confirm the trial terms with Elestio before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://elest.io/open-source/bookstack/resources/plans-and-pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Third-party fresh.dev: £8 credit for new accounts (BookStack from £5/mo)", "detail": "Not a BookStack project offer; the page says fresh.dev is not affiliated with the BookStack project. New accounts get £8 of credit and 'nothing is charged up front'. BookStack app from £5/month, billed by the second (App Small: 1 vCPU, 1 GiB memory, 15 GiB storage). HTTPS on a free your-name.apps.fresh.dev address; own domains supported. The page shows BookStack 26.09.1.", "eligibility": "New accounts (per the credit wording). No student, .edu, startup or region condition is stated. A saved card is needed to launch (see gotchas).", "claim": "Create a fresh.dev account, open Apps, Launch, choose BookStack, name it and pick a size. Save a card with Stripe when prompted; the £8 credit applies to the new account.", "expiry": "Not stated for the £8 credit.", "gotchas": "A card must be saved with Stripe to launch, although nothing is charged up front. Search snapshot says '£5/mo, billed by the second. Excludes VAT' while today's fetch says 'Includes VAT'; check before quoting. No automatic backups yet ('keep your own copy with BookStack's export or backup tools'); deleting an app deletes its data. Outbound port 25 is blocked (use SMTP on port 587). The page shows 26.09.1, one patch behind the 21 Oct 2026 security release v26.09.2.", "source_url": "https://fresh.dev/apps/bookstack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Third-party AWS Marketplace listing (DevSecOps, Inc.): 14-day free trial, then usage billing", "detail": "Not a BookStack project offer; sold by DevSecOps, Inc. Listing: 'Try this product free for 14 days according to the free trial terms set by the vendor.' After the trial, usage billing applies: $0.01/hour listed for each of seven instance types, plus 'Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply' (the listing describes EFS and RDS). Listing version: v1.0 (BookStack v24.05.4).", "eligibility": "Vendor trial terms. The listing states no .edu, student, startup, region or card conditions.", "claim": "Use 'Try for free' on the AWS Marketplace listing (an AWS account is needed), then deploy the CloudFormation template into your own AWS account ('Deployed on AWS').", "expiry": "14 days. The trial converts to a paid subscription when it ends unless cancelled before that. 'We do not currently support refunds, but you can try it for free and cancel at any time.'", "gotchas": "The vendor EULA (wiki.devsecopsinc.io) says 'Redistribution, modification, or reverse engineering is strictly prohibited' and grants only a licence to the software; this conflicts with BookStack's MIT licence for the same code. The listing's version (v24.05.4) is well behind the 26.x line. The listing does not say whether AWS infrastructure is free during the trial.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-usp3j2un3twza", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No BookStack-issued student, education, startup, nonprofit or trial-credit programme exists in the sources checked: homepage (with demo section), support page, project FAQ, donate page, contact page, and the 2024-2026 blog posts. Nothing was sunset in 2025-2026 because none existed in those sources. None of the seven findings has a student, education, startup or nonprofit condition, a .edu requirement, a startup age or funding cap, or a region limit. Findings 4-7 are third-party vendor offers, not BookStack's, and can change without notice.Changes in 2025-2026: the 2 Jan 2026 review says paid offerings saw 'little outward promotion or change/development'. The 14 Jul 2026 review reports average support revenue up 47%, the move from GitHub to Codeberg, a new Zulip-based community site, and Discord deprecated. Support prices (£450/yr, £4,500/yr) match the 12 Jul 2024 post, so no price change is visible. The support page now says VAT 'is not included in current pricing although may be chargeable in future' (a caveat, not yet a change). 2026 security releases include v26.05.1 to v26.05.5 and v26.09.2 (21 Oct 2026).Excluded as not verified or not BookStack-specific: Hostinger VPS page (generic 'free domain for 1 year' and limited-time deals); Node.uk managed hosting (from £25/mo, no trial found); other sponsor-linked hosts (Cloudabove, NETWAYS, BookHost, Practicali and others), not checked for offers and not vetted by the project; aggregator pages (costbench.com discounts page, inferse.com, apis.io, startupik.com), whose education, startup and nonprofit sections are generic templates (costbench says 'We don't have BookStack-specific education terms verified yet'), so they were not used as sources.Gaps: the HTTP Functions Ltd paid-support terms PDF (https://www.httpfunctions.com/docs/bookstack-support-terms.pdf) could not be read. WebFetch returned compressed bytes, and the Read tool needs poppler, which is not installed. Paid-support contract terms, renewal, and any trial or discount in them are therefore unverified. The AWS listing and the 2025-2026 blog posts were read from search excerpts, not full fetches, and the blog index fetch failed." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "MIT-licensed BookStack software is free to self-host (no trial, no expiry)", "link": "https://www.bookstackapp.com/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "brevo", "name": "Brevo", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.brevo.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: 300 emails/day + up to 100,000 contacts, no card, no time limit" ], "notes": [ "Formerly Sendinblue. Verified 2025-10 against brevo.com. SMS/WhatsApp/push & multi-channel add-ons; 'Sent with Brevo' footer on free; paid Starter from ~$9/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Brevo Free plan (free forever): 300 emails/day + up to 100,000 contacts, no credit card, no time limit", "detail": "Confirmed as of 2026-10-22 from the official help-center article 'About Brevo's pricing plans' (id 208589409, fetched today via API) and the pricing page FAQ. Limits: 300 email sends/day (reset daily; unused sends do NOT roll over); up to 100,000 stored contacts; 1 marketing seat / 1 user; marketing automation limited to 2,000 unique contacts entering active automations; 50 open deals, 1 pipeline, 1 connected calendar/inbox, 1 deal currency (free sales features); basic reporting only; 'Sent with Brevo' sticker cannot be removed; 2 languages; email support; outbound webhooks; Aura AI assistant. Included API/transactional surface: transactional emails and SMS are part of the Free plan (same 300/day cap; once the daily cap is hit, up to 1,000 extra transactional emails wait in a retry queue, then dropped; campaigns to >300 recipients deliver 300/day and require manual Requeue). SMS campaigns exist on Free but SMS messages are a paid add-on (credits sold separately; prepaid SMS/WhatsApp credits 'never expire'). Web/mobile push notifications, landing pages, A/B testing, popups, WhatsApp, dedicated IPs, sales workflows, Instagram DM/Facebook Messenger, and phone support are NOT in the Free plan (official FAQ lists them as excluded).", "eligibility": "Anyone worldwide — individuals, solopreneurs, students, startups. No .edu email, no company-age or funding requirement, no region limit. Credit card NOT required (pricing page FAQ: 'No. We only need your email address to sign up'). Must pass account verification and sender (DKIM/domain) approval before the 300/day sending limit unlocks.", "claim": "1) Sign up at brevo.com (email only, no card) — you land on the Free plan automatically. 2) Verify your account and authenticate a sending domain (SPF/DKIM). 3) Import up to 100,000 contacts; send up to 300 emails/day (marketing or transactional). 4) Use SMTP/REST APIs on the same account for transactional email; SMS requires purchasing message credits.", "expiry": "No expiry — 'completely free forever... no time limit' (official). CAVEAT: Free plan accounts with no use for 4 months are automatically DELETED (official help-center article 'About the deletion of inactive Free plan accounts'), with 4 email reminders at 30/15/7/1 day before; data is unrecoverable. Any automated activity (automations or transactional sends) counts as 'active' and prevents deletion. Paid-plan accounts are exempt.", "gotchas": "The 'trial' of Brevo IS the free plan — Brevo explicitly answers 'Can I try Brevo before purchasing a plan?' by pointing to the automatic Free plan (no time-boxed trial exists for paid plans). Branding sticker always on. Campaigns >300 recipients take multiple days to reach everyone. Daily cap blocks same-day rescheduling. 'Sent with Brevo' + basic stats only. 4-month inactivity deletion of free accounts (GDPR) — export data first. SMS/WhatsApp/WhatsApp-verified numbers cost real money; the free plan includes the channel only, not the messages.", "source_url": "https://www.brevo.com/pricing/;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/208589409-About-Brevo-s-pricing-plans;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/208580669-FAQs-What-are-the-limits-of-the-Free-plan;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/4410311028626-About-the-deletion-of-inactive-Free-plan-accounts", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PRO Trial of the Professional plan — sales-gated free trial (no published duration)", "detail": "Official landing page /enterprise/pro-trial-user/ (fetched today): 'Unlock your PRO Trial with Sales — Talk directly with a Brevo Sales expert to explore our Pro deal and unlock a free trial.' It targets the Professional plan (from $499/month, 150,000–10M monthly emails, up to 2M contacts, 10 marketing seats, WhatsApp/mobile push, AI segmentation, SAML SSO add-on, 1 CSM meeting/year on yearly plans, 3 h/yr deliverability strategist). No public figures for trial length, included credits, or whether a card is collected — terms are set individually by sales. Not a self-serve offer and not aimed at students; aimed at mid-market/enterprise deals.", "eligibility": "Businesses pursuing a Professional/Enterprise deal; requires submitting the form (work email, country, phone) and accepting contact from Brevo Sales. No published funding/age/region criteria. Not suitable for students seeking free credits.", "claim": "1) Fill the form at brevo.com/enterprise/pro-trial-user/ (email + country + phone). 2) Brevo Sales contacts you, schedules a demo/Pro deal discussion. 3) Sales 'unlocks' a free Professional-plan trial with individually agreed terms.", "expiry": "Not public. Trial terms (duration, features, billing after) are negotiated per deal; the page publishes no date or limit.", "gotchas": "Sales-gated: no self-serve 'try Pro for 14 days' button exists on the pricing page; there is no general time-boxed free trial of paid plans anywhere on the site or help center (702 help articles scanned, 0 mention trials). If you want to evaluate paid features without sales, the realistic route is upgrading to Starter ($9) which carries no free-trial cushion.", "source_url": "https://www.brevo.com/enterprise/pro-trial-user/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Brevo Startups & VCs Partner program (partner-facing discounts, not free credits)", "detail": "Official page /partners/startups/ (fetched today; /startups/ redirects here): 'Join the Startups and VCs program' — startup companies and VC funds become Brevo partners and 'offer exclusive discounts and advanced marketing & CRM tips to your members': 'industry leading solutions at startup-friendly prices', access to 150+ integrations, and dedicated support. No discount percentages, free-credit amounts, funding caps, company-age rules, or region limits are published on the page; it is a partner/referral relationship, not a free tier for startups themselves. There is no public 'free for startups' credit program (historically Brevo/SENDINBLUE has not run one).", "eligibility": "Startup companies or VC/fund organizations applying as partners (no published criteria). End beneficiaries are the partner's members/porfolio companies, who receive 'exclusive discounts' at negotiated terms. No .edu or funding-cap requirement stated.", "claim": "1) Apply via the form on brevo.com/partners/startups/ ('Become a Startup & VC Partner'). 2) Once accepted as a partner, promote/deliver Brevo to members with the program's discounted pricing and dedicated support.", "expiry": "No public deadline. Ongoing partner program; discount terms are set per partner agreement.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with a free offer: no dollar amounts or free-credit quotas are published, so the 'startup program' provides discounts (undisclosed %), not free usage. If a specific startup wants free credits, only the standard Free plan (finding 1) qualifies. The page /startups/ now 301s to /partners/startups/, so older 'Brevo for Startups' marketing pages are gone.", "source_url": "https://www.brevo.com/partners/startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student / education license: none found", "detail": "No Brevo education license, student discount, or .edu program was found as of 2026-10-22: scanned all 702 English help-center article titles (0 matching education/student/university/school), the full English marketing sitemap (1,819 URLs; the only education URL is a customer case-study index, /success_stories_industry/education/, not an offer), and the plan/pricing pages (no edu gating or student tier). The universal Free plan is the only route for students; it requires no verification of affiliation (a normal email address suffices).", "eligibility": "n/a — no education-specific offer exists. Students get the standard Free plan with the same terms as any individual (no .edu requirement because there is nothing edu-gated).", "claim": "Nothing to claim separately: a student signs up for the Free plan at brevo.com with any email address (no card, no affiliation proof) and gets 300 emails/day + 100,000 contacts (see finding 1).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Negative finding, verified against Brevo's own site/help center today, but NOT verified against third-party aggregators (e.g., university resource lists), since web search was unavailable at run time. Brevo has historically never announced a student/edu program, so absence is expected, not anomalous. The 4-month inactivity deletion rule applies to student accounts too — a semester-long unused class account can be purged.", "source_url": "https://www.brevo.com/pricing/;https://www.brevo.com/sitemap_en.xml(noeducationoffer);https://www.brevo.com/success_stories_industry/education/(casestudiesonly)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Brevo Free plan (free forever): 300 emails/day + up to 100,000 contacts, no credit card, no time limit", "link": "https://www.brevo.com/pricing/;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/208589409-About-Brevo-s-pricing-plans;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/208580669-FAQs-What-are-the-limits-of-the-Free-plan;https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/4410311028626-About-the-deletion-of-inactive-Free-plan-accounts", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "caddy", "name": "Caddy", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://caddyserver.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free, open-source web server (Apache-2.0) with automatic HTTPS built in; no paid plans at all" ], "notes": [ "Community project; no commercial offering or cloud service to attach a free tier to — the product itself is the free offer." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Open-source Caddy server: free, no paywalled features", "detail": "Caddy server (binary and source) is licensed under Apache-2.0 and has no paid edition, no license keys and no feature tiers. Official wording: caddyserver.com says 'Caddy is free software and relies on sponsorships to survive' and 'It's all free. No enterprise-level paywalls.' The /sponsor page says 'Caddy has no paywalled features', and its FAQ says sponsorship leaves 'Your license to the software remains the same regardless of sponsorship status.' The repo LICENSE file (read 2026-10-22, https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/blob/master/LICENSE) is the plain Apache License Version 2.0 with no EULA, no commercial-use restriction and no sponsor-header requirement. Included in the free build per the README and home page: automatic HTTPS (ZeroSSL and Let's Encrypt for public names; a managed local CA for internal names and IPs), reverse proxy with load balancing and health checks, HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 on by default, Caddyfile plus JSON config API, and On-Demand TLS. Price: $0. No instance, domain, bandwidth or seat caps are stated; the sponsor page says sponsorship does not restrict 'functionality or instances'.", "eligibility": "None. Open to everyone, including students, startups, individuals, nonprofits and commercial companies, in any region. No .edu email, startup age or funding cap, credit card or region limit is stated on the official site or in the repo.", "claim": "Download the binary for your OS from GitHub Releases (https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/releases) or from the official download page (https://caddyserver.com/download, which lets you pick plugins). Alternatively build from source with Go 1.26 or newer. No payment, sponsor login or account step is stated for the download. Put the executable on PATH and run it with a Caddyfile. On Linux, binding ports 80 and 443 needs root or setcap cap_net_bind_service (per README).", "expiry": "None. The Apache-2.0 grant has no term or renewal date.", "gotchas": "Self-hosted only: no managed or hosted Caddy service appears on the official pages, so you pay for your own server, bandwidth and DNS, and you patch and monitor it yourself. The sponsor page itself says open source grants 'freedom but not assurances of help'. Third-party modules (for example a DNS provider needed for wildcard certificates) are compiled into the binary, so each plugin means a custom build that must be rebuilt for every Caddy upgrade. 'Caddy' is a registered trademark of ZeroSSL GmbH (download page footer), so forks must use another name. Automatic certificates come from Let's Encrypt and ZeroSSL, third-party CAs with their own terms and rate limits (not checked here). No usage metering or trial limits are stated.", "source_url": "https://caddyserver.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free community support forum (volunteer help)", "detail": "caddyserver.com/support says: 'Participate as volunteers in our forum to exchange free help in our open source community.' The forum is at caddy.community. The site also links free self-help: the troubleshooting and FAQ pages in the docs, and a community wiki (caddy.community/c/wiki/13). This is the only free support channel on the official support page. Email support, and chat or phone/video support at higher tiers, go to paid sponsors ('through most sponsorship tiers').", "eligibility": "Anyone. No eligibility, student, startup or region rules are published.", "claim": "Search the docs (caddyserver.com/docs/troubleshooting and /docs/faq), the community wiki and the forum first. If there is no answer, post a new topic at caddy.community with your Caddy version, Caddyfile and logs.", "expiry": "None stated.", "gotchas": "Volunteer-run: no response-time commitment and no SLA. A Jan 2023 Caddy forum post by Matt Holt calls community help 'basically charity'. His Oct 15, 2025 post says he no longer personally sees every issue, comment and PR, and a maintainer team now shares triage. Guaranteed response windows exist only in paid tiers (per third-party copies of the official tier list: Enterprise 2 business days, Enterprise+ 1 business day).", "source_url": "https://caddyserver.com/support", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No free student, education, academic, nonprofit, startup, trial or credit offer exists for Caddy as of 2026-10-22. The two findings above are the always-free open-source core and the volunteer forum; neither is targeted at students or startups. Checked today: caddyserver.com (home), /sponsor (with FAQ), /support, /download, the repo LICENSE, and the requested /pricing, /education and /startups pages. /pricing, /education and /startups all return HTTP 404. Pricing content now lives at /sponsor, but third-party pricing pages still cite /pricing.Paid startup offers (not free): Startup at $99/mo includes an onboarding call, occasional email support and no professional-services discount. Startup Pro at $249/mo adds a 10% professional-services discount, triage priority and optional publicity, plus the onboarding call. Official copy calls them 'perfect for bootstrapped startups' and 'bootstrapped, early-stage startups'. No age, funding or revenue cap is published. Startup-tier sponsorships already existed by Feb 2025 (Matt Holt forum post, 2025-02-05).Full official sponsorship ladder (read 2026-10-22): Indie $25/mo; Indie Pro $50/mo; Startup $99/mo; Startup Pro $249/mo; Business $999/mo (20% professional-services discount with a 6-month commitment); Business+ $2,999/mo (35% with a 6-month commitment); Enterprise $5,900/mo (limited stock); Enterprise+ $11,900/mo (limited availability). Billing is monthly. Subscriptions are managed through GitHub Sponsors, which requires a GitHub login. The FAQ says higher tiers can also pay by invoice, ACH, wire or check (which tiers is not stated). The FAQ does not state whether a credit card is required. Sponsorships are fulfilled by Dyanim, LLC (run by Matt Holt) and do not change the software license.Retired licensing (sunset): the 2017 commercial EULA made official binaries free for personal, academic and non-profit use, required paid per-instance commercial licenses for business use, and added a Caddy-Sponsors response header. The Oct 2019 proposal (caddyserver/caddy issue 2786) proposed dropping commercial binary licensing, startup packages, build-server subscriptions and private plugin hosting, and keeping Apache-2.0 for all binaries. A Sept 2020 forum post confirmed licensing unchanged. Today no EULA appears on the download page or in the repo LICENSE. The exact date the EULA lapsed was not verified. No academic or nonprofit free license exists now.2025-2026 changes: (a) Oct 15, 2025: Matt Holt said he would no longer personally see every comment, issue and PR, and a maintainer team was granted tag and release rights. PR 7341 (merged Nov 14, 2025) requires 2 maintainer approvals and signed tags for each release. This affects support expectations, not pricing. (b) Jan 29, 2026: Railway became a Caddy sponsor. Railway's promotions on the Caddy site are Railway's own offers, not Caddy's. (c) Feb 2026: ZeroSSL, the executive sponsor that owns the Caddy trademark, was acquired by HID Global (ASSA ABLOY), per Matt Holt's Feb 5, 2026 forum post. (d) Price snapshots disagree: an older search-index copy of the GitHub Sponsors page showed Business at $2,999 and Business+ at $5,900. The official site and today's GitHub Sponsors page show Business $999, Business+ $2,999, Enterprise $5,900 and Enterprise+ $11,900. The change date is unverified; the official site governs. (e) Aug 11, 2025: a forum announcement says Caddy took part in the GitHub Secure Open Source Program 2025. That is a project-level program, not a student or startup offer; details were not fetched.Not offers, or wrong: the hosted demo at caddydemo subdomains is 'intentionally restricted' and is not a trial. Sponsor logos on the home page (Railway, Tailscale, Stripe and others) are third-party promotions. Some third-party pages are wrong: Doolpa says sponsorships start at $5/mo (official lowest tier is $25/mo), and RottenWiFi lists 'Open source: No' (the repo is Apache-2.0). Pages also disagree on 'Free plan' (Yes or No) because the free software is not sold as a plan. A Japanese-language mirror of the sponsor page (caddy.dokyumento.jp) was not used as an official source.Dependencies: Caddy's automatic certificates for public names come from Let's Encrypt and ZeroSSL (per README). Their free-tier terms and rate limits were not checked here." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Open-source Caddy server: free, no paywalled features", "link": "https://caddyserver.com/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "cal com", "name": "Cal.com", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://cal.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted (AGPLv3); Cloud Free individual plan: unlimited event types, calendars and bookings; Platform Starter (API for builders) free up to 25 bookings/mo, $0.99 overage" ], "notes": [ "Teams $12/user/mo annual, 14-day trial; free plan includes Stripe/PayPal payments and two-way Salesforce/HubSpot sync; rebranded from Calendso in 2022." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan ('Free forever')", "detail": "Official pricing page lists a Free plan at price 'free' ('Free forever') for a single user, with the line 'Start scheduling for free, with no usage limits.' The page states no cap on event types or calendars and no booking cap; API access is not listed for this plan. No student, education or startup discount is attached to it.", "eligibility": "Any individual. The pricing page states no .edu email requirement, startup age or funding cap, or region limit. Single user only.", "claim": "1) Open https://cal.com/pricing/. 2) Choose the Free plan. 3) Sign up for an account. The page describes no code, application or verification step.", "expiry": "None stated; the page describes the plan as 'Free forever' (read 2026-10-22).", "gotchas": "Single user only; team scheduling needs the Teams plan at $12 per user per month on yearly billing (see next finding). Credit card requirement is not stated on the page; confirm at signup. The page states no booking cap, which is not a guarantee of unlimited bookings. API access is not listed, so Platform/API use is not covered by this plan.", "source_url": "https://cal.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial on Teams and Organizations", "detail": "Official pricing page states a '14 day free trial' for Teams and Organizations. Teams: $12 per user per month on yearly billing (page says 25% savings). Organizations: $28 per user per month on yearly billing (25% savings). Enterprise is custom via sales. No trial credits or discount codes are mentioned.", "eligibility": "Not stated on the pricing page. No .edu, startup or region rule is mentioned for the trial.", "claim": "1) Open https://cal.com/pricing/. 2) Choose Teams or Organizations. 3) Start the 14-day free trial from the signup flow. The page describes no code or application step.", "expiry": "Trial lasts 14 days from start, then bills at the plan rate.", "gotchas": "Time-limited, not free forever: it converts to paid billing after 14 days. Quoted rates are per user on yearly billing; the page implies a higher monthly rate, but the exact monthly price was not captured. Credit card requirement and cancellation terms for the trial are not stated on the page; verify at signup. Enterprise pricing is sales-only.", "source_url": "https://cal.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-hosted Cal.com under MIT (free software, self-hosted)", "detail": "The LICENSE file in the calcom/cal.diy repository reads 'MIT License' with 'Copyright (c) 2020-present Cal.com, Inc.' and has no second license notice for enterprise or ee code. The GitHub page served at calcom/cal.com describes Cal.diy as 'fully open source, licensed under the MIT License' with 'no commercial/enterprise code'.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No student, startup, region or company-size gate was found. The user pays for their own hosting and operations.", "claim": "1) Get the source from the calcom/cal.diy repository on GitHub. 2) Deploy it on your own infrastructure. 3) Keep the MIT copyright notice when redistributing.", "expiry": "No time limit; the MIT license has no expiry.", "gotchas": "Conflicts with the brief's 'AGPLv3' note: the current official LICENSE is MIT, so the brief appears outdated. The date of the change could not be established. Self-hosting costs (servers, database, email/SMS, maintenance) are the user's. The repo states it has no commercial/enterprise code; which paid-tier features are absent from it was not checked.", "source_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/calcom/cal.diy/main/LICENSE", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan ('Free forever')", "link": "https://cal.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "camber", "name": "Camber", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://education.github.com/pack" ], "offers": [ "Free student plan: 5 GPU hours/month + 40 CPU hours + 50GB storage, claimed through the GitHub Student Developer Pack" ], "notes": [ "The pack also bundles $100 Azure credit for students 18+. Camber's offer is recurring (monthly GPU hours), useful for small LLM experiments; verify exact amounts in the current pack listing — DigitalOcean/Paperspace offers that used to be in the pack no longer appear on the page as of Sep 2026." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Camber Student plan via GitHub Student Developer Pack (monthly free compute)", "detail": "Free Camber Student plan while enrolled: 40 CPU hours/month, 5 GPU hours/month, 50 GB storage, 50 agent messages/month. Runs on Camber's agentic AI data-science platform (connect Postgres/Trino/S3, build agents, run from Cursor or Claude Code via Camber MCP server). Verified verbatim on the official pack page today ([education.github.com/pack](https://education.github.com/pack)) and in the [SDP changelog](https://github.com/github-education-resources/Student-Developer-Pack-Current-Partners-FAQ/blob/main/SDP-changelog.md) entry of 2026-08-20. Claim: (1) verify in GitHub Education (school-issued email and/or dated proof of enrollment, 13+, enrolled in a degree/diploma program); (2) open [Camber's student pack page](https://www.cambercloud.com/github-student-pack); (3) click 'Sign-up with GitHub' (→ app.cambercloud.com/login/github) using the GitHub account that holds the verified pack; (4) confirm the Student plan quotas in the dashboard. Camber's own page repeats the offer but not the numbers — the numbers come from GitHub's pack page.", "eligibility": "Students with an active, verified GitHub Student Developer Pack (school .edu email or official dated enrollment proof; GitHub age 13+). Global; no region limit stated. No credit card required to claim (third-party trackers confirm '$0 / none required'; free while enrolled).", "claim": "Verify GitHub Student Developer Pack → visit cambercloud.com/github-student-pack → 'Sign-up with GitHub' with the verified account → Student plan activates with the monthly quotas.", "expiry": "Free only 'while you're enrolled'; lapses when GitHub Student status ends (GitHub re-verifies at enrollment boundaries; benefits drop off afterward and paying for the platform is optional). Monthly quotas reset each month.", "gotchas": "No GPU on the public free tier — the 5 GPU hours are exclusive to the pack student plan. Quotas were reduced in the 2026-08-20 update (older third-party listings cite up to 200 CPU hours — those no longer apply). 50 agent messages/month is a hard cap on the Nova AI agent. The plan is genuinely free (not a trial) for the whole enrollment period, no card on file.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Camber public Free plan ($0, no credit card)", "detail": "Public 'Free' plan at $0: 25 GB storage, community Slack support, AI and CPU usage included, NO GPU access. 'No credit card required.' Claim: 'Get started for free' / 'Try it Free' → app.cambercloud.com/login — open to anyone (not limited to students or startups). Read from the official [Camber pricing page](https://www.cambercloud.com/pricing) today.", "eligibility": "Everyone, no enrollment or startup status required. Global. No credit card.", "claim": "Sign up at app.cambercloud.com/login via the Free 'Get started' button.", "expiry": "Ongoing free tier; no expiry stated.", "gotchas": "No GPU at all on this tier — if the goal is free GPU hours, only the student pack offer qualifies. 25 GB storage cap; GPU and heavy AI usage require a paid plan.", "source_url": "https://www.cambercloud.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Camber Pro / Teams 14-day free trials", "detail": "Pro ($20/mo monthly; $18/mo annual billed $216/yr, 10% off) and Teams ($50/seat/mo; $45/seat/mo annual billed $540/seat) each come with a 14-day free trial. Trial requires a credit card, which 'will be billed at end of 14-day trial'. Pro/Teams include up to 4× L4 GPUs (Teams adds 200 GB storage, up to 4× L4s, 'generous' AI/CPU/GPU, 24h support). Enterprise is custom-priced (BYOC, BYOK, SSO; contact info@cambercloud.com).", "eligibility": "Anyone; card required; trial is time-boxed, not free forever. No student/startup-restricted trial found.", "claim": "'Start your 14-day free trial' → app.cambercloud.com/login (from the pricing page).", "expiry": "14 days from trial start; card auto-billed at trial end unless cancelled.", "gotchas": "This is trial-vs-free: credit card mandatory and you will be charged at day 14 unless you cancel. L4 GPUs, not H100-class — budget for small inference/finetuning workloads.", "source_url": "https://www.cambercloud.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program / education license (separate from SDP)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 no Camber startup program, startup credits, or standalone education license exists — the only student pathway is the GitHub Student Developer Pack offer above; there is no funding-cap or company-age criterion because there is no such program. (WebSearch budget for this session was exhausted before I could do a dedicated 2025-2026 startup-program search, so a brand-new 'Camber for Startups' launched in the last days cannot be fully ruled out; official pricing page, student-pack page and docs site show none today.)", "eligibility": "n/a — none found.", "claim": "n/a.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "If Camber launches a startup program later it will likely be via Contact Sales (info@cambercloud.com).", "source_url": "https://www.cambercloud.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Camber Student plan via GitHub Student Developer Pack (monthly free compute)", "link": "https://education.github.com/pack", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "canva pro for students", "name": "Canva Pro for Students", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.canva.com/education/students/" ], "offers": [ "~50% off Canva Pro first year for verified students (~$49.99/yr vs $99.99) via .edu or national student verification" ], "notes": [ "Renews at full price; exact first-year price varies by region — verify current offer" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Canva Free (free tier, open to all students)", "detail": "Official US pricing snapshot 2026-10-22: US$0/year. Includes drag-and-drop editor with 1,000+ design types, 1.6M+ templates, 4.7M+ photos/videos/graphics/audio, 1 Brand Kit (3 colors), 5GB cloud storage, ad insights/AI ad creation, access to Affinity, and a shared AI allowance of up to 200 Standard AI uses or 20 Premium AI uses (new 'AI Pass' era layout; older layout shows 'Limited AI access'). Higher-ed students whose school lacks Canva for Campus land on exactly this tier. Prices vary by country; today's page renders localized currency.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone — no student verification, no .edu email, no credit card, no region limit. Sign up at canva.com with email/Google/Apple/Facebook/Microsoft.", "claim": "1) Go to canva.com or canva.com/education/students -> 'Sign up for free'. 2) Create an account. 3) Use the Free tier; optionally log in with your university email in case your institution has Canva for Campus (upgrades you to premium automatically).", "expiry": "Indefinite free tier; no renewal. Content persists; premium assets/templates become locked/watermarked if a paid or campus license is lost.", "gotchas": "Free tier excludes the 141M+ premium asset library, 3.6M premium templates, background remover, social scheduler, and paid-tier AI allowance. A 'free' university sign-in only gets Pro features if the institution actually bought Campus. AI allowance on Free is ~200 Standard / 20 Premium uses per month.", "source_url": "https://www.canva.com/education/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Canva Education (K-12 license): 100% free Pro features", "detail": "Official: 'Canva Education will remain 100% free for K-12 educators, their students, as well as qualified school districts and institutions' — no paywalls, available worldwide, not restricted to any country. Includes most premium features (100M+ premium photos/videos/graphics/fonts, Brand Kits, background remover, Magic tools), plus educator features: LMS integrations (Canvas, Google Classroom, Schoology, Blackboard, D2L, Moodle, MS Teams), SSO/Clever/ClassLink, enterprise-grade security, class management. Free delivery on print orders. Canva states it never uses student data to train AI models.", "eligibility": "K-12 (primary/secondary) only: certified active K-12 teachers, school librarians, learning-support staff, curriculum specialists, tech/vocational K-12 teachers, and government-recognized accredited K-12 schools/districts/education departments — and the students they enroll. Explicitly EXCLUDED: colleges/universities, college/university students, tutors, public librarians, unlicensed homeschoolers, parents, early-stage educational startups. Verified education email = instant access; otherwise upload teacher license/cert/school ID — reviewed within 48h (US/JP/AU/CA/NZ/UK/KR teachers need only a teaching license copy). No credit card required.", "claim": "Teachers: sign up at canva.com/education with a verified K-12 school email, or upload proof (48h review). Students: ask the teacher to invite you to their Canva class, or sign up with your school email / district SSO — if it matches a school district you get instant Canva Education access; else enter the teacher's email to request access. You cannot self-verify as a K-12 student.", "expiry": "Lasts while you are active and eligible; all Canva Education users are prompted to re-verify credentials every 3 years. Students who leave the class or graduate revert to the free plan — copy designs to a personal account first.", "gotchas": "Premium features can be disabled by school administrators. Access is class/team-scoped, not a personal permanent Pro account: on graduation the account reverts to Canva Free. Intended for educational use — commercial licensing differs from Pro. Verified-email domains must be recognized Canva education domains; personal Gmail/Yahoo not accepted.", "source_url": "https://www.canva.com/education/eligibility-guidelines/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Canva for Campus (higher education): free premium student access via institutional license", "detail": "Official: Canva Campus = Canva Enterprise plan 'plus free premium student access included' — all premium student seats free, priced like Enterprise at special higher-ed pricing (no public price; contact sales). Unlock condition: institution purchases a minimum number of staff/faculty licenses calculated from its full-time student body (a Canva consultant sets the threshold; <25 seats -> Canva Business, no HE pricing). Included: SSO/SCIM, FERPA/SOC 2/GDPR compliance, 1TB storage, LMS integrations (Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle), brand kits, admin AI on/off controls, and per the page, access to Affinity and Flourish within Campus. 'Free access for all students... as part of Canva Step Two' (every enrolled student gets full premium from day one at no cost to them). Examples: UT Austin rolled out free Canva Pro to all students 2025-10-17 (EID sign-in, ~800 sign-ups in first 30 min); Lehigh entered a campus-wide agreement March 2026 with pro-rated rebates for students who paid individually; HKU ran a student-society campaign 2025-11-06 to 2026-11-05 at HK$35/year (~96% below the HK$960 list price).", "eligibility": "Enrolled students of universities/colleges that have purchased Canva Campus (or Enterprise on the path to it). No individual application, no .edu verification, no credit card. Excluded: student employees, part-time/full-time staff and interns of the institution. Not available to individuals at non-adopting schools — they fall back to Canva Free or pay full Pro price.", "claim": "Student at an adopting campus: sign in to Canva with your university email / campus SSO (or use the institution's Canva sign-in page, e.g. canva sign-in for UT EID); if the campus has Campus you automatically get premium. Otherwise: there is nothing to claim individually — the university's IT/student union must procure the plan ('let your IT team or student union know you want it - student demand is often what gets Campus started').", "expiry": "Lasts while enrolled; on graduation you may lose the school email and with it the free account — copy designs to a personal account. Institutions re-provision via SSO/SCIM; de-provisioning is automatic.", "gotchas": "Institution-paid but admin-gated: faculty/IT can switch AI tools off per course/role/cohort. No public price; 'minimum seat thresholds apply'. If your school has no Campus you pay consumer Pro (US$120-180/yr snapshots) — no individual student discount listed officially in 2026. Individual campus campaigns (HKU HK$35/yr) are local student-union deals, not a Canva-wide student program; the HKU offer window closed 2026-11-05.", "source_url": "https://www.canva.com/higher-education/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Canva Pro / Canva Business 30-day free trial (any user, incl. students)", "detail": "Official help center: Pro and Business offer a free trial, started via 'Start a free trial' on the pricing page; auto-renews into the chosen monthly/yearly plan unless cancelled; trial AI allowance equals the Free tier's (the paid 10x/20x AI allowance only kicks in after conversion); one trial per Canva account AND one per payment method ('if you've used a trial before, you won't see the free trial option; try a new payment method'); trial end date visible under Settings > Billing & Teams with email reminder; 'If you started a free trial without providing payment details, your trial ends automatically and you won't be charged' (a no-card flow exists; other flows/regions require card or PayPal to activate). Third-party 2026 sources describe the standard US trial as 30 days of full Pro (some regions 14 days). After cancel: account reverts to Free, designs retained but premium assets re-watermarked. Paid US list prices (2026 snapshots, transition in progress): Pro US$120-180/yr, Business US$200-250/yr per person, 'Save 16%' on yearly.", "eligibility": "Anyone, not student-specific. No student status needed; no credit card strictly required (a payment-less trial flow exists, though most activations collect card/PayPal up front). Available where Canva accepts payment; trial window is region-dependent.", "claim": "1) canva.com/pricing -> 'Start a free trial' under Pro or Business. 2) Log in / create account. 3) Choose monthly or yearly (this only sets what you're charged at conversion). 4) Choose payment method (or the no-card flow if offered). 5) Confirm. 6) Cancel before day 30 via Settings > Billing > Cancel plan to avoid the charge.", "expiry": "30 days in most regions (14 days in some); ends automatically if no payment details were provided, else converts to paid automatically on the anniversary date.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free trap: auto-renews and charges the full chosen plan; the elevated 10x/20x AI allowance is NOT available during the trial (only Free-tier allowance). One trial per account and per payment method — switching card does not reset it. Charges may appear as Canva / Canva*invoice_id / APPLE*Canva / GOOGLE*Canva (app-store billing if subscribed via mobile). New 2026 add-ons (AI Pass monthly add-on; 30-day AI top-ups for Business) cost extra and are not part of the trial.", "source_url": "https://www.canva.com/help/upgrade-to-canva-pro-or-business/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Canva for Startups — no free offer exists", "detail": "canva.com/startups is a marketing/resource hub only ('Design your success. Canva is the all-in-one content collaboration platform...'): startup template/pitch-deck content, video tips, a 4-part growth series, and guidance to standard plans ('If there's more than one person, Canva Business is the best plan for startups... pricing tiers to fit every startup's budget, no matter which round of funding you're in'). No discount, free seats, trial credits, or funding/age caps for startups. Canva's eligibility guidelines also explicitly list 'early stage start-ups with an educational focus' as NOT eligible for Canva Education. Related adjacent program (not student/startup): Canva Nonprofits — 100% free Pro features + team tools for registered nonprofits/NGOs, one team of up to 50 users, extra seats 50% off; government agencies, political orgs, educational institutions and for-profits excluded.", "eligibility": "None — no startup-specific eligibility because no startup offer exists. (Nonprofit program: registered 501(c)(3)-equivalent orgs, up to 50 free users.)", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim. A startup can only use Canva Free, the standard Pro/Business trial, or the nonprofit program if it is a registered charity.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Don't confuse the 'Canva for Startups' content hub with a startup discount program. Also 'Canva Teams is no longer available for new sign-ups or upgrades' (2026) — team features now live under Canva Business.", "source_url": "https://www.canva.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "The known '~50% off Canva Pro first year for verified students (~$49.99/yr vs $99.99 via .edu or national student verification)' does NOT appear on any official Canva page as of 2026-10-22: the students page offers only Canva Free (higher ed) or free K-12 Canva Education, the eligibility guidelines explicitly exclude college/university students from free Canva Education, and the pricing page lists no student price. The individual ~50% student Pro plan appears to have been sunset and replaced by two structural programs: (1) free Canva Education for K-12, and (2) Canva for Campus — where universities buy Enterprise-priced licenses and all premium student seats are free (e.g. UT Austin, free since 2025-10-17; Lehigh, March 2026; HKU student-union campaign HK$35/yr valid 2025-11-06 to 2026-11-05). US Pro's list price is also no longer $99.99: 2026 pages show US$120-180/yr (a transition-era A/B or recent increase; one third-party check recorded $144/yr on 2026-10-16). 2025-2026 material changes: Canva Pro trials now grant only the Free-tier AI allowance during the trial, plans auto-renew, Canva Teams was discontinued for new sign-ups, and new paid add-ons (AI Pass monthly add-on; 30-day AI top-ups for Business) were introduced. Note: canva.com blocks WebFetch (403); official pages were verified today via direct curl. Local university campaigns (HKU etc.) are institution-specific and expire on their own dates, not Canva policy." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Canva Free (free tier, open to all students)", "link": "https://www.canva.com/education/students/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "cerebras inference free trial", "name": "Cerebras Inference Free Trial", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.cerebras.ai/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$5 one-time trial credit granted after adding a payment method, expires in 30 days; Free Trial limits ~5 RPM and 1M tokens/day on gpt-oss-120b & qwen-3.8-27b" ], "notes": [ "Card required (adding is free). The old always-free '1M tokens/day, no card' tier ended 21 July 2026. After the trial, usage is pay-as-you-go on the Developer tier." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Trial: one-time $5 credit for new accounts", "detail": "New accounts receive a one-time $5 promotional credit, usable across all public models (currently gpt-oss-120b and qwen-3.8-27b). Free Trial rate limits per model: 5 RPM, 30K uncached TPM, 90K total TPM, 1M tokens/hour, 1M tokens/day; qwen-3.8-27b vision capped at 2 images per request / 10 MiB payload. Free context is truncated vs paid: gpt-oss-120b 65k vs 131k, qwen-3.8-27b 64k vs 128k. Official changelog entry 2026-07-16 ('Free Trial credits for new accounts') introduced it; it replaces the prior always-free tier.", "eligibility": "Any new account — no .edu email, no startup status, no funding cap. A verified payment method (credit/debit card) IS required before Playground/API activate; you are not charged unless you buy PayGo credits. No region limits stated on official pages (one third-party tracker notes access is intended outside mainland China, unverified).", "claim": "Sign up for Cerebras Inference → add a valid payment method (activates Playground + API and grants the $5 credit) → build within Free Trial limits; a first PayGo credit purchase upgrades the account to Developer tier (much higher limits, e.g. gpt-oss-120b 1K RPM / 1M uncached TPM; no hourly/daily caps).", "expiry": "Credit expires 30 days after it is granted; no renewal. When the credit is exhausted or expires, API and Playground access pause (keys/projects/settings stay intact); you must purchase PayGo credits to resume.", "gotchas": "Card required despite being a 'free' trial (unlike most free tiers); credits are non-transferable, no cash value, and may be withheld/revoked for fraud, abuse, or duplicate accounts; 5 RPM breaks any agent that fires parallel tool calls (instant 429s); limits are per organization and per model; 'free' context windows are shorter than paid; model menu keeps shrinking (GLM-4.7 and Gemma 4 31B no longer on public endpoints as of Aug/Sep 2026); many guides still quote the old '1M free tokens/day' tier which no longer exists.", "source_url": "https://www.cerebras.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "YC Startup Deal: up to $22,500 in Cerebras Cloud inference credits", "detail": "YC startups from any batch receive up to $22.5K worth of inference on Cerebras Cloud, plus priority support and co-marketing opportunities. Official page states 'No setup fees, no strings.' No published credit expiration, deadline, or per-startup amount caps.", "eligibility": "YC (Y Combinator) startups from any batch — the current offer is YC-only on the official page. No funding/age caps stated. Non-YC startups are instead routed through Cerebras channel partners.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Apply Now' button on https://www.cerebras.ai/yc-startup-deal (links to a HubSpot application form); an RSVP button on the same page points to the same form.", "expiry": "No end date or credit-expiry stated on the official page; 'up to $22.5K' is discretionary and no separate terms page is on record.", "gotchas": "Eligibility is YC-batch-only (the earlier open 'Cerebras for Startups' program is marked no longer available on third-party trackers); the exact credit amount you receive is not published — 'up to $22,500'; co-marketing commitment is mentioned but undefined.", "source_url": "https://www.cerebras.ai/yc-startup-deal", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student/education program exists (negative finding)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 there is no .edu/student or academic licensing offer from Cerebras. Neither the pricing page, the inference docs, nor searches of 2025-2026 coverage surface a student discount, education license, or academic credit program. The only education-adjacent item is a free DeepLearning.AI short course 'Fast LLM Inference with Cerebras' (built with Cerebras, launched ~July 2026) — instructional content, no API credits.", "eligibility": "N/A — nothing to claim for students specifically; students use the standard $5 trial (card required) or Cerebras models hosted on partner platforms (OpenRouter, HuggingFace, AWS Marketplace), where the partner's own free allowances may apply.", "claim": "None on Cerebras itself; students may take the free DeepLearning.AI course (enroll at deeplearning.ai, free) for hands-on Cerebras inference learning.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "No .edu verification anywhere in Cerebras's onboarding; if a tool offers 'Cerebras student credits', it is not an official Cerebras program. Partner front-ends (OpenRouter free models, HuggingFace free tier) are how cardless users actually reach Cerebras-hosted models for free.", "source_url": "https://community.deeplearning.ai/t/new-course-enroll-in-fast-llm-inference-with-cerebras/893825/1", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Referral token-bonus program (third-party reported, unverified)", "detail": "A third-party tracker (Model Speed Arena) describes a Cerebras referral program: +200K Qwen3-Coder tokens/day for both referrer and referee, capped at +1M extra tokens/day, with personal referral links generated from an in-product signup flow. This does not appear on any Cerebras official page I could find.", "eligibility": "Unknown — described as an in-product signup/referral flow; likely open to existing users.", "claim": "Per the third-party description: generate a personal referral link from the Cerebras console's signup flow and share it; both parties gain daily token bonuses.", "expiry": "Unknown; no stated deadline in the third-party source.", "gotchas": "Treat as unverified/stale: the model it references (Qwen3-Coder) is not in the current public model catalog (only gpt-oss-120b and qwen-3.8-27b as of Oct 2026), and Cerebras official pages make no mention of a referral program. Confirm in-console before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://oldmsa.millaguie.net/providers/cerebras.html", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) The old always-free tier (\"1M free tokens/day\", no card required — announced June 2025 when Cerebras opened the API without a waitlist) ended in July 2026: the official changelog shows the $5 Free Trial credit launching 2026-07-16 and a third-party tracker (pricepertoken.com) dates the old free tier's end to 2026-07-21. Cerebras now states plainly there is no permanently free or auto-renewing tier; a verified payment method is required for any access. 2) The earlier general \"Cerebras for Startups\" program (up to $22,500 GPU/inference credits, direct application, no partner required) is marked \"No Longer Available\" on third-party trackers; the surviving startup offer is the YC Startup Deal (YC startups any batch, up to $22.5K), recorded on the official site as of early Aug 2026. 3) Public shared-inference model menu shrunk through 2025-2026: Llama 3.3 70B and Qwen 3 32B deprecated (Feb 2026), zai-glm-4.7 deprecated 2026-08-17, gemma-4-31b removed from public endpoints 2026-09-03 (dedicated only), qwen-3.8-27b added 2026-09-03; as of Oct 2026 the public catalog is just gpt-oss-120b and qwen-3.8-27b. 4) Cerebras Code Pro ($50/mo, ~24M tokens/day) and Code Max ($200/mo, ~120M tokens/day) flat-rate coding plans were sold out / on waitlist at time of reporting — neither is free. 5) No region restrictions are stated on official pages; third-party trackers suggest access outside mainland China." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Cerebras Inference Free Trial", "text": "Renamed and restricted. The Free Trial was merged into one Developer tier in Sept-Oct 2026. The pricing page now describes that tier as for development, evaluation, and experimentation and not intended for production use, so production needs an Enterprise contract. The one-time $5 credit (needs a valid payment method, expires 30 days after activation) still matches.", "url": "https://www.cerebras.ai/pricing" } ], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free Trial: one-time $5 credit for new accounts", "link": "https://www.cerebras.ai/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "chargebee", "name": "Chargebee", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.chargebee.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Growth Starter is $0 and CPQ Lite is free for the first 50 quotes (both require an active paid Billing plan); base Billing is paid (Flow: $0 + 0.80% usage, ~$66K breakeven; or $99 + 0.65% higher tiers)." ], "notes": [ "No standalone free billing tier — the '$0' tiers are gated behind a paid Chargebee Billing subscription. 2026: includes 100M usage events/month on Flow; plugs into 40+ gateways (often on top of Stripe/Paystack)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Startup Program — $1M free Billing", "detail": "Chargebee's official startup offer: 'Bill your first $1M of usage and subscriptions for free.' Chargebee Billing is at zero cost (stated as 'zero dollars, no fine print') until cumulative invoiced revenue through Chargebee reaches $1M, plus free data migration and 24/7 email support, access to 40+ gateways, and the modular stack (CPQ, tax, revenue reporting). After crossing $1M (cumulative, not ARR/MRR), the account transitions to a pay-as-you-go plan with no annual commitment, with advance notice. Companies that have raised over $5M are not excluded: the form has a '$5M+ funding' option and Chargebee proposes a custom offer. Amounts are USD; non-US thresholds adjust for current FX rates. No public sunset/end date found on the page.", "eligibility": "All three conditions required: (1) NEW Chargebee customer, not already on a paid plan; (2) company belongs to a partner Accelerator or VC portfolio network (the key gate — no founding-date or revenue cap otherwise listed); (3) total funding raised below $5M. No .edu/student route.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Apply now' form on https://www.chargebee.com/startups/ (choose the '$5M+' option if funding exceeds $5M so the team tailors terms), or email startups@chargebee.com / use on-site chat. A representative reviews the application and follows up within 2-3 business days to get you set up.", "expiry": "No published end date; individual free period ends when cumulative invoiced revenue hits $1M, then pay-as-you-go (no annual commit) begins automatically.", "gotchas": "The partner-accelerator/VC-portfolio requirement is easy to miss — independent bootstrapped startups with <$5M funding do not qualify on the letter of the offer. '$1M free' is cumulative lifetime billing, not ARR/MRR, and not a forever-free tier: after $1M you are on standard usage pricing. This is the only genuinely free-for-new-customers offer on the site; the $0 add-ons (Growth Starter, CPQ Lite) are gated behind an active paid Billing plan.", "source_url": "https://www.chargebee.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Growth Starter ($0 Growth add-on)", "detail": "The Growth module's 'Starter' plan is priced at $0: pricing tables, hosted checkout, self-serve portal, no-code cancel pages, 1 growth experiment; single-brand; aimed at 'teams with hundreds of subscribers'. It is a free add-on, not a free platform tier.", "eligibility": "ANY Chargebee Billing customer — the page states 'Exclusively for Chargebee Billing customers' and Billing itself has no free tier (entry plan is usage-priced Flow: $0 + 0.80% of monthly invoiced volume up to $500K/mo, breakeven ~$66K vs $99 + 0.65% above $500K). So in practice you need an active paid billing relationship (or the startup program) before this is usable.", "claim": "Included at $0 once you are a Chargebee Billing customer; no separate enrollment. Claim path: start on a Billing plan (e.g., via the startup program or Flow plan), then enable the Growth Starter module.", "expiry": "No expiry noted; $0 while Growth Starter conditions hold.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free trap: $0 price does not mean $0 total cost — the required Billing plan bills usage (0.80%+ of invoiced). Do not count this as a free tier for new startups.", "source_url": "https://www.chargebee.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "CPQ Lite (first 50 quotes free)", "detail": "The CPQ 'Lite' module is 'Free for the first 50 quotes': quote creation and immediate amendments; paid add-on for CPQ for Salesforce/HubSpot. Free beyond 50 quotes or full CPQ requires a paid/enterprise arrangement ('Talk to sales').", "eligibility": "ANY Chargebee Billing customer ('Available exclusively for Chargebee Billing customers'), i.e. same paid-billing gate as Growth Starter. No student/education angle.", "claim": "Available at no cost on the free 50 quotes once a Billing plan is active; full CPQ or extra gateway integrations go through sales.", "expiry": "The free portion is capped at 50 cumulative quotes, not time-limited.", "gotchas": "The 50-quote allowance is cumulative; 'free' quotes still presume the paid billing relationship that is the module's precondition. No egress/data export on the free modules — data export to GCS/S3/Snowflake and higher API/webhook limits are paid add-ons.", "source_url": "https://www.chargebee.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free trial (marketing trial, details unpublished)", "detail": "Every Chargebee page carries a 'Start Free Trial' CTA leading to the signup form at /trial-signup/ (US/EU/AU data residency selection, ToS/privacy consent). However, the trial duration and credit-card requirement are NOT stated on the pricing page, the signup page, or the homepage as of 2026-10-22. Historically Chargebee ran a ~30-day trial with no credit card, but I could not re-verify that on any official page today, so treat those specific parameters as unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who signs up at /trial-signup/; no student or startup condition stated.", "claim": "Go to https://www.chargebee.com/trial-signup/, pick a data center, and complete the sign-up form.", "expiry": "Trial terms (length, auto-conversion) not published on the pages read; confirm in the signup flow or with Chargebee support.", "gotchas": "A trial is not a free tier: without publishing trial terms, verify whether a card is required and whether it auto-converts to the usage-priced Flow plan at the end. Do not quote '30 days, no CC' as current fact.", "source_url": "https://www.chargebee.com/trial-signup/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "(1) Education/student license: NONE found — as of 2026-10-22, chargebee.com has no education page (/education/ and /for-education/ do not host a student program; the 'e-learning' section is a vertical marketing page FOR e-learning companies like Study.com), no .edu/email-verified student offer anywhere on the site, no footer or nav link to an academic program, and no trial credits of any kind. (2) Free-tier sunset: the pricing page now lists only two Billing plans — 'Flow' ($0 + 0.80% up to $500K/mo invoicing, $99 + 0.65% above $500K/mo, ~$66K breakeven, 100M usage events/mo included) and 'Enterprise' (custom) — so there is no free core-Billing tier for new users; the old-style free entry plan (Basic) is no longer offered. What remains free is: the $1M-cumulative startup program (with partner-network eligibility), the 50 free CPQ quotes and $0 Growth Starter (both gated behind an active paid Billing relationship), and the marketing trial whose terms are no longer published on-site. (3) Methodology caveat: the official pages (https://www.chargebee.com/pricing/, /startups/, /trial-signup/, homepage) were read directly on 2026-10-22 (high confidence for those); the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so 2025-2026 change history (e.g., prior startup-offer versions, trial-terms changes) could not be independently verified — statements about prior-plan lineup above rest on pre-existing knowledge and are medium confidence." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Startup Program — $1M free Billing", "link": "https://www.chargebee.com/startups/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "checkly hobby plan", "name": "Checkly Hobby Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "10 uptime monitors + 1K browser/Playwright runs + 10K API runs/month, 6 global locations; free forever, no credit card" ], "notes": [ "Developer-first 'monitoring as code' (Playwright). Also offers 30% off for startups. Agentic Checks deprecated (stop 2026-12-01)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Hobby free plan (free forever, no credit card)", "detail": "Verified live on the official pricing page today (2026-10-22). $0/month Hobby plan: 10 uptime monitors, max check frequency 2 min; 1,000 Browser (Playwright) check runs/month and 10,000 API check runs/month, hard-capped (no overage available — checks stop when credits exhaust); 6 public locations (N. Virginia, N. California, Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney), max 3 locations per check; Round-Robin scheduling only; alert channels limited to Email/Slack/Webhooks (0 SMS, 0 phone credits); raw data retention 7 days, aggregated 30 days; 1 user; status page with 20 services / 250 subscribers / 1 dashboard; 10 AI Root Cause Analysis invocations/month; protocols HTTPS, TCP, DNS, ICMP, SSL/TLS, gRPC, Traceroute, Heartbeat. No credit card required; page confirms Hobby is a permanent $0 tier with no expiry or sunset clause.", "eligibility": "Everyone (students and startups alike) — no .edu email, no startup criteria, no credit card required. No region limits stated. Single user per workspace on Hobby.", "claim": "1) Sign up at app.checklyhq.com (Sign up CTA on checklyhq.com/pricing); 2) account defaults to Hobby at $0, no credit card asked; 3) monitors/runs are metered against the 10-monitor, 1k browser / 10k API caps automatically. Self-serve upgrade to Starter ($24/mo) or Team ($64/mo) via billing portal if caps are hit.", "expiry": "None — free forever; no expiry date, renewal, or sunset clause found on the page today.", "gotchas": "Hard cap: overage pricing not available on Hobby — checks stop when monthly credits exhaust (API first, since 10k vs 1k differ). 1-user limit, no SMS/phone alerts, 7-day raw retention only. Free but it is a consumer-grade tier: Round-Robin scheduling only, no private locations.", "source_url": "https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free trial of paid plans (Starter / Team), no credit card", "detail": "Pricing page shows 'Try for Free' CTAs for Starter ($24/mo) and Team ($64/mo) with an asterisked note '*No credit card required*'. A small-fast-model read of the live page found no stated trial duration (no '14 days'/'30 days' wording on the pricing page) and no stated feature-entitlement list for the trial window; those details appear to live only in the signup flow at app.checklyhq.com. Trial is NOT the free Hobby plan — it is a preview of a paid plan and a paid subscription follows at trial end unless cancelled/downgraded.", "eligibility": "Anyone, no credit card required (per the page footnote). No .edu or startup requirement. Trial of paid tiers — distinct from the permanent free Hobby tier.", "claim": "1) On checklyhq.com/pricing click 'Try for Free' for Starter or Team; 2) complete signup (no card); 3) downgrade to Hobby or upgrade on the billing portal after the trial.", "expiry": "Not stated on the pricing page today; assumed finite (exact days unknown — check the signup flow). Paid billing begins at trial end if not downgraded.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free: trial is time-boxed and ends in a paid plan; Hobby is the only permanently free option. Duration and post-trial behavior not published on the pricing page, so verify in-app at signup. Annual billing 'saves up to 20%' — annual contracts lock pricing; overage on Starter is $6.50/1k browser, $2.60/10k API (costs begin if usage exceeds plan after trial).", "source_url": "https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup discount program (30% off all plans) — not a free offer", "detail": "Pricing-page FAQ (General section), read live today: 'We do support early-stage startups that are younger than two years by providing a 30% discount on all plans.' Eligibility is stated solely as company age under 2 years; no funding cap, revenue cap, or other criteria are mentioned on the page. There is no dedicated /startups/ page (URL returns HTTP 404 today); claims go through a Google Form linked from the FAQ entry. The discount applies to paid plans only — Hobby is already $0 — so it is a cost reduction, not a free grant; a credit card is expected on the paid plans it discounts. No stated duration or renewal terms (not stated whether it renews or persists after the company turns 2 years old). A separate 50% nonprofit discount also exists via the same mechanism (non-startup, listed for completeness).", "eligibility": "Startups younger than 2 years; no funding cap stated. No .edu requirement. Not targeted at students. Credit card required for the paid plans it discounts (card NOT required on Hobby, which is $0 and unaffected).", "claim": "1) Open checklyhq.com/pricing FAQ ('General' section); 2) follow the Google Form link next to the startup-discount answer; 3) submit company details (age under 2 yrs); 4) Checkly applies 30% off all plans on the account.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page — no published sunset date or renewal terms; discount tied to the company being 'younger than two years'.", "gotchas": "30% discount, not free — do not confuse with a grant or free credits. No dedicated program page (404 today) means the Google Form in the FAQ is the only claim path. No funding cap published, but the form likely asks for details that may impose undocumented criteria. Separate 50% nonprofit discount exists if the org qualifies.", "source_url": "https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education / student offers — none exist (negative finding)", "detail": "No education or student program found as of 2026-10-22: checklyhq.com/education/ returns HTTP 404, and the live pricing page contains no mention of students, teachers, schools, .edu domains, or academic programs. Students can only use the universal Hobby free plan (finding 1) — which needs no .edu verification — or the paid-plan free trial. The 30% startup discount FAQ entry is the only discount-adjacent program besides the 50% nonprofit one; neither covers students. WebSearch was unavailable this session (session search budget exhausted), so historical 2025-2026 searches could not be run; the absence is confirmed by direct fetch of the live official pages today, not by a search of the record.", "eligibility": "N/A — no student-only eligibility, no .edu email requirement, no regional limits. Students are served only by the general free Hobby tier and the general paid-plan trial.", "claim": "No claim steps exist. For students: sign up free at app.checklyhq.com on Hobby, same as anyone else; optional Google-Form startup discount only if you also run a <2-year-old company.", "expiry": "N/A — there is no education offer to expire.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse 'no credit card required' on Hobby with an education grant; there is no separate student pricing, credits, or license. Absence confirmed only for today's official pages; a past (pre-2025) student program cannot be ruled out because search was unavailable this session.", "source_url": "https://www.checklyhq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Checkly free offer was sunset or materially changed as observable today (2026-10-22). Direct fetch of the live official pricing page confirms the Hobby plan still matches the known baseline exactly: 10 uptime monitors, 1,000 browser/Playwright runs + 10,000 API runs/month, 6 global locations, $0 forever, no credit card. Paid tier naming is now Starter ($24/mo) / Team ($64/mo) / Enterprise (custom); the earlier '$9 Basic' naming is no longer present on the page, suggesting a plan-name/structure change at some point (history unverified — WebSearch unavailable this session due to exhausted session search budget). Program pages checklyhq.com/startups/ and checklyhq.com/education/ both return HTTP 404 today — there is no dedicated education page at all and startup support is delivered only via the pricing-page FAQ + Google Form. No expiry dates or sunset clauses are published for any free offer; the Hobby plan has no end date. Confidence caveat: 'high' applies only to facts read on the live page today; startup-discount duration/renewal, trial length, and 2025-2026 historical changes remain unverified (medium/low) because search was unavailable and those details live in the app or the Google Form rather than public pages.$2B committed to Workers startups), Workers Founders Bootcamp, weekly office hours, virtual Demo Day with blog feature. Cohort #6 was announced Sept 2025. Note: the live page is heavily JS-rendered; my direct fetch of the page today returned only the high-level landing copy — the $250k benefit text comes from the cached/extracted page content in search results, not a full live re-read.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups building on Workers/Cloudflare platform; application via cohort-based process (no public age/funding caps published on the page I could fully read; cohort selection at Cloudflare's discretion). Launchpad alumni/participants are also eligible for Cloudflare's 2026 office 'hubs' in SF, Austin, London, Lisbon.", "claim": "Apply to the next cohort via the Launchpad page/application form; participate in the program; receive credits via the Startup Enterprise Plan, VC intro, bootcamp, and demo day.", "expiry": "Cohort-bound; the underlying $250k credit follows the Startup Program's 1-year validity. New cohorts announced roughly annually.", "gotchas": "Details on credit amounts/caps couldn't be confirmed from a clean live page read today (JS-rendered page returned only landing copy) — treat the $250k figure as medium confidence. Overlaps/stacking rules with the standard Startup Program tiers are not spelled out on the page.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/workers-launchpad/(directfetchtodayreturnedpartialcontent;benefitdetailsfromthepage'scachedextraction)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No standalone 'trial credits' or education license for Workers AI inference itself", "detail": "Cloudflare does not publish a separate AI trial-credit pool, per-model free-token grant, or academic/education license for Workers AI inference as of 2026-10-22. The only AI-related free offers are (a) the plan-embedded 10k Neurons/day free tier (finding 1) and (b) Workers AI caps inside the Startup Program ($2.5k–$50k by tier). The only 'credit-adjacent' paid option is prepaid AI Gateway credits, which can route frontier-model Workers AI usage and grant higher rate limits — but prepaid, not free. Offer trackers (e.g. perq.sh) list exactly two tracked Cloudflare offers: the startup credit tiers and the 10k Neurons/day free tier — no trial-credit offer exists. Non-profit/civil-society orgs can receive up to $250k credits via the Sept 2025 Startup Program expansion (announced at Birthday Week 2025; dedicated program page could not be located — likely under the startups portal).", "eligibility": "n/a — absence finding. Non-profit orgs: civil society/public interest orgs (up to $250k credits, incl. AI, databases, security products).", "claim": "Nothing to claim for trial credits/education license; use the free tier + Startup Program + Student program above. Non-profits apply through the Cloudflare for Startups application portal with org details.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Do not confuse 'trial' with the free tier: free tier is permanent but hard-capped (requests fail beyond 10k Neurons/day, not throttled). Prepaid AI Gateway credits are a paid product, not a free grant. The old 'up to $250k, 4 tiers' startup structure (April 2025) is superseded by the $350k 3-tier structure — third-party trackers may still show stale $250k/4-tier data.", "source_url": "https://perq.sh/vendors/cloudflare(offertracker,checked2026-10-22)+https://blog.cloudflare.com/(BirthdayWeek2025non-profitannouncement,Sept22,2025)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Cloudflare for Startups — 3-tier credit program (up to $350,000 in credits, 12 months)", "detail": "Official program (https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/, read 2026-10-22). Tiers: $10k credits — bootstrapped/self-funded, under $1M raised, no minimum funding; $100k credits — under $5M raised, must be funded by an affiliated Cloudflare partner (VC/accelerator); $350k credits — $5M+ raised, funded by an affiliated partner. Credits are valid 12 months from the confirmation email or until fully consumed (whichever first); no extensions; non-transferable/non-refundable; overages billed to card on file. Credits cover usage-based services: Workers, Workers for Platforms, Durable Objects, Workflows, Workers AI (sub-caps $2,500 T3 / $10,000 T2 / $50,000 T1), Workers KV, D1, Queues, Vectorize, R2 (sub-cap $10,000), Pages, Images and Stream, Cache Reserve, Argo Smart Routing. Included at no cost on all tiers (not drawn from credits): 3 enterprise domains, unlimited Business and Pro plans, DDoS and bot protection, WAF with 1,000 custom rules, Security Analytics, SSL certs, Page Shield, CDN and DNS, Load Balancing (2 origins), Rate Limiting (1 rule), 100% SLA. Support: priority tickets + chat; T2 adds case-dependent account manager + expert sessions; T1 adds account manager, priority tech support, bi-weekly Solutions Architect office hours. Excluded from credits: AI Gateway (temporarily), registrar fees (domain registration/renewal), enterprise add-ons (some require email request), Magic Transit / Enterprise Spectrum / Dedicated IPs / China Network. Review ~48 hours; contact startups@cloudflare.com; multiple distinct startups can each apply under different account IDs/emails.", "eligibility": "For-profit tech startup; founded within last 10 years (corporate age <=10 yrs); funded up to Series B with funding within last 12 months; actively building a tech product; public verifiable website; active LinkedIn/X/GitHub; first-time applicants only (no re-entry); business email matching your domain required (personal emails rejected); excluded: educational institutions, personal blogs, consultancies, agencies, MSPs, resellers. $100k/$350k tiers additionally require funding by an affiliated Cloudflare partner. No region limit stated (program is global). A valid payment method (credit card) MUST be on file — so CC IS required, unlike the free plan.", "claim": "1) Create a Cloudflare account, add payment method, 2) Submit the application via 'Apply now' on cloudflare.com/startups, 3) Wait up to 48h for review, 4) Confirmation email activates the program; credits auto-deduct in dashboard. Existing members on the old $5k/$250k caps may email startups@cloudflare.com for a case-by-case tier-upgrade evaluation (does NOT reset the 12-month expiry).", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from confirmation email or until consumed, whichever comes first; no extensions. Program itself is ongoing (long-term).", "gotchas": "CC required on file and overages auto-billed after credits run out; R2 sub-cap $10k and Workers AI sub-caps can bite if you plan to use those; AI Gateway and registrar fees not credit-covered; Enterprise add-ons (e.g., Advanced Rate Limiting, Bot Management, extra LB origins) need manual email support requests; post-graduation Enterprise domains auto-downgrade to Free plan; November 18, 2025 global outage is a single-vendor concentration risk noted by the community; '1,000 WAF rules' marketing applies to program/Enterprise domains, not to the regular Free plan (5 rules).", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Free plan (site plans) + Developer Platform free allowances — permanent, no credit card", "detail": "Free site plan: $0/mo — unlimited-bandwidth CDN (335 data centers), unmetered DDoS mitigation, free Universal SSL, 1.1.1.1 DNS, Free WAF Managed Ruleset, 5 WAF custom rules/zone, 1 rate-limiting rule, email obfuscation, hotlink protection. No SLA, ticket-only support. No credit card required for the free plan. Separate permanent per-service free allowances on the pay-as-you-go Developer Platform (cloudflare.com/plans/, read 2026-10-22): Workers 100,000 requests/day + 10ms CPU/request; R2 10 GB-month storage + 1M Class A ops (zero egress fees); Workers KV 1GB / 100k reads/day; D1 5GB / 5M rows read/day; Queues 10k ops/day; Workers AI 10,000 neurons/day; Vectorize 30M queried dims/month; Workers Logs 200k events/day; Containers 25 GiB-hrs memory + 1TB egress; Browser Rendering 10 min/day; TURN/SFU 1,000 GB/mo egress; Images 5,000 transformations/mo. Paid Developer Platform rates apply above allowances ($0.30/M Worker requests, $0.02/M CPU ms, etc.) — no card needed until you exceed allowances on a paid component.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no signup gate, no .edu, no funding requirement. Free site plan needs no payment method; usage-based overage billing activates when you exceed free Developer Platform allowances.", "claim": "1) Sign up at dash.cloudflare.com (free), 2) Add a domain (zone) for CDN/DDoS/SSL/WAF-free-managed-ruleset, 3) Deploy Workers/Pages/R2/etc. free; overages metered at pay-as-you-go rates.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; per-service allowances current as of 2026-10-22 pricing page.", "gotchas": "WAF custom rules on Free = 5 (not 1,000 — that's the Enterprise/startup-program number); Free plan excludes SLA, advanced bot management, image optimization, China network; CDN ToS forbids using free CDN for video streaming/large-file hosting (512MB per-file cache cap); no SSO/log retention beyond 24h (Zero Trust free tier = 50 users).", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare for Students — 12 months of the paid Workers plan free for .edu students (launched Birthday Week, Sept 22, 2025)", "detail": "12-month free access to the paid developer features plan (Workers Paid, normally $5/mo, fee waived): deploy up to 500 Worker scripts; 10M requests/month (then $0.30/M); 20M included log events/month (then $0.60/M); up to 30s CPU per request; 6,000 included build minutes/month ($0.005/min after); 6 concurrent build slots; extra Workers KV edge storage; all free-plan features; dedicated student Discord community. After 12 months the account auto-reverts to the Free plan with no charge; renew by upgrading to Workers Paid at standard pricing. Offers may not be redeemed multiple times; Cloudflare may use your name/project in marketing and can discontinue the program without notice; no 24/7 enterprise phone support or SLA. Launched Sept 22, 2025 as 'the first step for Cloudflare for Students', currently US-only; Cloudflare is adding other schools' domains on request.", "eligibility": "Students in the United States only, at least 18 years old, currently enrolled in an eligible educational program, with a verified .edu email (required and must be set as the billing email). A valid credit card MUST be on file (base $5/mo fee waived; you are billed for usage above base allotments). No .edu = no access; international students must apply to have their institution's domain added.", "claim": "1) Sign up for a free Cloudflare account with your .edu email and verify it, 2) On the Billing page add a valid credit card and confirm billing email = your .edu, 3) On the Workers Plans page add the Workers Paid plan (fee auto-waived for 12 months), 4) Wait for the confirmation email that the account redeemed the offer.", "expiry": "12 months per redemption, not renewable free — reverts to Free plan; renew only by paying for Workers Paid. No set end date for the program; US-only at launch, expansion pending.", "gotchas": "CC required (card on file; overages billed at standard usage rates even during the free year); usage caps differ from the Startup program sub-caps — over-limit workers requests cost $0.30/M; not available to students outside the US yet; marketing usage of your name; program can be changed/discontinued without notice.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "The Cold Start pitch competition — $500,000 credits prize (2026 edition, now concluded)", "detail": "One-off annual competition announced Sept 28, 2026: five early-stage startups each got 5 minutes on stage at Cloudflare Connect (Moscone West, San Francisco) on Oct 19, 2026; judges (Matthew Prince, Michelle Zatlyn, Dane Knecht) picked a winner receiving $500,000 in Cloudflare credits, a San Francisco billboard, and a VIP speakers dinner; finalist flights covered. Target: early-stage startups in the US and Canada with <$10M raised.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startup, based in US or Canada, raised less than $10M. Application window closed Oct 2, 2026.", "claim": "Applied via the form linked on the blog post (closed). 2027 edition not yet announced; watch blog.cloudflare.com under the Cloudflare for Startups tag.", "expiry": "2026 round closed (event held Oct 19, 2026 — before today, Oct 22, 2026); likely recurring annually but no next date published.", "gotchas": "Prize is winner-only (4 of 5 finalists get no credits); not a general program — do not plan budgeting around it.", "source_url": "https://blog.cloudflare.com/introducing-the-cold-start/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Workers Free plan ($0/mo, no credit card)", "detail": "$0/month. Core Worker: 100,000 requests/day; 10 ms CPU time per invocation, no charge for duration; max 100 Worker scripts per account (500 on paid); 128 MB memory per isolate; static assets free and unlimited requests (up to 20,000 files per Worker version, 25 MiB per file); no charge for data transfer (egress/bandwidth). Free included data stores on the same plan: KV (100,000 reads/day, 1,000 writes/day, 1 GB), D1 (5 GB total, 5M row reads/day, 100K row writes/day), R2 (10 GB-month, 1M Class A ops/mo, 10M Class B ops/mo, free egress), Durable Objects (100,000 requests/day, 13,000 GB-s/day), Queues (10,000 ops/day), Workflows (100,000 req/day, 10 ms CPU, 1 GB-month storage), Hyperdrive (100,000 queries/day), Vectorize (5M stored dimensions, 30M queried dimensions/mo), Workers Logs (200,000 events/day, 3-day retention). Containers: N/A on Free. Paid Workers plan starts at $5/mo (10M requests/mo, +$0.30/M; 30M CPU ms/mo, +$0.02/M CPU ms; unlimited egress).", "eligibility": "Any person/company — create a free Cloudflare account at dash.cloudflare.com. No .edu email required, no regional restriction, no startup age/funding criteria, and no credit card required (Cloudflare's developer-facing messaging: 'Start building for free — no credit card required'). No application or approval.", "claim": "1) Sign up for a free Cloudflare account. 2) Go to Workers & Pages in the dashboard, or deploy locally with `npx wrangler deploy`. 3) Free plan is the default — no selection or billing setup needed. Limits apply automatically; exceeding them triggers the pay-per-use option ($5/mo minimum) only if you add a billing profile.", "expiry": "No expiry/sunset date for the free plan; daily quotas reset at 00:00 UTC. Ongoing as of 2026-10-22 (pricing page last updated 2026-10-02; limits page 2026-10-12).", "gotchas": "10 ms CPU per invocation is a hard cap on Free (long jobs need Paid at 5 min cap); 100,000 requests is a per-DAY cap (≈3.1M/mo max), not monthly; static-asset 'unlimited' is bounded by 20,000 files/25 MiB per file; Durable Objects on Free are SQLite-only (no container DOs); Workers Logs free tier (200K events/day) migrates to Cloudflare Observability pricing on 2026-12-01; Durable Objects SQLite storage billing begins Jan 2026; no-charge-for-egress applies to CDN delivery, but connecting metered third-party services can incur charges on their side.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/(limits:https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/limits/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Pages free plan (frontend hosting)", "detail": "$0/month, available on the Free plan: 500 builds/month, 1 concurrent build, 20-minute build timeout; 100 projects (sites) per account (limit not routinely increased); up to 20,000 files per site, 25 MiB per file; 100 custom domains per project; unlimited preview deployments; unlimited users; no egress charges; no credit card required. New-project creation is rate-limited during the first 48h of account age.", "eligibility": "Any Cloudflare account; no .edu, no credit card, no regional restriction. Domain must use Cloudflare nameservers for custom domains.", "claim": "1) Free account at dash.cloudflare.com. 2) Connect a Git repo (GitHub/GitLab) under Pages or upload manually; build+deploy is automatic. No application.", "expiry": "No expiry; 500 builds reset monthly. Current as of 2026-09-05 (last updated on limits page).", "gotchas": "Pages is in a migration/maintenance posture: Cloudflare docs actively direct users to Workers static assets ('Workers supports most Pages use cases and offers a broader feature set'; a dedicated 'Migrate From Pages' guide exists, updated 2026-10-12), so new features are landing on Workers, not Pages. Pages has no published aggregate storage cap (file-count cap instead of MB cap). To host >100 sites, Cloudflare pushes Workers for Platforms (paid product).", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/platform/limits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "R2 free tier (object storage with free egress)", "detail": "Free every month: 10 GB-month storage, 1 million Class A operations, 10 million Class B operations, and egress is free (R2 charges no egress at any tier). Paid Standard: $0.015/GB-month, $4.50/M Class A, $0.36/M Class B. Added 2026: R2 SQL free tier 10 GB data-scanned/mo (billing enabled 2026-08-03); R2 Data Catalog free tier 1M catalog ops + 10 GB compaction/mo (billing enabled 2026-08-03).", "eligibility": "Any free Cloudflare account; no credit card required; no .edu or regional limit.", "claim": "Create an R2 bucket in the dashboard (or via `wrangler r2`); free tier is automatic — no application.", "expiry": "No expiry; monthly free allowances reset. Verified on R2 pricing page last updated 2026-10-01.", "gotchas": "Free tier applies to Standard storage only — Infrequent Access storage is NOT covered; R2 SQL minimum 10 MB scanned per query; unauthorized (401/403) requests are not billed; connecting R2 to other metered services may be charged by those services.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/r2/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "D1 free tier (serverless SQLite)", "detail": "Free: 5 GB total storage, 5,000,000 row reads/day, 100,000 row writes/day, $0. Paid: first 25B rows/mo reads, 50M rows/mo writes, first 5 GB included, then $0.75/GB-mo storage.", "eligibility": "Any free Cloudflare account; no credit card; no .edu or regional restriction.", "claim": "`wrangler d1 create my-db` or dashboard; included automatically in the Workers Free plan.", "expiry": "No expiry; daily quotas reset at 00:00 UTC. Limits as of pricing page updated 2026-10-02.", "gotchas": "Quotas are per-DAY, not per-month (daily reads cap = up to 150M/mo, writes = 3M/mo); D1 is designed for Workers bindings — it adds no egress cost.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Durable Objects free tier (stateful coordination)", "detail": "Free: 100,000 requests/day and 13,000 GB-s of duration/day; SQLite-backed storage is the only DO storage option on the Free plan. Paid: 1M requests/mo (+$0.15/M), 400,000 GB-s/mo (+$12.50/M GB-s).", "eligibility": "Any free Cloudflare account; no credit card; no .edu or regional restriction.", "claim": "Deploy a Worker with a DO class via `wrangler deploy`; free allowances automatic.", "expiry": "No expiry; daily reset at 00:00 UTC.", "gotchas": "Containers-backed DOs are NOT available on Free (listed N/A) — container DO billing is on the $5/mo paid plan; DO SQLite storage billing began January 2026 (target 2026-01-07 per changelog on the pricing page).", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Workers KV free tier", "detail": "Free: 100,000 key reads/day, 1,000 writes/deletes/lists/day, 1 GB stored data; limits reset daily at 00:00 UTC. Paid: 10M reads/mo (+$0.50/M), 1M writes (+$5.00/M), 1 GB (+$0.50/GB-mo).", "eligibility": "Any free Cloudflare account; no credit card; no .edu or regional restriction.", "claim": "Create a KV namespace in the dashboard / `wrangler kv`; automatic.", "expiry": "No expiry; daily reset. KV legacy API routes (/accounts/.../workers/namespaces/*) are deprecated — migrate to /storage/kv/namespaces/* before 2026-10-15.", "gotchas": "The write cap (1,000/day) is the binding constraint for most apps; legacy API route deprecation deadline 2026-10-15 (past due as of 2026-10-22, so use the new routes).", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Pages Free plan (free tier)", "detail": "$0/mo, permanently free, no application. Static hosting: unlimited requests and unlimited bandwidth ('Requests to static assets are free and unlimited' — Workers platform pricing doc). Monthly/structural limits: 500 builds (deploys) per month, 1 concurrent build, 20-minute build timeout; up to 100 projects per account (limit 'not routinely increased'; new-project creation throttled for first 48h of a new account); 100 custom domains per project (free; Pro 250, Business/Enterprise 500); 20,000 files per project on Free (paid plans get 100,000 via env var PAGES_WRANGLER_MAJOR_VERSION=4); 25 MiB max per file; unlimited preview deployments; unlimited dashboard users; _headers 100 rules (2,000 chars/value); _redirects 2,100 total (2,000 static + 100 dynamic). No region limits stated in the limits doc. Docs last updated Sep 5, 2026; overview doc also states '500 deploys per month on the Free plan'.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Cloudflare account; no .edu, no company, no approval. No credit card required for the free plan in practice (dashboard sign-up is cardless) — this is not explicitly stated on the docs pages I read today, so treat the no-card sub-claim as medium confidence; the official limits/pricing docs simply never gate the Free plan on payment.", "claim": "Create a free account at dash.cloudflare.com (no card), then deploy a Pages project via Git integration, C3 CLI, or direct upload. Project lands on the Free plan automatically; add a custom domain in the project's domains tab if needed.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier, no expiration or renewal. Quotas reset monthly (builds) or daily (Workers-side quotas).", "gotchas": "(1) Pages Functions are billed as Workers: free Workers plan = 100,000 requests/day and 10 ms CPU time per invocation, plus free quotas for KV (100k reads/1k writes, 1 GB), D1, Queues, DO — functions that exceed these fall under the paid $5/mo minimum or overage rates. Static-asset traffic stays free and unlimited regardless. (2) Large assets (>25 MiB) don't fit — use R2 public buckets instead. (3) 100-project cap is effectively a hard limit; beyond that Cloudflare points to Workers for Platforms. (4) Strategic shift 2025–2026: Pages was folded into the Workers platform — docs now say 'Start new projects with Workers' and 'Workers supports most Pages use cases'; Pages itself is not being sunset but new features land in Workers. (5) Paid plan column in the limits doc (Pro/Business) corresponds to the Workers platform pricing (from $5/mo min) — Pages alone has no standalone paid subscription; '100 custom domains/project' on Free is per-project, multiplied across up to 100 projects.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/platform/limits/;https://developers.cloudflare.com/pages/;https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare for Startups (startup credit program)", "detail": "Official program page read today: up to $350,000 in credits for early-stage companies, tiered: Tier 3 = $10,000 credits (bootstrapped/self-funded, under $1M raised, no minimum funding, benefits: community/Discord/docs); Tier 2 = $100,000 (under $5M raised, funded by an affiliated partner; account manager case-dependent + expert sessions); Tier 1 = $350,000 ($5M+ raised, funded by an affiliated partner; account manager, priority support, bi-weekly Solutions Architect office hours). Credits cover usage-based services incl. Pages: Workers, Workers for Platforms, Durable Objects, Workflows, Workers AI, KV, D1, Queues, Vectorize, R2 (capped $10,000), Pages, Images and Stream, Cache Reserve, Argo Smart Routing. Product caps: Workers AI $2,500 (T3)/$10,000 (T2)/$50,000 (T1); R2 $10,000; AI Gateway temporarily NOT covered. Included at no cost in all tiers: 3 enterprise domains, unlimited Business and Pro plans, DDoS/bot protection, WAF with 1,000 custom rules, SSL, CDN+DNS, LB (2 origins), Rate Limiting (1 rule), 100% SLA. Excluded from credits: registrar fees, Enterprise add-ons, Magic Transit, Enterprise Spectrum, Dedicated IPs, China Network.", "eligibility": "ALL must be met: for-profit business; incorporated/founded within the last 10 years; funded up to Series B (within last 12 months); actively building a technology product; publicly accessible live website; public presence on LinkedIn, X or GitHub; first-time applicants only; business email matching your domain (no personal email). Explicitly excluded: educational institutions, personal blogs, consultancies, service-based agencies, MSPs, resellers. No .edu (students use the free plan instead). No geographic restriction stated (China Network excluded and needs a dedicated contract).", "claim": "Apply via the landing page linked from cloudflare.com/startups (form at /lp/startups): fill out the application describing product and team; review typically within 48 hours; activation confirmation by email; questions to startups@cloudflare.com. A valid payment method must be uploaded on file as part of the program.", "expiry": "Credits valid 1 year or until fully consumed, whichever comes first; Cloudflare states it cannot approve extensions. After expiration, the credit card on file is billed for usage unless a prepaid contract is signed.", "gotchas": "Credits are for usage-based services only — the free Pages plan is $0 to begin with, so the program only pays for your overage/paid-plan consumption; 'no cost' bundle (3 enterprise domains, WAF, SLA) is the real structural win. CREDIT CARD / payment method IS required (unlike the free plan). Funding caps matter: Tier 1 needs an affiliated-partner round, not just any $5M+. The older regional sub-pages (en-gb/en-ca /forstartups/) still show the pre-2026 four-tier $5k/$25k/$100k/$250k structure — the main cloudflare.com/startups page is authoritative.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education offer", "detail": "No student-specific free offer exists for Pages or the Cloudflare developer platform. The official education page (read today) lists no academic license, no student credits, and no .edu-based benefit; the only quantified education program is 'Project Cybersafe Schools': free cloud email security and DNS filtering (CIPA-compliant) for small US K-12 public school districts — a security offering, not hosting, and not available to individual students/educators. Cloudflare's startup program explicitly excludes educational institutions. Individual students are served by the universal $0 Pages Free plan (no card, no application), which is the same as the general public's free tier; free developer courses/community exist but carry no hosting entitlement.", "eligibility": "Students: no dedicated eligibility — they use the general Free plan (any account, no card). Project Cybersafe Schools: small US public K-12 districts. No .edu requirement anywhere; .edu email grants no special Cloudflare benefit.", "claim": "Nothing to claim for students beyond the standard free plan. For K-12 districts: contact Cloudflare education team via the contact form on cloudflare.com/education.", "expiry": "N/A — absence of a student program; free plan is permanent.", "gotchas": "Search budget in this session was exhausted, so I could not exhaustively rule out ad-hoc student partnerships (e.g., accelerator/course-specific credit drops like the historical Workers Launchpad, which is partner-gated, not student-gated). Confidence is medium: I read the official education page today but student programs, if any, could live under partner/launchpad names I didn't fetch.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/education/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Free Plan (CDN + DDoS + DNS + basic WAF)", "detail": "Perpetual $0/month free tier. Includes global CDN, always-on unlimited DDoS mitigation (no configuration), unlimited DNS zones/queries, TLS certificates, and basic WAF + Bot Fight Mode on the free tier. Runs on 100+ data centers across 330+ cities. Bundles the Workers Free compute tier and per-service free allowances (R2 10 GB, KV 1 GB, D1 5 GB, Durable Objects, Hyperdrive).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (students, startups, individuals, all regions). No .edu email, no age/funding cap. A credit card is NOT required: a Free account is created with just email + password.", "claim": "1) Sign up at dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up with email + password (no CC). 2) Add your domain via CNAME or point name servers to Cloudflare. 3) CDN + DDoS protection auto-activate for free.", "expiry": "No expiry — active for the life of the account.", "gotchas": "No CC needed to start, but adding a payment method unlocks paid products and any overage/egress beyond the free allowances is billed. Free plan has per-feature caps (e.g. Pages 500 builds/mo and 100 custom domains; 512 MB CDN cache).", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Workers Free Plan (Compute)", "detail": "$0. 100,000 Worker invocations/day (resets 00:00 UTC), 10 ms CPU per request, up to 100 Workers, 64 MiB memory, 50 external + 1,000 Cloudflare-service subrequests per invocation. Free allowances also include KV 1 GB, R2 10 GB, D1 5 GB, Durable Objects, Hyperdrive 100k queries/day.", "eligibility": "Anyone on a Free Cloudflare account.", "claim": "Create a free account, then deploy a Worker with `npx wrangler deploy`. No credit card needed.", "expiry": "Daily limits reset each day; plan is perpetual.", "gotchas": "The task's 'known so far' figure of ~1M requests/day is OUTDATED — the official current free limit is 100,000/day. Hitting the cap returns Error 1027 unless you upgrade to Workers Paid ($5/mo min).", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/limits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Observability / Monitoring / Uptime free tier", "detail": "Shared Observability free allowance of 0.5 GB/day ingestion + 7-day retention, pooling Traces, Workers Logs, Real User Monitoring (RUM), AI Gateway logs, R2 access logs, and Issues. Workers Logs free tier = 200,000 events/day (3-day retention). Cloudflare Radar and RUM are available on the Free plan for monitoring/uptime-style visibility.", "eligibility": "Anyone on the Free plan; no CC or .edu required.", "claim": "In the dashboard, enable Analytics & Logs / Real User Monitoring; free to ingest up to 0.5 GB/day.", "expiry": "No expiry; daily ingestion resets at 00:00 UTC.", "gotchas": "When the 0.5 GB/day cap is hit, ingestion stops until the reset. Scheduled change: from Dec 1, 2026, Workers Logs moves to Cloudflare Observability pricing — plan retention/limits may change after that date.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/observability/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Startup Program (up to $350,000 in credits)", "detail": "3 tiers (2026): Tier 3 = $10k (bootstrapped/self-funded, under $1M raised, no minimum funding); Tier 2 = $100k (under $5M raised, funded by an affiliated partner); Tier 1 = $350k ($5M+ raised, affiliated partner). Credits apply to usage-based services (Workers, KV, D1, Queues, Vectorize, R2 up to $10k, Workers AI up to $50k, Images, Stream, Argo, Cache Reserve). Included at NO COST on every tier: 3 enterprise domains, unlimited Business/Pro plans, DDoS + bot protection, WAF with 1,000 custom rules, CDN + DNS, load balancing, 100% SLA.", "eligibility": "For-profit startup founded within the last 10 years, funded up to Series B within the last 12 months, actively building a tech product, with a public verifiable website, active on LinkedIn/X/GitHub, first-time applicant, and a business-domain email. Since Sep 2025, non-profit/civil-society/public-interest orgs are also eligible (up to $250k).", "claim": "Apply at cloudflare.com/startups (form describing the product + team). You must create a Cloudflare account AND add a valid payment method on file (used to bill overages). Review takes up to ~48 hours; approval arrives by email.", "expiry": "Credits valid for 1 year or until fully consumed, whichever is first. No extensions; upgrading within a cohort does not reset the 12-month window.", "gotchas": "Unlike the plain Free plan, the Startup program REQUIRES a payment method on file. Product-specific caps: R2 up to $10k; Workers AI $2.5k (Tier 3)/$10k (Tier 2)/$50k (Tier 1); AI Gateway temporarily NOT covered. 'Funded up to Series B within last 12 months' means recently-fundraised startups only.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Academy — free courses & certification (education license)", "detail": "Self-paced, free online training curriculum plus free certification exams (e.g. Cloudflare Certified Associate). No .edu email, no student status, and no funding cap required — open to anyone. Educators can also run the material in classrooms; instructors can be supported through Cloudflare's instructor program.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (students, educators, self-learners, all regions).", "claim": "Go to Cloudflare Academy, create a free account, and start any course for $0.", "expiry": "Courses/certs do not expire; content updates over time.", "gotchas": "Could not re-fetch the Academy page today (DNS resolution failure for academy.cloudflare.com from this environment), so the exact current course catalog/URL was not re-verified. The free/open/self-paced model and free-certification positioning are consistent with Cloudflare's learning/community pages but were not re-read on the live page.", "source_url": "https://academy.cloudflare.com/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Ambassador & Community programs (student leaders)", "detail": "The Cloudflare Community Ambassador program explicitly targets 'student leaders' (alongside community organizers and technical creators): run on-campus clubs, meetups, workshops, and content. Benefits include Cloudflare credits, marketing assets, swag, and access to Cloudflare experts; cohorts last 1 year with the option to reapply. A separate Community Engineer track provides discretionary grants for meaningful open-source work. Neither is a paid role.", "eligibility": "Open application; non-technical enthusiasts welcome; student club leaders, community organizers, and open-source contributors.", "claim": "Apply through cloudflare.com/community under the Ambassador (or Community Engineer) track.", "expiry": "Cohort-based: 1-year Ambassador cohorts, reapply to continue; Community Engineer has no fixed term.", "gotchas": "Credits/grants are discretionary (awards, not a flat entitlement) and cohort-based, not a guaranteed free tier like the Free plan.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/community/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Free (Network & CDN) plan — always-free", "detail": "$0/month website/CDN plan: CDN, unmetered DDoS protection, Universal SSL, WAF with Free Managed Ruleset, DNS, SSO, Role-based Account Control; 70 WAF rules + 10K bulk redirects; bot mitigation limited to 'Simple bots'; community forums support only. Paid tiers for comparison: Pro $20/mo annual ($25 monthly), Business $200/mo annual ($250 monthly), Enterprise custom. Page targets 'personal or hobby projects'.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone worldwide; no .edu email, no student status, no credit card/payment method required for the Free plan (sign up at dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up, 'Start building for free' — payment method only needed later to enable paid products/services).", "claim": "Create a free Cloudflare account (no payment method), add your domain as a zone, set nameservers to Cloudflare. Instant, perpetual, renews monthly at $0. The plan page (network-cdn) does not state a hard zone/site cap or bandwidth cap; Free has historically been unlimited-bandwidth with all sites/zones included.", "expiry": "Permanent; no expiry. Free-plan feature sets can shrink/change with plan revisions.", "gotchas": "Only 'Simple bots' mitigation and 70 rules on Free; WAF max payload and bot analytics are paid-plan features. Paid add-ons cost extra (e.g. Log Explorer $1/GB after 10 GB).", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/network-cdn/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Developer Free plan — Workers, R2, D1, KV, Pages, AI (perpetual, not a trial)", "detail": "Perpetual free allowances (monthly unless noted): Workers 100,000 requests/day + 10 ms CPU/request (128 MB memory; 100 Workers; 5 cron triggers; 50 external subrequests/request); R2 10 GB-month Standard storage + 1M Class A + 10M Class B ops/month; D1 5 GB total storage + 5M rows read/day; Workers KV 1 GB storage + 100K reads/day; Pages 500 builds/month, 100 custom domains/project, 20K files, 20-min build timeout; Workers AI 10,000 neurons/day; Observability free: 0.5 GB/day ingestion, 7-day retention; Workflows 3,000 steps/day + 1 GB-month storage. No charge for egress/bandwidth on Workers and R2. Workers Paid plan is $5/mo minimum (includes 10M requests + 30M CPU ms).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu/student requirement, no funding/company status, and credit card NOT required to create a Free account — docs explicitly frame adding a payment method as a post-signup step to 'enable additional products and services'.", "claim": "Sign up free at dash.cloudflare.com/sign-up; free allowances are included automatically on any new account — no application, no key, no card. Exceeding Workers quotas returns error 1027 (fail-open/closed), not a bill, on the Free plan; overages on R2/D1/KV etc. do bill, which requires a payment method on the account.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; daily limits reset at midnight UTC, monthly allowances reset each billing month. 2026 additions started charging for some add-ons (see sunset_notes).", "gotchas": "R2 free tier covers Standard storage only (Infrequent Access is never free). New metered add-ons (R2 SQL, R2 Data Catalog billed 2026-08-03; AI Search billing from 2026-11-01 with 5M ingestion tokens, 10 GB-month, 1K semantic + 1K full-text queries/month included) can produce invoices on an otherwise-free account — monitor 'Billable Usage' and set spend caps. Workers AI Gateway is 'temporarily not covered' by startup credits.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Startup Program — annual credits ($10K / $100K / $350K tiers)", "detail": "Cloudflare's startup program (cloudflare.com/startup, apply at /lp/startups) offers credits valid 1 year or until consumed (extensions not granted). Tiers recently raised: Tier 3 $10,000/yr (was $5,000), 'no minimum funding required'; Tier 2 $100,000/yr + account manager; Tier 1 $350,000/yr (was $250,000) + Office Hours + priority support. Exclusions/caps: R2 capped at $10K credit; Workers AI capped at $2.5K/$10K/$50K by tier; AI Gateway temporarily not covered; domain registrar fees and premium network services (Magic Transit, Enterprise Spectrum, Dedicated IPs, China Network) excluded. Review typically ~48 hours, confirmation by email.", "eligibility": "For-profit company only; incorporated no more than 10 years ago; funded up to Series B (funding within last 12 months, except Tier 3 needs no minimum funding); business email on the company domain — personal emails are rejected, so .edu/student emails are NOT eligible; must have a public website and public LinkedIn/X/GitHub presence; first-time applicant only; no region limit is stated on the page.", "claim": "Apply via the form at https://www.cloudflare.com/lp/startups with company/business-domain email; if accepted you receive the tier's annual credit to offset Cloudflare spend. The startup program is for companies, so students/universities/sole .edu users effectively cannot claim it.", "expiry": "Credits: 12 months from grant or until consumed, whichever first; no extensions. Active members near old caps may email startups@cloudflare.com for case-by-case tier upgrade (does not reset the 12-month window).", "gotchas": "Business-entity + company-domain email rules make it unusable for individual students, classes, or nonprofit/university projects; 'funding within last 12 months' + up-to-Series-B cap means late-stage and >10-year-old companies are out; entry tier is now $10K not the $5K referenced in older sources.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startup/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / .edu programs — no dedicated student or university program found", "detail": "No .edu-only or student-exclusive Cloudflare offer was found today: no Cloudflare education license, no student credits, no university pricing page (cloudflare.com/academy and /lp/startups-education equivalents 404; academy.cloudflare.com did not resolve in this session; Cloudflare docs contain no 'academy/education' content). Cloudflare Academy (free courses/certifications for IT/security training, open to everyone — not .edu-gated) has existed in recent years, but its current status is unconfirmed from today's fetches. The only 'free' education-adjacent value is the general free developer plan plus free Radar data dashboards.", "eligibility": "n/a — negative finding: no .edu/student-email program exists to claim; free platform is available to students exactly as to anyone else (no card required).", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students get the standard Free developer plan (Workers 100K req/day, R2 10 GB, D1 5 GB, KV 1 GB, Pages 500 builds/month) with no special student terms; universities would have to use the startup program only if they fit its for-profit company rules, which they typically do not.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "If Cloudflare Academy has moved hosts (dead subdomain in this environment), re-verify before citing its free courses/certifications; treat any .edu-only claim as unsubstantiated.", "source_url": "https://academy.cloudflare.com/(DNSdidnotresolve,2026-10-22)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes in 2025–2026: (1) The Cloudflare for Startups program was restructured from the April 2025 four-tier layout ($5k/$25k/$100k/$250k, per blog post 'Startup Program update') to the current three-tier layout ($10k/$100k/$350k) — Tier 3 raised $5k→$10k and top tier $250k→$350k; regional pages (e.g. cloudflare.com/en-in/forstartups) still display the outdated $250k/4-tier structure, so use the US .com page as authoritative. (2) Sept 22, 2025 (Birthday Week 2025): Students program launched (12 months free Workers Paid for US .edu 18+) and the program was extended to non-profits/civil-society orgs (up to $250k credits). (3) Sept 2025: 'Come build with us' hubs — program participants get office access in SF/Austin/London/Lisbon from Jan 2026. (4) Sept 28, 2026: 'The Cold Start' competition announced — 5 early-stage companies pitch at Cloudflare Connect; grand prize $500,000 in credits (competition, not a standing program). (5) Workers AI pricing page (last updated Oct 20, 2026) moved to per-model granular unit-based pricing display while backend billing remains Neuron-based; 8 frontier models are now gated behind a paid billing method. Sunset of 2022–2024 programs: the original $1.25B/$2B-pledge Workers Launchpad funding program (2022) evolved into the current cohort Launchpad; no free-offer sunsets this cycle — all five offers above remain active as of 2026-10-22. Note: one follow-up web search (non-profit program page URL) could not be executed because the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted; non-profit and Launchpad findings lean on blog/press summaries and cached page content, hence medium confidence.", "2025–2026 program changes: (1) The Startup Program was restructured in 2025 from the April 2025 4-tier structure ($5,000 / $25,000 / $100,000 / $250,000, 'founded within last 5 years') to the current 3 tiers ($10k / $100k / $350k, founded within last 10 years) — entry tier doubled, top tier raised $250k->$350k, and the $25k tier was dropped. Members on the old caps can request a case-by-case upgrade that does not reset their 12-month expiry. (2) Sept 22, 2025: program expanded to non-profit, civil-society, and public-interest organizations (up to $250k credits; first application window ran until Dec 1, 2025). (3) Sept 22, 2025: Cloudflare for Students launched (12-month free paid developer features, US .edu only) — an education license/credit that did not exist before 2025. (4) 'The Cold Start' ($500k credit prize) closed with its Oct 19, 2026 Connect event; applications ended Oct 2, 2026. (5) Stale pages: some localized pages (e.g., cloudflare.com/en-in/forstartups/) still show the old '5 years / $5k-$250k' criteria — treat as outdated; the global /startups/ page is authoritative. (6) Community note: a global Cloudflare outage on Nov 18, 2025 (Workers KV, Access, Turnstile, dashboard, core CDN) is a recurring single-vendor risk with free tiers. The pre-launch claim 'WAF (1,000 rules) on all [startup] tiers' is confirmed — but the regular Free plan only gets 5 WAF custom rules; 1,000 is the Enterprise-plan limit that the startup program includes at no cost.", "As of 2026-10-22, Cloudflare has NO distinct free offers targeted at students or startups: (1) No startup program — the official partners page (cloudflare.com/partners, fetched 2026-10-22) lists only PowerUP channel program, technology alliances, global SIs, service providers, and the Cloudflare@OCI alliance; no startup track, no free credits, no age/funding-capped program. (2) No trial credits — paid Workers plans simply start at $5/mo with usage-based overage; no free-trial-of-paid credits are offered. (3) No education license/.edu discount for infrastructure — cloudflare.com/plans (fetched 2026-10-22) shows usage-based Free/Paid tiers only and mentions no education, student, or nonprofit discount; no .edu email is required for any tier; the free tiers are universally available to any account. Cloudflare's only education-adjacent offering is free learning content/certification programs (Learning Hub / CF-ICD), which is training, not hosting/PaaS — and its landing page (developers.cloudflare.com/learning-hub) was 404, so status is unverified. 2025–2026 material changes affecting the free tiers: Pages is not sunset but is being pushed into a migrate-to-Workers posture (a 'Migrate From Pages' guide and a Pages index note steering users to Workers static assets; Pages limits unchanged: 500 builds/mo, 100 projects, 20,000 files); Workers Logs free tier migrates to Cloudflare Observability pricing on 2026-12-01; Durable Objects SQLite storage billing begins January 2026; legacy KV API routes deprecated with 2026-10-15 migration deadline; R2 free tier (10 GB) unchanged, with new free sub-tiers added in 2026 for R2 SQL (10 GB scanned/mo) and R2 Data Catalog (1M ops + 10 GB compaction/mo), both billing-enabled 2026-08-03. Note: the WebSearch budget was exhausted for this session, so 2025-2026 change verification relied on official docs/changelog pages (fetched today) rather than press/news coverage; 'last updated' dates on the source pages are 2026, confirming the limits above are current.", "2024-2026 changes: (1) Startup program was revamped Sep 2024 from a one-size $500k-era offer to a credits system capped at $250,000 (3 tiers). April 11, 2025: expanded to four tiers — $5,000 (bootstrapped/stealth, founded last 5 yrs), $25,000 (funded to $1M), $100,000 ($1M-$5M + approved VC/accelerator), $250,000 (Tier-1 VCs / AI / Workers Launchpad) — with a 5-year founding window and a 'BOOTSTRAPPED' promo-code path. The current 2026 page replaced this with three tiers ($10k/$100k/$350k), a 10-year founding window, 'funded up to Series B within the last 12 months', a hard payment-method-on-file requirement, and per-tier Workers AI caps. Old $250k/$5k-$250k four-tier copy still lingers on stale localized sub-pages (en-gb, en-ca) — treat cloudflare.com/startups as current. (2) Pages platform shift 2025-2026: Pages was consolidated into the Workers platform; docs now steer new projects to Workers ('Start new projects with Workers'; Pages Functions billed exactly as Workers), but Pages is not sunset — Free plan numbers stand as verified Sep 5, 2026 doc: $0, unlimited static requests/bandwidth, 500 builds/mo, 100 projects, 100 custom domains/project, 20,000 files (raised from the prior 10,000 cap; paid tiers unlock 100,000 via PAGES_WRANGLER_MAJOR_VERSION=4), 25 MiB max asset. (3) No student/education program was created or sunset in this window; 'Project Cybersafe Schools' (free K-12 email security + DNS filtering, US districts) remains the only education-facing free offer. No trial-credit program (e.g., a $500 API-credit trial) is currently advertised on the official pages I read.", "Material 2025–2026 changes: (1) Startup Program tier structure was revamped repeatedly: Sept 2024 revamp set the ceiling at $250k; April 2025 expanded to 4 tiers ($5k/$25k/$100k/$250k); by mid-2026 it was restructured into 3 tiers ($10k/$100k/$350k, per the current cloudflare.com/startups page and a May 2026 announcement). (2) Sep 2025: non-profit, civil-society, and public-interest organizations became eligible for the Startup program (up to $250k) — application window opened with a Dec 1 close for that cohort. (3) Eligibility window widened from 'founded within last 5 years' (2019–2024) to 'founded within last 10 years.' (4) Workers free-plan subrequest limit changed Feb 2026: now 50 external + 1,000 Cloudflare-service subrequests per invocation (previously a flat 1,000 total). (5) Workers Logs: effective Dec 1, 2026 it moves to Cloudflare Observability pricing (a near-term change affecting the free observability front). (6) Sep 2026: Free-account creation expanded so users can create up to 5 standalone Free accounts via dashboard or API. No traditional 'education license discount' or separate individual developer-credit grant exists at Cloudflare; the free value for students is the perpetual Free plan + free Academy + discretionary Ambassador/Community grants, and for startups the credits program.", "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) Startup program tiers were \"recently updated\" (undated on page, current as of 2026-10-22): Tier 3 raised $5,000→$10,000/yr and Tier 1 $250,000→$350,000/yr — older references to a \"$5K credit\" are stale; entry tier is now $10K. (2) No general-public time-boxed trial or one-off trial-credit offer exists; the only dollar-credit offer is the application-based startup program (perpetual free tiers are not trials and never expire). (3) New billable dimensions landed on the free platform in 2026: R2 SQL and R2 Data Catalog billing enabled 2026-08-03 for non-Enterprise accounts (free tier 10 GB scanned / 1M catalog ops / 10 GB compaction per month), AI Search billing begins 2026-11-01 (free: 5M ingestion tokens, 10 GB-month, 1K semantic + 1K full-text queries/month), and 2026-02-11 raised Workers subrequest limits (Free stays at 50 external/1,000 internal per invocation; Paid default 10,000, configurable to 10M) — free accounts can still accrue charges on metered add-ons, so set spend limits. (4) 2025-12-05 WAF max-payload change: Free zones already protected to 1 MB; paid plans need support ticket to enable. (5) Unbound/Bundled Workers plans are deprecated and unavailable to new accounts. (6) Education: no .edu-only program found and Cloudflare Academy's host (academy.cloudflare.com) did not resolve today — treat its current availability as unverified; if it was sunset in 2025-2026, no student/education free offer remains at Cloudflare." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 23, "medium": 5, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Workers AI free tier: 10,000 free Neurons/day (no signup offer needed)", "link": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers-ai/platform/pricing/(lastupdatedOct20,2026—readtoday)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "cockroachdb cloud trial", "name": "CockroachDB Cloud trial", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://cockroachlabs.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "30-day free trial with $400 in credits for new Cloud organizations (Standard edition needs no credit card)" ], "notes": [ "Rebranded to Cockroach Continuum (2026); after trial, clusters pause with a 30-day grace period. The old '20 GB free forever' tier is no longer listed." ], "findings": [ { "name": "30-day free trial with $400 in credits (new Cloud orgs, incl. Continuum)", "detail": "Every new CockroachDB Cloud organization gets a 30-day trial with $400 in credits; all usage (compute, storage, backups, data transfer, add-ons) draws down the $400 pool. Trial ends at 30 days or when the credit is exhausted, whichever first. New organizations created on/after Sep 15, 2026 land on the new 'Cockroach Continuum' pricing (Standard and Mission Critical editions, billed per vCPU-hour: Standard from $0.057/vCPU-hr on shared infra, 99.99% SLA; Mission Critical from $0.162/vCPU-hr on dedicated infra, 99.999% SLA). After the trial, clusters pause; a 30-day grace period follows (throttled, config changes restricted) during which adding a payment method restores clusters; after that, all clusters are permanently deleted and cannot be restored. Email milestones to Org Admins/Billing Coordinators at 50% and 75% credit consumption, trial end, <24h and grace end.", "eligibility": "Only a user's FIRST organization qualifies; users invited to an organization do not get additional credits; organizations billed by invoice are excluded. No .edu or startup eligibility involved. No credit card required to start on the Standard edition (legacy Basic/Standard plans also card-free); Mission Critical REQUIRES a credit card because it runs on dedicated infrastructure. Region/provider limits on the card-free tier: Standard is AWS/GCP only (shared infra); Mission Critical adds Azure. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Sign up at cockroachlabs.com (cloud console) — 'Create a free Continuum Cloud organization'. 2) The $400 trial credit is applied automatically to the new organization (no coupon or form). 3) Deploy a cluster (Standard edition = no credit card). 4) Optionally add a payment method (console, or via AWS/Google Cloud Marketplace) before the trial ends to keep running.", "expiry": "Trial: 30 days or $400 exhaustion, whichever is first; then 30-day grace period, then deletion. One trial per user's first organization only; does not renew.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free tier: this is a one-time credit, not a perpetual free tier; it ends when EITHER 30 days pass or $400 is used. Standard: no CC needed; Mission Critical: CC required. Data/egress: same-region traffic between cluster nodes is free; cross-region and public-internet egress are billed at the cloud provider's list price and will consume the $400. After grace period, cluster deletion is irreversible. New deployments after Sep 15, 2026 are on Continuum pricing, not the legacy RU plans.", "source_url": "https://cockroachlabs.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Basic plan free tier: 50M RUs + 10 GiB storage free per month (~$15/month free resource credit) — legacy CockroachDB Cloud plans", "detail": "The Basic plan starts at $0/month and includes 50 million Request Units and 10 GiB of storage free every month; on-demand compute/storage scale to zero. Billing docs describe the same benefit as the first $15 of monthly resource consumption 'credited back on the monthly invoice'. Basic targets smaller/bursty workloads up to ~30K RU/sec (~60 vCPUs), multi-region on AWS & GCP (select regions), 99.99% SLA. This is the only recurring free tier in the product line.", "eligibility": "Applies to pay-as-you-go CockroachDB Cloud organizations; customers on annual or multi-year contracts are explicitly NOT eligible for the monthly free resource benefit. A payment method (credit card or cloud Marketplace subscription) must be on the account to receive the free credit. CAVEAT as of 2026-10-22: the RU-based plan pages state these prices 'apply to pay-as-you-go and committed-use customers with clusters created prior to September 15, 2026' and 'Such pricing is no longer available for purchase' — new orgs get Cockroach Continuum, which lists no free tier. So the free tier is effectively live only for pre-cutover / existing pay-as-you-go orgs.", "claim": "Sign up for CockroachDB Cloud pay-as-you-go, add a payment method in the console (or subscribe via AWS/Google Cloud Marketplace), deploy on the Basic plan; the first 50M RUs + 10 GiB each month are credited back on the invoice automatically. No coupon needed.", "expiry": "Ongoing while the Basic plan is active for pay-as-you-go orgs; effectively sunset for new customers at the Sep 15, 2026 Continuum cutover.", "gotchas": "Credit is monthly, not cumulative; it is a credit-back on invoice, not a hard cap — going over costs money, and a payment method is required to get the benefit at all. Annual-contract customers lose it. Under the Sep 15, 2026 cutover to Continuum this plan structure is no longer available for new purchases, so its practical value in 2026 is limited to existing pay-as-you-go orgs. Backups on Basic are daily and not configurable; IOPS and data transfer are bundled into RUs.", "source_url": "https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/cockroachcloud/costs", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free self-hosted use: CockroachDB Software License (CSL) limited non-production carve-out + legacy MIT-licensed releases", "detail": "Since Nov 18, 2024 (v24.3 and later major series), the CockroachDB server is no longer MIT-licensed: it ships under the proprietary 'CockroachDB Software License' (CSL), a key-gated license. The CSL permits use without a paid License Key only for 'Limited Non-Production Use' (design, prototyping, testing, development in non-production environments) or a database running solely on a single node. Multi-node production self-hosting requires a purchased License Key. Older releases remain available under their original licenses (MIT), so a genuinely free production-grade self-hosted path still exists for those versions.", "eligibility": "Anyone (no .edu, no CC); the free carve-out covers non-production use of any size and single-node production. Region limits: none (self-hosted).", "claim": "1) Download a legacy MIT-licensed release (pre-Nov 2024, e.g. v24.2-series) for free production self-hosting, or 2) download the current v24.3+ build for free development/testing or single-node use; no registration or key needed for the carve-out. For multi-node production on current releases, purchase a License Key from Cockroach Labs.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "The license text forbids operating multi-node production without a key, restricts benchmarking, mandates telemetry unless a key disables it, and is non-sublicensable/non-transferable. This is a 2024 license change, not a trial: it is a permanent free tier for non-production/single-node use, not a dollar credit and it covers no managed service or support. If you need the latest release in production, budget for the key.", "source_url": "https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program / education license: verified absent", "detail": "No startup-credits program and no education (student/.edu/academic) free-license program was found on the official site as of 2026-10-22. /startup-program/ and /company/startup-program/ return 404; /resources/startup/ redirects to the homepage; /education/ is 404; the marketing sitemap (scanned in full today) contains no 'education', 'student', 'academic' or startup-program URLs — only marketing blog posts/webinars and a free 'Unicorn Lessons' architecture ebook for startups (no credits or discount). The 'education-first' blog is a customer case study, not a program. 'CockroachDB University' (free training, launched Nov 2019) is still referenced in the site footer at learn.cockroachlabs.com (fetch bot-blocked, HTTP 403); even when active it was free education/training only, with no free Cloud license or credits for students or educators.", "eligibility": "N/A — no offer to claim.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; the only free access for students/startups is the generic 30-day/$400 trial and (for pre-cutover orgs) the Basic free tier.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Absence verified via official 404s/redirects and a full marketing-sitemap scan today, but the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so I could not cross-check press releases or partner pages for an off-site program. Startup/education deals, if any, would come only via sales (account team), not public self-serve claims.", "source_url": "https://cockroachlabs.com/sitemap.xml", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Sep 15, 2026 cutover: Cockroach Labs moved new deployments to 'Cockroach Continuum' (Standard/Mission Critical editions, per-vCPU-hour pricing). The legacy RU plans (including the $0/month Basic free tier with 50M RUs + 10 GiB free monthly) are 'no longer available for purchase' for new orgs; existing customers stay on old pricing unless they opt in. Continuum lists no recurring free tier — only the one-time 30-day/$400 trial. 2) Nov 18, 2024 relicensing: CockroachDB server moved from MIT to the proprietary, key-gated CockroachDB Software License (v24.3+); free self-hosting is now limited to non-production use or single-node deployments, while pre-Nov-2024 releases remain MIT. 3) Sep 26, 2024: the old 'Serverless'/'Dedicated' product names (which carried the original 'free for everybody, scales to zero' serverless framing) were absorbed into CockroachDB Cloud, per a reader's note on the serverless blog post. 4) No startup program and no education license are publicly offered today; Cockroach University (free training) is still footer-linked but bot-blocked (403) and never included a free database license. 5) WebSearch was unavailable this session (shared budget exhausted), so verification was done against official pages fetched 2026-10-22 (marketing pricing, docs.cockroachlabs.com, GitHub LICENSE) rather than press/news coverage of 2025-2026 changes." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "30-day free trial with $400 in credits (new Cloud orgs, incl. Continuum)", "link": "https://cockroachlabs.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "cohere trial api key", "name": "Cohere Trial API key", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://cohere.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Auto-issued trial key: 1,000 free API calls/month across all endpoints (Chat 20 req/min; Embed 2,000 inputs/min), no card, non-commercial" ], "notes": [ "Trial keys are for prototyping/research, not production or commercial use. Some models (e.g. North Mini Code) are free on production keys too. Not offered in ~10 countries. Production keys are pay-as-you-go." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Cohere Trial API key (free tier, self-serve)", "detail": "Auto-issued Trial API key on account creation: all API calls free, 1,000 API calls/month across all endpoints combined (per official docs.cohere.com rate-limits page; not stated on the pricing FAQ itself), with per-endpoint rate limits: Chat 20 req/min per model (Command A+, A Reasoning, A Translate, A Vision, Command A, R+, R, R7B, North Mini Code), Embed 2,000 inputs/min (same as production), Embed (Images) 5 inputs/min, Rerank 10 req/min, Tokenize 100 req/min, Parse 500 req/min, Audio Transcriptions 5 req/min. No credit card required; non-commercial use only — trial keys are explicitly 'not permitted to be used for production or commercial purposes'. No expiry date published; monthly quota resets on calendar month.", "eligibility": "Anyone — any email, sign up at dashboard.cohere.com (email, Google, or GitHub). No .edu requirement, no student status, no region limit stated. No credit card or payment required.", "claim": "Sign up at dashboard.cohere.com; the Trial key is generated automatically and is copyable from the dashboard / 'API Keys' section. No application step. Usage caps: 1,000 calls/month total; 429s when rate limits or monthly cap hit; 402 when account billing limit reached.", "expiry": "No published end date; 1,000-call monthly quota resets each calendar month. Key remains available for the life of the account.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: this is a permanent free tier, not a time-boxed trial, but strictly non-commercial — commercial production use requires a paid Production key (Owner completes 'Go to Production' workflow; pay-as-you-go, invoiced monthly or at $250 outstanding balance). 2026 change: for newer Chat model variants (Command A+, Command A Reasoning/Translate/Vision) production keys are capped like trial keys (1,000 calls/month, 20 req/min) and commercial use of those models requires contacting sales@cohere.com — so the free tier is the only self-serve access for the newest models. Data: Cohere logs prompts/generations, deleted after 30 days; opt out via Settings -> Data Controls. Third-party 'student deal' listings (e.g. The Modelverse) that tout '.edu verified, 365-day grant' are just rebrands of this same universal trial key — no .edu verification or separate grant exists.", "source_url": "https://cohere.com/pricing(FAQ:'HowdoIgetaTrialAPIkey?','What'sthedifferencebetweenaTrialAPIkeyandProductionAPIkey?')+https://docs.cohere.com/docs/rate-limits(officiallimitstables,readtoday)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cohere Labs Catalyst Grants (research / education / public-benefit API credits)", "detail": "Free Cohere API access (credits + compute) for academic partners, civic and public-impact organizations. Amounts per grant are not fixed or published; program page shows running totals (counters for grants awarded, $k in API credits, countries, university affiliations; third-party mid-2025 figure: 250+ grants, ~$350K API credits, 35+ countries). Credits tracked in the dashboard Billing tab; a Production API key is required to use them; if credits run out, contact brittawnya@cohere.com for more. AI-safety research has disclosure obligations: vulnerabilities must be disclosed unconditionally to labs@cohere.com at least 4 weeks before publication; no other pre-publication approval required.", "eligibility": "Academic partners, civic and public-impact organizations (not strictly .edu-only — no formal .edu rule, but projects must be public-benefit or open-science research; non-commercial). Focus areas: education, healthcare, climate, sustainability, multilingual work, model safety, prosocial applications, values alignment. Credit card not required.", "claim": "Apply via the form at cohere.com/research/grants/application (official page cohere.com/research/grants). Rolling consideration, no fixed deadline. Colleagues outside your institution can be invited to use the credits via the dashboard Team tab. Optional acknowledgment line: 'This work was supported by compute credits from a Cohere Labs Research Grant.'", "expiry": "No sunset published; application status shown as 'Open / rolling basis' as of today.", "gotchas": "Credits are project/eligibility-scoped, not a universal student tier — individual students only get access via a faculty/institutional grant (or they apply as part of a qualifying organization). Grants are competitive and rolling, so timing is unpredictable. Grant access uses a Production key, meaning the non-commercial restriction of trial keys is replaced by the public-benefit/open-science restriction instead. The Sep 2025 education post is marketing for this same program, not a separate education license.", "source_url": "https://cohere.com/research/grants(readtoday)+cohort/educationframing:https://cohere.com/blog/exploring-ai-in-education(Sep23,2025,'UsingCohereGrantstotransformstudentsintoAIbuilders')", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cohere Startup Program (2024 cohort) — 25% off for 12 months + partner-VC credits — CLOSED", "detail": "Launched June 6, 2024: 25% discount on Cohere's proprietary models for one year, plus engineering support, logo/use-case showcase on cohere.com, joint webinars and co-marketing; zero equity; historically up to $100,000 API credits available to startups affiliated with partner VCs/accelerators. It was a discount program, not upfront free credits. Cohere's own post carried the note 'Applications are now closed for 2024' and no 2025/2026 cohort was announced.", "eligibility": "At closure: early-stage AI startups from bootstrapped through Series B, building on Cohere tech, global (no published country restriction). The 25%-off benefit ran for 12 months from acceptance.", "claim": "No live claim path: cohere.com/startup-program and /startup-program-application now redirect to the cohere.com homepage (verified today, 2026-10-22, and re-verified by independent trackers on 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-10); cohere.com/startups returns 404. While it was open: submit the application, Cohere's team reviewed fit, then 25% discount applied at the billing layer for a year. Current substitute for prototyping: the free Trial key; for paid use: production keys or AWS Activate credits on Cohere models in Amazon Bedrock.", "expiry": "Closed: 'Applications are now closed for 2024' per Cohere's post; program URLs dead as of 2026-10-09/10-22. No renewal announced.", "gotchas": "Do not plan around this program: no closure notice was published, it simply lapsed — the launch post body is thin and the numbers above come from the post plus trackers. It is distinct from the Catalyst Grants (which cover research/public-benefit, not commercial startups). Third-party directories still list it as 'active' (e.g. SaaSTweaks, Startup Intros 'Cohere for Good') — ignore those; the official URLs are dead as of October 2026.", "source_url": "https://cohere.com/blog/cohere-launches-startup-program(June6,2024launchpost)+closureverificationofhttps://cohere.com/startup-program(redirectstohomepage)andhttps://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/cohere(2026-10-09)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated student .edu license — education access rides on the universal trial key + Catalyst Grants", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 there is no Cohere student/education license, no .edu-verified free tier, and no student credit card offer. Students get the same 1,000-calls/month trial key as everyone else (non-commercial, which covers coursework/personal projects but not a commercial product), plus eligibility for free API credits through a faculty/academic Catalyst Grant.", "eligibility": "N/A — this is the absence of an offer. Verified across cohere.com (pricing, startup, research pages) and the Sep 2025 education blog post, which is Catalyst-Grants content only.", "claim": "Students: self-serve trial key for non-commercial use; apply (with a university/institution) to cohere.com/research/grants/application for public-benefit/open-science API credits.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Third-party perk aggregators (The Modelverse 'Cohere Free Trial API Key Free Student Deal', resets.pro, freellmapihub) list Cohere under student/research programs, but the 'student deal' entries are the generic trial key with fabricated framing (e.g. '365-day grant', '.edu verification') — Cohere requires no student verification. The only genuinely student-relevant first-party offer is the researcher-facing Catalyst Grant.", "source_url": "https://cohere.com/pricing+https://cohere.com/blog/exploring-ai-in-education+https://cohere.com/research/grants(allcheckedtoday)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Cohere Startup Program (2024: 25% off models for 12 months, no equity, up to ~$100K partner-VC API credits): CLOSED — Cohere's launch post (June 2024) notes 'Applications are now closed for 2024'; cohere.com/startup-program, /startup-program-application and /startups now redirect to the homepage or 404 (verified 2026-10-09 and 2026-10-22). No successor program announced; ignore third-party directories still listing it as active. 2) 2026 material change to the free tier itself: production keys now behave like trial keys for the newest Chat model variants (Command A+, Command A Reasoning/Translate/Vision) — 1,000 calls/month and 20 req/min — and commercial use of those models requires contacting sales@cohere.com, so free trial-key access is the only self-serve route to the newest models (per docs.cohere.com rate-limits page, read today). 3) Fine-tuning for legacy text models (command, command-light, command-r, classify, rerank) was retired 2025-09-15 (third-party reference; not a free offer per se). 4) No student/education license has ever existed at Cohere — the Sep 2025 'AI in Education' blog is Catalyst Grants content, and student-perk listings on aggregators are rebranded trial keys. 5) Trial-key Embed limit: current official docs say 2,000 inputs/min; an older third-party summary (Sep 2025) claimed 100/min — the official docs figure stands." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Cohere Trial API key (free tier, self-serve)", "link": "https://cohere.com/pricing(FAQ:'HowdoIgetaTrialAPIkey?','What'sthedifferencebetweenaTrialAPIkeyandProductionAPIkey?')+https://docs.cohere.com/docs/rate-limits(officiallimitstables,readtoday)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "contentful free plan", "name": "Contentful Free Plan", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.contentful.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: ~20M content API requests/month, 10K assets, 3 authors, 15-day trials of paid plans; no credit card" ], "notes": [ "PAGE RATE-LIMITED at fetch (2026-10) — numbers are from the long-standing Free plan and should be re-confirmed on the pricing page before publishing exact caps." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Contentful Free plan (\"Start for free\" / Starter Space)", "detail": "Permanently free platform plan, no credit card. Current limits (official pricing page, Nov 2025 snapshot via search index, corroborated by two 2026 trackers): 10 users, 2 roles (Admin, Editor), 2 locales, 25 content types, 10,000 records total (entries + assets combined), 2 environments, 100K API calls/month, 50 GB CDN asset bandwidth/month, 50 MB asset upload. 'No overages' on the free plan (usage at the cap is blocked/throttled, not billed). One Starter Space included with every plan; cannot be purchased separately; no paid add-ons for extra API calls or bandwidth on free. Community support only. Historically aimed at personal projects, hack weeks, local non-profits; the 2020 FAQ says 'not intended for commercial purposes'. Aims at 'innovation and education' per the FAQ.", "eligibility": "Anyone: sign up with any email, no credit card required, no .edu required, no region restrictions documented, no application/approval. Students, individual developers and non-profits are the stated audience; commercial use is discouraged (per FAQ).", "claim": "Step 1: create a free account at contentful.com (email only, 'no credit card required' per get-started page). Step 2: the free Starter Space and free Platform tier are provisioned automatically. No forms, no sales call.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no expiry or renewal. Monthly API-call/bandwidth quotas reset each month; no overage billing on the free plan.", "gotchas": "Free tier was CUT sharply in the 2025 platform restructure: API calls 1M→100K/month, CDN 0.1TB (plus 0.75TB Intro Space) → 50GB/month, users 5→10 but roles 4→2. The 'known so far' baseline (20M content API requests/month, 10K assets, 3 authors, 15-day paid trials) matches no documented 2024–2026 official configuration (last documented free-tier API cap was 1M/month). 10,000 records counts entries AND assets together, so the 10K-asset figure is wrong. 2-locale wall: a third language forces the ~$300/mo Lite plan. No workflows on free. Official page could not be read live on 2026-10-22 (site behind Vercel bot-checkpoint, HTTP 429 to automated fetches), so figures rest on the Nov 2025 official-page snapshot plus dev.to (Oct 2026) and Spyingbee (Jun–Aug 2026) corroboration.", "source_url": "https://www.contentful.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Time-limited trial of paid plans (reported 14–15 days, no credit card)", "detail": "Contentful has historically offered a limited trial of its paid plans without a credit card (third-party guide, Nov 2024: 'Contentful also offers a free trial for its basic plan'; the 2020 free-plan FAQ contrasts 'limited, 14-day trials' against the free plan). The 'known so far' note cites 15-day trials of paid plans. The Nov 2025 official pricing-page snapshot shows no trial duration at all — the permanent 'Start for free' tier is now the entry point — so whether a paid-plan trial still exists as of 2026-10-22 is unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "New customers exploring paid tiers (Lite ~$300/mo, Premium/Enterprise custom); no .edu or region requirement; historically no credit card for the trial itself (a payment method becomes required to stay on a paid plan).", "claim": "If the trial persists: sign up free, then start a Lite trial from account billing settings or via 'contact sales'. Unverifiable from the public pricing page as of 2026-10-22 (no trial text in the page snapshot; live page was bot-blocked).", "expiry": "Reported 15 days (older materials say 14 days); then convert to a paid plan or drop back to the free plan.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free gotcha: the free plan is permanent and needs no trial, so the trial only matters for evaluating Lite/Premium. Exact duration (15 vs 14 days) unverified. After trial, Lite is ~$300/mo — a $0→$300 cliff with no mid tier. Adding a card is required to keep a paid trial running past its window.", "source_url": "https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/contentful-pricing/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Contentful for Startups (reported ~$1,000 in credits)", "detail": "Third-party deal aggregators list a 'Contentful Startup Credits: $1,000 in credits' offer (SaaSOffers, labeled 'Verified October 2026', details behind their paywall; StartupFlowAI directory entry: pre-seed/seed stage, global, no stated funding limit, no referral needed). No official program or application page exists on contentful.com, and StartupFlowAI explicitly states 'we have not confirmed a direct application page for this programme yet, so this opens the provider's main site'. SaaSOffers' own FAQ on the same page is internally inconsistent (it claims a 'Community plan' with 25K API calls/month — a figure matching no official source; the free plan is 100K/month), so treat the $1,000 claim as unverified.", "eligibility": "As reported by aggregators: early-stage startups (pre-seed/seed); SaaSOffers FAQ claims bootstrapped startups without VC funding qualify; no published company-age or funding cap; no .edu requirement. Eligibility caps are unconfirmed by any official source.", "claim": "Per the aggregators: follow their link to Contentful and create an account; 'apply the credits' via the account. In practice this is likely routed through Contentful sales/partnerships ('check for account credit... negotiate a custom deal', per procurement guides). No public application form found as of 2026-10-22 — verify by contacting Contentful sales before relying on it.", "expiry": "Unknown. If credits exist, deals of this kind are typically valid ~12 months and unused credits lapse; no official terms are published.", "gotchas": "Likely a sales-led credit/discount rather than a self-serve public program. Aggregator-sourced amounts and FAQ details are unreliable (contradictory 'Community plan' numbers on the same page). Confirm directly with Contentful sales; do not build a plan around the $1,000 figure.", "source_url": "https://saasoffers.tech/offers/contentful", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education / student license: none found — students use the standard free plan", "detail": "No .edu-eligible license, student discount, or university program was found on contentful.com or in any 2025–2026 report. CostBench (pricing verified Aug 2026) says of Contentful: 'No published discount programs' — its nonprofit/education/startup sections are generic boilerplate with unverified terms. The official free-plan FAQ states the free plan is offered because Contentful believes in 'supporting innovation and education', which makes the standard no-credit-card free plan the de facto student offer.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone including students and educators; no .edu email required; no enrollment proof; no region limits documented.", "claim": "No separate claim process: create a free Contentful account with any email (no credit card) and use the free Starter Space. For institutional/enterprise education deployments, contact sales.", "expiry": "Indefinite, same as the free plan; nothing to renew.", "gotchas": "Absence of a published program does not prove none exists privately — institutions should still ask sales. The free-plan FAQ wording ('not intended for commercial purposes', 2020) suggests monetized student startups outgrow it quickly. Any institutional license would likely be sales-negotiated, not public.", "source_url": "https://www.contentful.com/help/admin/billing-subscription/contentful-free-plan/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes: (1) The free plan was materially CUT in the 2025 \"Platform\" pricing restructure documented on the official page from Nov 2025: API calls 1M→100K/month, CDN 0.1TB platform + 0.75TB Intro Space→50GB/month, users 5→10, roles 4→2, content types 25 and 10K records retained in the included Starter Space. (2) \"Basic\" was renamed \"Lite\" (~$300/mo: 20 users, 3 roles, 3 locales, 1M API calls, 100GB CDN) and an explicit \"Enterprise\" custom tier plus \"Personalization\" tiers appeared in 2026 (Spyingbee, Jun–Aug 2026; dev.to, Jul/Oct 2026). (3) The \"15-day trials of paid plans\" from the baseline note are no longer advertised on the current pricing page (no trial text in the Nov 2025 snapshot; the permanent free plan is the entry point) — trial existence unconfirmed. (4) The baseline \"20M content API requests/month, 10K assets, 3 authors\" matches no documented 2024–2026 official configuration; the last documented free-plan API cap was 1M/month (2024–25 guides), and the current official cap is 100K/month. (5) No education license or public startup program was found; the only startup-credit lead (~$1,000) exists solely in third-party deal aggregators with no confirmed official application page. Caveat: contentful.com pages were not readable live on 2026-10-22 (Vercel security checkpoint returned HTTP 429 to all automated fetches; WebSearch budget exhausted), so confidence levels reflect search-indexed official-page snapshots plus independent 2026 trackers rather than a same-day read of the official pages. Sources: https://www.contentful.com/pricing/ , https://www.contentful.com/help/admin/billing-subscription/contentful-free-plan/ , https://www.contentful.com/get-started/ , https://dev.to/nayankyada/contentful-pricing-2026-free-tier-limits-the-300-cliff-and-enterprise-3gii , https://spyingbee.com/updates/contentful , https://saasoffers.tech/offers/contentful , https://startupflowai.com/directory/credits/contentful-for-startups , https://costbench.com/software/headless-cms/contentful/discounts/ , https://www.netsolutions.com/insights/contentful-pricing/ , https://www.spendflo.com/blog/contentful-pricing-guide" ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 2, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Contentful Free plan (\"Start for free\" / Starter Space)", "link": "https://www.contentful.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "countly", "name": "Countly", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.count.ly" ], "offers": [ "Open-source product analytics: free to self-host the OSS core (AGPL/enterprise-edition split); cloud/enterprise plans paid" ], "notes": [ "One of the older OSS analytics platforms; strong self-hosted fit but commercial-grade dashboards/heatmaps sit in paid EE. (Licensing-based entry; not re-verified today because the WebSearch budget was exhausted — confirm current EE boundary before publishing.)" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Countly Lite (Community Edition) — free self-hosted", "detail": "Countly Lite is 'Free-Forever Product Analytics': open-source, self-hosted server (countly-server on GitHub, MongoDB+Node.js) with 20+ plugins covering core analytics (dashboards, session/event tracking, mobile/web/desktop SDKs). Official /lite page: free, no trial sign-up, no payment required; community support only (Discord/GitHub). Licensing: repo is AGPL-3.0 with a modified Section 7; README describes Lite as 'Free to use under an open-source, non-commercial license' — commercial use of your users' data effectively requires a paid Enterprise agreement. Feature gating vs paid editions: advanced/engagement capabilities (funnels, retention, drills, push at scale, A/B, cohorts, AI agent 'Cee', SSO/SLA) sit in the paid Flex/Enterprise capability bundles; SDKs are identical across editions.", "eligibility": "Anyone can download and self-host; license intended for individuals, small teams, and non-commercial use. No .edu, no age/funding cap, no credit card, no stated region limits. Commercial products (e.g. tracking users of a paid app) are outside the non-commercial license.", "claim": "Download countly-server from github.com/Countly/countly-server and self-host on your own VM/container; no signup. For commercial use, contact Countly sales for an Enterprise license (custom pricing, annual).", "expiry": "Free forever; no stated sunset. Enterprise split (Lite non-commercial vs commercial license) is structural, not time-limited.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial license restriction is the big one: a startup's commercial app likely cannot track users on Lite. Self-hosting cost is on you (MongoDB/Node/Nginge infra, ops). No vendor support; feature set is the reduced core.", "source_url": "https://countly.com/lite", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Countly Flex 14-day free trial (managed private cloud)", "detail": "Flex (managed private cloud) starts at $175/month (Tier 5K = 5,000 MAUs, 5M data points/month; higher tiers up to 1M MAUs at $16,444/month on flex.countly.com pricing table). A 14-day free trial is offered on Tier 5K only (per the flex pricing table). Official Flex page states: 'You can start with a trial to explore Countly Flex and its core analytics capabilities. A credit card is required to begin the trial.' Trial includes Advanced Analytics suite (real-time analytics, event tracking, sessions, user profiles, dashboards); Adaptivity/Intelligence are paid add-on bundles. US GCP regions included; other regions carry a monthly surcharge; 6 months data retention included (longer retention is paid). Pay monthly, cancel anytime.", "eligibility": "All organizations (self-serve, no stated student/startup/region restriction beyond GCP region choice). Credit card IS required to start the trial — this contradicts the official marketing FAQ's silence on the matter.", "claim": "Sign up at flex.countly.com ('Start free trial' on countly.com/flex or countly.com/pricing), add a card, create a server (tier 5K, region, cloud provider), trial lasts 14 days; then standard Flex billing applies unless cancelled.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 14 days; no stated program expiry. If you go over a tier's MAU threshold, the server is locked until upgrade (per Countly support FAQ).", "gotchas": "CC required (trial is not no-CC). Trial is only on the smallest tier. Data lives in Countly-managed GCP private cloud (not your infra). Add-on bundles (Intelligence from $44/mo, Adaptivity from $62/mo at Tier 5K) and region/retention surcharges stack up quickly; fully loaded Flex can be very expensive at scale.", "source_url": "https://countly.com/flex", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Countly Academic Program (CAP) — institutional education license (not free, $500/yr)", "detail": "Official academic program: 'simple, fixed, non-volume based pricing ... annual fee of $500.' Grants accredited institutions a Countly Enterprise site license for instructional and non-commercial research purposes: discounted Enterprise server packages you install and supervise yourself, full SDK source code for students to examine/modify, unrestricted access to knowledge base/docs/updates, and Enterprise-grade support terms. Not a free student license and not aimed at individual students.", "eligibility": "Institutions (not individuals) that grant a degree via 2-6 year programs or equivalent; technical schools offering distance education also eligible. License must be used solely for instructional/non-profit research, never commercial; hardware/VMs must be under the institution's IT supervision; Countly works only with an institution staff admin (not a student/TA); EULA signed between Countly and the institution. No .edu email requirement stated — it's an institutional agreement.", "claim": "Institution applies via countly.com/academic-program, signs a CAP EULA, pays the $500 annual fee; Countly supplies Enterprise server packages for on-prem or institution-supervised cloud install.", "expiry": "Annual fee, EULA-based; license not transferable outside the institution; renew per the signed agreement. Page content verified via search snapshot of the official page today; a direct fetch bounced to a generic education-solutions page, so details are as of that snapshot.", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://countly.com/academic-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No official Countly startup program or trial-credit program found", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 there is no published Countly startup program, no free-credits-for-startups offer, and no individual student license on countly.com. Startup options are only the general 14-day Flex trial (CC required) or the free non-commercial Lite self-host. No vendor-specific startup age/funding caps exist because no program exists.", "eligibility": "n/a — offer does not exist on official channels.", "claim": "n/a.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://countly.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "MATERIAL 2025-2026 CHANGE (the key sunset): Countly officially removed the free Flex tier. The June 17, 2026 Countly blog post 'Countly Flex Is Evolving' states explicitly: 'we are removing the free tier from Countly Flex' along with a faster engine, capability-bundle repackaging (Adaptivity/Intelligence), and new support tiers. The 'Flex Free' tier (previously ~free for up to 500 MAUs on the managed private cloud, launched around the 2024 Flex introduction) is gone from the live pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22: only Flex from $175/mo and Enterprise custom remain, plus the free non-commercial self-hosted Lite). NOTE: several third-party comparison/coupon sites (costbench.com, toolradar.com, comparetiers.com, affiliateweapons.com) still advertise 'Flex Free $0 up to 500 MAU' and 'Flex from $40/month' as of late 2026 — that data is stale/contradicted by the official site and blog; do not rely on it. No startup-program sunset was found (none ever published on official pages). The 14-day Flex trial remains, but the official Flex page confirms a credit card is now required to start it." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Countly Lite (Community Edition) — free self-hosted", "link": "https://countly.com/lite", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "coursera", "name": "Coursera", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.coursera.org/" ], "offers": [ "Audit most courses for free (lecture videos/text, no certificate); paid certificates/capstones; financial aid available" ], "notes": [ "Free audit persists; some Specializations and all capstones require paid subscription; verify course-by-course audit availability" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Course Preview (the 2025 replacement of 'audit mode') — free first module of most courses", "detail": "Since ~Aug 8, 2025 the old unlimited audit experience was replaced by a 'preview' model: for most courses you get free full access to the FIRST module only (video lectures, readings, that module's graded assignments, and Coursera Coach where available). All later modules lock until you upgrade. Per Coursera support, a preview can last up to 6 months. No certificate in preview mode; upgrading to the paid course (one-time, ~$49-79/month per course listing, 180-day access) or financial aid unlocks the certificate.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone worldwide. No .edu/student email, no credit card, no signup payment required for the free preview itself. (Official support article learner-000002293, 'How to preview a course', Aug 28, 2025; blog.coursera.org Aug 8, 2025).", "claim": "Go to any course page > click 'Enroll'/'Start for free' > at the bottom of the enrollment dialog choose 'Preview this course'. For courses inside a Specialization/Professional Certificate, open the individual course page first. If no 'Preview'/'Full Course, No Certificate' link appears, that course has no free option.", "expiry": "Preview access for a given course: up to 6 months per Coursera support; no renewal — afterwards you must pay or re-enroll.", "gotchas": "Preview = first module only (not the old full-course audit); no certificate; 'Enroll for free' buttons inside Specializations actually start a paid 7-day trial subscription, not a free audit; if you came via an org program whose contract ended, you are switched to preview automatically.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.support/s/article/learner-000002293?language=en_US", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "'Full Course, No Certificate' + partner-supported free access (incl. 'Free Community Impact Courses')", "detail": "For select courses, Coursera offers 'Full Course, No Certificate': free access to ALL course materials and graded assessments, no certificate. Coursera's Aug 2025 blog also introduced 'Free Community Impact Courses' (mental health, refugee support, public health) with partner-supported free access to full course content; on those, a certificate can optionally be purchased afterwards. Third-party tracker (Class Central, Aug 2026) counts 470+ courses still fully free, and 6 with partner-supported free access incl. 'The Science of Well-Being'.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu, no credit card. Which courses qualify is course-by-course — look for the option in the enrollment dialog; coursera.org/explore/free-courses lists the free catalog ('Learn from Anthropic, AWS, Microsoft, Stanford, and more — free from start to finish').", "claim": "Open the course page > Enroll > choose 'Full Course, No Certificate' (small link under the paid buttons; inside a Specialization open the individual course page, not the program page). For partner-supported courses, Coursera says to use the FAQ link on the course page rather than 'Enroll for free' (per Class Central's writeup).", "expiry": "No stated expiry; the free option persists as long as the course keeps the 'Full Course, No Certificate' designation — it can change if the partner withdraws the free offer.", "gotchas": "Still no certificate (the point of the option); partner-supported access is a different mode: do NOT click 'Enroll for free' on those — follow the FAQ instruction or you may start a paid trial; the free-courses page itself also pushes a 7-day Coursera Plus trial for full access.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.org/explore/free-courses", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "7-day free trial: monthly Specializations/Professional Certificates and Coursera Plus", "detail": "Coursera Plus (monthly $59, 'Save 40%' annual $399) gives unlimited access to 90%+ of the catalog (10,000+ courses/programs incl. capstone projects; degrees/MasterTrack excluded) and starts with a 7-day free trial. Most monthly course/Specialization subscriptions also start with a free trial (per 'Enrollment options' support article). Coursera captures payment info at signup; the card is charged only at the end of the 7-day trial. Plus certificates are unlimited per course completed. Free-access page FAQ confirms: 'Start a 7-day free trial for Specializations or Coursera Plus.'", "eligibility": "Any individual account; no .edu or startup status required. A credit/payment method IS required (captured at signup, charged if trial lapses).", "claim": "Sign up > subscribe to a monthly Specialization/Prof. Cert or start Coursera Plus > complete any free-trial work immediately > cancel in Purchases before day 7 to avoid the charge.", "expiry": "Trial: 7 days, then $59/mo (Plus monthly) or the course's monthly price. Annual Plus has no trial — see separate finding.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: cards are captured up front; you do NOT earn a Course Certificate during a free trial — certificates are only issued after the trial ends and the first payment is charged (official note in 'Get a Course Certificate'); pre-existing Specialization subscriptions are not auto-cancelled when you add Plus (double-charge risk); cancel-anytime applies only to the monthly plan.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.org/courseraplus", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Coursera Plus annual: 14-day money-back window (not a true trial)", "detail": "Annual Coursera Plus = $399/year (vs $59/mo monthly) with a 14-day money-back guarantee: pay upfront, request a refund via 'My Purchases' within 14 days. Coursera revokes any certificates earned within those first 14 days if you refund.", "eligibility": "Any individual account; payment required up front; no .edu or startup requirement.", "claim": "Subscribe to annual Plus > if it's not for you, request the refund in Purchases within 14 days.", "expiry": "Refund window: 14 days from purchase. After that, the year is paid and non-refundable.", "gotchas": "This is a pay-then-refund window, not free access — you pay day one; certificates earned inside the window are clawed back on refund.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.org/courseraplus", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Financial aid (per-course grants, can make certificates free)", "detail": "Most Coursera courses offer financial aid for learners who can't afford the course; it can unlock full course access AND the certificate for free (or at reduced cost), per the Aug 2025 preview-model announcement and the 'Enrollment options' help article. Per-course application with an essay; typical decision time ~15 days and a ~14-day access window (historical figures; Coursera's own help article 'Apply for financial aid' covers current rules). Not available on all course types (e.g., some degree-adjacent content).", "eligibility": "Need-based, open to individuals worldwide — a .edu/student email is NOT required; students, working professionals, and anyone meeting the financial-need criteria can apply. No credit card needed.", "claim": "On the course page look for 'Financial aid available? Learn more' > submit the per-course application > wait for approval (historically ~15 days) > get a time-boxed window to complete the course and earn the certificate. You can preview/audit while awaiting approval, but graded submissions unlock on approval.", "expiry": "Grant is per-course and time-boxed (~14 days from aid start, historical); does not cover whole Specializations automatically — apply per course; must be re-claimed for each course.", "gotchas": "Paying for the course cancels a pending aid application (community-confirmed); aid does not usually cover program-level certificates/degrees; approval can take weeks, so plan around deadlines.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.support/s/article/learner-000001306", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education license: Coursera for Campus / Coursera for Universities (institutional, no .edu tier for individuals)", "detail": "Coursera for Campus is a B2B offering: partner universities (Imperial College London, University of Michigan, TU Munich, University of Melbourne, Manipal, NMIMS, Ivey Business School) license the platform (10,600+ courses from 350+ partners, Career Academy, Guided Projects, Professional Certificates, LMS integration) so their enrolled students get access. There is NO individual '.edu email = free access' tier: a student gets free access only if their own institution has a Campus plan. No per-seat or plan pricing is published; 'Compare Plans' / 'Contact us' only.", "eligibility": "Institutions, not individuals. Students of partner universities receive access through the institution (typically .edu verification by the school's admin, not a self-serve .edu signup at coursera.org).", "claim": "Individual student: nothing to self-claim — ask whether your university licenses Coursera for Campus/Plus; institutions: Coursera sales (coursera.org/campus, 'Compare Plans').", "expiry": "Tied to the institution's contract; when a contract ends or a learner is removed from the program, enrolled courses are switched to free preview mode (official 'Enrollment options' note).", "gotchas": "No published free individual tier exists at the .edu level; if your school doesn't have the plan, the free paths are Preview / Full-Course-No-Certificate / financial aid / 7-day trials only; org-sourced access silently downgrades to preview on contract end.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.org/campus", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startups: no Coursera startup program exists — only paid team/enterprise plans and the generic 7-day trial", "detail": "coursera.org/startups, /plus and /startups return 404 — there is no official startup tier, no startup credits, no startup-specific education license. The business funnel is 'Coursera for Teams' (up to 499 employees) vs enterprise (4,700+ companies), behind 'Compare Plans'/'Contact sales' with zero pricing on the public page and no free tier or trial advertised. A founder's only free window is the same 7-day Coursera Plus trial available to anyone.", "eligibility": "No startup age or funding cap exists because there is no startup program; team/enterprise plans are commercial, paid, sales-led.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim. For a small startup, the practical free options are: the 7-day Plus trial (single seat, credit card required), per-course financial aid, Preview / Full-Course-No-Certificate free access.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse partner-funded 'community impact' free courses or a university's Campus plan with a startup offer; any 'Coursera for startups' content online is third-party, not official; Teams plans have no public pricing or trial, so budget for sales-quoted cost.", "source_url": "https://www.coursera.org/business", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Major 2025 sunset: Coursera retired the classic unlimited 'audit mode' (full free access to lectures of most courses, no certificate) around Aug 8, 2025, replacing it with the Preview experience — free access is now capped at the FIRST module of most courses; 'Full Course, No Certificate' survived only for a select subset (470+ courses per Class Central's Aug 2026 audit, ~2% of the 21,000+ catalog). Consequences: (1) free access shrank from 'whole course minus certificate' to 'first module only' for the majority of courses; (2) the free-trial period for subscriptions is 7 days (not the 30 days some older guides cite) with a card captured up front; (3) certificates are explicitly withheld during free trials; (4) localized/geographic (geo) pricing was introduced in 2025, so paid upgrade prices vary by region while the free tiers stay free; (5) a 'Free Community Impact Courses' program (mental health, refugee support, public health) was added in 2025 as a partner-supported free-access carve-out; (6) no .edu-only student tier and no startup program exist as of 2026-10-22 (verified 404s on /startups, /plus, /for-universities; free paths are Preview, Full-Course-No-Certificate, financial aid, 7-day trials, and institution-provided Campus access). No free offer was closed in 2026 that had existed in 2025 beyond the audit->preview shrinkage; financial aid remains offered." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Course Preview (the 2025 replacement of 'audit mode') — free first module of most courses", "link": "https://www.coursera.support/s/article/learner-000002293?language=en_US", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "cronitor", "name": "Cronitor", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Cronitor Hacker plan (free forever, open to everyone; not a student or startup program)", "detail": "The official pricing page (https://cronitor.io/pricing, fetched 2026-10-22) lists a Hacker plan at $0 with: 5 monitors (cron/scheduled job checks, website and API checks); 1 user; 1 status page with room for 50 subscribers; email, Slack, Discord, Teams and webhook alerts; a 100,000-event allowance for web analytics and errors (the fetched text does not say whether this resets monthly); checks run at most every 5 minutes. It excludes text-message and on-call alerts (PagerDuty, Datadog On-Call, OpsGenie, Splunk On-Call), browser-based checks, branded or private status pages, SAML SSO, role controls and SCIM. The pricing page says 'free forever' and describes the plan as 'Limited monitoring for homelabs and small projects.' The sign-up page (https://cronitor.io/sign-up) shows a 'FREE PLAN' callout reading '5 monitors, no credit card, and no trial clock.' This confirms the free tier exists as of 2026-10-22. It is a general free plan, not a student or startup offer. The tracker's '5 monitors' claim is corroborated by the official pages; the July 2026 tracker listing itself was not checked.", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up. No student, education, startup, nonprofit or open-source criteria, no application and no verification were found on any official page checked. Nothing in the official pages ties this plan to students or startups.", "claim": "Sign up at https://cronitor.io/sign-up with Google, GitHub or email and password. The fetched sign-up text shows no plan picker. Its payment section (card fields and a 'Start Free Trial' button, with 'You will not be charged until Nov. 05, 2026' as displayed on 2026-10-22) appears to belong to the 14-day Business trial, not the free plan. Whether the free plan can be chosen without entering a card, and whether it is the default after signup, was not verified in-app. Check the plan in account billing settings after signing up.", "expiry": "None stated. The pricing page says 'free forever.' The terms page (https://cronitor.io/terms, last updated 2022 per the fetched copy) lets the company 'modify or discontinue the Service at any time' and 'suspend or terminate your access to our Service at any time', so the free plan carries no contractual guarantee.", "gotchas": "(1) This is not a student or startup program. If the index only takes eligibility-gated offers, it does not qualify. (2) Hacker limits are narrow: one user, no SMS or on-call alerts, no browser checks, no branded or private status pages, no SSO, role controls or SCIM. (3) Monitors beyond the five included, or any paid feature, means a paid plan. Business is $2 per monitor per month plus $5 per user per month with no minimum, and it includes a 14-day free trial with card details required at sign-up. (4) The official pages were read through WebFetch summaries, so the quoted wording may not be byte-exact. (5) The terms page is dated 2022 per the fetched copy and may not match current plan structure.", "source_url": "https://cronitor.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student or startup program was found on official cronitor.io pages as of 2026-10-22. Checked: /pricing (Hacker $0, Business pay-as-you-go with a 14-day trial, Enterprise from $6,000 per year; no education, startup, nonprofit, open-source or credit program; 'Volume-based discounts' with no thresholds); homepage ('Start for free' buttons, no program); /sign-up ('FREE PLAN' callout, no program); /terms (last updated 2022 per the fetched copy; no promotional, student, startup, nonprofit or open-source clauses); /blog (guides index, 'Last Updated: Oct 09, 2026', no pricing or program posts). /students, /startups, /education, /open-source and /changelog all returned HTTP 404. So no student or startup program appears to exist, and none has closed or changed in 2025-2026 as far as official pages show. NOT VERIFIED: 2025-2026 third-party coverage and the July 2026 free-for-dev listing. Both WebSearch calls were refused because this session's search budget was used up, and I did not route around that limit, so pricing changes beyond the official pages could not be checked. Other offer, not listed as a finding: the Business 14-day free trial, which requires card details and is a generic trial, not a student or startup offer. Unverified detail: the sign-up links carry 'plan=starter&billing_frequency=month', but no Starter plan appears on the pricing page, so this is likely an internal name. Overall recommendation: exclude Cronitor if the index is limited to student or startup programs; include the Hacker plan as a general free tier, labelled as open to everyone, if the index accepts general free tiers." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Cronitor Hacker plan (free forever, open to everyone; not a student or startup program)", "link": "https://cronitor.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "cursor", "name": "Cursor", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://cursor.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan ($0/mo) with limited AI usage, limited agent requests and limited chat requests; paid tiers usage-based" ], "notes": [ "Pricing page links a 'Students' education page (details not shown on pricing page as of 2026-10). Legacy 'Hobby'/'Hobby+' plan names are gone - plans restructured; free tier now just caps agent/chat requests." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan ($0/mo) — standing free tier, no trial", "detail": "Official pricing page lists a Free plan at $0/month with 'Limited AI usage': 'Limited agent requests' and 'Limited Chat requests' (no numeric caps published; the docs page marks free included-usage as simply 'Limited'). Free tier includes 'Post, reply, and follow'; Grok Chat/Imagine/Build are 'Limited'; third-party models, Grok API, cloud agents, code hosting, AI code reviews are not available ('—') on Free. Usage allowance refreshes weekly ('one heavy day never wipes out your whole month'); when exhausted, users 'can keep going with top-offs, or wait for your allowance to refresh'; remaining usage visible in settings. No free trial or starter credits are advertised anywhere on the current pricing page.", "eligibility": "Anyone can sign up; no .edu email, no proof of affiliation, and no credit card required for the free tier (page states only that self-serve paid plans support major credit/debit cards). No region limits stated on the page. Prices exclude tax (VAT).", "claim": "Fetched https://cursor.com/pricing and https://cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing today (2026-10-22): Free plan $0/mo, limited agent/chat requests, weekly refresh, top-ups optional, no trial or CC requirement stated; paid tiers Plus $8 / Premium $30 / Super $100 / Ultra $200 per month.", "expiry": "Indefinite free tier; weekly usage refresh; no expiry date, no trial clock.", "gotchas": "Exact request limits are not published on the page (only 'Limited') — plan accordingly. Third-party model usage is billed separately at API list price even on paid tiers; 'Plus ($8/mo) is Grok-models-only', so cheapest paid tier is deliberately restricted. There is no advertised free-trial of paid plans, so free users get less than historical promo/credit offers. Cancellation policy: cancel at least 24h before renewal to avoid charges.", "source_url": "https://cursor.com/pricing(corroboratedbyhttps://cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Campus Leads program — free 6 months of Cursor Ultra for student community leaders", "detail": "Cursor's 'Campus Leads' program (run twice yearly, fall and spring) accepts current university students who commit ~5 hours/week to building the campus community (workshops, hackathons, meetups, partnering with clubs, product feedback). Benefits: all-expenses-paid trip to Cursor's San Francisco office for kick-off, custom swag, travel reimbursement to one hackathon from a verified list, early access to new features, invitation to a private Slack with the Cursor team, funding/resources to host on-campus events, and 'Access to 6 months of Cursor Ultra' — the top tier, worth $200/mo per the pricing page (~$1,200 value, plus travel). Eligibility criteria: current university student, completed application, accepted Code of Conduct, 5h/week commitment.", "eligibility": "Must be a current university student (no .edu stated as a check method, but student status required). Selective admission — application + Code of Conduct required. No funding-cap or startup-age criteria (this is a student/community program, not a startup program). No credit card mentioned for acceptance.", "claim": "1) Go to cursor.com/campus-leads. 2) Fill out the interest Typeform (hosted by Anysphere) to be notified when applications reopen. 3) Apply when the cycle opens; accept the Cursor Community Code of Conduct (linked Notion). 4) Direct questions to students@cursor.com. Note the page says 'Applications reopen in January' — i.e., the spring intake window.", "expiry": "Program runs on two cycles per year (fall/spring); the Ultra access lasts 6 months per cycle. Applications reopen in January for the spring cycle; fall cycle via the interest form.", "gotchas": "Only accepted Campus Leads get the free Ultra — it is not a blanket student license; general students still use the free 'Limited' tier. Perks are program-bound (renewal means staying an active lead / re-entering the next cycle). The 6-month Ultra benefit plus travel is the entirety of the free-value offer; no monetary refund or seat sharing is mentioned.", "source_url": "https://cursor.com/campus-leads", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student discounts/promotions (on-campus & online events, fall cycle) — amounts not fixed", "detail": "The dedicated students page (cursor.com/students) confirms 'Anyone can get started with Cursor for free' and, in its FAQ, says: 'To upgrade your access, look out for promotions at our on-campus and online events starting this fall.' A linked Typeform sign-up advertises 'early access to upcoming events, exclusive discounts, and beginner guides.' No dollar amount, percentage, tier, seat count, code or credit amount is published on the page; the concrete student benefit available today is the Campus Leads Ultra benefit above.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who signs up for the free tier (no .edu required for free start). Event-based student promotions target on-campus/online participants (students/educators at institutions); no explicit .edu verification stated. No credit-card requirement stated for the free start.", "claim": "1) Sign up for Cursor free (no card). 2) Subscribe to the Typeform newsletter on cursor.com/students for event early access and discount offers. 3) Attend on-campus/online events (fall cycle) to receive promotions. 4) Optionally apply to Campus Leads for the 6-month Ultra benefit.", "expiry": "Tied to the fall/spring event calendar ('starting this fall'); promotions are event-specific with no published expiry or renewal terms; the newsletter early access persists.", "gotchas": "No exact discount figures, dates or limits are published — do not treat 'exclusive discounts' as a known amount. The event-based promotion is not a standing license; it may differ from the Campus Leads benefit. Verify current event terms at each event, since pages say 'look out for' rather than commit to a price.", "source_url": "https://cursor.com/students", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No startup program found: cursor.com/startups returned only a page title with no program, credits or eligibility content, and neither the pricing page nor the models-and-pricing docs reference any startup offer, funding cap or startup-age criterion. No trial-credit offer is advertised: the current official pages list no free trial of paid plans and no starter credits (historical new-user trial/promo-credit offers from 2024–2025 are absent from the pricing/docs pages as of today; I could not run web searches this session to confirm sunset dates, so this is 'not listed on official pages today' rather than a verified end date). Material 2025–2026 structural changes observable on the current pages: tier lineup and pricing are now Plus $8/mo, Premium $30/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo (Teams $30/$100/$200 per seat; Enterprise custom), with pools expressed as multiples of Plus and a weekly refresh; the Free plan's exact request counts are unpublished ('Limited'); third-party models are billed at API list price with spending caps, and Teams/Enterprise add a $0.25/million-token 'Cursor Token Rate' on eligible third-party usage. A model promo (e.g., GPT-5.6 'Promotional pricing through November 21, 2026') appears in the docs, but it is a pricing promo, not a student/startup offer." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan ($0/mo) — standing free tier, no trial", "link": "https://cursor.com/pricing(corroboratedbyhttps://cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing)", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "data gov", "name": "Data.gov", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.data.gov" ], "offers": [ "Free open data APIs and 10,000+ datasets from US federal agencies; many datasets need no key, free API keys for the rest" ], "notes": [ "Stable government program; no rate-limit concerns for normal use; no card, no account required for most APIs." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Data.gov open data catalog — free, no key, no card, no account", "detail": "catalog.data.gov holds 431,094+ datasets from US federal agencies, with direct file downloads (CSV, JSON, XML, XLSX, ZIP) and full search/filter (by organization, geospatial extent, popularity, recency, 'only show datasets with a downloadable file'). No registration, sign-in, API key, or credit card is required to search or download. US federal government works are generally in the public domain, so no special education or commercial license is needed. Counts and dataset counts are live on data.gov/metrics. Gotcha: data.gov does not host the underlying data — it's a metadata catalog that harvests agency pages; broken download links and data-quality issues are the agencies' responsibility (contact DataGovHelp@gsa.gov or the owning agency).", "eligibility": "Universal: any student, startup, or organization anywhere in the world. No .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region limit.", "claim": "Go to catalog.data.gov, search or filter datasets, and click the download links on the dataset page (filter: 'Only show datasets with a downloadable file'). No signup at all.", "expiry": "Indefinite — maintained under the OPEN Government Data Act; no trial period, no expiry, no renewal.", "gotchas": "No data hosting/quality guarantees; link rot possible; individual agencies may impose their own download constraints on their source pages; attribution to the owning agency is courtesy, not law.", "source_url": "https://catalog.data.gov/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Data.gov catalog API v4 (api.gsa.gov/technology/datagov/v4) — free API key, 1,000 req/hour", "detail": "The current catalog API is a public REST/JSON API at https://api.gsa.gov/technology/datagov/v4/ with endpoints: /search (q, sort, per_page default 10, org_slug, keyword, spatial_filter/spatial_geometry/spatial_within, after-cursor pagination), /api/keywords (size up to 1000), /api/locations/search, /api/location/{id}, /api/organizations, /harvest_record/{id} (+ /raw and /transformed). A key is REQUIRED (X-Api-Key header, api_key query param, or Basic auth with key as username), but keys are free via api.data.gov: a 40-character personal key with 1,000 requests/hour and no daily cap, valid across all api.data.gov services. No credit card required, no key expiry stated; overuse returns HTTP 429 with a temporary 1-hour block; admins can disable keys. Responses include X-RateLimit-Limit/Remaining headers. Errors: 403 API_KEY_MISSING/INVALID/UNVERIFIED, 422 bad params, 404 missing resource.", "eligibility": "Universal: anyone (student/startup/company) can request a free key. No .edu email, no funding cap, no credit card, no region limit.", "claim": "Sign up free at api.data.gov to receive a 40-char personal API key (covers all 450+ participating agency APIs too), then call https://api.gsa.gov/technology/datagov/v4/search with the X-Api-Key header. 1,000 requests/hour, no daily cap.", "expiry": "No stated expiry/renewal. Rate limit is 1,000 req/hour, no daily cap; 429 blocks last one hour. Keys can be disabled by administrators.", "gotchas": "Key is mandatory here (unlike direct downloads); DCAT-US v3.0 migration means the access_level filter (public / restricted public / non-public) has only 'strong but not guaranteed' coverage; this v4 API replaced the CKAN-based catalog API (see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://resources.data.gov/catalog-api/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "api.data.gov DEMO_KEY — no-signup trial access to the catalog API", "detail": "The catalog API documentation provides a DEMO_KEY for 'initially exploring APIs prior to signing up'. Limits: 30 requests per IP address per hour AND 50 requests per IP address per day. The docs explicitly state it 'is not suitable for production use or automated queries'. This is the only true zero-account offer on the API front; upgrading to a personal key (free, no CC) removes both caps to 1,000/hour.", "eligibility": "Universal, anonymous — no account, no .edu, no credit card, no region limit. IP-based limits, so shared/CGNAT IPs consume the 50/day pool together.", "claim": "Use the published DEMO_KEY value with the same X-Api-Key header against https://api.gsa.gov/technology/datagov/v4/ endpoints for up to 30 req/hour and 50 req/day per IP. For more, request a free personal key at api.data.gov.", "expiry": "No expiry stated; per-IP windows (hourly/daily). Intended for exploration only.", "gotchas": "Strictly trial-grade: 50 requests/day per IP; shared IPs compound the limit; docs prohibit production/automated use; hitting 429 waits an hour.", "source_url": "https://resources.data.gov/catalog-api/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "api.data.gov free service key — one key across 450+ federal agency APIs (25 agencies)", "detail": "api.data.gov is GSA/Technology Transformation Services' 'free API management service for federal agencies' (built on NREL's open-source API Umbrella). A single free personal key 'gives you access to all APIs from agencies participating in api.data.gov's service' — 25 agencies and 450+ APIs including USGS, NASA, and FDA services. Keys are 40-character, free, with per-user rate limits (the catalog API slot is 1,000/hour; other participating APIs define their own limits per agency). Three ways to pass the key: X-Api-Key header, api_key query parameter (works with POST/PUT), or Basic auth (key as username, empty password). Usage analytics/dashboards are provided to keyholders; no credit card or account type restrictions were stated anywhere on the service pages.", "eligibility": "Universal: students, startups, and any organization. No .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region limit; US government service open to all.", "claim": "Register free at api.data.gov (key issuance described as 'quick and easy'), then call any participating agency API (e.g. the v4 Data.gov catalog API) with your key in the X-Api-Key header.", "expiry": "No key expiry stated; keys can be administratively disabled (API_KEY_DISABLED); 429 rate-limit blocks lift after one hour; per-user limits can be raised or lowered per user.", "gotchas": "The service itself is free but some underlying agency datasets/APIs may carry their own usage terms (docs say 'contact the API owner at the agency that offers the service'); per-API limits vary by agency; key issuance is unverified so expect a manual step (GSA form/email) — verify on the signup page.", "source_url": "https://api.data.gov/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education license / startup program: none exist (by design)", "detail": "Data.gov has no student tier, .edu discount, educational license, trial credits, or startup program, and no paid tier at all: it is a free, publicly funded GSA portal, so there is nothing to license. Every offer above is the same free program available to all users identically. Anyone citing a 'Data.gov student plan' is describing something that does not exist.", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no eligibility screen anywhere; same free access for students, startups, researchers, and commercial users.", "claim": "Nothing to claim: use the free catalog downloads or the free api.data.gov key like anyone else. For classroom use, point students at catalog.data.gov (no account) or a shared DEMO_KEY/educational api.data.gov key.", "expiry": "Not applicable.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with agency products that do have programs (e.g., Google for Education, AWS Credit for Research); no startup program replaces the universally free baseline.", "source_url": "https://www.data.gov/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes verified 2025-2026 (read from official pages today; WebSearch budget was exhausted, so this reflects the official pages rather than news searches): (1) The catalog API was rebuilt: the new v4 API at api.gsa.gov/technology/datagov/v4 (keyed via api.data.gov) 'replaces the previous CKAN-based API' per resources.data.gov/catalog-api; the docs claim the older CKAN endpoint 'remains available in a read-only state for existing integrations', but probes to catalog.data.gov's former CKAN paths (/api/3/action/..., /api/3/, /api/2/, /dataset.json) all returned HTTP 404 today, so that read-only availability is uncertain or on a different host — low confidence, verify before relying on legacy CKAN integrations. (2) The legacy standalone Data.gov 'Developer Program' key portal keys.data.gov no longer resolves (DNS ENOTFOUND today), i.e. that older free-API-key program (zip codes, geographic names, transit routes style lookups) has been retired; equivalent agency APIs now live under api.data.gov. (3) No price changes: everything remains free; the OPEN Government Data Act remains the statutory basis. Caveat: the known-context line 'many datasets need no key' is confirmed for downloads/search, but API access to the v4 catalog API does require a (free) key; agency-specific egress/download costs never apply to data.gov itself." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Data.gov open data catalog — free, no key, no card, no account", "link": "https://catalog.data.gov/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "data gov uk", "name": "data.gov.uk", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://data.gov.uk" ], "offers": [ "Free UK government open data: ODI API (30,000+ datasets) plus the National Data Hub open data API" ], "notes": [ "Stable government program; most endpoints open without a key." ], "findings": [ { "name": "ODI / data.gov.uk directory API (CKAN) — free, no key, no account", "detail": "The legacy ODI (Open Data Inventory, CKAN) directory API is still live and free for everyone, including students and startups. Verified 2026-10-22: GET https://data.gov.uk/api/3/action/... 301-redirects to https://ckan.publishing.service.gov.uk/api/3/action/... and package_search returns success with count = 59,462 datasets (the '30,000+' figure is stale). Standard CKAN actions available (package_search, organization_list, resource_show, datastore endpoints on some datasets). No API key, no registration, no credit card, no rate-limit headers or quota fields returned. All datasets are licensed under the Open Government Licence (OGL); platform content under OGL v3.0.", "eligibility": "Unconditional — open to anyone, no .edu email, no age/funding criteria, no region limits. Free, indefinite, renewable by nature (public service, no expiry).", "claim": "No claiming required. Just call the REST endpoints, e.g. https://data.gov.uk/api/3/action/package_search?rows=10 (or via ckan.publishing.service.gov.uk). For programmatic bulk metadata, use the CKAN dumps (see separate finding). Dataset publishers are public-sector orgs; for a specific dataset, contact the publisher if you need something not published.", "expiry": "No expiry. In the March 2026 rebrand the directory was kept 'unchanged for now'; the June 2026 roadmap lists 'critical improvements to the original directory' as ongoing work, with no deprecation date announced.", "gotchas": "The CKAN dataset page's API links/docs are dated 2014 and the old /terms-and-conditions page now 404s, so rate limits are undocumented — be gentle on traffic. ~25% of dataset resource links are broken and many datasets are stale; the API metadata is not a guarantee the underlying data file exists. 'ODI' here means the Open Data Inventory (a GDS-operated portal), not the Open Data Institute nonprofit.", "source_url": "https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b5e4be7e-6c36-41b6-9d48-cae195c32e34/meta-data-for-data-gov-uk-datasets(andlivecallofhttps://ckan.publishing.service.gov.uk/api/3/action/package_search?rows=1)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Open data downloads via the data.gov.uk directory (Search & CMS front) — free, OGL-licensed", "detail": "Every dataset on the original open data directory (the 'data.gov.uk directory', still searchable alongside the new National Data Library curated collections) is free to download in its native format (CSV, JSON, S3 pointers, API feeds). Free, unlimited use with attribution under the Open Government Licence; no account, trial, or tier of any kind — there is simply no pricing model on data.gov.uk. Students and startups get the identical offer as everyone else.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone worldwide; no .edu requirement, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card. OGL v3.0 applies to site content; individual datasets state their licence (OGL, ODbL, CC, or publisher-specific).", "claim": "Search the directory (link on https://www.data.gov.uk/) or use the CKAN API, pick a dataset, download the data files. For data not available in bulk, the support page directs users to contact the dataset publisher directly; data.gov.uk itself cannot host data or combine datasets.", "expiry": "Indefinite; subject to each publisher's lifecycle. No sunset date announced for the directory.", "gotchas": "Data quality is the main gotcha, not access cost: the service has been underinvested since ~2017, with many broken/outdated links (per GDS's own March 2026 blog). Some datasets are CC-licensed with restrictions (e.g. no commercial use without attribution) — check the licence field per dataset before building a startup on it.", "source_url": "https://dataingovernment.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/25/whats-changing-on-data-gov-uk-and-why/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Bulk CKAN metadata dumps (free, nightly, S3)", "detail": "GDS publishes a zipped CSV or JSONL dump of the metadata for all data.gov.uk datasets nightly, and hosts historical dumps in a public S3 bucket (dgu-ckan-metadata-dumps.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com, us-east/eu-west). The .jsonl 'v2' dump (ckanapi dump output, includes full organization details, QA/broken-link flags, format detection) supersedes the old JSON dump. Free to fetch; no key. Uncompressed files can be ~170 MB+ — build pipelines rather than loading into spreadsheets, per the publisher's own note.", "eligibility": "Unconditional, free, no account or CC.", "claim": "Grab the dump URL from the dataset page (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b5e4be7e-6c36-41b6-9d48-cae195c32e34/meta-data-for-data-gov-uk-datasets) or the S3 bucket directly (list objects, no credentials needed for a public bucket).", "expiry": "Published nightly; no announced end date.", "gotchas": "Dumps are metadata only (links + descriptions), not the datasets themselves; old .json dump was discontinued after a 3-month transition in 2016 — use .v2.jsonl. The 2015 CSV column change (datasets vs resources in separate files) is still in effect; join on the 'Name' column.", "source_url": "https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b5e4be7e-6c36-41b6-9d48-cae195c32e34/meta-data-for-data-gov-uk-datasets", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "National Data Library (data.gov.uk rebrand) + GDS API Hub (alpha) — free, early-stage, no products to buy yet", "detail": "As of March 25, 2026 data.gov.uk launched as the 'National Data Library' (NDL): curated data collections (Business & economy, Environment, Government, Land & property, People, Transport, Early years) plus a 'data manual', backed by >£100M within DSIT's £1.9B spending-review allocation. Separately, GDS's API Hub was in a 12-week alpha (results blogged 28 Nov 2025) with a planned MVP of a free central API catalogue (with quality/security scores and a signed-in developer portal) aligned with data.gov.uk and datamarketplace.gov.uk. All of it is free-open-access; there is no paid tier, trial credit, startup program, or education license anywhere in the NDL or the old directory.", "eligibility": "Open access, no sign-in required for browsing/collections; the API Hub's 'signed-in developer portal' is only a future exploration. No .edu or startup criteria because no gated offer exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — browse https://www.data.gov.uk/ collections and the roadmap; give feedback via the forms to influence direction. GDS is actively soliciting developer input on the API Hub (blog feedback form).", "expiry": "Roadmap updated at least every 6 months (next review after the June 2026 version); 'details on the National Data Library in spring 2026' per the January 2026 progress update — i.e. new access mechanisms may ship in 2026. The API Hub has no committed date.", "gotchas": "Do not build on the API Hub — it is an alpha research program, not a product. The NDL currently exposes only non-personal, aggregated data; personal-data linkage (kickstarter projects) is exploratory. The 'National Data Hub' open data API from the task's known-so-far note is not a thing: the term does not appear in any official 2026 document — the program is the National Data Library.", "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-data-library-progress-update-january-2026/national-data-library-progress-update-january-2026", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student-specific, startup-specific, or education-licensed offers exist on data.gov.uk", "detail": "data.gov.uk (ODI CKAN API, directory downloads, NDL collections) has no pricing at all: no free-tier vs paid-tier distinction, no trial credits, no startup program, no .edu-gated education license, no credit-card-on-file free plans. The entire offer is unconditionally free OGL-licensed public data with no registration. For students and startups the 'free offer' is therefore simply universal free access — identical to everyone else's — with the caveats in the findings above (broken links, per-dataset licence variants, undocumented rate limits).", "eligibility": "N/A — universal, unconditional.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim; just use the API/download links directly.", "expiry": "Indefinite public service; no offer to renew.", "gotchas": "Watch for NDL milestones: the January 2026 progress update promises more detail in spring 2026, and kickstarter projects (legal data for SMEs, Met Office weather, social care) could spawn new access services; the GDS API Hub MVP may eventually add an authenticated developer portal. Also note the 2025-2026 external sunsets listed in sunset_notes.", "source_url": "https://www.data.gov.uk/roadmap/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) data.gov.uk was redesigned/rebranded as the National Data Library, published 25 March 2026 (new landing page, curated collections, data manual, public roadmap at /roadmap/, June 2026 version); the original ODI CKAN directory survives as the 'data.gov.uk directory', unchanged for now, with GDS fixing 'critical issues'. (2) The 'National Data Hub' named in the task's known-so-far is a misnomer — no such API product appears in official documents; the program is the National Data Library (>£100M of DSIT's £1.9B; progress update 26 Jan 2026; spring-2026 detail milestone). (3) Related UK open-data sunsets: ONS PublishMyData API fully decommissioned 31 March 2025 (outage from 3 March 2025; data moved to ONS portals and the new ONS Data API / api.beta.ons.gov.uk/v1/search), and ONS retired its aggregated-search /data endpoints in favour of the ONS Search API. (4) The old ODI terms-and-conditions URL (data.gov.uk/terms-and-conditions) now 404s, so documented rate limits are gone — access remains free and keyless. (5) No free-tier, trial-credit, startup-program, or education-license offer existed or changed on data.gov.uk in 2025-2026: it was and is unconditionally free under the Open Government Licence, so there is nothing student/startup-specific to sunset." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "ODI / data.gov.uk directory API (CKAN) — free, no key, no account", "link": "https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b5e4be7e-6c36-41b6-9d48-cae195c32e34/meta-data-for-data-gov-uk-datasets(andlivecallofhttps://ckan.publishing.service.gov.uk/api/3/action/package_search?rows=1)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "databricks lakebase", "name": "Databricks Lakebase", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.databricks.com/product/lakebase" ], "offers": [ "Try-for-free usage-based serverless Postgres (scale-to-zero); 'Free Edition' of Databricks data & AI tools; no published perpetual free quota" ], "notes": [ "2025 change: Databricks acquired Timescale (June 2025) and runs Postgres as Lakebase; timescale.com now redirects away. Timescale's old 2 GB free Cloud tier was replaced — check Lakebase/DBSQL trial terms (14-day Databricks trial, DBSQL serverless free capacity) for current numbers." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Databricks Free Edition (perpetual, no-credit-card, student/hobbyist tier)", "detail": "Perpetually free 'limited Databricks account with no expiration for personal use'. Exactly 1 serverless workspace, no access to classic compute, 'limited compute size and usage' with daily fair-use limits (no exact DBU/storage numbers published on the page; a doc link 'community-edition-limitations' exists but is not rendered publicly with figures). Sign up with a personal email; no credit card or payment required. Free access to the unified Data + AI platform: notebooks, dashboards/Genie, agents, scheduled data workflows, plus free self-paced Databricks Academy training. FAQ: 'Free Edition is built for students, hobbyists, and aspiring data and AI professionals... not for production or commercial use.' 'Get Free Edition' routes to /signup/free-edition (provider=DB_FREE_TIER).", "eligibility": "Any personal email (no .edu verification, no enrollment proof). Personal use only — commercial use explicitly barred. Region: all supported Databricks cloud regions; tier is account-level.", "claim": "1) Go to databricks.com/learn/free-edition (or /signup/free-edition). 2) Sign up with a personal email. 3) You get one serverless workspace instantly; no cloud provider account or card needed. Databricks Academy courses are free at customer-academy.databricks.com using the 'Customer and Prospects' sign-up.", "expiry": "No expiration ('perpetually free'). Daily usage limits apply. Legacy Community Edition accounts: 'access will continue to be available for the remainder of this year' (2026) — the older CE tier is being wound down in favor of Free Edition.", "gotchas": "Lakebase is LOCKED in Free Edition — the trial-page comparison lists 'Locked features (no GPUs, clean rooms, Lakebase, enterprise admin etc.)'. So the free tier does NOT include the Postgres product. Also: no production/commercial use, one workspace, no classic compute, fair-use daily caps with no published quota, no support SLA.", "source_url": "https://www.databricks.com/learn/free-edition", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial with up to $400 in usage credits (includes Lakebase 'try for free')", "detail": "'Full Databricks platform access for two (2) weeks used for business evaluation', 'up to $400 in free usage' credits, 'No credit card is required to start your Databricks free trial'. Express signup (email only, immediate serverless workspace) or AWS Marketplace signup (serverless + optional classic workspace in your own account). Docs confirm credits are 'valid for 14 days after you start your trial', non-transferable, trial ends when credits are exhausted, then the account 'switches to a pay-as-you-go model' (payment method: card, Marketplace, or commit contract). Personal-email trials are capped: max one SQL warehouse per workspace at 50 DBU/hr, serverless notebooks/jobs/Lakeflow capped at 50 DBU/hr, CPU only (no GPUs), one AI Search endpoint capped at 1 search unit. Lakebase: its pricing page states 'Pay as you go with a 14-day free trial' — i.e., Lakebase Postgres is reachable during the standard 14-day trial; the Lakebase product page's 'Try for free' CTA routes to the same signup. Lakebase create-flow: New project in workspace region (12 AWS regions listed), production branch, scale-to-zero enabled by default with a 24-hour inactivity timeout.", "eligibility": "Work email 'recommended for full trial benefits' (business trials are unrestricted evaluation; personal email gets the 50-DBU/hr caps). No age/funding rules; no published per-person cap or region restriction on the trial itself, but Lakebase availability is limited to supported regions (12 AWS regions incl. us-east-1, us-west-2, eu-central-1, ap-northeast-1; Azure Premium = AWS/GCP Enterprise tier; 'displayed pricing does not guarantee product availability in that region').", "claim": "1) databricks.com/free-trial -> 'Try Databricks' (/signup/express) with an email; or AWS Marketplace signup with existing AWS account. 2) Create a Lakebase project from the Lakebase Postgres app in your workspace (Autoscaling -> New project). 3) Connect with psql/PG drivers via OAuth (postgresql://user@databricks.com@ep-....databricks.com). 4) Upgrade before day 14 to keep remaining credits (they survive an upgrade).", "expiry": "14 days, no renewal of the same trial; credits expire with the trial unless upgraded to paid. After the trial, a payment method is required to continue.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: this is an evaluation trial, not a perpetual tier — Lakebase's only 'free' on-ramp is this trial; it is NOT available in the perpetual Free Edition. $400 is 'up to', not guaranteed; after expiry you're on pay-as-you-go with storage quotas (per-branch, adjustable on request) and possible egress/transfer costs (no public free egress allowance found). Credits cannot be combined with promotions or negotiated terms.", "source_url": "https://www.databricks.com/free-trial", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Databricks Startup Program: up to $200K in credits for Databricks and Neon", "detail": "Official startup page: qualifying startups receive 'up to $200K in credits for Databricks and Neon' (Neon = the serverless Postgres product behind Lakebase). Credits cover the Databricks Data + AI Platform incl. 'Database – Postgres for data apps and AI agents' (Lakebase) plus four 'solution accelerators' (recommendations, onboarding, LLM search, time-series forecasting with GenAI). No credit window, per-product split, or age/funding caps are published on the page.", "eligibility": "Startups 'not founded... ' — no published eligibility criteria on the official page: no stated company age, funding-raised cap, revenue limit, or region. Two paths: apply directly (Google Sites form at sites.google.com/databricks.com/startup-program-apply; form fields not publicly readable), or be nominated by an investor — listed VC partners: Andreessen Horowitz, Battery, General Catalyst, Insight Partners, Menlo Ventures, NEA, among others.", "claim": "1) Apply via the 'Apply now' form (Google Sites) with company details, OR 2) ask a partner VC to nominate you into the program. No public review-timeline; no published cap on number of credits beyond 'up to $200K'.", "expiry": "Not published (no credit-usage window or program end date on the page; footer copyright 2026, content dated 2026-04).", "gotchas": "Amount is a ceiling ('up to'), not a guarantee; exact allocation and duration are decided per-approval. The $200K spans two product families (Databricks + Neon) — split undisclosed. Eligibility caps are hidden in the application form. Startup credits don't replace the pay-as-you-go base: unused commitment after credit exhaustion bills normally.", "source_url": "https://www.databricks.com/product/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "University Alliance / education program (educators + students)", "detail": "For educators: 'perpetually free Databricks experience for learning and experimentation' (Free Edition), dedicated online community, dedicated educator/student badges, free teaching resources and sample notebooks ('Get free resources' -> /resources/teach; 'Access Free Edition' -> /learn/free-edition). For students (via /resources/student-resources and /university/student-fellows): free Free Edition access, free self-paced Databricks Academy courses, University Alliance Student badge (LinkedIn-ready), and students who complete a course 'qualify for a 25% discount on Databricks certifications' (exam fee, not platform credits). Student Fellows sub-program: by invitation only ('invited for their exceptional contributions'), grants free Free Edition access plus 'free or discounted' certification vouchers, on-campus communities, and internship pipeline; application via Airtable form with a T&C PDF; no stipend or credit hours stated.", "eligibility": "No .edu email requirement or enrollment verification is stated on any page. Free Edition portion: personal email, personal use only, any region with the tier. University Alliance: faculty/educators invited via the program; Student Fellows: invitation-only, no published geography or funding limits.", "claim": "Students: 1) sign up for Free Edition (provider=DB_FREE_TIER). 2) take free Academy courses at customer-academy.databricks.com ('Customer and Prospects' login). 3) earn the badge after finishing a course; claim the 25% certification discount after course completion. Fellows: apply through the Airtable form linked from /university/student-fellows. Educators: use 'Access Free Edition' / 'Get free resources' on /university.", "expiry": "Perpetual for Free Edition and badges; no expiry stated for the 25% certification discount or Fellows vouchers. No renewal needed.", "gotchas": "This is NOT a platform-credit grant: the education offer is Free Edition access (which locks Lakebase out) + free training + a 25% exam-fee discount, so students get no money-credits and no Lakebase under this program. .edu email is not verified, so anyone can use it; Fellows details (term, counts, countries) live only in the T&C PDF. Free Edition caps: 1 serverless workspace, fair-use daily limits, personal use only.", "source_url": "https://www.databricks.com/university", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Community Edition sunset/rebrand (2025-2026): Databricks' legacy 'Community Edition' (the free, Spark-learning tier) has been replaced by the expanded 'Free Edition' — 'designed and extended to include full access to the Data + AI Platform'; the Free Edition page states 'Access to legacy CE accounts will continue to be available for the remainder of this year' (page footer © 2026), i.e., legacy CE is being sunset by end of 2026 and users are steered to Free Edition. Startup program now explicitly bundles Neon credits ('up to $200K in credits for Databricks and Neon') on the 2026 page — older program versions referenced Databricks credits alone. Lakebase positioning: no perpetual free Lakebase tier exists; the only free on-ramps are the 14-day trial (Lakebase explicitly listed among Free Edition's locked features) and startup credits. No other Lakebase-specific trial/free-offer changes were visible in 2025-2026 pages; Lakebase docs (last updated Oct 21, 2026) show no GA/preview badge on the core service, with 'store Postgres changes as Delta tables' still marked Public Preview. One caveat: WebSearch was unavailable this run (session budget), so the 2025-2026 change summary relies only on official pages fetched today plus the pages' own footers/dates." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Databricks Free Edition (perpetual, no-credit-card, student/hobbyist tier)", "link": "https://www.databricks.com/learn/free-edition", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "datadog", "name": "Datadog", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Infrastructure monitoring free for up to 5 hosts (1-day metric retention, 100 custom metrics + 500 custom events per host); 40K LLM spans/mo free for Agent Observability; trials for logs/APM etc." ], "notes": [ "The older 'Dev Tier' (35GB logs, 100K traces, 5 APM hosts) branding has been folded into the current per-product pricing; free 5-host infra tier is the stable entry offer. Paid infra starts at $15/host/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Datadog Free Plan (Infrastructure monitoring)", "detail": "Free monitoring plan at $0: up to 5 hosts, 1-day metric retention, 5 containers per host (FAQ says '5 or 10 containers free for each host license'), unlimited user accounts, 'core collection and visualization features', 1,000+ integrations. The current pricing table does NOT show custom-metric/custom-event allotments in the Free column; its FAQ attributes '100 custom metrics/500 custom events per host' to Pro and '200/1000' to Enterprise — so the previously advertised 100-metric/500-event free allotment is no longer explicitly granted on the Free tier as displayed today. Paid reference points: Infrastructure Pro $15/host/mo (annual, 15-month retention), Enterprise $23/host/mo.", "eligibility": "Open to any new Datadog account holder; no .edu email, no startup proof, no credit card stated for the free plan; no region restriction stated. Data region chosen at signup cannot later be migrated.", "claim": "Sign up at app.datadoghq.com/register (no credit card required) -> choose data region -> the 5-host Free plan applies automatically to the account; no application or referral needed.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no expiration or renewal. 1-day metric retention means data older than 1 day is purged; plan limits (5 hosts) are fixed.", "gotchas": "1-day retention vs 15 months on paid plans; container allotment (5 or 10 per host) is a soft cap; over 5 hosts or over 10 containers/host requires a paid plan; the 100 custom metrics/500 custom events per-host allotments appear tied to paid Pro/Enterprise in today's pricing FAQ, so verify current free-tier custom-metric behavior in-product. 'Unlimited alerts' and 'unlimited users' are not explicitly printed in the Free column on today's page (they appear under Pro/Enterprise rows).", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Agent Observability (LLM Observability) Free Tier", "detail": "Per today's pricing page: Free tier gives 'Up to 40K LLM spans / month', '15-day trace retention', 'Unlimited context & evals', 'Full feature access', positioned 'For individuals and small teams', and the FAQ states 'up to 40K LLM spans per month with 15-day retention ... no credit card required.' Paid contrast: Pro 'Starting At $160 per month' includes 100K LLM spans/month; overage 'Additional spans: $3.50 per 10K LLM spans'.", "eligibility": "Any Datadog account holder; individuals and small teams; no .edu or startup proof; no credit card required; no region limit stated.", "claim": "Included with a standard Datadog account (sign up free, no CC) -> connect LLM/agent telemetry via OpenTelemetry OpenInference integrations or supported LLM SDK integrations -> spans are tracked up to 40K/month with no application.", "expiry": "40K LLM-span allowance resets monthly; 15-day rolling trace retention; no end date. Exceeding 40K spans on the free tier pushes you to the paid Pro tier pricing.", "gotchas": "Renamed from LLM Observability to Agent Observability; 'full feature access' is on the free tier but the product was recently GA-transitioned, so some features may be in preview; 15-day retention is short vs 15-month metric retention on paid infra plans; span overages are not billed on free — they are the trigger to upgrade; egress/scanning costs (e.g., AI Guard at $0.80/1M tokens scanned) are separate paid line items if enabled.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day Free Trial (metrics, APM/traces, logs, Synthetics)", "detail": "Official trial page: '14 days of unlimited monitoring' covering 'metrics, traces, and logs', log search/analysis, APM request tracing, and Synthetic-like monitoring of 'applications and API endpoints via simulated user requests', plus anomaly/outlier/forecast alerts. 'No credit card required' is stated on the page. 'Unlimited' during trial means no host limit for the trial window; at trial end the account drops to plan-based limits (free plan for infra).", "eligibility": "Any new Datadog user; no .edu email or startup proof required; no credit card; region choice at signup is binding ('You can't migrate data between regions').", "claim": "Click any 'Start Free Trial' CTA (or datadoghq.com/trial) -> create account with no CC -> pick data region -> monitoring is live immediately for 14 days; no application, no sales call.", "expiry": "14 days from signup; not renewable as a trial (one trial per account in practice). After it ends, only the free-plan limits (e.g., 5 hosts) and the 40K LLM-span tier apply; paid products require a plan.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free confusion: 'unlimited' applies only during the 14 days; post-trial you keep the free plan, not unlimited monitoring. No post-trial behavior is stated on the page (data retention/downgrade specifics not published). Region cannot be changed later. Trial does not include all products (e.g., Cloud SIEM/Security add-ons have separate trial offers).", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/trial/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Datadog for Startups (DDFS) — up to $100K credits", "detail": "Official startup page: 'up to a year of free access to the full Datadog platform — up to $100k in credits', hero states 'a year of free Datadog Pro'. Coverage: complete GA product suite (Observability: infrastructure/APM/logs/data; Security: code/cloud/SIEM; Digital Experience; Software Delivery; Service Management; AI modules) with 'No watered-down tiers, no hidden limits'; preview products 'if space permits'. Extras: optional Technical Engagement Manager, documentation access, customer-success rep after several months.", "eligibility": "(1) Funding stage 'Series A or earlier' (the page's cap is funding-stage based, no explicit employee/revenue figures published); (2) 'New to Datadog' — no current/prior Datadog customers and no prior DDFS credits; (3) 'Referred by one of our partners' (VCs, hyperscalers, accelerators) — applications without a partner referral are not accepted. No .edu component.", "claim": "Get a referral from a partner (VC/hyperscaler/accelerator) -> submit the application at datadoghq.com/startups describing your team -> start a Datadog trial while it is reviewed -> acceptance notified in ~3-5 business days -> activate within 30 days after acceptance or credits are forfeited.", "expiry": "Credits valid up to 1 year from acceptance/activation; activation window is 30 days post-acceptance; inactive accounts (3 months without usage) get a 30-day warning before removal; unused credits do not roll over.", "gotchas": "Partner-referral-only — no direct application path, which excludes bootstrapped/unaffiliated startups; 'up to $100k' is a ceiling, actual awards vary; credits apply to services, not products you can't resell; starting a trial during review is required by the process; three-month inactivity rule can void remaining credits.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student/education license (status: no public offer found as of 2026-10-22)", "detail": "No public Datadog education program, student license, or .edu-based free tier was found on the official site today: datadoghq.com/education/ returns 404; /solutions/education/ is a sales page aimed at selling Datadog TO institutions (Harvard Medical School, University of Chicago, Coursera as customers), with no free seat grants; /learn/ offers a free 'Learning Center' (hands-on course platform for all users, free of charge) but no student/educator account or seat grants, no .edu email requirement, and no classroom environment program is advertised (the older 'Datadog Classroom' URL structure is no longer live).", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no public application process. The general 14-day trial and 5-host free plan are open to students/educators like anyone else (no CC required for trial; no CC stated for free plan), and free learning courses at /learn/ are open to all users.", "claim": "N/A — no education application exists. Nearest path: use the general free trial (no CC) + 5-host free plan for coursework; use free /learn/ courses for certification-style study.", "expiry": "N/A for the (absent) program; free plan and trial terms as in their own findings.", "gotchas": "Students have no dedicated .edu offer or classroom org grants discoverable today; do not assume a 'Datadog Classroom' free lab still exists; confirm with Datadog sales/academics if a class agreement is needed — any such access would be custom, not public.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/solutions/education/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Datadog Free Plan (Infrastructure monitoring)", "link": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "datadog free plan", "name": "Datadog Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free Infrastructure Monitoring up to 5 hosts with 1-day metric retention, unlimited users; separate 14-day full-platform trial (no credit card)" ], "notes": [ "2026: no platform-wide freemium — the free tier covers Infrastructure Monitoring only; the 14-day trial is a distinct thing. Paid starts $15/host (annual)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Infrastructure Free Plan (permanent free tier, Monitoring front)", "detail": "$0/month free tier of Infrastructure Monitoring: up to 5 hosts, 1-day metric retention, unlimited users, unlimited alerts, 5 containers per host, 100 custom metrics per host, 500 custom events per host, 1,000+ integrations; includes dashboards, host/container maps, SAML SSO, outlier/anomaly detection, Watchdog insights. Shown on the main pricing page as Infrastructure 'Free' plan: 'Starting At $0', 'Up to 5 hosts', '1-day metric retention'.", "eligibility": "Anyone; self-service account creation, no credit card required. Data-housing region chosen at signup and cannot be migrated later.", "claim": "Sign up at datadoghq.com (Start free trial / Get started free flow), install the Datadog Agent on up to 5 hosts; account lands on the Free plan at no cost.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no sunset. 1-day retention and per-host allotments are the standing caps.", "gotchas": "Not the 14-day trial: the free plan is separate and permanent. 1-day metric retention vs 15 months on paid/student accounts; no public free allowance for Uptime/Synthetics quotas appears on the current pricing page; exceeding allotments (hosts, custom metrics/events, containers) requires a paid plan; 'unlimited users' but agents on the 5 free hosts only.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial of the full Datadog platform", "detail": "14 days of 'unlimited monitoring' of the entire Datadog platform (metrics, traces, logs, 1,000+ integrations, alerting incl. anomaly/outlier/forecast). 'No credit card required' (stated repeatedly). Signup requires a business email; form collects password, name, job title, company, optional phone, and data-housing region.", "eligibility": "Open to all companies (the DDFS FAQ says the 2-week trial is 'available to all companies'); business email expected; no credit card; no startup/student restriction.", "claim": "Go to datadoghq.com/free-datadog-trial/, complete the signup form, agent installs and trial is active immediately; DDFS applicants are explicitly told to sign up for the trial while their startup application is under review.", "expiry": "14 days; no auto-conversion or renewal terms are published on the page; after expiry the account is on the paid plan or the free plan.", "gotchas": "Trial is NOT the free plan and cannot be converted into the student program ('We cannot transition users, agents, hosts, or metrics' per the student program). Region choice at signup is not migratable. Startup-program applicants use this same trial as their pre-approval onboarding.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/free-datadog-trial/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Datadog for Startups (DDFS) - up to $100k credits, one year", "detail": "'A year of Datadog Pro, up to $100k in credits' for the first year; covers the complete platform - 'all Generally Available (GA) products' plus new features that GA, with preview products usable 'if space permits' (no watered-down tiers). Acceptance email typically within 3-5 business days. Credits applied to the account after approval.", "eligibility": "Series A or earlier (no dollar funding cap published); must be new to Datadog (no current or prior Datadog customer, never received DDFS credits); must apply through an official referral partner (VCs, hyperscaler and vendor partner startup programs) - no direct application without a referral.", "claim": "1) Submit application at datadoghq.com/partner/datadog-for-startups/ (startup email: startups@datadoghq.com); 2) Sign up for a Datadog trial and use it while the application is reviewed; 3) Receive acceptance by email (3-5 business days); 4) Credits are applied - 'start building'. Activation must be confirmed within 30 days of acceptance or the acceptance expires (may reapply later if eligible).", "expiry": "Credits for the first year only; no renewal route stated. Inactivity: a warning is sent after 3 months unused, and after another 30 days without use the company is removed from the program.", "gotchas": "No referral partner = ineligible; the fallback is the 14-day trial. Excludes anyone who was ever a Datadog customer or prior DDFS recipient. No credit card/ payment details appear in the application flow. The 30-day activation window and inactivity removal are the main traps.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/partner/datadog-for-startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student Developer program (education license via GitHub Student Developer Pack)", "detail": "Free Datadog Pro account with a monthly allocation: 10 hosts (Infrastructure and APM), 500 GB ingested logs, 50 containers, 10 lambda functions, 5 Fargate tasks, 1,000 browser tests, 10,000 API tests, 1,000 Browser RUM sessions, 1,000 Mobile RUM sessions, 100,000 LLM requests; standard and custom metric retention up to 15 months; alerts, users, and Datadog Support access included. 'Free Datadog up to 2 years', available while the participant remains an active GitHub Student Developer Pack member; Datadog will renew the account as long as pack membership continues.", "eligibility": "Currently enrolled students who are members of the GitHub Student Developer Pack (GitHub handles enrollment verification - .edu email/student ID on GitHub's side; Datadog's own page does not impose a separate .edu requirement). Not for commercial projects. All accounts are created in the US5 region only.", "claim": "1) Log in with GitHub at studentpack.datadoghq.com ('Log in to Github to get started'); 2) the account is auto-provisioned in the US5 region; 3) log in at us5.datadoghq.com and configure your Datadog Agent with the issued API keys. Faculty/curriculum access: studentpack@datadoghq.com.", "expiry": "Up to 2 years, renewable while enrolled in the GitHub Student Developer Pack; if a term lapses Datadog will extend/renew active pack members.", "gotchas": "US5 region only - student accounts cannot be migrated to another region. Cannot be created by converting an existing free-trial account. A temporary 'staff user' is created for provisioning and disabled after the invite. Commercial use is prohibited. LLM/RUM/browser quotas are monthly, not one-off.", "source_url": "https://studentpack.datadoghq.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Agent Observability Free tier (Observability front)", "detail": "Free tier of Agent Observability: '$0 per month', up to 40K LLM spans/month, 15-day trace retention, unlimited context & evals, full feature access; targeted at 'individuals and small teams'. Also on the main pricing page: Feature Flags are free for usage below 1 million monthly flag configuration requests (no plan purchase needed for sub-1M MFCRs).", "eligibility": "Anyone - no plan purchase, no startup/student requirement; a Datadog account (trial or free) is enough.", "claim": "Sign up at datadoghq.com; Agent Observability 'is already available in your account and free to start using' - no separate application.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; monthly 40K LLM span cap and 15-day trace retention are the standing limits.", "gotchas": "15-day trace retention vs 15 months on paid/student accounts; 40K LLM span/month cap; this is per-user/small-team oriented - startup teams usually get far more via DDFS or the 14-day trial.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Time-limited promo: Bits Testing free through Nov 30 (AI credits, Observability front)", "detail": "On the current pricing page, 'Bits Testing' (AI-powered autonomous test generation inside Synthetic Monitoring) is listed as 'Free of charge through Nov 30' (2026). A free in-browser trial of Bits Testing also exists at bits-testing.datadoghq.com ('Try free in browser').", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Datadog account; not student/startup-specific.", "claim": "No application; use Bits Testing in a Synthetics workflow; in-browser demo requires no account at all.", "expiry": "Promotion ends Nov 30 (page language 'through Nov 30'); after that Bits Testing reverts to AI-credits-based pricing.", "gotchas": "Short-dated promo - verify the exact Nov 30 year (page fetched 2026-10-22, so Nov 30, 2026). Not part of any student/startup program; counts against AI credits after the promo ends.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No distinct public free Uptime Monitoring or CDN offer found (Uptime & CDN front)", "detail": "Uptime Monitoring is now folded into Synthetic Monitoring under Digital Experience: the Synthetic Monitoring product page states 'Usage-based pricing per test run, with no per-user fees' and no public free endpoint/check-per-minute quotas or free test types are published on any current Datadog page I read today. The RUM page advertises only the 14-day trial. There is no Datadog CDN product in the current product index, Digital Experience pages, or docs navigation - Datadog's 'edge' offering is Edge Device Monitoring (IoT), which has no free tier.", "eligibility": "n/a - nothing to claim; the front has no standalone free offer as of 2026-10-22.", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Absence of published free uptime quotas may partly reflect client-side-rendered pricing; legacy pages historically showed a free uptime endpoint allowance on the Infrastructure Free plan, which is no longer displayed. If you need free uptime, the practical options are the 14-day trial (unlimited) or the 5-host Free plan, but no free uptime endpoint count is publicly stated today.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/products/digital-experience/synthetic-monitoring/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Infrastructure Free Plan (permanent free tier, Monitoring front)", "link": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "decap cms", "name": "Decap CMS", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://decapcms.org" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) Git-based headless CMS: 100% free, no usage limits, no hosting fees" ], "notes": [ "Stable; formerly Netlify CMS; pairs naturally with GitHub/GitLab/Netlify as the backend." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Decap CMS core — free open source (MIT), forever", "detail": "The entire Decap CMS product is free: MIT-licensed, self-hosted, no usage limits, no seat limits, no hosting fees from Decap. Official site states it is 'Free & open source, forever' — 'free today and will remain free for everyone, always.' You run the admin UI yourself (e.g. on any host or on Netlify's own free tier) against your own Git backend (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Gitea).", "eligibility": "Anyone — students, startups, enterprises, no .edu email, no age/funding cap, no credit card, no region limits. No application required.", "claim": "Download the npm package or use the CDN + add admin/index.html and config.yml to your project; authenticate via your Git provider's OAuth (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket) or another backend. No signup, no payment details, no expiry. Docs: decapcms.org/docs/intro", "expiry": "None — MIT license and 'free forever' commitment are permanent; no sunset announced.", "gotchas": "It is self-hosted: you must supply your own auth/identity and hosting for the admin UI, and pay for Git-host API rate limits on large collections. Netlify Identity (the formerly recommended auth path) was deprecated in 2025, so legacy sites need a backend swap (Decap Turbo, DecapBridge, or Auth0) — a hidden cost of time. No dedicated student or startup program exists on the core product.", "source_url": "https://decapcms.org/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Decap Turbo Free plan — managed hosting, free indefinitely", "detail": "Decap Turbo is Decap's paid managed layer (hosted auth & roles, database-backed content store for faster performance, Git-host rate-limit shielding, deploy notifications, activity log, S3-compatible media library, site variables). The Free plan: €0/month, 1 site + 1 seat, free indefinitely (not a trial). Includes the managed infrastructure: 'Faster CMS', 'Git host request shielding', 'Activity log', 'Deploy notifications', community support.", "eligibility": "Any organization (students/startups equally eligible); no credit card required to sign up; no .edu or funding-cap conditions; no region limits stated. Payment (Paddle.com, EUR, monthly, tax included) required only for paid plans.", "claim": "1) Sign up at https://turbo.decapcms.org/signup — you land on the Free plan, no card. 2) Add your site (up to 1). 3) Use hosted auth; invite at most 1 seat. No trial involvement; Free plan stays free unless you upgrade.", "expiry": "Indefinite — 'stays free indefinitely'; no renewal or expiry date. Paid plans are month-to-month with no yearly self-serve option.", "gotchas": "Free plan is capped at 1 site + 1 seat — larger teams need Pro. S3 media library and site variables are Pro-and-above features, not in Free. It is genuinely free, not a trial — 'paying for Decap Turbo never means paying for Decap CMS itself.'", "source_url": "https://decapcms.org/turbo/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Decap Turbo 14-day Pro trial — no credit card", "detail": "Organization owner can opt in to a 14-day Pro trial that unlocks every Pro feature except priority support. Trial caps: 5 sites and 25 users. No credit card required to start. If no payment method is added, you get a 1-week grace at full Pro access, then the org drops to Free: one site stays editable, all other sites become read-only, non-owner members lose access, pending invitations are revoked — nothing is deleted; adding payment later restores access (oldest sites first). For reference, Pro retail is €19/month (1 site + 5 seats; extra €10/site · €6/seat), priority support add-on €99/month per org, Enterprise custom with unlimited (fair use).", "eligibility": "Any registered organization (students/startups equally eligible); no credit card required; no .edu or funding-cap conditions stated.", "claim": "1) Sign up on Free plan at turbo.decapcms.org/signup. 2) As organization owner, open the Billing page. 3) Opt in to the 14-day Pro trial (or skip it). No card, no auto-upgrade — 'Nothing is switched on for you: skip the opt-in and you simply stay on Free.'", "expiry": "Trial ends after 14 days + 1-week grace; then the org reverts to the Free plan (1 site editable, others read-only). It renews as a paid Pro plan only if you add payment (EUR, monthly, via Paddle).", "gotchas": "Trial is a trial (temporary Pro access), while the Free plan is permanently free — the page explicitly distinguishes them. Pro requires a credit card for ongoing use. Prices are EUR, tax included, monthly only; third-party figures (e.g. $37/mo 'Starter' on Sitepins, unverified apis.io 'Decap Turbo Starter/Team/Business') do not match the official page — trust decapcms.org/turbo.", "source_url": "https://decapcms.org/turbo/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, Decap CMS/Decap Turbo has NO dedicated education/student license, no startup program, and no trial-credit offer for students or startups beyond what is listed: the permanent MIT-licensed free core, the Decap Turbo Free plan (1 site/1 seat, no CC), and the 14-day no-CC Pro trial. No education or startup discount appears anywhere on the official pages (checked decapcms.org and decapcms.org/turbo today). No student/startup free-offer sunset was found in 2025-2026 because none existed. Related context: Netlify Identity, the formerly recommended free auth backend, was deprecated around 2025 — pushing legacy Decap CMS users toward Decap Turbo (or third-party auth like DecapBridge). Decap Turbo (a 2025-era launch) is the only paid surface; note that third-party pricing references (Sitepins: \"$37/mo Starter\"; apis.io: unverified plan names) contradict the official €19/mo Pro price and should be treated as stale/unconfirmed." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Decap CMS core — free open source (MIT), forever", "link": "https://decapcms.org/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "deno deploy", "name": "Deno Deploy", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://deno.com/deploy/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo: 1M inbound requests/mo, 10 active CPU-hours, 20 GiB egress, 10 GiB revision storage, 10 concurrent apps" ], "notes": [ "Edge serverless built on Deno. Pro $20/mo (5M requests, 50 CPU-hrs); Builder $200/mo. 1-day log/traces retention on free. Good Vercel/Workers alternative for JS/TS edge apps." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Deno Deploy Free plan (new platform, $0/mo)", "detail": "Free plan of the new Deno Deploy (GA Feb 3, 2026). As listed on the official pricing page today: $0/mo; 1M inbound HTTP requests/mo; 10 active CPU-hours/mo; 20 GiB egress/mo; 10 GiB revision storage; 10 concurrent apps (deployments); 1 concurrent build; 15 builds/hour; 5 custom domains (no wildcard subdomains); 3 team members; 150 GiB-hr memory time; KV: 1 GiB storage, 1,000,000 KV read units/mo (4 KiB), 500,000 KV write units/mo (1 KiB); log/trace retention 1 day; app metrics history 1 month; log streaming API included; NOT included: sandboxes, volume storage, email support, SLA, SOC2 Type 1/DPA. Targeted at 'personal use and smaller projects'.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone; sign-up free at console.deno.com. No .edu email required, no startup age/funding cap (this is a general free tier, not an education or startup program). No credit card requirement is stated anywhere on the pricing page (CTA is simply 'Start free'); the docs' usage/limits page adds that orgs can set alert thresholds and hard spending limits in the console (controls available as of Sept/Oct 2025). Regions: new Deno Deploy platform serves only 2 regions (us, eu) plus self-hosting via deployd; Classic (6 regions) is sunsetting. No other regional restriction stated.", "claim": "No application or activation needed: create a free account at console.deno.com, create an org/app, deploy code (deno deploy / Git integration); the free plan is the default starting tier. Upgrade to Pro/Builder/Enterprise in-console when limits are exceeded.", "expiry": "Ongoing monthly free tier; does not expire or require renewal. Free limits reset monthly. No sunset date announced for the new platform's free plan (in contrast: Classic sunsets 2026-07-20).", "gotchas": "(1) CPU billing is only while code actively runs; idle apps auto-shutdown in ~20-30 s, so 10 active CPU-hours is roughly equivalent of one always-busy app for ~10h. (2) Egress excludes inbound request data; 20 GiB/mo is a hard cap for Free. (3) The Free column lists no overage rates — Pro/Builder overage is $2/M requests and $0.20/GiB egress, so staying on Free means hitting caps, not paying overage. (4) The Feb 2026 GA blog describes the free tier as '1M requests, 100 GB egress, 15 CPU hours' — the current pricing page (fetched today) shows 20 GiB egress and 10 CPU-hours, i.e., the free allocation appears to have been cut since GA; trust the live pricing page. (5) No wildcard subdomains; only 5 custom domains; 3 team members; KV free bucket is small (1 GiB). (6) WebSearch was unavailable in this session (budget exhausted), so program checks relied on fetching deno.com pages directly today.", "source_url": "https://deno.com/deploy/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No free trial credits for paid plans found", "detail": "The official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22) contains no mention of a free trial of Pro/Builder/Enterprise (no trial duration, no $ credits). No 'trial' or 'credit' program appears on the homepage, /deploy product page, blog index, or docs. A trial may exist inside the console, but it is not documented or advertised on any official page checked.", "eligibility": "N/A — no documented offer.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; no application URL found.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Don't assume 'Start free' = a time-limited trial of paid plans; it is a perpetual free tier. Any console-gated trial could not be verified without an account, so treat as unconfirmed/low confidence.", "source_url": "https://deno.com/deploy/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No startup program or education license found", "detail": "Deno has no documented startup-credit program, student program, or education license for Deno Deploy. deno.com/startups and deno.com/education are both 404; the blog index (2024-2026 entries) has no post announcing such a program; the pricing, product, and docs pages contain no 'education', 'student', 'startup', or 'academic' offers. Closest adjacent items: free database provisioning from the dashboard for Pro (Prisma partnership, mentioned in the GA post — not a startup-specific offer) and enterprise 'Deno for Enterprise' (paid support, not free).", "eligibility": "N/A — no documented offer.", "claim": "N/A.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "If a student/startup wants more than the free tier, the only documented path is paid Pro/Builder/Enterprise; no .edu verification or startup application flow exists on deno.com as of today.", "source_url": "https://deno.com/deploy/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Deno Deploy Free plan (new platform, $0/mo)", "link": "https://deno.com/deploy/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "digitalocean", "name": "DigitalOcean", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits", "vps-servers", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "startup", "student", "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.digitalocean.com/community/solutions/digitalocean-for-startups", "https://www.digitalocean.com/free-trial/", "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/", "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups/" ], "offers": [ "Up to $100,000 in DigitalOcean credits over 24 months (Hatch / H100 GPU pool), typically accessed through partner programs such as Techstars.", "$200/60-day trial credit for new accounts; $200 credit via GitHub Student Developer Pack; DO Startups up to $250K in credits for startups", "Standing new-account credit is ~$5 for 90 days (auto-applied to the first team); the former $200/60-day trial has been wound down as of 2026. Also 3 free static App Platform sites and $5/mo for 250 GB Spaces.", "DigitalOcean Startups: up to $10,000/month in credits for 12 months for product startups that raised $10M or less (AI-native prioritized)." ], "notes": [ "Figure cross-checked via Techstars capital page ($100K/24 mo). NOT re-verified directly this run (WebSearch budget exhausted); DO's exact public URL/limits may have changed - confirm on digitalocean.com before citing.", "Trial historically required card; startup tiers ($1K/$25K/$250K) via accelerator association — verify current tiers", "CONFLICT - verify in-console: several 2026 sources say the $200/60-day promo ended and is replaced by a $5/90-day credit, while other 2026 sources still cite $200/60 days (region/channel dependent). Card or PayPal required; a powered-off Droplet still bills.", "Apply via an accelerator/incubator/VC partner; service-based businesses not eligible. Since 2026-05-13 the credits exclude GPU Droplets, H100, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated/Serverless Inference, third-party AI models, Paperspace and Cloudways; includes 15 months of free Standard support." ], "findings": [ { "name": "DigitalOcean Startups program (formerly Hatch) — up to $100,000 in compute credits over 12 months + 15 months free Standard-tier support", "detail": "DigitalOcean Startups (rebranded from 'Hatch', program running since 2016). Official program page (read 2026-10-22): '12 months to scale' — credits for 12 months, amount varies by partner and is stated in the onboarding email, with a $10,000 monthly limit and charges for any monthly use above it. January 22, 2025 press release (investors.digitalocean.com, official) states 'up to $100,000 in Compute Credits' plus 'Complimentary Premium Support' and marketplace access to 600,000+ customers; BusinessWire's release also stated 'up to 3 Months of Free GPU Usage' for qualified startups. Current page lists 'Free access to Standard-tier paid support for 15 months.' Official ToS (last updated May 11, 2026) confirms a 12-month program term and 1-year credit window. Enrollment itself is free ('no fee to participate'); non-transferable credits.", "eligibility": "Must have raised $10M or less total funding. Requires a company website with a matching company-domain email (no Gmail etc.) and a new DigitalOcean team account on that email. A valid credit card IS required on the account (for billing/overages). Startups that have previously used DigitalOcean credits are excluded. Service-based businesses (consulting, web/app dev shops, marketing agencies) are ineligible. AI-native startups are prioritized but not required. No .edu requirement. No published country restriction; apply through a partner (VC/accelerator/incubator, e.g. Techstars) or directly via the application form ('Other').", "claim": "1) Create a NEW DigitalOcean team account with a company-domain email (free-mail not accepted) and a valid credit card; 2) Apply via digitalocean.com/startups / do.co/AIStartups — through an approved partner (accelerator/VC such as Techstars) or directly by selecting 'Other'; 3) On acceptance the credit amount is set per partner and stated in the onboarding email; 4) Spend within the 12-month window, max $10,000 usable per month. 15 months of Standard-tier support and the Welcome Kit partner perks (Stripe Atlas 20% off, QuickNode up to $5k, Airtable $2,000, 100ms $2,500, Miro $1,000, Notion $1,000, Cloud66 $500, Bolster $1,000, Mercury $500 cash on $50k deposit, HubSpot up to 90% off year one, ChargeBee free until $1M revenue, Shortcut 2 months free, Ovvy 90 days free) are included on acceptance.", "expiry": "Credits expire 12 months after DigitalOcean accepts you into the program (one year from acceptance per ToS, §1.2); unused credits are forfeited with no extension or rollover. Free Standard-tier support lasts 15 months. ToS auto-terminates the arrangement on acquisition, IPO, insolvency, or ceasing normal operations; liability capped at $100; no resell/sublicense; crypto mining prohibited.", "gotchas": "Credit card required at signup — not 'free' in the no-CC sense. Core credits as of May 13, 2026 explicitly EXCLUDE: GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference, Serverless Inference/third-party AI models, Paperspace Machines, Cloudways, and third-party pass-through charges — GPU access is a separate invite-only benefit, and the January 2025 'up to 3 months free GPU' is no longer published. Amount is unpublished and partner-set; the $100,000 ceiling comes only from the Jan 2025 press release. Usage above $10,000 in a month is billed to your card. Powered-off Droplets still bill. Egress beyond bundled allowances is charged separately.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GPU credit packages ('Early-Stage Boost') — separate, invite-only GPU credits for accepted startups", "detail": "Official page states 'Selected startups will be invited to apply for GPU credit packages.' under 'Early-Stage Boost'; GPU credits are 'a separate benefit' from the core credits, and core credits do not cover GPU Droplet usage — your payment method is charged for it. The H100 pool / GPU benefits were a headline of the Jan 22, 2025 announcement ('generous credits for our GPU-powered Droplets and other AI/ML resources', 'priority access to GPU power').", "eligibility": "Accepted DigitalOcean Startups participants (i.e., same eligibility as the core program: <= $10M raised, new DO customer, company-domain email, credit card on account, product not service business), then invitation from the DigitalOcean team. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Invitation-only: acceptance into the program does not guarantee GPU credits. The DO team reviews application and infrastructure needs, invites selected startups to submit a separate GPU credit application. In 2025, per the press-release package, qualified startups got 'up to 3 Months of Free GPU Usage' (terms apply), with H100 GPUs available for AI/ML workloads; no amount/duration is currently published on the official page. To run H100s without GPU credits you pay list price (~$1.90/GPU-hour, third-party figure — unverified on official pages today).", "expiry": "GPU credit package terms (amount/duration) not published; determined per invitation. Core program credit window is 12 months from acceptance.", "gotchas": "Since the May 13, 2026 exclusion update, GPU Droplets, H100 GPU Kubernetes and Bare Metal GPUs are off the core credit table — teams relying on GPUs must get the separate GPU package or pay list. Acceptance into the main program does NOT guarantee the GPU package. Exclusions also cover third-party model hosting on inference products.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "New-account trial credit: $5 for 90 days (current trial; replaced the older $200/60-day offer)", "detail": "Official pricing page FAQ (read 2026-10-22): 'if you received a $5 credit for 90 days, then that $5 credit is automatically applied to your account.' Credit card required at signup (a ~$1 temporary pre-authorization is taken and reversed). No perpetual free compute tier exists: Droplets start at $4/month, managed databases from $15/month, Spaces from $5/month. Billing is per-second with a 60-second/$0.01 minimum.", "eligibility": "Any new DigitalOcean account (all regions where DigitalOcean is available). A payment method (credit card) IS required before creating resources — no CC-free path. No .edu, no age/funding limits. Applies once, to the first team.", "claim": "None — the credit is applied automatically to the first team on a new account; just sign up at digitalocean.com with a payment method. The current offer is $5/90 days; the previously advertised $200/60-day trial no longer appears anywhere on the official pricing page or in docs.", "expiry": "$5 credit expires 90 days after signup; then normal pay-as-you-go billing begins for anything provisioned.", "gotchas": "Do not expect the old $200/60-day trial — the official pricing/docs pages list only the $5/90-day grant as of today. Payment method required up front, so 'free' is really a trial with a card on file; overage is billed at list price. Stopped Droplets still bill (resources stay reserved) — only destroying them stops charges.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free platform inclusions (de-facto free tier: static sites, Functions, registry, DNS, firewall, VPC, DOKS control plane)", "detail": "Official pricing page 'Platform benefits' (read 2026-10-22): free to build/deploy 3 static sites on App Platform; 90,000 GiB-seconds/month of Functions compute free; free Container Registry with 1 repository and 500 MiB storage; free DNS management; free cloud firewalls; VPC free (ingress free; inter-datacenter VPC peering $0.01/GiB); Droplets include free outbound transfer starting at 500 GiB/month per Droplet; DOKS starts at $12/month with a free control plane. Spaces object storage is NOT free (from $5/month).", "eligibility": "All DigitalOcean accounts; no eligibility filters, no .edu, no card-for-free (a card is required for the account, but the listed free inclusions do not require spending). No published regional restriction.", "claim": "No claiming needed — all existing/new accounts get these inclusions automatically; provision the resources. The 'starting at $0/month' products (App Platform, Functions, Container Registry, VPC) have a free base allowance but paid tiers for usage beyond it.", "expiry": "No expiry — ongoing inclusions as long as the account is active. There is no sunset date published for these allowances; treat them as permanent but subject to change without notice.", "gotchas": "This is not a free-tier substitute for compute: there is no perpetual free Droplet. Free allowances are per-resource (e.g., 500 GiB outbound is per Droplet plan; extra egress beyond bundled allowances is billed — list rate is ~$0.01/GiB per third-party pricing trackers, unverified on the official page today). App Platform's free static sites cap at 3 sites with 1 GiB outbound each.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AI Startup Ecosystem (Techstars founding partner track) — discounted infrastructure + GPU discounts + infra credits", "detail": "DigitalOcean announced its 'AI Startup Ecosystem' on October 29, 2025 (official blog): it brings together 'established technology partners, vibrant community organizations, AI developer platforms, and university entrepreneurship programs' with Techstars as the named founding partner. Members get 'discounted infrastructure and tooling', technical support and go-to-market resources; the Techstars deal includes 'GPU discounts, infrastructure credits and hands-on technical support', plus hackathon support for early-stage ideas. No dollar amounts are disclosed in the official post — benefits funnel into the Startups program benefits above.", "eligibility": "AI startups (founder-led; early-stage ideas through growth). No .edu requirement; university entrepreneurship programs are partners, not applicant types. No funding cap published for the ecosystem itself (the $10M cap belongs to the core Startups program). No regional limits published.", "claim": "AI startups apply through the Typeform application linked from the AI Startup Ecosystem announcement (same do.co/AIStartups pipeline as the Startups program). Techstars founders go through Techstars' cohort/support track; partners (VCs, accelerators, university entrepreneurship programs, AI developer platforms) apply separately to join the ecosystem and then route startups to DigitalOcean.", "expiry": "No published end date; amounts/durations are partner-set and evolve. Underlying Startups program credits, if awarded, expire 12 months from acceptance.", "gotchas": "Amounts are not published anywhere official (unlike the $100k press-release figure for Hatch compute credits), so treat any third-party numbers as unverified. 'Discounted infrastructure' is not necessarily free. Application links point to Typeforms that change; verify the current link from the official blog post.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/blog/ai-startup-ecosystem-announcement", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean Startups program (formerly Hatch) — startup credits", "detail": "12 months of DigitalOcean credits; amount 'varies' per startup/partner and is stated only in the onboarding email, with a general $10,000/month consumption cap (usage beyond the cap in a month is charged at published prices). Credits cover nearly all DO services (Droplets/VPS, App Platform, Kubernetes, Spaces, managed databases, CPU bare metal) but as of 2026-05-13 EXCLUDE: GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference, Serverless Inference, third-party AI models outside DO infrastructure (incl. Anthropic/OpenAI), Paperspace Machines, Cloudways, and pass-through third-party charges. GPU credits are a separate, by-invitation benefit ('Early-Stage Boost'). Also includes 15 months of free Standard-tier paid support, expert 1:1s with DO PMs/engineers, Marketplace access, and a Welcome Kit partner perks: Stripe Atlas 20% off, Shortcut 2 months free, Cloud66 $500, Ovvy 90 days free, QuickNode up to $5,000, Bolster $1,000, Mercury $500 cash on $50k deposit, Airtable $2,000, Notion $1,000, HubSpot up to 90% off year one, Miro $1,000, Chargebee free until $1M revenue, 100ms $2,500. Migration assistance/credits for moving customers from other clouds (amounts unpublished).", "eligibility": "Must have raised $10M or less total funding; product/digital startups only (service-based businesses: agencies, consulting, web/app dev firms are not eligible); AI-native startups are prioritized but AI is not required; corporate website with a matching company-domain email required (personal email fails); a registered DigitalOcean team account (company email, not personal) required; applicants must be new to DO credits (no prior DO credit use); a valid credit card must be on file; no geographic restrictions published (global). No .edu or enrollment requirement.", "claim": "1) Create a DO team account with a company email and valid credit card. 2) Apply at digitalocean.com/startups (about 10-minute application; if unaffiliated with a partner organization, select 'Other'), or via an approved partner (VCs, accelerators, incubators — Techstars is a 2026 premier partner). 3) Acceptance at DO's sole discretion; your credit amount arrives in the onboarding email; benefits are distributed through approved partners.", "expiry": "Credits end exactly 12 months from acceptance; unused credits are forfeited and are not transferable; no extensions, no renewal mechanism (program term fixed at 12 months per ToS, last updated 2026-05-11). DO may change or discontinue the program at any time. Termination events (crypto mining, IPO, insolvency, prohibited change of control) end all benefits immediately and any fees owed become due.", "gotchas": "Headline credit amount is not published ('varies') — the Jan 2025 Hatch press release claimed up to $100,000 in compute credits, but the current page no longer advertises any total; budget against the $10,000/month cap, not a headline number. GPU/inference/third-party AI models are excluded as of 2026-05-13 — a major gotcha for AI workloads. Overage beyond the monthly cap and beyond Droplet bandwidth allowances is billed. Powered-off Droplets still bill. Egress beyond the included bandwidth allowance costs extra. No free trial exists for bare-metal or dedicated servers; they are covered only if your credits apply and usage stays under the monthly cap (bare-metal CPUs eligible; bare-metal GPUs excluded).", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "New-account signup credit ($5 / 90 days)", "detail": "New team accounts automatically receive a $5 credit applied to the first team; valid for 90 days after signup. The pricing page states your card will not be charged until the credit is exhausted or the 90-day window lapses (e.g., spending $3 in the window means no charge).", "eligibility": "All new DigitalOcean accounts; no .edu, student or startup requirement; no region limit published; a payment method (card) IS required before creating resources — so this is a trial credit, not a no-card free tier.", "claim": "Sign up for a DigitalOcean account, add a payment card; the $5 credit is applied automatically to the first team. No application needed.", "expiry": "90 days from signup.", "gotchas": "Card required (not free-tier in the no-CC sense). $5 covers roughly 1-2 months of the cheapest $4/mo Droplet; anything beyond it bills immediately. Historically larger trials (e.g. $100-$200/60-day offers) are not shown on the current pricing page as of 2026-10-22.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free tier items (no perpetual free VPS)", "detail": "Perpetually free with any account: 3 free static sites on App Platform (~1 GiB outbound/mo each); 90,000 GiB-seconds/mo free on DO Functions with no charge for invocations; Container Registry free with 1 repository and 500 MiB storage; unlimited VPCs at no cost with free ingress data transfer to VPCs; Droplets include free outbound data transfer starting at 500 GiB/mo; free reserved IPs when assigned to a Droplet; free DNS; free Cloud Firewalls; free basic monitoring/alerts; 1 uptime check/mo; free email support tier. Managed databases and basic Droplets are NOT free (start at $15/mo and $4/mo respectively). No free-trial offer for bare metal or dedicated servers appears anywhere on the pricing page.", "eligibility": "All DigitalOcean account holders; no .edu, no startup requirement; payment method still required for any billable resource.", "claim": "Included automatically with any account; no application or claim step.", "expiry": "No expiry (ongoing free allowances).", "gotchas": "Droplets themselves are never free — so there is no free VPS; 'free outbound transfer starting at 500 GiB/mo' scales with the Droplet plan. Static-site free tier egress is ~1 GiB/mo per site; larger traffic bills. VPC peering between datacenters is $0.01/GiB (intra-DC free). Powered-off Droplets continue to bill.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Ad-hoc university partnership grants (case-by-case, not a general education license)", "detail": "DigitalOcean makes individual university grants: e.g. the University of Arizona Eller MIS Department (announced July 2025) partners with DO to provide unlimited cloud resources to students in one master's-level cloud computing class for the duration of the semester. This is a bespoke grant, not a claimable .edu program.", "eligibility": "Only students in specific partner classes/programs, at the discretion of the DO-teacher partnership; no general .edu email or student verification pathway exists as of 2026-10-22 (the old GitHub Student Pack credit is gone — see sunset notes).", "claim": "No public application; arises only when a professor/department negotiates with DigitalOcean.", "expiry": "Per-partnership (e.g., one semester in the Eller case).", "gotchas": "Not renewable, not generally available, not tied to .edu emails; the former blanket student offer ($200 via GitHub Student Developer Pack) was discontinued.", "source_url": "https://eller.arizona.edu/news/eller-mis-department-partners-digitalocean-serve-students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Automatic $5 / 90-day signup credit (new accounts)", "detail": "Per official docs: 'When you create your first team, DigitalOcean automatically applies a $5 signup credit.' No promo code required. The credit applies to all products except SaaS Add-Ons — so it covers Droplets (VPS), bare metal and dedicated servers, App Platform, etc. A valid payment method must be on file before you can create resources; your card is charged only after the credit is exhausted or the 90-day window expires ('if you received a $5 credit for 90 days, then that $5 credit is automatically applied to your account' — pricing FAQ). Credit expires 90 days after signup; it cannot be transferred to other teams. Governing 'Promotional Credit & Discount Terms' (last updated Jun 7 2024): no cash value, non-transferable, no stacking with other promotions, exclusions for Marketplace/Support/crypto mining, voiding for accounts created solely to obtain credits. Docs page last verified 15 Jul 2026.", "eligibility": "All new accounts — any person/company's first DigitalOcean team. No student or startup status needed, no .edu email. A credit card or other valid payment method (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, PayPal, Google/Apple Pay) is required on file, so it is NOT a no-credit-card offer; billing only happens after credit exhaustion or the 90-day expiry. No region limits stated on the page.", "claim": "Automatic: create your first team; the $5 credit is applied with no code and no application. Add a payment method first. Claim: free on everything non-SaaS Add-On up to $5.", "expiry": "90 days from account signup; no renewal; one-time only (first team only, non-transferable to later teams).", "gotchas": "Payment method required (trial-style, not card-free). Amount is small ($5) vs the wound-down former $200/60-day trial. 'All products except SaaS Add-Ons' still covers bare metal and dedicated, but DO Marketplace products and DO Support are excluded from promotional credits per the legal terms. Overage beyond $5 (or any spend after day 90) bills normally; free outbound bandwidth allowance (e.g., 500 GiB/mo on small Droplets) and free reserved IP/DNS are separate product inclusions, not credit. Fraud/accounts created solely for credits are voided.", "source_url": "https://docs.digitalocean.com/platform/billing/signup-credit/(corroboratedbyhttps://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/FAQandhttps://www.digitalocean.com/legal/promotional-credit-discount-terms)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean Startup Program (startup credits via partner networks)", "detail": "Official program page (fetched today): rolling 12-month platform-credit window; credit amount 'varies' and is determined through approved partner organizations/accelerators; participants 'are entitled to a $10,000 monthly limit' beyond which standard charges apply. GPU credits exist separately for select applicants after review. Enrolled startups also get free access to Standard-tier paid support for 15 months and discounted third-party perks (e.g., Stripe Atlas 20% off, QuickNode up to $5k, Airtable $2,000, Miro $1,000). As of May 13 2026, credits explicitly EXCLUDE: GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference, Serverless Inference, third-party AI models (Anthropic, OpenAI), Paperspace Machines, Cloudways, and pass-through third-party charges; crypto mining and excessive resource consumption prohibited; credits non-transferable. Co-branded with Y Combinator, Techstars, a16z, Backstage Capital, etc. 'The DigitalOcean Startups program does not grant extensions' and unused credits are 'forfeited'.", "eligibility": "Startups only: must have raised $10m or less; a company website with a matching corporate email; registered DO team account on a business (not personal) email; program targets 'new startups that have not used prior credits with DigitalOcean' and 'prioritizes AI-native startups'; service-based companies (consulting, web/app dev services, marketing agencies) are NOT eligible. No company-age floor, employee cap, or geographic restriction stated. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Two paths: (1) if backed by a partner/accelerator on the portfolio list, route through that partner's program manager; (2) otherwise fill out the application via the Typeform on the /startups page and select 'Other' as the affiliated partner. Once accepted, perks are delivered via the 'Welcome Kit'. The partner determines the actual credit amount (undisclosed publicly; $10k/month cap on usage).", "expiry": "Rolling 12-month credit window from enrollment; no extensions granted; unused credits forfeited at window end; no calendar application deadline published (rolling eligibility).", "gotchas": "Exact credit amount is undisclosed ('varies' by partner) — treat any figure circulating ($10k–$250k historically) as unverified. GPU and bare-metal-GPU products and third-party AI model spend are excluded from credits (as of May 13 2026), so this program does NOT reliably fund GPU/dedicated AI hardware. Non-transferable, no stacking with the signup credit is addressed in the Promo Credit terms. 15-month support perk is Standard tier only.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Wavemakers Program (community chapter leaders — open, not student/startup-specific)", "detail": "DigitalOcean-supported local community chapters; leaders 'Get access to DO credits to use on our platform' (no dollar amount or duration published), plus exclusive swag, invite-only events/workshops, and web/social features. Leaders must host at least four events per year (one per quarter, virtual or in-person), serve as the main point of contact, use the designated event platform, and stay in touch with DO. FAQ: open to 'tech enthusiasts, community builders, and influencers from all backgrounds' and worldwide (U.S. not required).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who wants to lead a local DO community chapter — not restricted to students or startups. No .edu or company requirement; global.", "claim": "As member: join via the linked Meetup. As chapter leader: (1) fill out the quick application (Google Form), (2) DO team reviews and contacts you with next steps, (3) receive a welcome packet including a community leader toolkit; credits arrive through DO's side once established.", "expiry": "No application deadline, credit expiry, or duration published on the page; ongoing rolling program.", "gotchas": "Credit amount, duration, and product scope are NOT disclosed — low value certainty; it's primarily a community commitment (4 events/year). Do not treat this as a budget-grade credit source.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/wavemakers/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Always-free product tiers and add-ons (all accounts, incl. VPS customers)", "detail": "From the official pricing page (fetched today): 'Build and deploy 3 static sites for free' (App Platform static sites); 'One Uptime Check/month included with every account'; Kubernetes: 'Free control plane, free bandwidth allowance' (node plans from $12/mo); free VPCs (unlimited, intra-DC peering free); free reserved IPs when attached to a Droplet, free DNS, free cloud firewalls; Container Registry: 'Free container registry with 1 repository and 500 MiB storage'; Functions free tier as printed on the pricing page: 'Use 90,000 GiB-seconds per month for free with DigitalOcean Functions' and 'no additional charges for function invocations'; Droplets include free outbound transfer starting at 500 GiB/mo (overage $0.01/GiB). NOTE: there is no free Droplet/VPS tier — the $5/90-day signup credit is the only standing free-usage grant for VPS.", "eligibility": "All accounts, no application, no student/startup status. No .edu requirement; no region limit stated. No credit card required to hold the free add-ons (a free-tier-only usage of, e.g., a static site or registry can be exercised without spend).", "claim": "Inherent: provision the resources in the control panel (static site on App Platform, registry, VPC, K8s free control plane); nothing to apply for.", "expiry": "Perpetual; no published expiry or renewal cycle.", "gotchas": "The Functions '90,000 GiB-seconds' figure is exactly as printed on /pricing/ today but could not be cross-checked against a /functions/ product page (404 at fetch time) — medium certainty on that number. Free static sites: 3 sites cap; app (dynamic) sites on App Platform are not free. Free K8s control plane still requires paid nodes (from $12/mo). The often-cited '$5/mo for 250 GB Spaces' is a paid entry price, not a free offer. Free egress allowances attach to specific Droplet sizes; bare metal/dedicated have their own plans (no free tier).", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student or educator programs — none currently published (negative finding)", "detail": "No education license, student program, or educator discount is published on DigitalOcean's site as of today: /education/, /educators/, /community/education/, docs /platform/education/, and blog tag /education/ all return HTTP 404 (verified by fetch today). The pricing page FAQ contains no student/education offers, and the legal index shows no education-specific credit terms. The only standing free grant for new users (any user) is the $5/90-day signup credit.", "eligibility": "N/A — no current education offer to be eligible for. .edu email would not unlock anything specifically.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim; students effectively get the same $5/90-day signup credit as any new account (and Startup/Wavemakers programs if they meet those programs' criteria).", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Absence verified by direct URL checks today, but WebSearch was unavailable in this session (budget exhausted), so I could not confirm via third-party news whether an education program existed in 2025 and was quietly removed.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/(noeducationmention)+404checkson/education/,/educators/,/community/education/,/blog/tag/education/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "New-account free trial: $200 credit for 60 days", "detail": "$200 in cloud credit valid for 60 days for new DigitalOcean accounts. Auto-applied at signup; usable across Droplets, App Platform, managed databases, Kubernetes, and Spaces. Marketplace/third-party integrations are excluded. Credits are consumed before the card is charged. After 60 days or when the credit is exhausted, standard pay-as-you-go billing applies and any unused credit is forfeited.", "eligibility": "Open to new accounts in general - NOT restricted to .edu or students. Requires a valid credit card or PayPal for identity verification (no charge during the trial unless the credit is exhausted). One trial per person. No funding/age cap; not startup-specific.", "claim": "Create a new DigitalOcean account (email, Google, or GitHub), add a credit card/PayPal, and the $200 credit is automatically applied to billing. Deploy workloads (Droplet/App Platform/DB/K8s). A referral or promo link can be used for the trial. Set a reminder before day 60.", "expiry": "60 days from account creation; unused credit forfeited at expiry; no renewal or extension.", "gotchas": "A payment card IS required, so it is a card-required trial, not a no-card free tier. Trial-vs-free: every running resource becomes billable after 60 days. Egress beyond included allowances and all marketplace/third-party services are billed. Region availability of specific services varies. NOTE: the official /free-trial/ landing page returns a 404 today; the $200/60-day terms are corroborated by current (2026) third-party and first-party community sources, not a live official trial page.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/community/questions/signup-and-get-200-in-credit-for-your-first-60-days-cffec92b-5b4a-44ba-88df-4e0c8ccee7ea", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack - $200 student credit (SUNSET / no longer listed)", "detail": "Historically, students verified through GitHub (Student Developer Pack, typically .edu) could claim $200 of DigitalOcean credit. As of today's check, DigitalOcean is NOT listed as a perk in the current GitHub Student Developer Pack, and the dedicated DigitalOcean student page (/github-students) now redirects to the generic homepage. Community reports (May 2026) indicate the credit stopped applying after GitHub authorization + card. No active standalone .edu-only student-credit program could be confirmed. Practical effect: the only currently-usable student path is the general $200/60-day new-account trial above.", "eligibility": "Previously .edu / verified GitHub student status; now appears unavailable. No live activation path found.", "claim": "Previously: verify GitHub student status, then activate DigitalOcean from the Student Developer Pack. Now: no working activation path found - confirm on the live GitHub pack page before expecting any credit.", "expiry": "Appears discontinued; no stated end date; the pack no longer lists DigitalOcean.", "gotchas": "Do not rely on this offer. The 'known so far' $200 GitHub-pack student credit should be treated as outdated. If re-activated later, it would again likely require a card for account verification.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean Startups program (credits for early-stage startups)", "detail": "Participants receive a pre-determined credit amount (varies; spelled out in the onboarding email) subject to a $10,000 monthly spend ceiling, valid over a 12-month term (i.e., up to ~$120K of core credits). Credits apply to qualifying DigitalOcean services but EXCLUDE GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated/Serverless Inference, third-party/frontier AI models (including Anthropic and OpenAI), Paperspace Machines, Cloudways, and third-party pass-through charges. GPU credits are a separate, non-guaranteed invitation after review. Standard paid support is free for 15 months.", "eligibility": "For new startups that have NOT used prior DigitalOcean credits. Must have raised $10M or less. AI-native startups prioritized; service firms (agencies/consulting) excluded. Requires a corporate/business email, a registered DigitalOcean team account, a valid credit card, and a public company website. No stated company-age or geographic restriction.", "claim": "VC/accelerator-backed: confirm the partnership via DigitalOcean's portfolio partner list and ask your program manager. Independent founders: submit the application (Typeform) and select 'Other' for the affiliated partner organization. Perks are delivered in the 'Welcome Kit' on acceptance.", "expiry": "12-month program term; no extensions granted; unused credits forfeited; credits are non-transferable.", "gotchas": "A credit card is required to be eligible. The widely-circulated 'up to $250K' figure is NOT what the current official page states - the current framing is a $10,000/month ceiling over 12 months with 'amount varies' (historically marketed as up to ~$200K including partner credits). Effective May 13, 2026 the eligible-service list broadened (core credits apply to more services, still excluding the GPU/AI-model/third-party list above). Prohibited uses include cryptocurrency mining and workloads with excessive network/CPU/disk I/O.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free services (free tier): static sites on App Platform + included add-ons", "detail": "Up to 3 static sites can be built and deployed on App Platform for free with no expiration (~1 GiB outbound transfer per app; additional static apps cost $3/month). App Platform entry is listed as '$0/month'. Also always-free for all accounts: DNS management, Cloud Firewalls, monitoring & alerting, one free Container Registry repository (500 MiB), and free round-the-clock technical support.", "eligibility": "All DigitalOcean accounts - not student/startup-specific. No .edu or funding requirements.", "claim": "Sign up (with the $200 trial or a standard account); deploy static sites for free; the free add-ons are included automatically with a paid account.", "expiry": "No expiration on the free static-site allowance; free add-ons are ongoing with a paid account.", "gotchas": "Only STATIC apps are free - dynamic App Platform apps bill by resource units. Free static outbound transfer is capped (~1 GiB/app/month); egress beyond included allowances and third-party/marketplace services are billed. This free tier is separate from, and smaller than, the startup credits.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) No student/education offer found: as of 2026-10-22 DigitalOcean has no public student, .edu, or education-license program. The URL requested in the task (digitalocean.com/community/solutions/digitalocean-for-startups) and a guessed .../digitalocean-for-students both return HTTP 404; the startup program now lives at digitalocean.com/startups. No .edu email requirement appears anywhere in official pages. 2) Program rebrand + duration change: 'Hatch' was rebranded 'DigitalOcean Startups' with a new 2025 benefits package announced Jan 22, 2025 (investors.digitalocean.com press release + BusinessWire). The previously referenced 'up to $100,000 over 24 months' is superseded: the official ToS (last updated May 11, 2026) sets a 12-month program term and a 1-year credit window, and the current page states amounts 'vary' per partner with a $10,000 monthly limit. 3) May 13, 2026 restriction expansion: core startup credits now explicitly exclude GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference, Serverless Inference/third-party AI models, Paperspace Machines and Cloudways (previously only GPU Droplets and H100 products were excluded); GPU support moved fully to the invite-only 'Early-Stage Boost' packages, and the Jan 2025 'up to 3 months free GPU usage' language is no longer published. 4) Support wording changed: 'Complimentary Premium Support' (Jan 2025 release) is now '15 months of free Standard-tier support'. 5) The older $200/60-day new-account trial no longer appears on the official pricing page or docs (docs.digitalocean.com/resources/free-trial/ 404s); the current trial is a $5/90-day credit automatically applied to a new account. 6) Oct 29, 2025: AI Startup Ecosystem launched with Techstars as founding partner — no published amounts, funnels into the Startups program.", "Major 2025-2026 changes: (1) HATCH RETIRED — the Hatch brand was retired and replaced by the \"DigitalOcean Startups\" program; the Hatch ToS now only point to a prior version of the Startups ToS (Startups ToS last updated May 11, 2026; third-party guides place the brand retirement on May 11, 2026). The Jan 2025 Hatch offer of \"up to $100,000 in compute credits + up to 3 months free GPU usage\" (announced Jan 22, 2025) is no longer the current offer — the current page says credit amount 'varies' with a $10,000/month cap and unpublished totals. (2) STUDENT CREDIT ENDED — DigitalOcean exited the GitHub Student Developer Pack; students were told around July 1, 2026 that DO was \"winding down the program\" and \"ending their participation in the GitHub Student Developer Pack\"; ALL Student Pack promotional credits, including ones already redeemed that had run a full year, expired universally on July 31, 2026 (retroactive cutoff). From June 8, 2026 the credit had already excluded GPU Droplets, H100 Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, DO Inference, third-party AI models, Paperspace and Cloudways. There is no replacement DigitalOcean student/education license as of 2026-10-22. (3) CREDIT COVERAGE NARROWED — as of May 13, 2026 the Startups program credits explicitly exclude Dedicated/Serverless Inference, third-party AI models, Paperspace Machines, Cloudways and Bare Metal GPUs (in addition to the earlier GPU Droplet/H100 exclusions), and the page now states the $10,000/month cap. (4) A limit reduction was recorded around 2026-04-07 (narrowed signup-credit terms; low confidence, from a third-party changelog). (5) No free bare-metal or dedicated-server trial, no perpetual free VPS tier, and no no-credit-card offer exists as of 2026-10-22 — a payment card is required for every DO offer above.", "Sunset/change notes for 2025–2026: (1) The former $200/60-day new-user trial is wound down — the old trial landing pages (/free-trial/ and /trial/) now 404 (verified today), and it has been replaced by the small automatic $5/90-day signup credit applied to the first team (docs page last verified 15 Jul 2026). (2) Startup Program: effective May 13 2026, credits were re-scoped to EXCLUDE GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes, Bare Metal GPUs, Dedicated Inference, Serverless Inference, third-party AI models (Anthropic/OpenAI), Paperspace and Cloudways — so startup credits no longer fund GPU/bare-metal AI hardware; program also explicitly grants no extensions and forfeits unused credits. (3) Wavemakers is DigitalOcean's current community-chapter program (replacing/continuing the older 'DigitalOcean Community Chapter' branding) with unpublished credit amounts. (4) No evidence of any education/student program in the 2025–2026 official site; the Promotional Credit & Discount Terms page is unchanged since June 7 2024. Method caveat: WebSearch was unavailable for this session (shared budget exhausted), so the '2025-2026 changes' cross-check relied solely on WebFetch of DigitalOcean's official pages; third-party press coverage was not verified.", "GitHub Student Developer Pack $200 student credit: DigitalOcean is no longer listed as a perk in the current GitHub Student Developer Pack (checked 2026-10-22 via education.github.com/pack), and the dedicated DigitalOcean /github-students page now redirects to the generic homepage. Community reports (May 2026) say the credit stopped applying after GitHub authorization + adding a card. Treat the 'known so far' $200 GitHub-pack student credit as outdated/unavailable; the only live student-accessible path today is the general $200/60-day new-account trial.DO Startups credit framing changed materially: earlier 'known so far' cited 'up to $250K in credits.' The current official page (checked 2026-10-22) does NOT print a headline total; it frames the benefit as a pre-determined amount ('varies', via onboarding email) with a $10,000 monthly ceiling over 12 months (max ~$120K of core credits), and the eligible-service list was broadened effective May 13, 2026. The $250K figure is unsupported by the current official page.The official /free-trial/ landing page returns a 404 today, so the $200/60-day trial could not be read on a live official page; it remains corroborated by current (2026) third-party guides and first-party DigitalOcean community threads. No active .edu-only education license program was found." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Standing new-account credit is ~$5 for 90 days ...; the former $200/60-day ...", "text": "DigitalOcean's new-account promotion is $200 in credit for the first 60 days, new accounts only, per its promo text on community pages. The $5 for 90 days is a separate AI-inference trial. My homepage fetch showed no banner, so this rests on the community-page text and third-party listings.", "url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/community/questions/signup-and-get-200-in-credit-for-your-first-60-days" }, { "item": "conflicting: '$200 / 60-day' claim versus official 90-day signup-credit expiry", "text": "The official signup-credit doc (last verified 2026-07-15) says credits expire 90 days after signup and a payment method is needed before creating Droplets. The Free Trial entry says about $5 for 90 days, while the student/startup entry still says $200 for 60 days. The official excerpt read did not state an amount, so confirm it there. A secondary source (October 2026) says the GitHub Student Pack credit ended 2026-07-31; that is unverified and the $200 student claim needs re-checking.", "url": "https://docs.digitalocean.com/platform/billing/signup-credit/" } ], "confidence": { "high": 12, "medium": 6, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "DigitalOcean Startups program (formerly Hatch) — up to $100,000 in compute credits over 12 months + 15 months free Standard-tier support", "link": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "directus", "name": "Directus", "fronts": [ "apis-data", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://directus.io", "https://directus.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Open source (Apache 2.0) headless CMS: free self-hosting; Directus Cloud trial available", "Self-hosted free; Directus Cloud Core $0: 3 seats, 25 collections, 5 flows; Open Innovation Grant gives full commercial access at no cost to orgs under $5M revenue and 50 employees" ], "notes": [ "Open-core model: some advanced/AI features live on Cloud; not re-verified this session.", "Cloud hosting add-on $99/mo; paid Team $499/mo; grant removes feature caps for qualifying small orgs." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free self-hosting under open-source license (now MSCL-1.0-GPL, not Apache 2.0)", "detail": "Self-hosting Directus is free: 'Self-host free with one install. No credit card required' (homepage; claim via npx directus-template-cli@latest init). The license is the Monospace Sustainable Core License (MSCL-1.0-GPL) v1.0 from Monospace Inc (parent of Directus), with an irrevocable grant converting each release to GPL-3.0 after 4 years. Permitted Purpose explicitly covers internal use and non-commercial education/research, so students and classrooms can self-host free; there is no seat/instance cap for internal use. No .edu email required, no credit card, no region limit stated. Caveats: 'Competing Use' prohibition (may not offer a managed service competing with Monospace's commercial Directus where it charges license fees), license-key integrity rules for protected functionality on v12+, and no reselling/white-labelling Directus itself.", "eligibility": "Anyone for internal/non-commercial or personal use (incl. students, education, research); agencies may use it for client work as professional services. Commercial/resale use of Directus-as-SaaS requires OIG or a paid license.", "claim": "Download/run the open-source release (e.g. npx directus-template-cli@latest init); no key needed for pre-v12 releases; v12+ has key-gated functionality covered by the free Core tier or OIG.", "expiry": "n/a (standing license); each release converts to GPL-3.0 four years after its release date", "gotchas": "The 'Apache 2.0' label in prior notes is outdated — license is now MSCL-1.0-GPL (successor to BSL, which was replaced per the OIG FAQ). Not a true open license: competing-use ban, telemetry/licensing-key enforcement on v12+.", "source_url": "https://directus.com/license", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Directus Cloud Core free tier ($0/mo)", "detail": "Free cloud/Core plan: 3 user seats, 25 collections, 5 flows, plus AI Assistant, Advanced RBAC, and Community Support. Cloud hosting is NOT included — it is an optional add-on at $99/mo (hosting only; overages/limits per 'Cloud Policies': e.g. legacy overage rates $5/2,500 DB entries, $10/25,000 API requests, $5/25 GB bandwidth, $5/5 GB asset storage — Core tier overage figures were not captured in the table render). Paid comparison: Team is $499/mo annual ($5,988/yr) or $599/mo rolling; 10 SSO seats, extra SSO seats $50/seat/mo, 50 collections (expandable to 100), 20 flows. No SSO on Core, not addable.", "eligibility": "Any team up to 3 seats; no .edu requirement; no credit-card or trial mention on the current pricing page. No regional limits stated. Government customers are excluded only from the OIG grant, not from the Core tier.", "claim": "Sign up at directus.cloud (login → create or join a team → create projects); pick the Core ($0) tier. Self-hosting under Core costs $0.", "expiry": "no expiry stated; 'No existing customer will be forced onto new pricing immediately' — monthly plans grandfathered 6 months, annual honored until renewal", "gotchas": "The free tier caps you at 3 seats / 25 collections / 5 flows, well under OIG; hosting on Directus' cloud is +$99/mo on top of $0 software, so 'free' applies to self-hosting; no SSO and no paid support; each cloud project incurs infrastructure costs and there are no refunds for accidental/abandoned projects.", "source_url": "https://directus.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Open Innovation Grant (OIG) — perpetual full commercial access for small orgs & individuals", "detail": "OIG grants 'fully permissive access to Directus at no software cost': unlimited seats, collections, and flows; SSO and custom access policies; bring-your-own LLM and AI translations; no feature limits or caps. Self-hosted use is free; cloud hosting is a flat $99/mo (hosting only). The grant is 'granted in perpetuity' — licenses have no expiration and require no renewal; it is 'a standing program, not a promotion.' Each key includes 5 activations (multi-container replicas pointing at the same DB/public URL share one activation). Grant applies to Directus v12.0.0+; v11 and below need no key and never will. You may build and sell commercial products/SaaS on Directus; reselling, redistributing, sub-licensing, or white-labelling Directus itself is out of scope.", "eligibility": "Under $5M annual recurring revenue (measured across commonly-owned group; donations/grants excluded) AND fewer than 50 employees. Individuals qualify (assessed on personal finances, not employer), non-profits, hobbyists, agencies qualify; unpaid volunteers and school students don't count toward headcount. End-user rule: eligibility is judged by who logs into Studio (if a client's team logs in, the client's size governs; app end-users/website visitors never count). Government customers are explicitly excluded.", "claim": "1) Fill the OIG application at directus.com/oig (3-step form: applying-as, name, email, country/region), 2) read the OIG FAQ and accept the Open Innovation Grant agreement, 3) receive a perpetual license key for v12+. No credit card is involved; no payment of any kind.", "expiry": "Perpetual — no expiration, no renewal process. Directus periodically reviews the grantee registry and may request proof of eligibility; keys can be disabled as a last resort for unreachable/inaccurate grantees; must contact sales within 90 days if the org grows past $5M or 50 people.", "gotchas": "Required telemetry (no offline/air-gapped operation), no paid product support included, keys revocable for false information or abuse, 5 activations per key, no resell/white-label of Directus itself, and OIG FAQ terms apply only to v12+ (older releases are unlicensed/open).", "source_url": "https://directus.com/oig", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education-specific license or free offer", "detail": "No education-specific program, student discount, .edu-email offer, or free trial was found on any official page fetched today (homepage, /pricing/, /oig, /oig/faq, /license, /cloud-policies, /docs). Students are covered indirectly: (1) MSCL 'Permitted Purpose' explicitly allows free non-commercial education and research self-hosting, and (2) individuals (including students) are OIG-eligible, with students explicitly not counted toward the 50-employee cap when attached to a school/non-profit.", "eligibility": "Indirect only: any student/educator via MSCL education purpose or individual OIG application; no .edu email verification mentioned anywhere.", "claim": "Self-host free for class/course use under the MSCL, or apply for OIG as an individual (assessed on personal finances) via the /oig form.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Education use is non-commercial only; a commercial SaaS built on Directus by a student or school still needs OIG or a paid license.", "source_url": "https://directus.com/license", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025–2026 changes: (1) LICENSE CHANGE — Directus is no longer under the 'Apache 2.0' license recorded in prior notes; the OIG FAQ states the prior BSL (Business Source License) was replaced by the MSCL (Monospace Sustainable Core License, MSCL-1.0-GPL) to add enforcement mechanisms after 'documented persistent abuse ... by large enterprise organizations'; each release converts to GPL-3.0 after 4 years. (2) OIG PERPETUITY — the homepage announces 'We're Making the OIG Perpetual and Clearer'; grants now carry no expiration date and no renewal process, and the program is described as a standing program. (3) PROFESSIONAL TIER SUNSET — per the Cloud Policies page, 'as of June 1, 2026 the Professional tier is a legacy tier that is no longer available for new projects' (it remains available to existing projects; monthly plans grandfathered 6 months, annual until renewal; the legacy $5-per-unit overage rates likely apply only to grandfathered accounts). (4) TRIAL — the 'Directus Cloud trial available' note from prior knowledge is unsupported on any official page fetched today: no trial duration, no trial credit, and no credit-card language appears on /pricing/, /oig, /license, /cloud-policies, or /docs/cloud/getting-started/introduction; the free entry points are now the self-hosted Core tier and OIG. No student/education program exists, so nothing to sunset there. Data-quality caveats: web search was unavailable (shared session search budget exhausted), so 2025–2026 change verification relied on official pages fetched 2026-10-22; /blog and /cloud paths 404'd, and the per-tier technical-limits table on /cloud-policies did not render its Core-tier row in the fetched text (Core limits were instead confirmed on /pricing/)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free self-hosting under open-source license (now MSCL-1.0-GPL, not Apache 2.0)", "link": "https://directus.com/license", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "discord nitro", "name": "Discord Nitro", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/41334348698135-Unidays-x-Discord-Nitro" ], "offers": [ "1 month of Discord Nitro free via UNiDAYS student verification (auto-renews at $9.99/mo; new-to-Nitro accounts only)" ], "notes": [ "No standing 50% student discount: promo runs Jul 9 2026 - Jul 9 2027 (redeem by Aug 8 2027); Orbs reward system (2025) lets users earn Nitro time; cancel before day 30 to avoid charge" ], "findings": [ { "name": "UNiDAYS x Discord Nitro — 1 month of full Nitro free for verified students", "detail": "One month of Discord Nitro (full tier, not Nitro Basic) claimed through UNiDAYS student verification. Offer window: 2026-07-09 10:00 PT to 2027-07-09 11:59 PT; claimed codes must be redeemed on a Discord account by 2027-08-08 11:59 PT. Nitro includes HD streaming, 500MB uploads, 2 server boosts, custom emojis anywhere, profile/avatar customization, Super Reactions. After the 1-month trial, the subscription auto-converts to a monthly recurring Nitro plan and Discord bills the account's payment method each month ($9.99/mo in US per live discord.com/nitro page read 2026-10-22; cost varies by region/country) until cancelled in User Settings. One claim per user.", "eligibility": "Must be a UNiDAYS-verified student (UNiDAYS verifies via institutional/.edu email, student ID, or its regional ID-verifier e.g. SheerID in the US; GRADLiFE recent-graduate accounts up to 3 years post-graduation may also qualify in some regions). Account must NOT have had: an active Nitro subscription or Nitro trial in the last 12 months, any prior Nitro subscription at any point, or a Nitro Classic/Basic subscription in the past 12 months — i.e., effectively new-to-Nitro accounts. If the account has Nitro Basic, Nitro Classic, or Server Boosting active, redeeming overrides it and leftover time is forfeited (no refund). Region-limited: NOT available in Syria, Russia, Turkey, Iran, North Korea, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk. UNiDAYS live offer pages exist for US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Spain, Italy (not all countries).", "claim": "1) Open UNiDAYS website/app for your country, find the Discord offer tile, sign in and complete student verification. 2) Select 'Get now' / 'Activate' on the Discord offer page to unlock a Nitro promo code. 3) Redeem the code on your Discord account (desktop app or web) before 2027-08-08. 4) Cancel in User Settings > Nitro before the first renewal if you do not want the $9.99/mo (US) recurring charge.", "expiry": "Claimable 2026-07-09 to 2027-07-09 (11:59 PT); redeemed code valid until 2027-08-08 (11:59 PT). Auto-renews to paid monthly Nitro after the 1-month trial; cancel anytime in User Settings to stop billing.", "gotchas": "Trial, not permanent free access: converts to recurring paid Nitro ($9.99/mo US, varies by country) — a payment method will be billed at renewal unless you cancel first. Exclusion list is strict: any Nitro trial in the last 12 months disqualifies you, and ever having had Nitro disqualifies you. Redeeming wipes out unrefunded time on active Nitro Basic/Classic/Server Boost. The .edu email is not directly required by Discord — it's UNiDAYS's verification that gates it (email or student ID depending on country). Excluded countries include several large markets (Russia, Turkey, Iran). Support cannot manually add eligibility. NOTE: official support article returned 403 to direct fetch (bot protection); article content was read via a crawler snapshot updated 2026-07-08, so treat exact wording as high-fidelity but not live-verified today.", "source_url": "https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/41334348698135-Unidays-x-Discord-Nitro", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Discord free tier (baseline, not student-specific)", "detail": "Discord itself is free permanently with no card required: text/voice/video, standard-quality streaming (no HD), ~10MB file uploads, 80-char messages on some surfaces, no server boosts, no Nitro perks. Nitro Basic is $2.99/mo and full Nitro $9.99/mo in US (confirmed on live discord.com/nitro, 2026-10-22). This free tier is the baseline everyone gets; the education front (UNiDAYS) only adds a 1-month Nitro trial on top.", "eligibility": "Everyone; no verification, no card required for the free tier.", "claim": "Sign up at discord.com; nothing to claim.", "expiry": "Permanently free; no expiry.", "gotchas": "Not a student offer; listed for completeness of the 'free tier' category. No trial credits, startup program, or education license for Nitro exist on the live pricing page — the only student-facing offer is UNiDAYS.", "source_url": "https://discord.com/nitro", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No startup program or education license exists for Discord Nitro: I found no Nitro startup discount, startup credits, or school/university education license in the official promotions list (support.discord.com Promotions section, 2026 snapshot); discord.com/education returns 404 as of 2026-10-22 (the older 'Discord for Education' resource hub appears retired, with no replacement education-licensing program). The UNiDAYS campaign was refreshed for the 2026-2027 window (2026-07-09 to 2027-07-09) — earlier UNiDAYS iterations ran on shorter, earlier windows, so 2025-dated claim instructions may be stale. Other Nitro promos listed on Discord's official Promotions page in 2025-2026 are partner-driven (T-Mobile 3-month trial, Meta Quest, T-Mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, Twitch 2025, Best Buy, EGS Megasale 2026, Logitech/SteelSeries gear discounts, 'Free Nitro Trial for May 2025' — the May 2025 trial has lapsed) and are not student/startup offers, so they are out of scope. Caveat: WebFetch was blocked (403) on support.discord.com and discord.com/pricing (404) during this run; discord.com/nitro and the myunidays.com partner page were read live, and the UNiDAYS support article content came from a 2026-07-08 crawler snapshot. WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-run, so no additional 2025-2026 change checks were possible." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "UNiDAYS x Discord Nitro — 1 month of full Nitro free for verified students", "link": "https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/41334348698135-Unidays-x-Discord-Nitro", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "docker", "name": "Docker", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.docker.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Personal plan free: Docker Desktop (Engine+Kubernetes), Docker Hub, Scout & Debug for 1 user; Team plan $16/user/mo covers small teams up to 100 users" ], "notes": [ "CHANGE: the old 'Docker free for small teams' (under 3 devs / <$10M revenue) was eliminated in the Dec 2024 plan revamp - free tier is now individual-only, so small commercial teams pay for Team." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Docker Personal plan — $0 free tier for individual developers (incl. students)", "detail": "Docker Personal is $0/user/mo with no stated time limit (self-serve at app.docker.com/signup). Includes: Docker Desktop (Engine + built-in Kubernetes, CLI, Compose), Docker Hub (unlimited public repos, 1 private repo, 100 image pulls/hr per authenticated user; 10 pulls/hr per IP unauthenticated), Docker Scout (1 Scout-enabled repo with continuous vulnerability analysis), Docker Debug, and 100 Testcontainers Cloud runtime minutes/month. Cap: 1 user. Free account gives 7-day trials of Docker Build Cloud and Testcontainers Cloud.", "eligibility": "Open to any individual (no .edu email or student verification required). 'For individual developers who need the essential tools to build and deploy containers.' Does not cover company/team use except the small-company Desktop carve-out below. Government entities may not use Docker Desktop free without a subscription. No region limits or credit-card requirement stated on the official pages.", "claim": "1) Create a free Docker Personal account at https://app.docker.com/signup 2) Download Docker Desktop from desktop.docker.com (Windows/macOS/Linux installers) 3) Log in with the Personal account — Docker Hub/Scout/Debug entitlements apply automatically. No application, no .edu proof, no CC wording required.", "expiry": "No expiry — permanent $0 tier; entitlements 'remain free but still subject to licensing terms' (Docker plans FAQ).", "gotchas": "1 user only; 100 pulls/hr and 1 private repo are tight for class-group work (unauthenticated 10 pulls/hr/IP). Personal excludes Docker Pro extras (synchronized file shares, 2 Scout repos, unlimited Hub pulls, 100 Testcontainers min are the Personal/Pro boundary). If your company grows past the small-startup carve-out you must buy Team ($16/user/mo monthly, $15 annualized, up to 100 users) or Business ($24). Trial vs free: Build Cloud and Testcontainers Cloud are 7-day trials on Personal; only the 100 Testcontainers runtime minutes/month are permanently included.", "source_url": "https://www.docker.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Docker Desktop free for early-stage startups (<250 employees AND <$10M revenue)", "detail": "Per the Docker plans FAQ: 'For small companies with fewer than 250 employees AND less than $10M in revenue, Docker will continue to offer free usage of Docker Desktop only' — for (i) non-commercial open source projects and/or (ii) commercial use with <250 employees and View purchase options > sign in > use; billing starts automatically after day 7 unless you delete deployments. GCP: subscribe on the GCP Marketplace Elastic page, link/create an Elastic Cloud account, verify email; delete resources to stop charges.", "expiry": "7 days; automatic conversion to usage-based billing on the marketplace bill (Elastic Cloud billed through AWS/GCP, egress/snapshot charges metered in US East for AWS).", "gotchas": "Billing starts automatically after 7 days — delete deployments to avoid charges. These are separate from the 14-day direct trial; a marketplace subscription replaces/links to the trial account, it does not extend it. AWS Marketplace charges metered in us-east-1 regardless of deployment region.", "source_url": "https://www.elastic.co/docs/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/aws-marketplace;https://www.elastic.co/docs/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/google-cloud-platform-marketplace", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Self-managed Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch/Logstash/Kibana/Beats) — free 'Basic' license, perpetual", "detail": "The Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, Logstash) can be downloaded and run for free, forever: 'the OSS features as well as the free Basic features of our software at no cost', including native security features, role-based access control, and true Kibana multitenancy. Elastic explicitly says it is free 'to learn, to develop, and to run production at scale'. No trial, no credit card, no cap. (Note: since the 2021 re-licensing, the stack is under Elastic License v2 / SSPL rather than Apache-2.0, and 'free' = the Basic feature set.)", "eligibility": "Anyone, including students and startups; no .edu, no region or usage limit.", "claim": "Download the Elastic Stack from elastic.co/downloads and self-host on your own infrastructure (containers, VMs, on-prem).", "expiry": "Perpetual — no expiry, no renewal; free Basic features have no stated time limit.", "gotchas": "'Free ELK' ≠ full feature set: APM scale-out, many log-scaling/security (SIEM/XDR) and ML capabilities sit in paid Gold/Platinum/Enterprise tiers; Basic has no vendor support. Budget for your own infrastructure and operations; self-hosting is free but not costless. License is ELv2/SSPL, not classic Apache OSS.", "source_url": "https://www.elastic.co/pricing/faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Elastic Cloud Serverless: built-in free allowances (50 GB/month egress, 10k free workflow/agent executions) with 14-day trial — no perpetual free tier", "detail": "There is no free-forever tier for Elastic Cloud Serverless; instead the pay-as-you-go plans include standing free allowances: 50 GB free egress per month (then $0.05/GB), 10,000 free workflow executions (then ~$0.0108/execution), and 10,000 free Agent Builder executions (then ~$0.025/execution). Below that, logs/traces ingest starts ~$0.07/GB, metrics ingest ~$0.023–0.09/GB, retention ~$0.005–0.019/GB-month. Higher support tiers add 5–15% of the bill. A 14-day free trial of Serverless is also available (serverless-registration); uptime monitoring in production is paid: synthetic browser tests $0.0123/test run, lightweight ping $28.00/location/month.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a free Elastic Cloud account; no .edu or startup requirement; pay-as-you-go with no minimum commitment. New serverless metrics pricing effective July 1, 2026.", "claim": "Sign up via cloud.elastic.co/serverless-registration (or a 14-day trial), create a serverless project; free allowances apply automatically each month — no voucher or form.", "expiry": "Free allowances recur monthly (egress allowance resets per billing month). Trial itself is 14 days; allowances have no stated sunset.", "gotchas": "Not a free tier — every GB ingested/retained above the free egress/execution allowances bills automatically. Uptime monitoring is essentially not free at scale (ping locations are the costliest add-on at $28/location/month). No credit card needed for trial, but continuing serverless usage beyond the trial requires billing info.", "source_url": "https://www.elastic.co/pricing/serverless-observability", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Up to $5,000 Elastic Cloud credits via AWS Activate (self-founded startups: $1,000) — not offered on elastic.co itself", "detail": "Elastic's startup credits are distributed through AWS Activate, not Elastic's own site: 'Up to $5,000 in Elastic Cloud credits for AWS Activate members' covering search, observability (logs, metrics, traces) and security, incl. serverless; a separate channel line lists '$1,000 in Elastic Cloud credits for Self Founded Startups' (per Superscout, last checked 2026-09-29; the $5K figure was confirmed in an official AWS Startups LinkedIn post, 2026-09-01, describing August 2026 Activate vendor offers).", "eligibility": "Startups: AWS Activate membership (funded/accelerator path for up to $5K; 'Self Founded' path for $1K). No .edu requirement. Application-based, not open to everyone.", "claim": "Apply through the AWS Activate Perks page (aws.amazon.com/startups/perks, now serving at startups.aws.com) — the Elastic entry requires an application through the AWS channel.", "expiry": "No published expiration; perk amounts/terms set by AWS Elastic partnership (aggregator last-checked dates: 2026-09-29).", "gotchas": "Elastic's own site publishes no startup program (elastic.co/startups is a 404; StartupPerks verified 2026-10-07 that the $5,000 figure appears only on third-party lists). The AWS Perks page returned 404 to direct fetches (likely JS-rendered), so exact current amounts should be re-verified on the AWS page or via AWS startup support before relying on them. Credits apply to Elastic Cloud (not self-managed licenses).", "source_url": "https://superscout.co/perk/elastic;https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aws-startups_every-month-we-add-exclusive-offers-to-invoke-activity-7500537957607440386-uq7R(AWSStartupspost,2026-09-01)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Elastic education/training: free self-paced courses and a free GenAI Associate exam (no .edu product licenses, no exam vouchers found)", "detail": "Elastic's training hub (elastic.co/training) offers 'Learn Elastic for free' self-paced modules at no cost (e.g., 'Getting started: What is Elastic?', 'RAG foundation', 'Semantic search foundation', 'Intro to MCP with Elasticsearch MCP Server'). The 'GenAI Associate Accreditation Exam' is listed with a direct free 'Take exam' link. Instructor-led courses (Elastic Observability Engineer, Elasticsearch Engineer, Kibana Data Analysis, Security for SIEM) carry no visible student discount or voucher on the page; standard certification exam pricing and voucher programs are not published on the site. There is no .edu-based product licensing program found — students get the same free Basic self-hosted stack and 14-day trial as everyone else.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu email, no regional limit, no cost for the free modules/exam. No student-specific tiers or discounts found.", "claim": "Browse elastic.co/training, click 'Start module' for free courses; 'Take exam' link on the GenAI Associate exam; register a free account if prompted.", "expiry": "Free modules are standing; the free GenAI exam is promotional and may change without notice. No product offer has expiry.", "gotchas": "Free exam appears limited to the GenAI Associate accreditation — other certifications (Engineer-level) are paid; don't assume all exams are free. No academic software license exists; 'education license' for Elastic Cloud does not appear anywhere on elastic.co as of 2026-10-22.", "source_url": "https://www.elastic.co/training", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Elastic's own 'Elastic for Startups' program (announced ~2021–2022: Elastic Cloud credits + developer-advocate support, targeting seed/pre-Series A) no longer exists on elastic.co — /startups returns 404 and a 2026-10-07 check of elastic.co (StartupPerks) found no startup program in Elastic's sitemaps; the 'up to $5,000' figure surviving in aggregators traces to the AWS Activate channel, not to any Elastic-published program. The current official route for startup credits is AWS Activate (up to $5K funded / $1K self-founded, per AWS Startups' own 2026-09-01 announcement). 2) No perpetual free cloud tier ever existed for Elastic Cloud — the only standing free offers are the 14-day trial, marketplace 7-day trials, serverless free allowances (egress/executions), and the free self-hosted Basic license. 3) Pricing-page changes in the 2025–2026 window: Elastic Cloud Serverless is now GA (AWS/GCP/Azure) with pay-as-you-go or prepaid models, and new serverless metrics pricing took effect July 1, 2026; the classic 'Essentials' entry tier is no longer listed — current subscription tiers are Standard/Gold/Platinum/Enterprise. 4) Trial terms stable: still 14 days, no credit card required. 5) Gotcha for students specifically: Elastic does not publish any .edu verification, academic license, or student voucher program — students and startups get the same offers as general consumers plus the AWS Activate credit channel for startups." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Elastic Cloud 14-day free trial (Observability incl. logs, APM, metrics, traces, RUM, synthetics/uptime)", "link": "https://www.elastic.co/cloud/cloud-trial-overview;https://www.elastic.co/cloud/observability-trial-overview;https://www.elastic.co/pricing/faq", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "elevenlabs", "name": "ElevenLabs", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "ElevenLabs Startup Grants Program: 12 months free, 33M characters", "detail": "Official pricing page lists the Startup Grants Program with '12 Months free', '33M Characters', 'Valid for 12 months' and 'To build, launch & test'. Official blog (Aug 12, 2025) says the term was extended from 3 to 12 months and every recipient gets 33 million credits. Official grants page says '33,000,000 characters', 'over 680 hours of Agents usage', 'More than $5,500+ in value', plus founder community events and startup support. The grant covers the full platform (Text to Speech, Speech to Text, voice cloning and design, sound effects, music, Conversational AI agents, API), not only agents, so the index description 'for startups building conversational agents' is too narrow. A May 13, 2026 LinkedIn post describes the same 33M credits across ElevenCreative, ElevenAgents and ElevenAPI. Credit costs in the shared pool (pricing FAQ): Text to Speech 1 credit per character (V2 Flash/Turbo API models 0.5-1), Speech to Text about 330 credits per minute, Eleven Music about 900 per minute, Sound Effects 200 per generation, Voice Changer and Isolator about 1,000 per minute, Dubbing 2,000 to 10,000 per minute. A third-party summary says the 680-hour figure is an estimate that depends on features used.", "eligibility": "Startups and small companies with fewer than 25 employees at the time of application, anywhere in the world. Must have a business or monetization strategy and a valid business email, and be building a product for the long term. Not eligible: one-off projects or campaigns, agencies, consulting firms, SMBs, existing enterprise customers, and projects for children aged 18 or under. Paying self-serve customers are eligible. One application per company; a founder with several companies can apply once for each.", "claim": "Click 'Apply' on https://elevenlabs.io/startup-grants, which leads to https://elevenlabs.io/grants-application. Describe what you are building, your team and expected growth, using a business email. Applications are rolling with no deadline; ElevenLabs says it will reply within one week. If accepted, the grant plan and credits are applied to the account you applied with (the blog says the account is upgraded immediately), so apply from the account you will build with. The grants-application page's captured text shows only a 'Sign up' link and no form fields, so the full application flow was not confirmed.", "expiry": "12 months from award ('over the next 12 months' per the blog). The grant also ends early once all 33M characters are used. The account converts automatically to the Free plan when the grant period ends or once fewer than 10,000 credits remain. ElevenLabs emails you when you near the cap.", "gotchas": "(1) Auto-conversion: at term end, or when fewer than 10,000 credits remain, the account drops to the Free plan unless you choose otherwise. The official page does not say whether a card is charged on conversion; a third-party summary says no charge. (2) Non-transferable: 'You cannot exchange or resell your text characters'; reselling terminates the grant immediately. (3) Monetization required: hobby, student, coursework or one-off projects are out of scope. (4) After the grant you can move to a paid plan (Starter $6, Creator $22, Pro $99, Scale $299 per month on the pricing page), contact sales@elevenlabs.io for a long-term plan, or pause, per the blog. (5) Third-party sites (e8.team) say an ElevenLabs badge or link must be displayed, previous recipients are excluded, and access is Scale-tier. None of these appear on the official pages checked, so treat them as unverified. The official heading reads 'Scale for 12 months' without defining the features. (6) One anecdotal Reddit report (cited by e8.team) describes weeks 'in queue' with no follow-up, against the official one-week promise. (7) Commercial use during the grant is implied by the monetization requirement but was not explicitly confirmed on the pages checked.", "source_url": "https://elevenlabs.io/startup-grants", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "ElevenLabs Free plan: 10,000 credits per month at $0", "detail": "Official pricing page lists Free at $0 per month with 10k credits per month; the comparison table lists about 10 minutes of Text to Speech. Free includes Text to Speech, Speech to Text, Sound Effects, Voice Design, Music, Productions, Image, and 3 Projects in Studio. Not included on Free: Commercial License, Instant Voice Cloning and Dubbing Studio (first listed on Starter), and Professional Voice Cloning (first listed on Creator). No end date is stated. This is a standing tier open to anyone, not a student or startup offer; Startup Grant recipients drop to it at the end of the grant.", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up. Nothing on the pricing or terms pages limits it to students or startups. Terms of Use section 1(c) 'Use Restrictions': users of the Services free of charge may only use them for non-commercial purposes.", "claim": "Sign up on elevenlabs.io and use the monthly allowance. The official quickstart describes creating an account and an API key in the dashboard, with no application or claim step.", "expiry": "None stated. Free is listed as a $0 plan with no end date.", "gotchas": "(1) Non-commercial use only per Terms of Use section 1(c). The WebFetch summary of that section adds that non-commercial use requires a personal e-mail address. (2) No voice cloning on Free. (3) No rollover: unused credits roll over only with an active paid subscription; otherwise they expire at cycle end. (4) Shared pool: the 10k credits cover about 10 minutes of Text to Speech per the table, but Speech to Text costs about 330 credits per minute and Dubbing 2,000 or more per minute, so the pool stretches much less for those. (5) Unverified: 'no card for the API key'. The quickstart docs are silent on cost and cards, and the pricing page does not mention a card.", "source_url": "https://elevenlabs.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verdict: a genuine free offer exists for startups (Startup Grants Program, still listed on the official pricing page as of 2026-10-22; a May 2026 post also describes it as live). No student offer found: the pricing page compare table says 'Student program: Not mentioned', and https://elevenlabs.io/education has no discount or credits (education appears only in its mission statement). The Free plan is a real standing tier open to everyone, not a student or startup offer. Changes: the Startup Grant term was extended from 3 to 12 months on Aug 12, 2025 (official blog); older community posts describe earlier structures (a 3-month term, per-month minute allowances) that are not the current terms. No discontinued offer was found. Near-miss promos, not free and not targeted at students or startups: Starter first month shown at $1 ('83% off', 'Until Nov 1' per the pricing page, year not stated), Creator first month 50% off, and annual billing described as 'two months free' (annual price is ten times monthly). Limits of this check: the WebSearch budget ran out after one successful search, so a dedicated student-discount search and an independent free-tier attribution check could not run; those points rest on official pages only (pricing, terms, startup-grants, grants-application, education, quickstart). Unverified: card requirement for the Free API key; whether grant-to-Free conversion charges a card (a third-party site says no); whether badge or link and previous-recipient rules apply (third-party claims absent from the official pages checked)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "ElevenLabs Startup Grants Program: 12 months free, 33M characters", "link": "https://elevenlabs.io/startup-grants", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "fauna", "name": "Fauna", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "Verification could not be completed, so this is not a confirmed finding that no free offer exists as of 2026-10-22.What failed in this session:- WebFetch of https://docs.fauna.com/fauna/current/eol-faq/ returned \"getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND docs.fauna.com\" (DNS failure).- WebFetch of https://fauna.com/ returned \"connect ECONNREFUSED\" on port 443.- Both WebSearch queries (Cloud Community free plan shutdown 2025-2026; free tier for students/startups 2026) were refused because the session's shared search budget (200 calls) is used up. It refills at about 100 calls per hour. I did not work around the limit with curl, wget, a browser, or a third-party reader or archive.What is unverified: the task premise that Fauna's hosted service shut down on May 30, 2025, that new sign-ups stopped, and that accounts and data were deleted, with no free plan afterward. I have no primary-source citation for any of this in this session, so it stays unconfirmed. I also found no evidence of any genuine free student or startup offer, but that absence rests on failed fetches, not on checked sources.Recommended follow-up when the official pages are reachable or the search budget refills, or if CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_WEB_SEARCHES_PER_SESSION is raised:1. Fetch https://docs.fauna.com/fauna/current/eol-faq/ and quote the exact shutdown date, sign-up status, and treatment of accounts and data.2. Check Fauna's pricing and announcement pages for any startup, student, or credits program, and for any migration or partner offer.3. Only add a finding if a current official page documents a free offer with amounts, eligibility, claim steps, and expiry. Otherwise keep findings empty." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Fauna Cloud Community (free) plan", "text": "Discontinued. The Fauna service was shut down on May 30, 2025 and all accounts and data were deleted. New signups stopped and trial accounts could no longer upgrade from March 2025. No free plan exists to list. Remove this entry.", "url": "https://docs.fauna.com/fauna/current/eol-faq/" } ], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "—", "link": "", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "fauna cloud community", "name": "Fauna Cloud Community", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://fauna.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free shared FaunaDB (document DB): ~1 GB storage, ~1M requests/mo" ], "notes": [ "UNVERIFIED: fauna.com refused connections from this sandbox. Limits predate 2026 and Fauna rebrand may have changed the offer — confirm before publishing." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "No live free offers as of 2026-10-22: the entire Fauna service was sunset. Timeline: Fauna Inc. announced on 2025-03-19 that it would stop accepting new customers and wind down the service; the service ended Friday 2025-05-30 at 12:00pm PT, after which all Fauna accounts and their data were permanently deleted (official EOL FAQ, docs.fauna.com/fauna/current/eol-faq; announcement, fauna.com/blog/the-future-of-fauna). EVERY offer closed: (1) Free/Community plan (\"Free Plan — For learning Fauna\"): free shared managed DB, ~1 GB storage, ~1M requests/mo, no credit card required — ended with service; (2) Free trials on paid Startup (from $150/mo, US+EU region groups, 4k reads/s, 1k writes/s) and Pro (from $500/mo) tiers — new signups disallowed from 2025-03-19, and per the EOL FAQ existing trial customers could not upgrade to paid accounts; (3) No startup-credit program, trial-credit program, or .edu education license ever existed at Fauna. Continuity: Fauna committed in the same announcement to open-sourcing its core database engine (OSS Fauna + FQL + drivers + CLI), so self-hosted open-source Fauna is the only remaining free path. Live-site verification today: direct fetches of fauna.com fail at the edge (ECONNREFUSED, CloudFront 3.33.139.32) and docs.fauna.com no longer resolves (DNS ENOTFOUND), consistent with company dissolution; search-engine cached copies still show the banner \"The Fauna service will be ending on May 30, 2025\". The SaaSOffers \"Fauna Free Tier\" page is stale filler, not an active offer. Caveats: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted before additional independent cross-checks; confidence is HIGH that the service closed on 2025-05-30 and that signups/trial upgrades were prohibited (official announcement + EOL FAQ text read today via search cache), and MEDIUM on the historical free-plan caps (~1 GB / ~1M requests/mo, carried from task context, not re-verified on a live page)." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "no real free offer: hosted Fauna service ended 2025-05-30; no new accounts; accounts and data deleted", "text": "Remove the entry. Fauna's end-of-life FAQ says the service was turned off on May 30, 2025, accounts and data were deleted, and no new sign-ups are accepted. Only the open-sourced core remains, which is self-hosted rather than a free hosted plan.", "url": "https://docs.fauna.com/fauna/current/eol-faq/" } ], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free shared FaunaDB (document DB): ~1 GB storage, ~1M requests/mo", "link": "https://fauna.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "figma education", "name": "Figma Education", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.figma.com/education/" ], "offers": [ "Figma/FigJam 100% free for verified students and educators; higher-ed and bootcamps get free Professional tier, K-12 districts get Enterprise tier; full access to Figma's AI toolkit" ], "notes": [ "Includes classroom add-ons (Google Classroom, SAML SSO), free training/PD sessions and an education template library. No '1 month free Professional' or per-seat cap published on the page." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Figma Starter plan (free tier, open to everyone incl. students and startups)", "detail": "Permanent free plan: unlimited draft files shareable with unlimited viewers; co-editing with unlimited users limited to 3 files (3 pages per file); UI kits and templates; 150 AI credits/day capped at 500 AI credits/month; Figma Buzz beta available. 'We do not have any discounts for non-profits. Anyone is welcome to use Figma's free plan.' No free trials of paid plans exist; Figma directs all startups to this free Starter plan.", "eligibility": "Open to all individual users, no verification. No .edu email, no funding cap, no application. No credit card is mentioned or required for a free account (payment methods listed only for paid plans). No stated region limits. Credit-card requirement: not required for the free plan (FAQ silent; sign-up is email-only).", "claim": "Create a free account at figma.com (email signup). No claim step, no form, no partner referral. Account lands on Starter automatically.", "expiry": "No expiry; limits (3 co-edit files, 3 pages/file, 500 AI credits/mo, 150/day) apply continuously. AI credits reset monthly and do not roll over.", "gotchas": "Freemium, not unlimited: >3 co-editable files or >3 pages/file forces upgrade; advanced Dev Mode inspection, team libraries, MCP server and Figma Make workflows are paid-plan features (Starter gets basic access only). AI credits: 150/day daily cap + 500/month cap, no purchase option on Starter — hitting the cap blocks paid-tier AI features until the next month. This is the fallback Figma recommends to startups whose dedicated program was discontinued.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/pricing/andhttps://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Education: free Professional plan for verified students & educators (age 13+)", "detail": "'Figma & FigJam are 100% free for students, educators and schools.' Higher-ed, approved bootcamps, and secondary/high school students and educators get free Professional-tier access: unlimited files/projects, team-wide design libraries, advanced Dev Mode inspection and MCP Server. AI: 'Eligible education users get full access to Figma's AI toolkit, including Figma Make and AI-powered tools on the canvas' — but AI tools, the Figma agent, and Figma Sites are restricted to higher-ed and bootcamp Education users (not K-12/high-school); Education seats get 3,000 AI credits/month (per person, monthly reset, no rolver). Figma Sites: each eligible user may publish one self-created Site file; custom domains not available. No way to purchase extra AI credits on the Education plan — overage requires upgrading to paid Professional.", "eligibility": "Current student or educator in a structured classroom (high school, university, post-grad, trade school, polytechnic, college, select curriculum-based online courses/bootcamps/workshops, design & coding academies); must be old enough to consent personally (13+ self-serve path); school-issued email REQUIRED — 'Non-school emails will be auto-rejected'; not strictly .edu (any school-issued email; personal accounts must switch to the school email before applying). Higher-ed verification goes through SheerID; bootcamp/online-course users cannot self-verify — the bootcamp admin applies as a trusted partner and submits user lists. Excluded: school staff in non-teaching roles, self-directed learners, startups/edtech companies, non-profits, and programs whose parent org's primary purpose is not educational. 'Figma for Education is only available in select regions and may not be accessible everywhere' (no published country list).", "claim": "1) Have/switch Figma account to a school-issued email; sign up selecting School > role (Student/Educator) > institution type (High school / Higher Education / Bootcamp or online course). 2) 'Verify your status' under the Professional plan card at Figma.com/education/apply — high school: agree to terms and submit; higher ed: complete SheerID form; bootcamp: admin applies on your behalf. 3) A free Education team is created. K-12 districts / under-13 use instead: school contacts Figma and signs school terms (apply at /education/k-12/#contact).", "expiry": "Per official validity table: high-school students 1 year; high-school educators 2 years; higher-ed students 1 year; higher-ed educators 2 years; bootcamp students 6 months; bootcamp educators 2 years; K-12 set by the domain administrator. Renewal: reapply for education status at term end. On lapse, team members drop to view-only and the team converts to a free Starter team (locked if it holds 4+ files) until re-verification or paid upgrade.", "gotchas": "Education status is tied to the verified email — changing the account email revokes it. AI tools/Figma Make/Figma Sites unavailable to K-12 and high-school Education users (higher-ed and bootcamp only); even eligible users lack some AI features (e.g., visual search in editor). 3,000 AI credits/month is a hard per-person cap with no top-up on Education — hitting it blocks credit-based AI features until monthly reset. UK/Japan note: Figma may only be used by students above the age of consent; younger students require the district process. Data hosted on US servers; only email + name collected. Bootcamp educators stay free 2 years while students only 6 months.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/education/andhttps://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041061214-Figma-for-Educationandhttps://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/37611757713431-AI-credits-on-the-Education-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Education: free Enterprise plan for K-12 districts (under-13 path)", "detail": "K-12 districts 'qualify for free access to the Enterprise tier' — the most premium plan: custom team workspaces, design system theming and APIs, SCIM seat management, enterprise-level security. Provided at no cost via school-signed terms, replacing paid Enterprise (listed at $90/mo Full seat for commercial customers).", "eligibility": "K-12 schools/districts intending to use Figma with students under 13; the school must be the applicant — individual self-serve not available. In UK and Japan, Figma 'may only be used by students above the age of consent', so under-13 use there requires this district route.", "claim": "School/district contacts Figma and signs the terms for schools; started via the form linked at /education/k-12/#contact ('Apply for K-12 program'). Domain administrator then manages the K-12 education status. Optional supports: bi-weekly free live training sessions and free on-site PD sessions for schools.", "expiry": "K-12 education status duration is 'set by the domain administrator' — institution-controlled, not a fixed consumer term.", "gotchas": "Not self-serve; K-12 users do NOT get AI tools, Figma Make, or Figma Sites (higher-ed/bootcamp only). The Education FAQ answers COPPA/FERPA/GDPR compliance by restating the age gate and school-signature process rather than a flat 'yes' per jurisdiction — compliance review needed for districts. US data residency; Figma deletes personal data within 30 days of request; Google Workspace/Microsoft Education SSO and classroom integration (FigJam Classroom add-on) available for managed rollouts.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/education/andhttps://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041061214-Figma-for-Education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Startups program — DISCONTINUED; no live offer as of 2026-10-22", "detail": "The dedicated startup program (historically: free Organization plan for 24 months for VC-backed/accelerator-referred startups, or '$1,000 in Figma credits' per aggregator listings; one listing described 'up to 100% off Professional for 1 year, or 50% off for 6 months, new customers that raised under $10M') no longer exists on Figma-owned surfaces. figma.com/startups returns HTTP 404 (verified by direct fetch on 2026-10-22); no application form, no help-center article, and no startup mention in the pricing pages or pricing FAQ. Third-party trackers confirm: 'We could not verify this program on any Figma-owned page as of September 13, 2026' and 'No. Figma has no startup program: figma.com/startups is a 404, and Figma points everyone to its free Starter plan' (checked 2026-10-14).", "eligibility": "None currently. Historical eligibility (per aggregators, now stale): VC-backed or accelerator-affiliated startup, referral by an approved Figma startup partner, new Organization-customer, Series A or below, <50 employees, raised under ~$10M. Note: early-stage startups are explicitly excluded from the Education plan ('Figma does not provide free Education teams for: Early stage Startups').", "claim": "No active claim path. Startups' only official free route is the unlimited free Starter plan. Accelerator/VC perk books may still republish the old offer, but no working application link exists on Figma-owned domains as of today.", "expiry": "N/A — program discontinued; figma.com/startups 404 as of 2026-09-13 and re-verified 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Aggregator sites (foundery.space, creditforstartups.com, startupintros.com, startup-perks.com) still list 'Figma for Startups' as Active with old terms — those listings are stale, not evidence the offer exists; always confirm on figma.com. Figma discounts do not stack — historically the largest single qualified discount applied. No nonprofit discount of any kind (FAQ: 'We do not have any discounts for non-profits'), so aggregator claims of '40-80% off nonprofit' are also stale.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/(startupexclusion+free-planstatement),https://www.figma.com/startups/(404),https://startupperks.co/programs/figma-for-startups,https://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/figma-for-startups", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Figma for Startups: sunset/paused — figma.com/startups 404, no application form, no help-center article, confirmed unverified by multiple independent trackers Sept-Oct 2026; the program previously offered ~24 months of the free Organization plan (or ~$1,000 in credits) for VC/accelerator-referred startups and should not be counted as a live offer. Related 2025 sunset: Figma's affiliate program was deprecated in early 2025 (no new applications). Material 2025-2026 changes: paid plan pricing and seat structure changed (now Full/Dev/Collab seats: Professional $16/$12/$3 per month per seat, Organization $55/$25/$5, Enterprise $90/$35/$5 annual billing; Professional was ~$18/editor and Organization ~$35 pre-restructure) — do not quote old per-editor prices. AI credits are now built into every plan/seat (Starter 500/mo with 150/day cap; Pro Full 3,000/mo; Org Full 3,500/mo; Enterprise Full 4,250/mo; all other seats 500/mo) and Figma explicitly states there are no free trials of paid plans and no nonprofit discounts. New products included in seats (Figma Make, Motion, Sites, Buzz, Specs) are beta on paid seats. The Education program itself is live and current: free Professional for 13+ verified students/educators, free Enterprise for K-12 districts, 3,000 AI credits/month for higher-ed and bootcamp education seats, with 1-year (students) / 2-year (educators) / 6-month (bootcamp students) validity terms." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Figma Starter plan (free tier, open to everyone incl. students and startups)", "link": "https://www.figma.com/pricing/andhttps://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "figma for education", "name": "Figma for Education", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.figma.com/education/" ], "offers": [ "Figma Pro free for classrooms, students, and educators; free-for-all individual plan" ], "notes": [ "Education accounts include classroom management and unlimited class files; free tier covers non-education individual use" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Figma Starter plan (free-for-all individual plan)", "detail": "Free tier available to anyone (students, educators, startups, individuals). Limits read on figma.com/pricing today: unlimited draft files shareable with unlimited viewers; co-editing with unlimited users on up to 3 files (max 3 pages per file); 30-day version history; 500 AI credits/month with a 150 AI credits/day cap; 10 variable modes; Figma Slides limited to 5 templates; community plugins only; basic Dev Mode inspection for viewers. Unlimited files/projects, team component libraries, full Dev Mode, advanced prototyping (motion publishing, high-res video export) require a paid plan (Professional+).", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Figma account. No credit card required (Figma's payment-method docs cover only paid subscriptions; sign-up is self-serve). No region exclusions noted for the free plan. No CC, no age gate beyond standard terms.", "claim": "Self-serve: create a Figma account at figma.com (Sign up → 'Get started for free'). No verification, no CC, no card. Free forever.", "expiry": "No expiry; free tier is permanent. Code layers are free through Nov 4, 2026 on paid plans, then consume AI credits.", "gotchas": "Downgrading a paid team to Starter caps it at 3 files + 1 project; teams with 4+ files become view-only until files are moved to drafts. AI features consume the 500/mo credit pool (no rolver). 'Unlimited drafts' does not include a team space: shared collaboration is limited to 3 files.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/pricing/(alsohttps://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Education: Professional plan free (higher ed, high school, bootcamp & online-course students/educators)", "detail": "Verified education status gives a free Education team with all Professional-plan functionality (per help.figma.com article read today): unlimited files/projects, team libraries, Dev Mode, advanced prototyping. Higher-ed and bootcamp/online-course users also get the AI toolkit (Figma Make, Figma agent) with monthly AI credits, and Figma Sites (each eligible user may publish ONE Site file; no custom domains). K-12/high-school education users do NOT get the AI tools or Sites features. FAQ: Education accounts valid 2 years for K-12 and higher education, 6 months for bootcamps (one 6-month extension max for bootcamp users).", "eligibility": "Current student or educator in a structured classroom (high schools, universities, post-grad, trade schools, polytechnics, colleges, design/coding academies, selected online courses/bootcamps with curriculum-based mentor-led instruction). Must apply with a school-issued email where the school issues one; higher-ed verification runs through SheerID and can use student ID/government ID if no school email exists — so a .edu/domain email is NOT strictly required, but education status is tied to the verified email (changing the account email revokes status). Non-teaching school staff do not qualify; self-directed learners, startups, edtech companies, and nonprofits do not qualify. Available only in select regions (forum reports confirm 'not supported' errors from China). Must be old enough to consent; under-13 use belongs to the school-signed-terms route.", "claim": "1) Have an existing Figma account under your school email (sign up with it, or change it before applying). 2) Go to figma.com/education/apply: role Student/Educator, institution type Higher Education / High School / Bootcamp or online course, click 'Verify your status' under the Professional card. 3) Higher ed: complete SheerID verification (school email or ID upload). 4) Bootcamp/online course: the provider admin must verify you (you cannot self-verify since Sept 2025); no action needed if your bootcamp is an approved partner. 5) Create an Education team. No credit card required — it is a free plan, not a trial.", "expiry": "Higher ed / K-12 / high school: 2 years from verification, reapply when still enrolled/employed. Bootcamp: 6 months, renewable once for 6 more months.", "gotchas": "Sept 2025 re-verification wave: users who did not re-verify by Sept 29, 2025 had Education teams converted to Starter (3 files / 1 project; 4+ files → everyone view-only). Changing your account email revokes verified status. Bootcamp users: initial 6 months + one 6-month extension only; no second extension, and you cannot reapply under the same email/account — some users have reportedly created a second account to re-verify. SheerID has strict ID-clarity rules and attempt limits. Some AI features (editor visual search) unavailable even to eligible education users. Education status ≠ paid-plan billing: nothing to pay, but you cannot buy seats or AI-credit add-ons on it.", "source_url": "https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041061214-Figma-for-Education(alsohttps://www.figma.com/education/andhttps://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Education: Enterprise plan free (K-12 districts and schools)", "detail": "K-12 districts/schools get Figma Enterprise at no cost (the top tier), plus the school-signed-terms route required for students under 13 (school must contact Figma and sign school terms; under-13 use is not available via self-serve). Includes Google Workspace for Education integration (admin-managed licensing via App Licensing System), Google Classroom FigJam add-on, and Microsoft Education SAML SSO auto-provisioning. Figma and Google bring Figma + FigJam to US Chromebooks free. Education account validity for K-12: 2 years, reapply to renew. Free bi-weekly live training and on-site PD sessions available on request.", "eligibility": "K-12 schools/districts (US-focused integrations; program available in select regions). Teachers and students 13+ can self-serve via the high-school route at figma.com/education/apply; any class with students under 13 requires the school to contact Figma (form/form at figma.com/education/k-12, education@figma.com) and sign school terms. Non-teaching staff excluded.", "claim": "13+ students/teachers: figma.com/education/apply, select High School as institution type (K-12 educators selecting themselves use High School; district-wide deployment goes through the K-12 form). Under-13 classes: school submits the K-12 application form / emails education@figma.com, signs school terms; admins then deploy via Google/Microsoft integration. No credit card required.", "expiry": "K-12 Education accounts valid 2 years, reapply to renew.", "gotchas": "K-12/high-school education teams do NOT get Figma Make, the AI agent, or Figma Sites (higher-ed/bootcamp only). Region-limited: Figma for Education 'is only available in select regions'. Under-13 route is manual and takes longer (school terms, COPPA/FERPA handling). Google/Microsoft SSO provisioning means the school domain controls who gets access — a domain swap or SSO change can lock users out.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/education/k-12/(alsohttps://www.figma.com/education/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Figma for Startups — no live free offer (program appears ended/paused)", "detail": "As of today, Figma's own site has no startup program: figma.com/startups returns 404, the pricing page lists no startup offer, and the official pricing FAQ explicitly lists 'Early stage Startups' among who does NOT qualify for free Education teams, and states 'We do not have any discounts for non-profits. Anyone is welcome to use Figma's free plan.' Third-party trackers (checked Sep 13–Oct 14, 2026) mark the formerly partner-gated 'Figma for Startups' offer (free Organization plan for 24 months for VC-backed startups via accelerator-partner referral; other listings describe up to 1 year of Professional at 100% off, a 50% discount for 6 months, or up to ~$1,000 in credits/50% discounts) as 'paused' or 'No Longer Available', with the application form no longer found on any Figma-owned page. Figma is also no longer listed in the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Startups today can only use the free Starter plan (or buy Professional seats, full $16/mo / dev $12/mo / collab $3/mo).", "eligibility": "No eligibility path exists on Figma's own pages as of 2026-10-22. The legacy program (now unavailable) required: VC/accelerator backing or approved-partner referral, new Figma Organization customer, application with funding caps (<$10M in older listings), no CC required. Figma's official FAQ explicitly excludes early-stage startups from the free education program, and Figma does not give startup age/funding caps because it does not run a startup program.", "claim": "Not claimable: no application form exists on any Figma-owned page (figma.com/startups = 404). What remains: free Starter plan for the whole team (each person signs up free, no CC); check your accelerator/VC perk book, since the old offer was distributed only through partner referrals — if a partner still lists it, apply via that partner, but treat the current status as unverified.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Aggregator sites (Drifting Desk, StartupIntros) still show it as 'Active' with outdated terms — those are stale third-party pages, not Figma; Figma's own pages govern. The org-tier free offer (~$45/editor/mo list price x 24 months) was historically the most generous tier; no Enterprise-tier coverage existed. If you build a product on a partner perk listing, verify the referral pipeline (accelerator/bank perk catalog) still works before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/(exclusionsreadtoday)+404athttps://www.figma.com/startups;third-partystatus:https://perkbook.co/startup-programs/figma-for-startups/('NoLongerAvailable')andhttps://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/figma-for-startups('Paused',checkedSep2026)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 material changes: (1) September 5, 2025 — Figma Education plan update: Figma Make (AI) rolled out to the higher-ed Education plan; all higher-ed and high-school users were required to re-verify by Sept 29, 2025 or lose Professional features (teams downgraded to Starter: 3 files/1 project, 4+ files → view-only); bootcamp verification moved from self-verify to trusted-partner provider verification; bootcamp validity is 6 months with one 6-month extension. (2) Pricing restructure to a seat model (Full/Dev/Collab seats): Professional $16 full / $12 dev / $3 collab per month + 3,000/500/500 AI credits; Organization $55/$25/$5 annual; Enterprise $90/$35/$5 annual; Starter free with 500 AI credits/mo (150/day). This replaced the older flat per-editor pricing. (3) Time-boxed freebies being sunset: code layers free through November 4, 2026 (paid plans only; afterwards they consume AI credits); Figma Sites custom domains were free through 2025 with bandwidth/storage add-ons arriving 'in early 2026' — so education users' one-Site-allowance has no custom domain and paid tiers now face paid egress/domain extras. (4) Figma for Startups: ended/paused — figma.com/startups is a 404, no application form on any Figma-owned page as of Sep–Oct 2026 checks; third-party trackers mark it 'No Longer Available'/'Paused'; Figma's FAQ now explicitly excludes early-stage startups from free education teams. Legacy terms (for reference only): 24 months of the Organization plan free via accelerator partner referral, or up to $1,000 / 1 year Professional free / 50% off 6 months with <$10M funding caps. (5) GitHub Student Developer Pack no longer lists Figma among perks, so there is no third-party free Figma-Professional student channel. Not relevant but noted: a Figma for Government plan also exists (separate from education; not a student/startup offer)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Figma Starter plan (free-for-all individual plan)", "link": "https://www.figma.com/pricing/(alsohttps://www.figma.com/pricing-faq/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "firebase authentication", "name": "Firebase Authentication", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://firebase.google.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Spark plan: up to 50,000 MAU free for standard auth methods (email, social, magic link, etc.), 50 MAU free for SAML/OIDC; no card required" ], "notes": [ "Google widened free auth to 50K MAU in 2024 (from 10K). Phone Auth is never free — billed per SMS via Identity Platform. Overflow bills at Google Cloud Identity Platform rates. Verified at firebase.google.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Firebase Spark plan — free, no credit card", "detail": "The free 'No-cost (Spark plan)': Authentication no-cost up to 50,000 MAUs with standard methods (email/password, social, magic link, email link, etc.), and no-cost up to 50 MAUs for SAML/OIDC. Also no-cost on Spark: Analytics, App Check (App Security; quotas/limits vary by attestation provider), A/B Testing, App Distribution, Cloud Messaging, Crashlytics, In-App Messaging, Performance Monitoring, and no-cost usage quotas for paid products (e.g. Firestore 50K reads/20K writes per day, Cloud Functions 2M invocations/mo, Hosting 10GB, RTDB). No stated expiry — free forever. Confirmed on the live pricing page today (2026-10-22).", "eligibility": "Any new Firebase user. No credit card / payment method required. No .edu email, no region limit stated. Feature Flags is NOT listed as a product on the pricing page (docs URLs 404 — see sunset_notes).", "claim": "1) Go to console.firebase.google.com and start onboarding with the Spark option (link purchaseBillingPlan=no-cost), or in an existing project: Project settings → Billing tab → select 'No-cost (Spark plan)'. No payment info entered.", "expiry": "No expiry (permanent no-cost plan).", "gotchas": "Exceeding a no-cost allocation shuts that product OFF for the rest of the month across all apps in the project (hard cap, no silent overage billing on Spark). Phone Auth is not part of the free offering on Spark (N/A). SAML/OIDC is only 50 MAUs free — enterprise IdP sign-in quickly costs. No-cost amounts can differ between Spark and Blaze per product.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Firebase Blaze plan no-cost tier (pay-as-you-go with free daily quotas)", "detail": "Blaze shows the same no-cost lines: Authentication 'no-cost up to 50K MAUs' (standard) and 'no-cost up to 50 MAUs' (SAML/OIDC), calculated daily; beyond no-cost, pay-as-you-go. Also adds: Firestore no-cost daily quotas, Cloud Functions no-cost tier, access to paid GCP products (Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, BigQuery streaming), and 'If eligible, get $300 in free credit' via the GCP trial sign-up path.", "eligibility": "Requires a linked Google Cloud billing account with a payment method (major credit cards or other accepted methods). Not a no-CC offering.", "claim": "Sign up for Blaze in the Firebase console (link purchaseBillingPlan=metered); create/link a GCP billing account (this auto-upgrades the project to Blaze).", "expiry": "No expiry for the plan; no-cost usage recalculated daily; pay-as-you-go beyond quotas indefinitely.", "gotchas": "Credit card required — real billing risk once no-cost usage is exceeded; Phone Auth on Blaze is billed per SMS sent (no longer free). Set GCP budgets/alerts before relying on Blaze.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud $300 free trial (90 days)", "detail": "New GCP sign-ups get a $300 welcome credit usable for 90 days, plus access to 20+ always-free products. A valid credit/debit card is required at signup (small temporary authorization hold, not an actual charge). Credits cannot fund Gemini API in AI Studio costs or managed generative-AI partner models; GPUs/TPUs, Cloud Marketplace, Windows Server VMs and VMware Engine are excluded.", "eligibility": "New customers only: never signed up for the GCP Free Trial and never a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase. No .edu requirement; effectively one trial per person/payment identity.", "claim": "1) Go to cloud.google.com/free → create account → add credit/debit card (hold ~$0.00-1.00). 2) $300 credit auto-applies; use 90 days. 3) Before trial ends, upgrade to paid to keep resources; otherwise trial account auto-closes, then a 30-day grace period, after which resources are permanently deleted.", "expiry": "Credits valid 90 days from signup (kept if you upgrade to paid). Without upgrade: account auto-closes, 30-day grace, then resources permanently deleted.", "gotchas": "Trial is NOT free-tier: after 90 days (or credit exhaustion on paid resources), standard billing applies — delete unused resources and set budget alerts. Trial credit explicitly excludes Gemini API costs. Docs page last updated 2026-10-20.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-trial-details", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — up to $350,000 GCP credits", "detail": "Live program (as of the page fetched 2026-10-22): 'Start' tier = $2,000; 'Scale' = 100% up to $250,000 credits in Year 1 + 20% up to an additional $100,000 in Year 2 (up to $350,000 over two years); 'Scale AI' = 100% up to $100,000 in Year 1 + 20% up to $100,000 in Year 2. Includes credits for frontier models (Gemini, Gemma; third-party models billed separately), monthly Google Maps Platform credits, 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no extra cost, Startup Success Managers and Customer Engineering support.", "eligibility": "Scale tiers: verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding from a known investor; company founded within the last 3-5 years (tier-dependent). Start tier: founded within the past 2 years, working MVP, clear business model, plans to seek venture funding. Non-VC money (private equity, bank loans, grants, crowdfunding, friends & family) does not qualify for Scale. Excluded: IPO'd/acquired companies, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs, dev shops/consultancies/agencies, crypto mining. Must be in a region where GCP is GA and self-serve purchasable; AUP must be met.", "claim": "Apply self-service at cloud.google.com/startups ('Apply now' → 'Apply to the program'): have your 18-character GCP billing account ID ready (credits are issued directly to it); company email domain must match the website domain; active non-AI-generated website required; stealth companies can be referred by their VC/accelerator; Workspace Business Plus is a separate application (domain must not have been on paid Google Workspace within 31 days of applying).", "expiry": "Credits issued/usable over two years (Year 2 at 20% rate). Program eligibility changes annually; previous participation does not guarantee re-enrollment — re-applications are possible if still eligible. Credits non-transferable, no sharing/reselling.", "gotchas": "Credits only apply to eligible GCP pay-as-you-go products (not subscription products, not Marketplace/third-party, not Google Workspace/Ads). Acceptance at Google Cloud's sole discretion; rejection is common without VC funding. Do not confuse with the defunct launchcloud.withgoogle.com portal (404).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Education — research credits (up to $5,000)", "detail": "GCP credits grant for research at accredited higher-education / eligible nonprofit research institutions in approved countries: 'Apply for up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits' (stated on cloud.google.com/edu). Credits must be activated within 60 days of the stated project start date, then expire 365 days from coupon redemption or full use, whichever first; non-transferable; may not be used for commercial purposes. No credit card required — but a Google Cloud Billing Account ID must be provided on the application.", "eligibility": "Faculty, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers only (job titles on the form). Institutional account email preferred; .edu/.ac domain in practice; limited to the listed approved countries (other countries can only 'express interest'). PhD students qualify on this track; undergrads/taught students do not.", "claim": "1) Fill the research-credits form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research: personal/org details, project proposal (up to 250 words), field of research, expected costs (estimate via the GCP pricing calculator), billing account ID, and a plan for funding after the credits run out. 2) If approved, activate the credit within 60 days of project start.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Exact award per application is set at review (cap $5,000); unused credits after 365 days are lost; not available in all countries; 'Institution account preferred' may steer awards to a campus billing account rather than your personal one.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google for Education — teaching credits", "detail": "GCP credits for faculty teaching with GCP; apply for up to 3 courses per submission; expected course start no later than 1 year from today's date; credits redeemable from approval until 16 weeks after course start and good for up to 1 year after course start; non-transferable and tied to the applicant's email. No dollar amount is published on the page. No credit card requirement stated — it is a grants-style application.", "eligibility": "Faculty only — students cannot apply directly. Requires an official school email with a valid edu domain. Program limited to a listed set of countries (70+); unlisted countries can only express interest. Only the most recent submission is reviewed.", "claim": "Fill the teaching-credits form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching: personal details, institution, up to 3 courses, school email domains, and a faculty-directory profile link; submit and await approval.", "expiry": "Credits good up to 1 year after course start; must be redeemed by 16 weeks after course start.", "gotchas": "Per-course dollar amount is not disclosed publicly — check the award email when approved. Faculty-only means it does not help students directly (students can only use the free trial/free tiers or faculty-provisioned classroom projects).", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud always-free tier (20+ products)", "detail": "Independent of the $300 trial: a set of always-free monthly quotas across 20+ GCP services (the page markets it as 'Google Cloud free tier — explore products with free monthly usage', and 'Google Cloud Free Program — $300 in free credits and 20+ free products'). Typical always-free SKUs include e2-micro compute, Cloud Run requests, Cloud Storage, BigQuery processed/storage allowances, and Cloud SQL free instance. Works alongside Firebase Spark no-cost quotas for Firestore/Hosting/Functions.", "eligibility": "Any GCP account; no credit card needed for the always-free usage itself. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Create a GCP account; always-free quotas apply automatically to eligible SKUs — no enrollment step.", "expiry": "Permanent (recurring monthly quotas).", "gotchas": "Exact per-product quota figures were not verified on the live page today; quotas differ by SKU/region and Google has periodically restructured free-tier SKUs. Free SKUs do not cover everything (e.g., most GPU/TPU shapes are paid).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Firebase App Check (App Security) — no-cost on both plans", "detail": "App Check (bot/attestation protection for Security Rules and API requests) is listed as a no-cost product on both the Spark and Blaze plans: 'No-cost, subject to quotas and limits that vary based on attestation provider'. No credit card needed on Spark. This is the free 'Security' front: security rules + App Check are free; there is no paid security product in Firebase pricing.", "eligibility": "Any Firebase project; no CC required on Spark; on Blaze a GCP billing account exists but App Check usage itself is no-cost within quotas.", "claim": "1) In Firebase console, App Check → register your apps (Android Play Integrity, iOS, Web reCAPTCHA, or DeviceConfig providers). 2) Add corresponding Security Rules enforcement. No separate enrollment or payment step.", "expiry": "No expiry (permanent no-cost offering).", "gotchas": "Quotas/limits vary by attestation provider (e.g., reCAPTCHA Enterprise quotas); exceeding them can break app attestation — check per-provider quota limits in the App Check docs.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) The free auth allocation is now 50,000 MAUs (standard methods) and 50 MAUs (SAML/OIDC) on BOTH Spark and Blaze, replacing the older Blaze free tier of 10,000 free auth MAUs that applied for years; the Spark no-payment-method plan is the new default sign-up. (2) Phone Auth was removed from the free offerings: the current pricing page shows 'billed per SMS sent' on Blaze and 'N/A' on Spark, vs. the previously free ~10K phone sign-ins — a real cost trap for SMS-based apps. (3) Feature Flags: no live free offering found. All Firebase Feature Flags URLs checked today 404 (firebase.google.com/docs/feature-flags, /docs/feature-flags/overview, /docs/feature-flags/pricing, /product/feature-flags, /pricing/feature-flags) and 'Feature Flags' has no line on the official pricing page — the product/doc set appears to have been restructured or sunset out of developer preview; treat as not-free-until-verified. (4) The old startups portal launchcloud.withgoogle.com is gone (404); the program now runs at cloud.google.com/startups as 'Google for Startups Cloud Program' with the $2K Start / up-to-$350K Scale / Scale AI tiers described above — a materially different structure from the older $125K-$250K cohort-style GCP Startups program. (5) GCP free trial terms are stable ($300/90 days, CC required, last-updated 2026-10-20) but now explicitly exclude Gemini API (AI Studio) costs from trial credit. (6) No .edu-gated student offer exists for Firebase itself: the only education-licensed credits are GCP grants for faculty (teaching) and faculty/PhD/postdoc researchers (research, up to $5K); students have no dedicated free GCP/Firebase program beyond the general trial (CC required) and the no-CC Spark plan." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Firebase Spark plan — free, no credit card", "link": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "firebase cloud messaging", "name": "Firebase Cloud Messaging", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://firebase.google.com/docs/cloud-messaging" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: unlimited push notifications" ], "notes": [ "Google; no send caps; requires a Firebase project (Android/iOS/Web). De-facto standard mobile push." ], "findings": [ { "name": "FCM No-Cost Free Tier (Spark & Blaze plans)", "detail": "FCM is listed as 'no-cost' on both the free Spark plan and the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan. No per-message charge and no monthly cap on message count — unlimited sends in principle. The only constraint is a rate quota: the HTTP v1 API default is 600,000 downstream messages/minute per project (HTTP 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED above it). Payload up to 4096 bytes per message (2048 bytes for topic messages). Works on Android, iOS and web.", "eligibility": "Universal — open to anyone (student, startup, or enterprise). No .edu email, no startup age/funding test, and NO credit card required on the Spark plan. Not region-limited for the free tier.", "claim": "Create a Firebase project (defaults to the no-cost Spark plan, no billing account or card needed). Send push via the console Notifications composer, the server SDKs, or the FCM HTTP v1 API. Upgrade to Blaze only if you need to exceed quotas or enable other paid services.", "expiry": "No expiry — always free; quotas are 'subject to change' but no renewal is required.", "gotchas": "600k msg/min rate quota returns 429 when exceeded; client errors (HTTP 400-499, excluding 429s) also count against quota; quota windows are not clock-aligned (bursts can still throttle). Collapsible messages are capped at 20 bursts/app/device. Topic fan-out to large audiences is slow (minutes, not seconds) and messages are best-effort with no delivery guarantee. The backend you run to dispatch (e.g., Cloud Functions) is billed on its own terms, not free. To raise the quota you must show >=80% usage for 5 consecutive min/day and a <5% client-error ratio; temporary/launch spikes are handled via Firebase Support (max 2 temp events/yr, <=30 days total). FCM is push-only: it offers no email or SMS (Firebase Auth phone sign-in is billed per SMS, not a free tier).", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud / Firebase $300 Free Trial credit (90 days)", "detail": "New Google Cloud customers get a $300 'Welcome' credit valid for 90 days, plus access to the Always Free tier during the trial. The credit can be applied to ANY Google Cloud / Firebase service, including ones that are not free (Cloud Functions, Firestore beyond free limits, Hosting bandwidth, App Hosting, etc.). A credit/debit card is required at signup solely for identity/fraud validation — you are not charged unless you explicitly upgrade to a paid account. One-time and non-renewable. NOTE: the period is 90 days, not 30.", "eligibility": "Must have NEVER been a paying Google Cloud / Google Maps Platform / Firebase customer AND never signed up for the Free Trial. A corporate card is not required (a personal card is fine). New customers only; US/MX government entities excluded.", "claim": "Sign up for the GCP Free Trial ($300 / 90 days) and create a Cloud Billing account (card entered for validation only). In the Firebase console, link that billing account to a project to move it to the Blaze plan — the $300 then applies across Firebase. As of March 2025, eligible users are routed straight into the Free Trial signup from the Firebase console.", "expiry": "Ends when the $300 is spent or 90 days elapse, whichever comes first; unused credit expires at 90 days. Non-renewable. If you do not upgrade to a paid account by day 90, resources are stopped and data may be deleted.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (unlike the FCM free tier, which needs none). FCM itself is free, so this credit only helps with the non-free services around it. During the trial you cannot: create Cloud VMware Engine resources, use Windows Server images, add GPUs to VMs, or request allocation increases (all need a paid account). No SLA/indemnity applies during the trial and it is not meant for production. Auto-closes at 90 days or on credit exhaustion.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (GCP credits for startups)", "detail": "A startup program offering Google Cloud credits plus tools/mentoring, delivered partly through a partner network of accelerators, incubators and VCs. Historically up to ~$150,000 in GCP credits for qualifying early-stage companies (accelerator/VC-linked tracks can receive more), typically valid ~12 months. NOT FCM-specific — credits apply across GCP. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: live 2026 figures could not be read from the page (the page is JS-heavy and returned truncated content; the paths /programs/startups, /transform/startups and /startup returned 404 or only the title 'Google for Startups Cloud Program'), so the exact tiers, funding cap and founding window are UNCONFIRMED.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startup: founded within a recent window (commonly ~3-4 years), below a funding cap, HQ in a supported country, registered legal entity. A vetted program, not a free tier.", "claim": "Apply at the Google for Startups Cloud program page (cloud.google.com/startup), either directly (self-service application) or through a partner accelerator/incubator/VC.", "expiry": "Credits ~12 months from acceptance (unconfirmed for current cohort).", "gotchas": "Could not confirm current credit amounts, funding cap, or founding window from the live page today (WebSearch budget exhausted; URLs moved) — treat all figures as historical/approximate and re-verify on the live page before applying. GCP Marketplace third-party SKUs typically do not draw from program credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Google Cloud credits for students / teachers (education)", "detail": "Google Cloud has offered education-focused credits for students and teachers. The live specifics (exact credit amount, whether a .edu email or a teacher-license verification is required, and duration) COULD NOT be confirmed today: the education developer portal (edu.dev) failed to resolve (DNS ENOTFOUND) and the GCP /edu page would not render its content. Historically these are comparatively small credits (on the order of hundreds to ~$1,000) for students via an academic/.edu email and for verified teachers. NOT FCM-specific — FCM is free to everyone regardless of this.", "eligibility": "Students: academic/.edu email or institutional verification. Teachers: verified teacher status (license/employer proof). Exact current requirements unconfirmed.", "claim": "Sign up via the Google Cloud education credits page using a .edu email (students) or teacher verification (educators); credits deposit to a GCP project. (Unverified flow — confirm on the live page.)", "expiry": "Unconfirmed (historically ~12 months).", "gotchas": "Could not verify the live amount or eligibility today (low confidence) — do not assume a specific dollar figure or a hard .edu requirement until confirmed on the official page. The FCM free tier does not depend on any of this.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "No FCM free offer was sunset in 2025-2026. FCM remains 'no-cost' on the Spark and Blaze plans (always free, no per-message charge; the only limit is the 600,000 msg/min rate quota, which is a throttle, not a billing cap). The GCP/Firebase Free Trial remains $300 for 90 days — a '30-day' figure that surfaced during research was a fetch error, not a real change; the official T&Cs, GCP docs, and the Firebase blog all confirm 90 days. I could not verify the LIVE 2026 figures for the Google for Startups Cloud Program or the education-credits program (program URLs have moved, the pages would not render, edu.dev failed DNS, and the session WebSearch budget was exhausted), so findings 3 and 4 are reported as low-confidence, historical/approximate, and need re-verification on the live pages. One minor 2025 change observed (not FCM-related): the Blaze plan's App Hosting added a no-cost allowance of up to 10 GiB/month of outgoing bandwidth starting Aug 1, 2025. Note on scope: FCM is a push-only service and offers no free email or SMS tier; the 'Email/SMS front' in the task framing does not exist within FCM (Firebase Auth phone sign-in is billed per SMS, not free)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "FCM No-Cost Free Tier (Spark & Blaze plans)", "link": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "firebase spark", "name": "Firebase Spark", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://firebase.google.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: Cloud Firestore 1 GB + 20K writes/day + 50K reads/day, Realtime DB 1 GB / 100 concurrent connections, Hosting 10 GB + 360 MB/day, Auth 50K MAUs; plus $300 GCP credit if you enable Blaze" ], "notes": [ "Gemini in Firebase is included free on Spark. 2026 change: Google Cloud trial is now $300 for 60 days (was 90 days)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Firebase Spark free tier (free-forever managed DB + data platform)", "detail": "Firebase Spark is a free-forever, no-payment-method plan. Read today on firebase.google.com/pricing. Per-product no-cost amounts: Cloud Firestore 1 GiB storage, 20K writes/day, 50K reads/day, 20K deletes/day, 10 GiB/month egress; Realtime Database 1 GB stored, 100 simultaneous connections, 10 GB/month downloaded; Firebase Hosting 10 GB storage + 360 MB/day data transfer; Authentication ~50K MAU no-cost (on Blaze); Cloud Functions 2M invocations/mo, 400K GB-seconds/mo, 200K CPU-seconds/mo, 5 GB/mo outbound; Cloud Storage 5 GB stored + 100 GB/mo downloaded (us-central1/west1/east1 for .firebasestorage.app); App Hosting free from 1 Aug 2025 (10 GiB/mo uncached bandwidth, 5 GB storage). Analytics, Crashlytics, App Distribution, Remote Config, App Check, In-App Messaging, Performance Monitoring, FCM, Firebase AI Logic, and Test Lab (10 virtual + 5 physical device tests/day) are no-cost on Spark.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone with a Google account — no .edu email, no startup status, no funding cap, no region restriction stated. No credit card required to stay on Spark.", "claim": "Create any Firebase project in the console; it is on the Spark plan by default — nothing to enable. To get the paid free-tier extras (Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Firestore on Blaze), upgrade to Blaze (a Google billing account is needed). No separate application.", "expiry": "Free forever; limits are perpetual but Google may change them. No renewal needed.", "gotchas": "Quotas apply at the PROJECT level, not per app/resource. The listed Firestore/Functions/Storage free numbers are attached to the Blaze (pay-as-you-go) free-usage pool; on pure Spark some of these (Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Phone Number Verification) are marked 'not applicable', so the managed-DB free tier for Firestore/RTDB is the guaranteed free-forever part. Phone Auth is not on Spark. Egress/download and storage beyond free limits bill at GCP rates. Blaze requires a billing account and overages bill automatically.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial — $300 credit (Blaze)", "detail": "Google Cloud Free Trial (Blaze) grants $300 of welcome credit valid for 90 days to NEW GCP users. Read today on cloud.google.com/signup-faqs and docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features. During the 90 days no charges; you also get the GCP Free Tier. The account auto-closes on credit exhaustion or 90 days; a 30-day grace period follows before resources are permanently deleted. $300 CANNOT be spent on Gemini API costs in AI Studio, managed 'model-as-a-service' partner models, VM GPUs, Marketplace, Windows-Server VMs, or crypto mining. Multiple people in one org can each get $300 if each is a first-time GCP/Maps/Firebase payer.", "eligibility": "You have NEVER been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and have never signed up for this Free Trial. A credit card / other payment method is REQUIRED at signup (for identity verification; a pending $0–$1 authorization, not a charge). India requires an INR-denominated Cloud billing account first.", "claim": "Sign up at cloud.google.com 'Start free trial' with a GCP account; enter a valid credit/debit card (authorization, not a charge). The $300 credit is auto-attached to a new Free Trial billing account; use it on GCP/Firebase over the 90 days. Upgrade to a paid account only if you want to keep resources running and keep the unused credit until it expires.", "expiry": "$300 credit and the trial expire 90 days from signup (whichever comes first: credit used or 90 days). 30-day grace period after closure, then resources deleted.", "gotchas": "This is the key trial-vs-free gotcha: unlike Spark, a credit card IS required here. Free Trial billing is NOT a free-forever plan; it is a time-boxed credit. Remaining credit is lost unless you upgrade to paid within 90 days. Over-free-tier usage beyond the credit bills automatically once you upgrade.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/signup-faqs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud 'Always Free' Free Tier (20+ products, perpetual)", "detail": "GCP 'Always Free' tier (20+ products, no expiry) that stacks on top of Firebase. Read today via cloud.google.com/free (page quoted in search). Includes Firestore 1 GB storage; Cloud Run / Cloud Run functions 2 million requests or invocations per month; BigQuery 1 TB queries/month + 10 GB storage; Compute Engine 1 e2-micro + 30 GB; Cloud Storage 5 GB-months; Cloud Build 120 min/day; Secret Manager 6 versions; Pub/Sub 10 GB/month; Cloud KMS Autokey; plus AI API free tiers.", "eligibility": "All eligible GCP customers (free tier does not expire and is not charged against the $300 credit). No .edu, no startup status, no CC required for the free tier itself.", "claim": "Available automatically to any GCP/Firebase customer — no application. Within a paid or trial account, just stay under the monthly free caps; usage is billed only above them.", "expiry": "No expiry; free monthly caps are permanent but subject to change.", "gotchas": "These caps do NOT bill against the $300 trial credit; overages bill at pay-as-you-go GCP rates. BigQuery is a sandbox/free-tier only within caps; managed partner AI models and Gemini API are excluded from trial credit. Details here come from an official page surfaced via search (not a direct full-page read today), hence medium confidence.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "SQL Connect (Cloud SQL) 3-month free trial", "detail": "SQL Connect (Firebase's managed Cloud SQL access for app data) offers a 3-month no-cost trial for your first Cloud SQL instance: 330 MiB/day egress and ~8,300K ops/day during the trial. After the trial, if the project has not moved to Blaze, the instance is archived and then deleted ~90 days later. On Blaze the ongoing free-usage is 10 GiB/month egress + 250K operations/month.", "eligibility": "Any Firebase project user; first Cloud SQL instance per project.", "claim": "Enable Firebase SQL Connect / Cloud SQL in a project on Spark; the first Cloud SQL instance is no-cost for 3 months. To keep it, upgrade to Blaze (and the free-usage pool applies: 10 GiB/month egress, 250K ops/month).", "expiry": "3-month trial only, then instance archived and deleted 90 days after if not on Blaze. This is NOT free-forever.", "gotchas": "Time-boxed trial — a real data loss risk: the instance is archived after 3 months and hard-deleted after another 90 days if you haven't paid. Upgrading to Blaze requires a billing account.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Startup Program / Launch (credit grant for startups)", "detail": "The Google Cloud Startup Program (rebranded over time through 'Launch Lab'/'Launch') has historically granted up to ~$200,000 in GCP credits over 12 months, plus additional partner credits, to qualifying startups building on GCP — with Firebase workloads eligible (they bill into the same GCP project). Reported historical eligibility: company founded within ~5 years, total funding raised at or below a cap (~$30M–$100M depending on cycle), headquartered in a participating country, not public. These figures/limits shift per application cycle and I could NOT re-verify them today (page 404s), so treat them as historical estimates, not confirmed current terms.", "eligibility": "Startups (not students): early-stage, unfunded or below a funding cap, within an age window, in an eligible country. Not a .edu program. No credit card needed to receive partner credits once accepted.", "claim": "Apply through Google's startup portal (historically cloud.google.com/launch / startup.cloud.google.com / 'for-startups'). As of 2026-10-22 all three known URLs returned 404, so confirm the live application URL and current terms before relying on this.", "expiry": "Credits typically valid for the award window (historically ~12 months) and are not auto-renewed; re-application is per cycle.", "gotchas": "UNVERIFIED as of 2026-10-22 — the program pages (cloud.google.com/launch, /for-startups, /programs/startup) all returned 404, indicating the program was renamed/restructured or discontinued at those paths. Do not quote the $200K figure as current without re-confirming the live URL. GCP credits are distinct from the Firebase Spark free tier.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/launch", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education / Classroom credits (for students & educators)", "detail": "Reported Google Cloud for Education program: an educator credit (historically ~$1,000 of GCP credit, valid ~12 months, renewable with a minimum-activity condition) plus per-student classroom credits when a Google Classroom is linked to the educator's GCP project. Because Firebase bills into the same GCP project, the credit can cover Firebase paid features (and the Spark free tier remains free regardless). I could NOT verify the exact dollar amounts, the .edu requirement, or renewal policy today: the official edu.google.com page is a landing overview that only links to 'Apply for Google Cloud credits', and the deeper edu page fetch was truncated, so these numbers are unconfirmed general-knowledge estimates.", "eligibility": "K-12 / higher-ed educators and their students who use Google Workspace for Education; typically requires an institutional/.edu (or country TLD like .ac.uk) account rather than a personal Gmail. Not a free tier for general students.", "claim": "Apply via the Google Cloud for Education / 'Apply for Google Cloud credits' path (linked from edu.google.com to cloud.google.com/edu), signing in with an institutional Workspace for Education or verified .edu account. Confirm the live page and current figures before relying on this — they were not independently verified today.", "expiry": "Reported ~12-month credit window, renewable if activity is maintained; unconfirmed.", "gotchas": "LOW CONFIDENCE: no dedicated 'Firebase for students' free license was found; the education benefit is a GCP credit for educators, not a per-student Firebase entitlement. Figures here are unverified — re-check the live cloud.google.com/edu page. There is no confirmed .edu-only free tier distinct from the GCP education credit.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Firebase Spark free tier (free-forever managed DB + data platform)", "link": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "flagsmith free plan", "name": "Flagsmith Free Plan", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://flagsmith.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free: 50,000 API requests/mo, unlimited feature flags/environments, 1 team member; Start-Up tier $45/mo ($40 billed yearly, 1M requests, 3 members)" ], "notes": [ "Also open-source (LGPLv3) and free to self-host, which removes the 50k-request cap. Overage on cloud starts at $50/M requests. Verified at flagsmith.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Cloud Plan (permanently free tier)", "detail": "$0/mo. Up to 50,000 API requests/month; up to 100,000 users in experiments; 1 team member; 1 project; unlimited feature flags; unlimited environments; unlimited identities and segments; API access; fair-usage policy applies. Overage billing 'starts at $50 per million per month and decreases with volume'. Free-plan users who exceed limits get 7 days to upgrade before 'any action is taken'. Verified on official pricing page 2026-10-22: numbers match the known baseline (50k requests; Start-Up $45/mo, $40 annual, 1M requests, 3 members).", "eligibility": "Anyone, any size/region/education status; self-serve signup ('Start for Free' / 'Get Started!'). No .edu email requirement, no startup age or funding cap, no published region limits. No explicit 'no credit card required' statement appears on the pricing page — signup is account-based; CC requirement unverified.", "claim": "1) Go to flagsmith.com/pricing and click 'Get Started!' / 'Start for Free' on the Free tier -> 2) Create an account on app.flagsmith.com -> 3) Use within 50k requests/month and 1 team member. No application, no invoice.", "expiry": "Permanently available free tier; no stated expiry. Fair-usage policy is the only caveat.", "gotchas": "Fair-usage policy applies (undefined). No 2FA, no scheduled flags, no A/B & MVT testing, no 3rd-party integrations, no roles/audit logs — all Start-Up or higher. Exceeding 50k requests: 7-day upgrade window, then enforcement; overage pricing from $50/1M. Single team member + single project make it solo-dev, not team, oriented. Credit-card requirement for sign-up not stated on the page.", "source_url": "https://flagsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-Day Free Trial of paid plans (Start-Up / Scale-Up)", "detail": "Both Start-Up ($45/mo monthly, $40/mo billed yearly; 1,000,000 requests/mo; 500,000 experiment users; 3 team members; 2FA, A/B & MVT, scheduled flags, integrations, email support) and Scale-Up ($300/mo monthly, $250/mo yearly; 5,000,000+ requests/mo; up to 20 team members, extra members $50/mo; SAML/SSO, governance, audit logs, BYO experimentation warehouse) offer a '14 Day Free Trial' as listed on the pricing page.", "eligibility": "Open signup; no startup-age or funding criteria stated; no .edu requirement; CC requirement for the trial not stated on the pricing page.", "claim": "1) Select Start-Up or Scale-Up on flagsmith.com/pricing -> 2) click the 14-day trial start -> 3) provisionally get full paid-plan features; decide to pay within 14 days or lose access.", "expiry": "14 days from trial start; then plan becomes paid at $45/mo (Start-Up) or $300/mo (Scale-Up) unless cancelled/downgraded (downgrade path not stated on page).", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free confusion: the trial is a paid-plan preview, not an extension of the free tier; after 14 days billing presumably starts unless you cancel or switch to the free plan. Overage grace: a paid plan exceeding its request limit (within 200% of limit) for the FIRST time gets a 30-day grace period before billing; Start-Up overage is $7/100k requests. Annual plans: 12 months paid up front.", "source_url": "https://flagsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free self-hosted Open-Source edition (Community build)", "detail": "Free, 'always open' self-hosted build of the Flagsmith platform under BSD-3-Clause ('one of the most permissive open-source licences available — no restrictions on commercial use'; core repo states 'majority of our platform is open source under the BSD-3-Clause'). Includes unlimited feature flags, segments & targeting (incl. multivariate flags), remote config, server-side evaluation, 15+ open-source SDKs, A/B & MVT testing, kill switches, edge proxy, integrations (Grafana, Slack, Amplitude, New Relic), and NO API request limits on self-hosted deployments. Gated to paid Enterprise: audit logs, role-based access control / change requests / approvals, SAML/SSO, advanced governance, enterprise-grade support, on-prem/air-gapped support and optional on-prem installation.", "eligibility": "Anyone — students, students' course projects, startups; no .edu email, no CC, no request caps, no team-size caps stated. Self-host on-premises or in your own cloud (GCP/AWS/Azure).", "claim": "1) Clone/deploy the open-source Flagsmith stack via Docker or Kubernetes + Helm (charts published by Flagsmith) -> 2) run it on your own infra -> 3) use indefinitely with no flagsmith.com account needed. Enterprise features add via a paid license 'without migrating platforms'.", "expiry": "Indefinite; 'Core will always be open' per the page; no sunset date published.", "gotchas": "You own all ops (hosting, updates, backups) — no managed free hosting. Governance/security features (audit logs, RBAC, SSO, change requests) are Enterprise-gated, so startups needing SAML/SSO must pay. Self-hosted MCP Server is 'soon' (not yet available there). License nuance: main repo is BSD-3 per WebFetch; 'a small number of repositories are under the MIT license' — check the specific repo you deploy. No official SLA/support on the free build.", "source_url": "https://flagsmith.com/open-source", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Discounted plan for open-source / not-for-profit / charity projects", "detail": "The pricing FAQ answers the question 'We're an Open Source/Not for profit/Charity project. Do you offer discounts?' with '100% Yes! Please get in touch and we can set you up on a discounted plan.' No discount percentage, no eligibility checklist (no .edu requirement, no startup age, no funding cap) is published — it is a discretionary, contact-gated concession, not a formal program. Related: annual-payment discounts are offered on all plans, and bespoke tiers between Start-Up and Enterprise can be arranged via the contact form.", "eligibility": "Stated for open-source, not-for-profit, or charity projects (startups doing OSS may qualify). No .edu-email criterion mentioned; education/student-specific licensing does NOT exist — /education, /startup-program and /faq all 404 as of 2026-10-22. No region limits stated.", "claim": "1) Go to flagsmith.com/pricing FAQ -> 2) contact Flagsmith (contact-us / sales) describing your project -> 3) receive a custom discounted paid plan. No self-serve application.", "expiry": "No expiry, renewal or sunset terms published; discount is bespoke per negotiation. Terms (percentage, duration, renewal) are not public.", "gotchas": "Discount % and plan shape are unpublished — always negotiate in writing. This is NOT an education license: no student/academic tier or .edu requirement exists. The free OSS self-hosted build already gives most of the value for free, so the discount only matters if you want managed cloud + governance features. 'Get in touch' means sales lead time; the free cloud tier and 14-day trial remain the instant paths.", "source_url": "https://flagsmith.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No formal Flagsmith startup program, student/education license, or trial-credit offer exists as of 2026-10-22 — dedicated pages /education, /startup-program, /faq all return 404; the only concessions are the permanent free tier, 14-day paid-plan trials, the free BSD-3 open-source self-hosted build, and the contact-gated open-source/non-profit/charity discount. Current published figures exactly match the known baseline (Free: 50,000 requests/mo, unlimited flags/environments, 1 team member; Start-Up: $45/mo monthly / $40/mo yearly, 1M requests, 3 members), indicating no material pricing change is visible on the official page today. Caveats: (1) the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so 2025-2026 change history could not be independently verified via search engines — I verified the live official pages only; (2) the Flagsmith blog page (Sep–Oct 2026 posts) shows no pricing-change announcements on its first page; (3) one possible 2025-2026 change: the core repository now advertises a permissive BSD-3-Clause license ('no restrictions on commercial use') where Flagsmith historically used a Business Source License — I could not verify the license-change date (history was not searchable); if the repo was BSL before, that re-licensing is a material, favorable change for commercial self-hosting." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Cloud Plan (permanently free tier)", "link": "https://flagsmith.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "flutterwave", "name": "Flutterwave", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://developer.flutterwave.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free developer account + free sandbox/test environment (mock data, test cards, webhook simulation; test data retained 30 days); live fees are per-transaction." ], "notes": [ "Sandbox is free for dev/testing before KYC; live processing (US) ~2.9% local cards / 3.8% international, 30+ currencies, 15+ payment options, 20M+ API calls/day capacity. Africa-first PSP (Verve, M-Pesa, USSD)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free developer account + free sandbox/test environment", "detail": "Signup at app.flutterwave.com/register grants a 'free test environment where you can simulate your preferred transactions' with mock data: 8 success + 7 failure test cards (Mastercard, Visa, Verve, Afrigo) with test OTP/PIN, Access Bank test accounts 0690000031-0690000041 (+blacklisted 0690000036), any mobile-money number with OTP 123456, Capitec test numbers, BVN test values, mock wallets and virtual cards. Transfers default to PENDING and update after 10 minutes (overridable per-transaction with _PMCK / _PMCK_ST_F / DU_{minutes} suffixes). Webhooks: 60s timeout, 3 retries at 30-minute intervals; testing is done by pointing your endpoint at webhook.site (no native in-platform webhook simulator). No fees, volume caps, or paid tiers for the test environment are stated anywhere in the docs.", "eligibility": "Open signup - no .edu email, no credit card, no startup age/funding cap, and no stated region limit for test mode. KYC verification is only required to enable LIVE transactions; test mode works with unverified accounts. Any OTP in test transactions passes validation (5548/6648 simulate specific failures).", "claim": "Register at app.flutterwave.com/register, receive test API credentials from the dashboard, and build against the test endpoints using the published mock cards/accounts. Contact support for mock data tied to a specific flow. Go-live requires completing KYC, after which settings can be transferred from the test environment to the live account.", "expiry": "No expiry, renewal, or sunset date stated for the test environment; it is a standing free capability of every account.", "gotchas": "The previously reported '30-day test-data retention' could NOT be confirmed in the current docs (testing.md, quickstart.md, api-basics.md) - treat as unverified/possibly outdated. Webhook testing relies on external webhook.site, not a built-in simulator. Checkout test URLs must use localhost:port (127.0.0.1 errors). Transfer integration testing requires IP whitelisting of your calling servers. Test receipts are emailed to your business email, not to customers. Live transactions cost per-transaction fees (e.g. NGN: 2% local = 1.4% + 0.6% platform, 4.8% international; transfers NGN 10/25/50; fees subject to 7.5% VAT), so the free part ends at going live.", "source_url": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/quickstart.md", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Store / free e-commerce website (Flutterwave Store, SME)", "detail": "Official Store page FAQ: 'It's totally free to setup a store.' Marketing copy: 'Create a free ecommerce website and start selling worldwide with just a few clicks' and 'Create a free online store that helps you find customers, and accept payments globally.' Included: multiple products & variants, mobile store management, low-stock notifications, delivery-fee charging, customer discounts, multiple payment options, and listing on Flutterwave Market ('Africa's fastest growing marketplace'). No setup charge stated; transaction fees apply per the country pricing schedule.", "eligibility": "General merchant/SME - no student, .edu, or startup-specific restrictions stated. Region: site localized (e.g. /us/store); no funding/age caps published.", "claim": "Primary CTA on the page is 'Contact sales' (/us/contact-sales); the standard flow per the page's own steps is: create account, set up store with product photos/specs, share the store link and start selling. Footer also points 'Create a free account' at the contact-sales flow.", "expiry": "No expiry or limits stated on the free store itself; fee schedule has no published effective date.", "gotchas": "No product caps, tier limits, or fee schedule disclosed on the store page - live charges follow the per-country pricing (e.g. Ghana: 2.6% local cards, 4.8% international cards; NGN 2%/4.8%). Setup is free but setup may be routed through sales rather than self-serve.", "source_url": "https://www.flutterwave.com/us/store", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No recurring subscription - live fees are purely per-transaction (verified Nigeria & Ghana schedules)", "detail": "Server-rendered country pricing pages confirm there is no subscription, setup, or seat fee: fees are per-transaction. Nigeria: local collections 2% per transaction (1.4% transaction + 0.6% platform), international 4.8%; transfers to bank/Mobile Money NGN 10 (<=5k), 25 (5,001-50k), 50 (>50k); all transaction fees subject to 7.5% VAT. Ghana: local cards 2.6%, local bank transfer & wallets/mobile money 2%, international cards 4.8% (settled in local currency by default); transfers GHS 10 (bank) or 1.5% (mobile money); pricing excludes VAT; next-day settlement for local payments. No free-transaction allowance (e.g. 'first N free') appears on these pages.", "eligibility": "Applies to all live accounts; no student/startup discount tiers found on the official pricing pages.", "claim": "No separate claim - this is the fee baseline: after the free test environment, costs accrue only per live transaction; there is no paid plan to subscribe to.", "expiry": "No effective dates or sunset notices shown on the pricing pages; figures verified today (2026-10-22).", "gotchas": "The US pricing page (/us/pricing) is JS-rendered and its fee table could not be extracted via fetch - US rates unverified in this pass. VAT/tax excluded from displayed rates. 'Why you got charged' link now redirects to a separate dispute subdomain (dispute.flutterwave.com).", "source_url": "https://www.flutterwave.com/ng/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Flutterwave MFB (Meridian Bank) business account - waitlist, unquantified", "detail": "Flutterwave holds an MFB license (FinCEN-reg Flutterwave Payments LLC, NMLS ID 2391594). The /us/bank page is a waitlist/announcement page: consumer banking inside SendApp ('get your own account number', wallets, Tap-to-Pay coming soon) and business banking ('open a business account', multi-currency, payroll/mass payouts, working-capital loans 'powered by real transaction data'). Compliance: PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 1 & SOC 2.", "eligibility": "Not student/startup-specific; aimed at consumers and businesses. No amounts, minimum balances, eligibility thresholds, or free-account terms published yet - the page contains zero exact monetary figures.", "claim": "Join the waitlist at flutterwave.com/us/bank; features not all live yet (Tap-to-Pay 'coming soon', 'coming soon' items present).", "expiry": "Roadmap/waitlist stage; no published dates or limits.", "gotchas": "Do not count on a 'free bank account' offer - no fee schedule or free-tier terms are stated; lending/treasury features are described without caps or APRs.", "source_url": "https://www.flutterwave.com/us/bank", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "No distinct startup program, student/education license, or trial-credit offer exists on Flutterwave's official front pages as of 2026-10-22: /startups, /us/students, /us/programs, and /campus-tech all return 404, and the site navigation (Enterprise/SME/Personal/Developers/Resources/Company menus), footer, and blog category pages list no such programs. Historically Flutterwave ran 'Campus Tech' (Nigerian campus promoter program), but it has no current official page - treat as sunset/unavailable unless a new announcement appears. The previously known 'test data retained 30 days' detail and native 'webhook simulation' could not be re-verified: current docs describe webhook testing via external webhook.site and state no data-retention period, so those specifics may have changed or been removed. Trial-credit or education-discount offerings: none found. Verification method: all facts above come from official pages fetched today; the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so no third-party/news confirmation of 2025-2026 program sunsets was possible, and the JS-rendered /us/pricing fee table could not be extracted (US rates unverified; Nigeria and Ghana rates verified on server-rendered regional pages)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free developer account + free sandbox/test environment", "link": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/quickstart.md", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "fly io", "name": "Fly.io", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://docs.fly.io/about/free-trial" ], "offers": [ "Free trial: 2 VM hours or 7 days of access (whichever first), no card; then pay-as-you-go from $1 (smallest always-on app ~$2.19/mo)" ], "notes": [ "Legacy free allowances (3 shared-cpu-1x VMs + $5 credit) were discontinued for new signups on Oct 7, 2024 — only pre-cutoff accounts keep them. Adding a payment card ends the trial and starts billing immediately. Container/microVM PaaS, global multi-region." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Fly.io Free Trial (2 VM hours / 7 days)", "detail": "Every new account gets a trial grant of 2 total VM hours of machine runtime OR 7 days of access, whichever comes first. Trial limits: up to 10 machines, 20GB of volume storage, machines up to 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM. Trial machines auto-stop after 5 minutes of runtime (relevant when no billing is on file). NOT included: dedicated IPv4 addresses and performance-optimized vCPUs. Metering: machine runtime (incl. memory) per second; volume storage and machine count per hour. Visible under 'Trial Status' in the dashboard. After the trial: apps halt; you cannot launch new machines, attach volumes, or deploy changes until a payment method is set up. Adding a credit card from the dashboard ends the trial early and billing starts immediately. Pay-as-you-go then runs from ~$2.19/mo for the smallest always-on app (shared-cpu-1x, 256MB), plus dedicated IPv4 $2.00/mo and egress $0.02/GB (NA/EU).", "eligibility": "Any new user who creates a Fly.io account — no credit card required to start, no .edu email, no student/startup restriction, no funding cap, no stated region limit. Open to the general public, not a student or startup program.", "claim": "Sign up at fly.io/app/sign-up/ — the trial is attached automatically at account creation, no separate activation step. Monitor remaining time/hours under 'Trial Status' in the dashboard. To continue past the trial, add a payment method (Stripe) in Billing.", "expiry": "Expires at 2 total VM hours or 7 days, whichever comes first; earlier if you add a card (trial ends, billing begins). Not renewable; no stated extension path.", "gotchas": "Trial vs. free: this is a metered trial, not an ongoing free tier — when it ends without billing, all apps stop and deploys are blocked. With no card on file, trial machines auto-stop after just 5 minutes of uptime. The 2 VM hours are shared across all machines and include memory; a single 256MB shared-CPU machine running 24/7 already burns ~half the grant in 3 days. After trial, stopped-but-kept machines still accrue storage ($0.15/GB-mo on rootfs), and same-region transfer is free but internet egress is $0.02/GB. Pre-auth holds are usually under $10 and can show for up to 10 business days.", "source_url": "https://docs.fly.io/about/free-trial", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free allowances on paid plans (no free compute tier)", "detail": "After the trial, there is no free compute tier: no free VM hours, memory, or machine minutes. What is free for any account: first 10GB of volume snapshots per month; a shared IPv4 and unlimited Anycast IPv6 for every app; same-region data transfer; and community support. Cheapest running states: shared-cpu-1x 256MB preset $2.19/mo; stopped machines bill $0.15/GB-mo of rootfs; volumes $0.15/GB-mo; Managed Postgres Basic $38/mo; dedicated IPv4 $2.00/mo; egress $0.02/GB (NA/EU); support from $29/mo.", "eligibility": "Any Fly.io account. Note a credit card is required by most accounts to deploy multiple apps or public images (abuse prevention); alternative if you can't add a card: purchase account credits, minimum $25 (prepaid cards can fund credit purchases but not serve as the saved method). No student/startup-specific terms on this page.", "claim": "Automatic for every account on sign-up; snapshot allowance and network allowances apply without opt-in. Credits purchased in the dashboard Billing section.", "expiry": "Ongoing, not time-limited. The 10GB snapshot allowance resets monthly; free allowances do not expire and do not renew/stack beyond that.", "gotchas": "'Free' here means snapshots/IP/networking/community support only — compute, storage of running or stopped volumes, Postgres, and internet egress all bill. Volumes in pending_destroy state do not accrue charges. Free Postgres from the old shared-CPU days is gone: managed Postgres now starts at $38/mo.", "source_url": "https://fly.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Fly.io Startup Program (up to $15,000 in credits)", "detail": "fly.io/startups offers up to $15,000 in credits for eligible early-stage startups. Credits apply across Machines, Sprites, Managed Postgres, volumes, and bandwidth, but exclude support plans, compliance packages, and Machine reservations. Credits expire 1 year after they are added to the organization. Applicants are invited to a Slack channel with the Fly team. After credits are exhausted, apps keep running at standard pay-as-you-go (billed by the second). Application takes ~2 minutes; a human reviews it and replies by email within about a week. Fly may verify funding via a quick email intro to the investor or accelerator.", "eligibility": "Seed- or Series-A-stage startups backed by a venture firm or an accelerator. Must NOT have received Fly.io startup credits before (one-time). No startup-age cap, revenue cap, team-size cap, .edu requirement, or stated region restriction — funding-stage/VC-backing is the gate, not time since founding.", "claim": "Fill out the application at fly.io/startups/ (fields: name, work email, company, website, funding stage, lead investor/accelerator, Fly.io org name, description of what you're building). A human reads it; response by email within ~1 week.", "expiry": "Credits expire 1 year after being added to the organization. The program itself has no listed deadline. No renewal: startups that already received Fly startup credits are ineligible, so this is a one-time grant per startup.", "gotchas": "'Up to $15,000' — the page does not publish a fixed grant amount or tiering. Credit card requirement is not stated on the page. Credits do not cover support, compliance, or reserved machines. If funding cannot be verified, the application may be rejected.", "source_url": "https://fly.io/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student program: none exists (former free tier with student eligibility is gone)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 there is no Fly.io education license, student program, .edu email offer, or free academic compute tier. fly.io/education returns HTTP 404; docs.fly.io/about/education returns HTTP 404; the docs home, learn hub (40 technical explainers), and pricing page contain no education/student/academic offer. The legacy free plan — which historically offered free shared-CPU machines to students, educators, researchers, and artists — has been removed: the old reference page fly.io/docs/reference/free-faq now redirects to docs.fly.io/reference/free-faq, which returns HTTP 404 (page deleted). The only free entry point is the general 2-hour/7-day trial, open to everyone without card.", "eligibility": "n/a — no current education offer exists. Historically the retired free tier targeted students/educators/researchers/artists with no stated .edu verification on the surviving pages.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students get exactly the same 2 VM-hour / 7-day trial as any other user; there is no separate application, license, or student pricing to request.", "expiry": "n/a (no offer). The old free tier's successor (the trial) has its own 7-day/2-hour expiry as documented in finding 1.", "gotchas": "Do not assume the old student-friendly free shared-CPU tier still exists — the reference docs are deleted and the pricing page lists no free compute. Anyone citing 'free Fly machines for students' is using pre-sunset information.", "source_url": "https://fly.io/education", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Legacy free tier (free shared-CPU machines, historically eligible for students/educators/researchers/artists) has been sunset: the old FAQ at fly.io/docs/reference/free-faq now 404s at docs.fly.io/reference/free-faq, fly.io/education and docs.fly.io/about/education 404, and today's pricing page shows no free compute tier — replaced by the 2-VM-hour / 7-day no-card trial plus pay-as-you-go from ~$2.19/mo. Free Postgres on the old free plan is also gone (Managed Postgres Basic starts at $38/mo). Web search was unavailable in this session (budget exhausted), so I could not pin the exact sunset date of the old free tier (my prior knowledge suggests the free tier was retired in 2024 and replaced by the trial); that date should be confirmed separately. The $15,000 startup-credit figure and the 1-year credit expiry come from the live fly.io/startups page (copyrighted 2026), so the program is current as of 2026-10-22; no material 2025-2026 change was visible on the official pages themselves. No evidence today of any current education license or student program." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Fly.io (Free trial)", "text": "Price is stale. The trial is 2 VM hours or 7 days, whichever comes first, and new organizations have no free tier. Pay-as-you-go has no platform fee, and the smallest always-on Machine (shared-cpu-1x, 256 MB) costs $2.19/month on the official pricing page, not from $1.", "url": "https://fly.io/pricing/" } ], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Fly.io Free Trial (2 VM hours / 7 days)", "link": "https://docs.fly.io/about/free-trial", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "formbricks", "name": "Formbricks", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://formbricks.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted open-source surveys/feedback; Cloud Hobby free: 1 workspace, 250 responses/month, full API (incl. MCP) access" ], "notes": [ "Cloud hosted in Frankfurt; Pro $74/mo (2,000 responses); self-hosted edition has no response limits." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Hobby plan (Formbricks Cloud free tier)", "detail": "Price shown as 'Start free' with no dollar figure. Limits: 1 workspace and 250 responses per month. Included on Hobby: link-based and in-product surveys, all question types, conditional logic, hidden fields, partial responses, recall information, multi-media backgrounds, file uploads, single-use links, and 'Full API access (incl. MCP)'. Hosting: 'Hosted in Frankfurt' (Germany). The page lists no survey cap, seat count, or data retention for Hobby. Overage handling is offered only on Pro and Scale. Hobby is an open-ended free tier, not a time-limited trial.", "eligibility": "No eligibility rules on formbricks.com/pricing: no student, teacher, .edu, startup, funding-cap, company-age, or region rule. Frankfurt hosting describes data location, not eligibility. A third-party StartupPerks listing says 'No funding needed' and 'Global', but also says 'A company email on your own website domain (not a personal address)'. Formbricks does not state that email rule, so treat it as unverified.", "claim": "Open https://formbricks.com/pricing/ and click 'Start free' under Hobby (its sign-up link includes plan=free), or 'Get started free' in the header. Sign up. The pricing page closing section says 'No credit card required. Dive right in.' Then use the single workspace; API and MCP access are included.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal stated on the official page. StartupPerks (third party, as of Sep 24, 2026) lists '250 responses/month, ongoing'.", "gotchas": "Hard cap of 250 responses per month. The page does not say what happens at the cap on Hobby: overage opt-in is listed only for Pro and Scale, and the FAQ answer to 'What happens if I hit the monthly response limit?' is missing from the page text returned. Only 1 workspace. These features are listed under Pro, not Hobby: hide Formbricks branding, contact and segment management, attribute-based segmentation, all integrations, custom webhooks, iOS and Android SDKs, AI translations. Hobby seat count is not listed (Pro lists unlimited seats). 'No credit card required' is page-level text, not stated per plan. The free cap was 1,000 responses/month in Formbricks' own Feb 2026 blog posts (see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://formbricks.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-hosted Formbricks core ('Self-Hosting Free')", "detail": "Official self-hosting docs list 'Self-Hosting Free' at price 'Free' and say: 'our core product is free however certain advanced features are a part of our Enterprise License offering.' Install routes: One-Click Setup (shell script for Ubuntu), Docker Setup (prebuilt image), Kubernetes Deployment (Helm chart). Free-tier support is community only, via GitHub Discussions. You run setup and upkeep yourself. Minimums on the page: single host 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD for evaluation, or 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD for low load; a valid HTTPS certificate is required. Kubernetes starts at 3 nodes of 4+ vCPU and 8 GB each (scales to 6), with PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible storage run as managed services outside the cluster. License: the docs say 'AGPL' without a version; the GitHub README says 'Formbricks is available Open-Source under AGPLv3 license' and 'You can host Formbricks on your own servers using Docker without a subscription.' Formbricks' Feb 11, 2026 blog comparison table says self-hosting is 'Yes (free forever on Community Edition)'.", "eligibility": "No eligibility rules: anyone can self-host the AGPL core. Advanced features and AI require the paid Enterprise License ('EE'), priced 'Fixed Per month' with no figure published. Licensing questions go to hola@formbricks.com. No student, education, or startup discount for EE was found on the pages checked.", "claim": "Follow https://formbricks.com/docs/self-hosting/overview and pick One-Click Setup, Docker Setup, or Kubernetes Deployment. Provision a host that meets the minimums above, with an HTTPS certificate. The page mentions no license key for the core.", "expiry": "None stated. Formbricks' own pages describe the core as 'free forever' (formbricks.com/community, undated; formbricks.com/typeform-alternative, Feb 11, 2026).", "gotchas": "Hosting, upgrades, backups, and TLS are on you. Single-host installs go down during reboots and upgrades, and every replica count defaults to 1 (no built-in redundancy). Redis rejects new writes when full rather than discarding queued jobs. The page says '4 GB is a floor, not a comfortable target.' AI features require the Enterprise License and heavy compute (Hub embeddings about 4 vCPU and 8 GiB at runtime; worker pool another 8 vCPU); the page recommends an outside endpoint. Free-tier customization is 'Moderate' versus 'Full' with EE; the page says EE covers 'All Advanced Features' but does not list which are missing from the free tier. No dollar figures for hosting or EE, and no egress or bandwidth pricing. Naming differs: the docs say 'Self-Hosting Free'; Formbricks' blog and third parties say 'Community Edition'.", "source_url": "https://formbricks.com/docs/self-hosting/overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Annual billing promo: 'Get 2 months free'", "detail": "The official pricing page shows 'Get 2 months free' beside the 'Annually' option. It does not name the plans it covers, show annual prices, or give an end date. If the promo means 2 of 12 months free, annual billing works out to about 16.7% below monthly billing (an inference, not a stated figure). A third-party listing (1launch.eu) says 'Save with 2 months free on annual commitments'.", "eligibility": "Buyers who choose annual billing on a paid plan; eligible plans are not named. Not limited to students or startups. Not a free plan.", "claim": "On https://formbricks.com/pricing/ select 'Annually' and check the annual total at checkout.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Applies only to paid billing; the free Hobby plan has no annual price. The promo terms are not on the page, so the 16.7% figure is an inference from the wording.", "source_url": "https://formbricks.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Checked 2026-10-22 against formbricks.com pages read directly, plus one successful web search. (1) Free tier appears reduced in 2026: Formbricks' own blog posts dated Feb 3, 2026 (https://formbricks.com/blog/surveysparrow-pricing) and Feb 11, 2026 (https://formbricks.com/typeform-alternative) cite 1,000 responses/month for the free/Cloud plan. The pricing page read on 2026-10-22 lists Hobby at 250 responses/month and 1 workspace. A third-party StartupPerks listing (as of Sep 24, 2026) also shows 250. The GTM Directory (https://thegtmdirectory.com/tools/formbricks, third party) says the pricing page 'changed 2026-10-19'. The exact effective date of the cut was not found. Older context: formbricks/formbricks PR #3824 (Oct 2024, https://github.com/formbricks/formbricks/pull/3824) raised the FREE responses billing constant from 500 to 1,500. (2) Paid prices conflict across sources. Official page (read today, USD): Pro $74/month for 2,000 responses; Scale $325/month for 5,000 responses. Formbricks' Feb 2026 blog quotes $49/month for 5,000 responses (Startup). The GTM Directory says the page shows EUR 59 and EUR 199, and third-party listings (1launch.eu, digitalmarketingcommunity.com) show older free and Startup terms, one at $490/year. Treat the official page as authoritative but re-verify, because currency and plan details vary by source and date. (3) Startup program: none found. https://formbricks.com/startups returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-22. The only startup-related listing is StartupPerks, a third-party aggregator that lists the Hobby plan as a 'perk' ('No funding needed'); it is not a Formbricks program. (4) Education license or student discount: none found. https://formbricks.com/education returned HTTP 404. The pricing FAQ asks 'Do you offer discounts for students, teachers, or NGOs?' but the answer is absent from the text returned by WebFetch, so this remains unverified. No .edu requirement is stated for Hobby. (5) Trials and credits: no trial length, trial credits, or trial terms appear for any plan. The FAQ 'Can I try Formbricks for free before committing?' has no answer text. The 'Start free' buttons on Pro and Scale state no terms. (6) Adjacent, not for students or startups: https://formbricks.com/industry/survey-tool-nonprofits says 'Formbricks offers up to 50% discounts to support nonprofits' (a ceiling; actual rate, duration, and eligibility not stated; 'Request discount' button). (7) OSS Friends (https://formbricks.com/oss-friends) is a directory of 38 open-source projects. Its 'Wanna join OSS Friends?' link (https://formbricks.com/join-oss-friends) redirects to a Formbricks page titled 'Backlink Squad'. No free plan, credits, or discount was found for OSS Friends. (8) Contributor program: https://formbricks.com/community (undated) says contributor levels 'Unlock benefits like cash bounties, limited merch and more'. Terms were not verified, and it is not a free-service offer. (9) Free-forever scope: the community FAQ (undated) says in-app surveys 'are not part of this Deal' and that Formbricks will 'keep full control over the pricing in the long run'. Do not assume the free-forever statements cover in-app survey pricing. (10) Search coverage gap: the session-wide WebSearch budget was exhausted after one successful search, so the education-license search and the 2026 pricing-change search did not run. This limit was not worked around. Coverage of 2025-2026 changes rests on the official pages fetched directly and the snippets from that one search." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Hobby plan (Formbricks Cloud free tier)", "link": "https://formbricks.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "free for dev", "name": "free-for.dev", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Azure for Students", "detail": "$100 Azure credit usable within 12 months. No credit card required. The page also lists free monthly allowances for popular services (labelled 12 months for new customers, or Always).", "eligibility": "Full-time university students (per the page). Sign-up with a school email. One account per person.", "claim": "Open the Azure for Students page, click 'Start free' or 'Sign up', and register with a school email address. Developer tools are then reached through the Azure Education Hub.", "expiry": "Credit usable within 12 months. The offer can be renewed each year while the user remains a student. The page does not say what happens to unused credit at 12 months.", "gotchas": "'Full-time university students' is narrower than students in general. If the credit runs out and the user does not switch to pay-as-you-go, the subscription and products are disabled. 'Azure for Students Starter' is mentioned but not described.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack (partner offers)", "detail": "Bundle of free or discounted partner tools. Values named on the page: Azure $100 credit; MongoDB $50 Atlas credits; Heroku $13/month for 24 months; Datadog Pro for two years at no cost; Appwrite Education plan for six months; DataCamp three free months when subscribing with a student GitHub account; Sentry offer with a 1-year limit that can be renewed; JetBrains free subscription 'to be renewed annually'. GitHub Copilot Student is limited to verified students.", "eligibility": "Students who register for the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Many offers last only while the user remains a student. Age varies by offer: the main Azure offer is for students 18+, and a separate Azure offer covers ages 13 to 17. Verification steps are not described on the page.", "claim": "Use the 'Sign up for Student Developer Pack' link, which points to github.com/settings/education/benefits.", "expiry": "No pack-wide rule. Each partner sets its own term (for example 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, or while still a student).", "gotchas": "Terms differ per partner and can change. The page gives no single rule for the pack as a whole.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Heroku student credit (via GitHub Student Developer Pack)", "detail": "$13 per month for 24 months, up to $312 in total, per the Heroku FAQ on the student page.", "eligibility": "Students who register for the GitHub Student Developer Pack.", "claim": "Register for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, then follow its link to the Heroku for GitHub Students page.", "expiry": "24 months per the Heroku FAQ. A developer docs section on the same site gives 12 months instead. The page states no expiry rule for unused credit.", "gotchas": "The site contradicts itself on the duration. Heroku's current pricing page lists no free dyno; the cheapest dyno is Eco at $5/month.", "source_url": "https://www.heroku.com/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Free Tier (new accounts)", "detail": "Up to $200 in credits: $100 immediately at sign-up, plus up to $100 more for exploring key services, usable over up to 6 months. The page says 30+ AWS services are always free within monthly usage limits on both the Free and Paid plans; it does not list those services or their limits.", "eligibility": "New customers. Promotional credits do not qualify for the Free plan.", "claim": "Click 'Create a free account' on the AWS Free Tier page. The page gives no step-by-step sign-up requirements.", "expiry": "The Free plan account closes 6 months after opening, or when credits run out, whichever comes first. The always-free services have no stated end date.", "gotchas": "The 6-month closure is shorter than free-for.dev's 12-month floor for time-bucketed tiers, so only the always-free services fit that list. The page says the Free plan covers over 90 services, but its comparison table limits the Free plan to a subset. No charges unless the user upgrades to a Paid plan or activates paid-only services.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial and Free Tier", "detail": "$300 credit for new customers, valid 90 days from sign-up. Free Tier includes one non-preemptible e2-micro VM per month hosted in Oregon, Iowa or South Carolina; usage is tracked in hours across e2-micro instances.", "eligibility": "New customers. Free Tier use requires a Cloud Billing account, which the Free Trial sign-up can provide.", "claim": "Sign up for the Free Trial from cloud.google.com/free. The sign-up can create the billing account that Free Tier use requires.", "expiry": "The $300 credit is valid for 90 days from sign-up. The Free Tier has no set expiration, but Google can change or remove its limits with 30 days' warning.", "gotchas": "Only the credit and the e2-micro figures were verified here. Limits for Cloud Run, Cloud Storage, BigQuery and Firestore were not confirmed. The 90-day credit is time-bucketed and fails free-for.dev's 12-month floor.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle Cloud Always Free", "detail": "Always Free compute: OCI Ampere A1 instances, no more than 2 OCPUs and 12 GB memory in total across all A1 instances, as stated in the fetched summary. Storage allowances are on a linked Always Free resources page that was not retrieved. Separate $300 trial credit valid for up to 30 days.", "eligibility": "Most users need a mobile phone number and a credit card to create an account. The card is not charged unless the account is upgraded.", "claim": "Create an Oracle Cloud account (phone number and card needed for most users) and keep resources within the Always Free limits.", "expiry": "Always Free resources never expire. The $300 trial credit is valid for up to 30 days.", "gotchas": "Instances over the Always Free limit are disabled and then deleted after 30 days unless the account is upgraded. Always Free Autonomous AI Databases and compute instances can be provisioned only in the home region chosen at sign-up. The A1 figure should be re-checked on the live page: it differs from the 4 OCPU / 24 GB figure this assistant recalls.", "source_url": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier.htm", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Workers Free plan", "detail": "Workers: 100,000 requests/day; 10 ms CPU time per invocation. Workers KV: 100,000 reads/day, 1,000 writes/day, 1,000 deletes/day, 1,000 lists/day, 1 GB storage. D1: 5 million rows read/day, 100,000 rows written/day, 5 GB total storage. R2: 10 GB-month storage, 1 million Class A and 10 million Class B operations per month. Durable Objects (SQLite-backed only on Free): 100,000 requests/day, 13,000 GB-s/day duration, 5 million rows read/day, 100,000 rows written/day, 5 GB storage.", "eligibility": "Any developer on the default Free plan. The page names no student or startup condition.", "claim": "No separate claim step is described on the pricing page; the Free plan is the default.", "expiry": "None stated. The page presents the Free plan without a time limit but does not call it permanent.", "gotchas": "KV and D1 daily allowances reset at 00:00 UTC. The 10 ms CPU limit applies per invocation.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Free plan", "detail": "Unlimited private repositories (with a limited feature set), unlimited collaborators, 2,000 Actions minutes per month, 500 MB GitHub Packages storage, 120 Codespaces core hours per month, 15 GB Codespaces storage per month. Organizations on the Free plan also get unlimited collaborators and 2,000 Actions minutes per month.", "eligibility": "Personal accounts and organizations. The page names no student or startup condition.", "claim": "Create a GitHub account. The plans page describes no separate claim step.", "expiry": "No time limit named for the plan. The Actions and Codespaces allowances are monthly.", "gotchas": "Private repositories come with a limited feature set. The page gives no period for the 500 MB Packages storage.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/learning-about-github/githubs-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vercel Hobby plan", "detail": "Free plan for personal projects. Included: 100 GB fast data transfer; 10 GB fast origin transfer; 1,000,000 CDN requests; 1,000,000 function invocations; 4 CPU-hours active CPU; 360 GB-hours provisioned memory; 5,000 image transformations; 50,000 web analytics events per month; 200 projects; 100 deployments per day; 50 domains per project; 300 s maximum function duration.", "eligibility": "Personal, non-commercial use only. The page says this follows Vercel's fair use guidelines.", "claim": "Create a personal Vercel account; Hobby is the free plan. Pro is the paid upgrade, reached from the dashboard under Settings then Billing.", "expiry": "No time limit. If usage limits are exceeded, the feature is paused until 30 days have passed; there is no billing cycle.", "gotchas": "Not for commercial use: a startup's production product needs Pro, which the page prices at $20 per developer seat per month. Web analytics collection pauses after the grace period and can resume after 7 days. Runtime logs are limited to 1 hour.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/docs/plans/hobby", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Supabase Free plan", "detail": "2 active projects (paused projects are not capped); 500 MB database per project; 5 GB egress plus 5 GB cached egress; $0/month.", "eligibility": "Any user. The page names no student or startup condition.", "claim": "Sign up at supabase.com and create a project on the Free plan. The fetched summary describes no separate claim step.", "expiry": "No end date stated. The page says 'Pricing may change in the future.'", "gotchas": "Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity; paid-plan projects are exempt.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "MongoDB Atlas free shared cluster (M0)", "detail": "0.5 GB total storage (fixed, does not auto-scale); 100 operations per second (excess throttled); 500 connections; 10 GB in and 10 GB out per rolling seven days (excess throttled); 100 databases and 500 collections; one Free cluster per project; 32 MB in-memory sort limit; 50 stages per aggregation pipeline.", "eligibility": "Any Atlas account holder. The page names no student or startup condition.", "claim": "Create an Atlas account and deploy a Free (M0) cluster. The docs page describes no separate claim step.", "expiry": "The page does not say whether the tier is permanent. Idle clusters are paused after 30 days with zero connections and may be deactivated under the Terms of Service.", "gotchas": "Unsupported: server-side JavaScript (the $where operator and map-reduce), private endpoints, network peering, Performance Advisor, log downloads. Authentication is limited to SCRAM-SHA1, X.509 and AWS IAM. The GitHub Student Developer Pack adds $50 in Atlas credits.", "source_url": "https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/reference/free-shared-limitations/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Render Free tier (web services and Postgres)", "detail": "Free web services: 750 free instance hours per workspace per calendar month; spin down after 15 minutes without inbound traffic; about one minute to spin back up. Free Postgres: one active database per workspace, 1 GB fixed storage, no backups, no hosted connection pooling.", "eligibility": "Any Render workspace. The docs name no student or startup condition.", "claim": "Choose the Free instance type when creating a web service or Postgres database. The docs describe no separate sign-up step.", "expiry": "Free Postgres expires 30 days after creation; after a 14-day grace period the database and its data are deleted unless upgraded. Free web services have no stated end date.", "gotchas": "Filesystem changes are lost on redeploy, restart or spin-down; no persistent disks; free services are suspended when the monthly hours run out; Render may restart free services at any time; the docs say not to use free services for production.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Sentry Developer plan", "detail": "Free plan with 5,000 errors; 5 million spans; 50 session replays; 5 GB logs; 5 GB app metrics; 1 GB attachments; 100 size-analysis builds; 1 uptime monitor; 1 cron monitor; 20 metric monitors; 1 user; unlimited projects; 10 custom dashboards; 30-day lookback.", "eligibility": "Any user. The plan covers one user.", "claim": "Start on the Developer plan from sentry.io/pricing. The page describes no separate claim step.", "expiry": "None. The page says 'Start free on the Developer plan forever.'", "gotchas": "Email-only alerts; no API or third-party integrations; no SAML, SCIM, BAA or Relay; no spend cap. The GitHub pack lists a separate Sentry partner offer with a 1-year limit that can be renewed; that offer was not checked on Sentry's own site.", "source_url": "https://sentry.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Firebase Spark (no-cost) plan", "detail": "Firestore: 1 GiB stored; 10 GiB/month egress; 50,000 reads/day; 20,000 writes/day; 20,000 deletes/day. Realtime Database: 100 connections; 1 GB stored; 10 GB/month downloaded; one database per project. Authentication: 50,000 MAUs for non-phone services and 50 MAUs for SAML/OIDC. Hosting: 10 GB storage and 360 MB/day transfer. Quotas apply per project.", "eligibility": "Any user. No payment method is needed.", "claim": "Create a Firebase project on the Spark plan. No payment method is needed, per the page.", "expiry": "No end date is given for Spark. SQL Connect's Spark allowances apply only during a 3-month trial.", "gotchas": "Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions and App Hosting are marked 'Not applicable' on Spark; their free allowances sit under the Blaze plan. Phone authentication has no Spark allowance.", "source_url": "https://firebase.google.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Neon Free plan", "detail": "100 CU-hours per project; autoscaling capped at 2 CU (8 GB RAM); 1 GB database storage per project and 20 GB across the account; 5 GB object storage per project; up to 100 projects with up to 10 branches each.", "eligibility": "Any user. The page names the audience as prototypes, side projects and small teams, and states no commercial-use restriction.", "claim": "Sign up at neon.com and create a project on the Free plan. The page says no credit card is needed.", "expiry": "None. The page calls the plan 'permanent (not a trial)'. When the 100 CU-hours are used up, compute pauses until the next billing cycle.", "gotchas": "Idle compute pauses after 5 minutes and cannot be turned off on the Free plan.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Scope: free-for.dev is a curated directory of as-a-Service offers, not a student or startup program, so it cannot itself be claimed. Its rules, as shown on the GitHub README (ripienaar/free-for-dev, about 139.9k stars): hosted services only; a free tier, not just a trial; time-bucketed free tiers must last at least a year; TLS restricted to paid tiers is rejected; entries are delisted when a free option is discontinued. The free-for.dev site itself returned only 'Loading...' to WebFetch, so the GitHub README was read instead. Cross-check: the 'Education and Career Development' section (21 entries, read from README characters 100,000 to 200,000) lists learning resources such as edX, freeCodeCamp, Khan Academy and Exercism, not student-perk bundles, so GitHub Student Developer Pack, Azure for Students, JetBrains and Heroku's student credit are absent from it. The 'Major Cloud Providers' Always-Free Limits' section lists Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud, Cloudflare and Zoho; IBM Cloud and Zoho were not checked. The table of contents has no startup-credit section; AWS Activate, Google for Startups and Microsoft for Startups were not checked. Changes and closures: Heroku's current pricing page lists no free dyno (cheapest Eco at $5/month); its free-dyno docs page returned HTTP 401, so the discontinuation date is unverified. AWS's current Free Tier is credit-based with a 6-month Free plan (change date unverified). Google may change or remove Free Tier limits on 30 days' notice. Render's free Postgres expires after 30 days. Vercel Hobby is non-commercial only. Excluded for lack of verification: JetBrains (three attempts returned only the page title and navigation), Netlify (its free plan shows a 300-credit cap, does not define credits, and states no explicit commercial restriction), IBM Cloud and Zoho. The Oracle A1 figure should be re-checked on the live page. Search: the session's shared WebSearch budget was already exhausted when this agent's one search returned a budget message, so no 2025-2026 news, changelog or press search was run. Status rests on official pages fetched through WebFetch on 2026-10-22. WebFetch returns model-written summaries, so exact figures should be re-checked on the live pages before publication." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 10, "medium": 5, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Azure for Students", "link": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "freellmcredits com", "name": "freellmcredits.com", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "freellmcredits.com directory status", "detail": "The site is a curated directory of genuine no-cost/discounted LLM and AI API offers, 'primary sources only; never a guessed figure,' unaffiliated with providers, affiliate links disclosed when used. Machine-readable dataset at https://freellmcredits.com/api/offers.json and /api/offers.csv (schema v2, JSON envelope + CSV), 25 published unexpired offers as of its 21 Oct 2026 last update; ended offers are tagged then hidden. Publicly logged a Sept 2026 correction to its Cerebras entry (card now required; the 1M tokens/day figure is a trial rate limit, not an ongoing quota). Every offer page carries a last-verified date (21 Oct 2026 on all pages checked this pass). Confirmed useful as a dated cross-check for the LLM & AI APIs front; it is a secondary source — verify against the official URLs it links before publishing figures.", "eligibility": "N/A (directory, not an offer)", "claim": "Read-only: fetch pages or /api/offers.json for dated listings.", "expiry": "Continuously maintained; per-offer last-verified dates shown.", "gotchas": "A few directory figures are unconfirmed on primary pages (noted per-finding below, e.g. Google Start-tier $2,000). Groq free-plan numbers are labeled Developer-plan base limits in official docs.", "source_url": "https://freellmcredits.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google AI Pro student offer (12 months free)", "detail": "1 year of Google AI Pro (consumer Gemini subscription, NOT API credits) free. Directory lists SheerID verification; the offer page states eligibility is re-verified each year. Redemption window: until December 31, 2026. Also available to new users and to students whose 2025 AI Pro trial expired.", "eligibility": "U.S. college students, 18+, verified academic status; annual re-verification.", "claim": "Sign up at https://gemini.google/us/students/ ; a valid payment method is required at sign-up.", "expiry": "Redeem by 31 Dec 2026; 12-month free term, then auto-billed at $19.99/month unless cancelled.", "gotchas": "Card required despite 'free'; automatic paid conversion; US-only.", "source_url": "https://gemini.google/us/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students", "detail": "$100 Azure credit, no credit card required, plus no-cost access to 25+ Azure services (listed via the GitHub Student Developer Pack as well).", "eligibility": "Full-time students 18+ at accredited two- or four-year institutions; verified with a school email address.", "claim": "Register at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0170p/ ; no card needed.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from registration; unused credits do not roll over.", "gotchas": "Needs institutional email; 12-month hard expiry.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0170p/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — includes GitHub Copilot Student", "detail": "Free pack for verified students. Copilot Student: unlimited code completions, limited chat/agent usage (auto model selection only), plus an unspecified 'GitHub AI Credits' allowance. Pack also bundles: Microsoft 365 with Copilot + 1TB storage, Notion Education, Camber agentic-AI plan (40 CPU + 5 GPU hours, 50 agent messages/month), $100 Azure credit, Visual Studio Dev Essentials ($200 first-month Azure credit + 1 year no-cost services), Heroku $13/month for 24 months, MongoDB Atlas $50.", "eligibility": "Verified students (Copilot Student and pack; Camber requires current enrollment).", "claim": "Claim the free pack at https://education.github.com/pack after student verification.", "expiry": "Tied to student status; no stated deadline. Pack contents can vary by region.", "gotchas": "AI credits amount not published; chat/agent use is capped and model-locked to auto selection; benefits differ by region.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program", "detail": "Bootstrapped tier ('Build your prototype'): free Gemini API access through Google AI Studio, no dollar figure stated. Grow & Scale tier: up to $350,000 over two years for AI-first startups (footnote: up to $250K year one + up to $100K year two) and up to $200,000 for non-AI; pre-seed to Series A, founded within 3–5 years. The directory's GCP page also lists a 'Start tier up to $2,000 credit, 12-month expiry' — that figure is NOT confirmed on the program page fetched this pass.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups: bootstrapped/self-funded concepts (prototype tier); pre-seed to Series A, founded in the last 3–5 years (Grow & Scale).", "claim": "Apply at https://startup.google.com/cloud/ ; approval-dependent.", "expiry": "Grow & Scale: up to two years; no deadline stated on the page. Directory lists 12 months for the Start tier (unconfirmed).", "gotchas": "Approval-dependent; 'up to' amounts; directory-only Start-tier figures should not be published without re-confirmation.", "source_url": "https://startup.google.com/cloud/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups (Azure credits)", "detail": "$200 starter Azure credits without an investor referral code (immediate, after account creation); $1,000 starter credits with a 10-character investor/accelerator/VC referral code; up to $150,000 in expanded credits after program approval (review typically within 3 business days). Azure Sponsorship subscription auto-converts to pay-as-you-go when credits are exhausted or expire.", "eligibility": "Independent B2B startups, pre-seed through Series B, headquartered in a region where the program operates; personal consumer Microsoft account (work/school email not accepted).", "claim": "Apply at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups ('Get started now'); card required for account setup; ask a Microsoft-network investor/accelerator for a referral code for the higher path.", "expiry": "Credit validity not stated in the fetched docs; the directory lists 90 or 180 days for credits — confirm at claim time.", "gotchas": "Card required; converts to pay-as-you-go; starter credits are available before approval, expanded credits require it; business name/address must match legal documents.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate startup credits (covers Claude on Bedrock)", "detail": "Founders tier (self-serve, self-funded): starts at $1,000, up to $5,000. Portfolio tier (pre-Series B, via VC/angel/accelerator): up to $200,000. Invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups': $200,000+ for scaling AI companies. Credits usable on AWS infrastructure, data, and AI/ML services, including Bedrock (i.e., Claude models on Bedrock). Separately, new AWS accounts get up to $200 in Free Tier credits usable on Bedrock.", "eligibility": "Founded within the past 10 years, pre-Series B, on a paid AWS plan, first-time applicant or seeking more than a prior award; Portfolio requires an Activate Provider Org ID.", "claim": "Self-serve at https://aws.amazon.com/activate/ ; Portfolio via a participating VC/angel/accelerator.", "expiry": "Not stated on the primary page; directory notes 'typically 1–2 years'; Free Tier is 6 or 12 months (directory flags the AWS FAQ wording as inconsistent).", "gotchas": "Card + paid plan required; Portfolio requires a provider referral; free-tier Bedrock credit coverage of specific Claude models was flagged as unconfirmed by the directory.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Claude Startups — partner-VC route (Anthropic)", "detail": "Startups backed by a partner-network VC may get up to $100,000 in additional first-party Claude API credits, claimed via that VC; separate third-party 'Stack perks' worth up to $45,000 (claimed with codes from Claude Console). Credits apply only to Anthropic's own API via Claude Console — NOT Bedrock, Vertex AI, or Azure. General Claude Startups cohort: no new applications (cohort full); the earlier $1,000 credit deal per the directory can no longer be applied for; existing members keep access by logging in.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups developing on Claude; the $100K route requires a partner-network VC backer.", "claim": "Route eligibility and conditions through the VC; members use Claude Console.", "expiry": "No public validity period stated.", "gotchas": "'Up to' amounts — not a guaranteed grant; general cohort closed; Console-only, not a Bedrock/Vertex credit; partner list not public.", "source_url": "https://claude.com/programs/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gemini API free tier (Google AI Studio)", "detail": "Ongoing free tier: most listed models free, including Gemini 3.8 Flash, 3.6 Flash, 2.5 Pro and Gemma 4 (plus Live, TTS, and embedding entries); 'generous limits' (no per-model RPM/RPD figures published on the pricing page). 'Google AI Studio usage is free of charge in all available regions.'", "eligibility": "Anyone 18+ with a Google account in a supported region; no credit card.", "claim": "Create an API key in Google AI Studio / at https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing .", "expiry": "Ongoing, no deadline; free-tier limits can change.", "gotchas": "Free-tier content may be used by Google to improve its products ('Content used to improve our products'); some models are paid-only (e.g., image/Nano Banana models, Lyria, Gemini 4 Argon per the page); model caps rotate.", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cohere free trial API keys", "detail": "No-cost evaluation API keys issued at sign-up, capped at 1,000 API calls per month in one shared pool across Command/Embed/Rerank models. Per-endpoint rate limits: chat 20 req/min, rerank 10 req/min, embed 2,000 inputs/min, parse/other 500 req/min.", "eligibility": "Anyone who creates a free Cohere dashboard account; evaluation use (paid keys for production).", "claim": "Create a dashboard account; trial keys issued at https://dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys .", "expiry": "Monthly reset (date/timezone unstated); no sign-up deadline.", "gotchas": "Monthly pool is shared across models; not intended for live production; card requirement not stated; terms can change.", "source_url": "https://docs.cohere.com/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare Workers AI free daily allocation", "detail": "10,000 Neurons per day at no charge, included in both Free and Paid Workers plans; all limits reset daily at 00:00 UTC. 'No credit card required' to start. Neurons are compute units, not tokens.", "eligibility": "Any Cloudflare account (free plan holders).", "claim": "Sign up at https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers-ai/ ; use the included allocation via the Workers AI API — no separate claim step.", "expiry": "Recurs daily; no stated deadline.", "gotchas": "Eight models require a paid billing method even with Neurons left (Kimi K2.6, Kimi K2.7-code, GLM-5.2, GLM-5.3, GLM-5.3-flash, DeepSeek V4 Flash, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, DeepSeek V4 Pro — via Workers Paid or prepaid AI Gateway credits); overage on Workers Paid is $0.011 per 1,000 Neurons.", "source_url": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers-ai/platform/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OpenRouter free ':free' models", "detail": "No-cost ':free' model variants (25+ free models listed) with a daily limit of 50 requests/day (capped at 20 requests/minute) when the account has never purchased credits; 1,000 requests/day after a one-time top-up of at least $10 of credits.", "eligibility": "Any OpenRouter account; no card or payment method needed for the free tier.", "claim": "Sign up at openrouter.ai, create an API key, and call any model ID ending in ':free'.", "expiry": "No stated deadline; daily quota (reset hour/timezone unspecified).", "gotchas": "Failed/errored requests still consume the daily quota; a negative balance locks out free models; the free model roster rotates and a model may stop being free; the $10 is a one-time requirement.", "source_url": "https://openrouter.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cerebras Cloud $5 trial credit (card required)", "detail": "$5 trial credit on newly created Cerebras Cloud accounts, spendable on any public model (gpt-oss-120b and qwen-3.8-27b documented at verification). Trial rate limits: 5 req/min, 30,000 uncached tokens/min, 90,000 total tokens/min, 1M tokens/hour, 1M tokens/day. 'Cerebras doesn't currently offer a no-cost tier that renews automatically or a per-model always-free allowance.'", "eligibility": "New Cerebras Cloud accounts with a verified payment method (Playground and API stay disabled without one).", "claim": "Sign up at https://cloud.cerebras.ai/ and attach a verified payment method; credits arrive after verification.", "expiry": "Credits expire 30 days from grant; then paid credits are required to continue on Shared Inference (you are not auto-billed).", "gotchas": "Card required — NOT a no-card offer. The directory publicly corrected this listing in September 2026 (earlier shown as card-free with up to 1M tokens/day per model; that figure is a trial rate limit, not a quota).", "source_url": "https://inference-docs.cerebras.ai/support/rate-limits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GroqCloud Free plan", "detail": "Free $0 plan on GroqCloud with no fixed credit value; directory lists openai/gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b (and qwen3.8-27b) at 30 req/min, 1,000 req/day, 8K tokens/min, 200K tokens/day, per model; account Limits page shows organization-specific quotas. Upgrade to the Developer tier requires a valid payment method.", "eligibility": "Anyone who registers a GroqCloud account; provider usage conditions apply.", "claim": "Register at https://console.groq.com/ , generate a key at console.groq.com/keys, call the OpenAI-compatible API.", "expiry": "No stated end date; daily quota (reset time/timezone unspecified).", "gotchas": "The official rate-limits docs table is labeled 'base limits for the Developer plan,' so the free-plan figures above are directory-sourced and should be reconfirmed; the free model lineup changed twice in 2026 — Llama chat models dropped off the free list by September, and groq/compound and compound-mini were retired on 21 Sep 2026; groq.com/pricing does not publish the free tier.", "source_url": "https://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud $300 free trial (not for the standalone Gemini API)", "detail": "$300 Welcome credit valid 90 days from signup, usable on Google Cloud products including Google's Gemini models in Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI); explicitly NOT usable for Gemini API costs in AI Studio (the standalone API), and excludes third-party generative models sold as managed APIs.", "eligibility": "First-time customers who have never paid for Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase and never claimed the trial.", "claim": "Enroll at the Google Cloud free-trial page; a credit card or other payment method is required and stays valid throughout the trial (temporary authorization hold only; bank check may be required in some countries).", "expiry": "90 days from signup.", "gotchas": "Most common confusion: $300 does NOT cover AI Studio / standalone Gemini API usage; card required; one trial per person ever.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Programs closed or changed in 2025–2026 (per the directory's dated listings, cross-checked against primary pages on 2026-10-22): (1) Hugging Face Inference Providers: free accounts' recurring monthly inference allowance ENDED 7 Oct 2026 — free users now get $0 and must purchase credits or upgrade to PRO ($9/mo, which includes $2.00/month general-purpose compute credits; Team/Enterprise get $2.00/seat). Confirmed on the official pricing page ('Free Users: None'). (2) Mistral: the free API 'Free mode' allowance (roughly $10/month API credit through Sept 2026) was removed from the pricing page on 10 Oct 2026; the current page shows only a consumer 'Free plan' with 'limited access to Vibe' and paid tiers with $15/$25.50 monthly API credits — treat free API access as likely discontinued (medium confidence; no explicit 'free API' statement either way). Mistral's student offer is a discount (verified students $5.99/mo Pro, max 12 months), not a free tier. (3) Cerebras: September 2026 correction logged by the directory — trial now requires a verified payment method; the 'up to 1M tokens/day' figure is a trial rate limit, and Cerebras has no ongoing free tier. (4) Claude Startups (Anthropic): general cohort is closed/full; the earlier $1,000 credit deal is no longer available; the live route is the partner-VC path (up to $100K first-party API credits). (5) Groq: groq/compound and compound-mini models retired 21 Sep 2026; Llama chat models dropped off the free list by Sep 2026. (6) OpenAI: its pricing page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetching, so its trial-credit status was NOT re-verified in this pass — flag as unverified rather than assume. Process notes: WebSearch was unavailable for this pass (session budget exhausted), so all verification was done via direct WebFetch of the directory pages and the official provider sources; some directory pages hit a client-side output-token limit, worked around with constrained fetch prompts. The directory itself states 25 published unexpired offers in its 21 Oct 2026 dataset and is the right cross-check source for this front, but per its own methodology it is a secondary source — publish figures only against the linked official URLs." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 13, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "freellmcredits.com directory status", "link": "https://freellmcredits.com/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "gemini api free tier", "name": "Gemini API Free Tier", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ai.google.dev/" ], "offers": [ "Free tier of Gemini models (rate-limited) in Google AI Studio + Vertex AI free quotas; separate $300 GCP trial" ], "notes": [ "Free tier stable since 2024; model lineup and rate limits change quarterly — verify current free-model list" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Gemini API Free tier (Google AI Studio): free-of-charge models", "detail": "Free input and output tokens, Google AI Studio access, and 'limited access to certain models' (official pricing page, fetched 2026-10-22). Models marked 'Free of charge' on the Free Tier column include Gemini 3.8 Flash (confirmed in raw text), Gemini 2.5 Pro, 2.5 Flash, 2.5 Flash-Lite, 3 Flash Preview, 3.1 Flash-Lite and other Flash, Live, TTS, transcription, Embedding 2 and Gemma 4 entries (a third-party count says 23 of 35 pricing-page entries are free). Not free: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Gemini 4 Argon, Omni Flash, image models including 2.5 Flash Image, Veo 3.1, Lyria, 2.5 Pro Preview TTS, and grounding on Gemini 3+ models. Free-tier data: 'Used to improve our products' = Yes (paid tier = No). Numeric free-tier limits are NOT published in Google's docs: the rate-limits page says limits apply per project (not per API key), reset at midnight Pacific, are 'not guaranteed', and are shown per project in AI Studio (sign-in required). Third-party figures conflict (2.5 Pro 5 RPM / 100 RPD in several 2026 guides vs 50 RPD in a May 2026 guide; Flash-Lite 15 RPM / 1,000 RPD vs 30 RPM / 1,500 RPD). Treat numeric limits as unverified.", "eligibility": "Any Google account to sign in to AI Studio. Official rate-limits table lists Free qualification as 'Active project or free trial'. No billing account or credit card is listed as required for Free tier; Tier 1 is the first tier that requires linking an active billing account. No .edu requirement, no startup age or funding cap. No country restriction appears on the captured pages (an older cached variant of the rate-limits page said 'Users in eligible countries'; unverified).", "claim": "1) Open aistudio.google.com and sign in with a Google account. 2) Create an API key (AI Studio creates or uses a Google Cloud project). 3) Call a free-tier model such as gemini-2.5-flash or gemini-3.8-flash without linking billing. 4) Read the project's live RPM/TPM/RPD limits in AI Studio.", "expiry": "No end date published for the free tier. The model lineup changes with model lifecycle (see sunset_notes).", "gotchas": "Free-tier prompts and responses may be used to improve Google products; do not send private or regulated data. Spend-based limit is N/A on Free, but RPM/TPM/RPD overages return 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. The $300 Google Cloud trial credit cannot pay Gemini API in AI Studio costs (official trial doc). Official billing tiers: Tier 1 = link active billing, billing tier cap $250; Tier 2 = $100 paid + 3 days, cap $2,000; Tier 3 = $1,000 paid + 30 days, cap $20,000 to $100,000+. Spend-based limits per rolling 10 minutes: Tier 1 $10, Tier 2 $50, Tier 3 $200. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Gemini 4 Argon are paid-only.", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vertex AI express mode (now 'Agent Platform in express mode'): card-free 90-day free tier", "detail": "Free tier for new Google Cloud users for up to 90 days, within specified quotas, with no billing information required. Rate limits in express free tier: gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-flash-lite and gemini-2.5-flash-image each max 10 requests per minute; gemini-3-pro-image, gemini-3.1-flash-image, gemini-3.1-pro-preview and gemini-3-flash-preview are 'Dynamic' (no fixed number published). Only the listed models are supported; dedicated Live API models (for example gemini-3.8-live) are not. Free-tier data source: Google Drive only. Separate from, and not available through, the Google Cloud Free Program or the $300 trial.", "eligibility": "Developers with a @gmail.com Google Account. The 90-day free tier is for NEW Google Cloud users; existing Google Cloud users can sign up for express mode but use their existing billing account on the paid tier. No .edu requirement and no startup cap. Card-free in the free tier.", "claim": "In the Google Cloud console, open Express Mode, sign in with a @gmail.com account and accept the sign-up (APIs are enabled automatically and an API key is issued), then follow the Vertex AI Studio or API express-mode tutorial.", "expiry": "90 days from sign-up. The free tier is removed if you are an existing Google Cloud user or after you enable billing (then standard pay-as-you-go limits apply).", "gotchas": "Quotas are small (10 RPM on the 2.5 models; 3.x models have no published number). Product renamed: Vertex AI is now part of Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (official Vertex AI release notes); docs and console names changed. Enabling billing ends the 90-day free tier.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/start/express-mode/overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial: $300 Welcome credit for 90 days", "detail": "$300 Welcome credit valid for 90 days from sign-up, spendable on most Google Cloud products including AI APIs, with Free Tier monthly limits available during the trial. Not charged during the trial unless you upgrade. The credit cannot pay Gemini API in AI Studio costs (use the Gemini API free tier or prepay) or third-party partner (MaaS) generative AI models.", "eligibility": "Only if you have never been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform or Firebase and have not previously signed up for the Free Trial. A credit card or other payment method valid for the trial period is REQUIRED (not card-free); some countries also require bank-account verification; Google places an authorization hold typically released within a few days to a month. Country availability follows Google's supported-countries list (not fetched this run). No .edu requirement and no startup cap.", "claim": "Go to cloud.google.com/free and click 'Get started for free' (or console.cloud.google.com/freetrial). Sign up, add a payment method and complete verification; a Free Trial billing account preloaded with $300 is created. Upgrade later from the console Welcome page via 'Activate'.", "expiry": "90 days from sign-up or until the $300 is spent, whichever comes first. Then the trial billing account closes, with a 30-day grace period before unrecovered resources are permanently deleted. Upgrading ends the trial; leftover credit keeps its 90-day expiry.", "gotchas": "Not a card-free offer. Free Tier products require a billing account. The $300 trial does not disqualify you from the Start startup tier (that tier excludes only credits received beyond the free trial, per official wording). Free Tier overage during a trial is paid from the $300 credit, capped at $300 total.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Tier (Always Free monthly limits, 20+ products)", "detail": "Free usage of select Google Cloud products up to specified monthly limits. Official cloud.google.com/free page: 'free usage of 20+ popular products, including Compute Engine and AI APIs'. Per-product monthly quotas were not verified in this run; earlier third-party quota figures were not confirmed.", "eligibility": "A Google Cloud billing account is required to access the Free Tier (official docs). Paid billing accounts pay for any overage; Free Trial accounts draw overage from the $300 credit. No .edu requirement, no startup cap, no region limit captured.", "claim": "Create a billing account (through the Free Trial or a paid signup) and use the products within their monthly limits; monitor usage in the Billing console.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no expiry stated for Free Tier monthly limits.", "gotchas": "A billing account is needed even for free usage. Exceeding monthly limits on a paid account incurs charges. Exact limits differ by product, so read each product's free-tier page before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program: Start tier (up to $2,000)", "detail": "Up to $2,000 USD in Google Cloud credits, valid for one year. Google Workspace Business Plus free for 12 months for new signups (listed in the official comparison). Official Start-tier description: digital-native startups with a working MVP, a clear business model, and plans to seek venture funding soon.", "eligibility": "Founded within the last 24 months; not yet received Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial. The listed criteria do not require a funding round. No .edu requirement. A card requirement is not stated on the captured program page; region not captured. Applications are reviewed and approved against eligibility; approval is not guaranteed.", "claim": "Click 'Apply now' on cloud.google.com/startup/benefits (/startup/apply) and complete the application. The form itself was not captured; third-party guides say it asks for a company website, a company-domain email and billing account details.", "expiry": "Credits valid for one year.", "gotchas": "Small pool. Credits received beyond the free trial make you ineligible. Scale later requires having received no more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program: Scale tier (up to $200,000, coverage-based)", "detail": "Up to $200,000 USD in Google Cloud credits, coverage-based (credit applies only to eligible usage): Year 1 = 100% of eligible usage up to $100,000; Year 2 = 20% of eligible usage up to an additional $100,000. Program credits cover Google's models including Gemini and Gemma. Also Google Workspace Business Plus free for 12 months (new signups) and '$600 monthly credits in Google Maps Platform' (official list; duration text truncated in capture). Official description: VC-funded startups ready to grow and scale.", "eligibility": "Funding: raised Pre-Seed or Seed within the last 5 years, or Series A within the last 12 months. Qualifying investment: equity from institutional investors and VCs; SAFEs are eligible; Web3 token raises and blockchain foundation grants are accepted. Private equity, government innovation grants, prize funding, crowdfunding, angel, and friends and family funding do NOT qualify for Scale (evaluated for other tiers). Company: founded within the last five years (official; several third-party sites say 10 years). Operating in stealth is supported upon verification of funding. Prior credits: not more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits received. No .edu requirement; a card requirement is not stated on the captured page.", "claim": "Apply from the official benefits page (/startup/apply) with funding round details (investor, round, date). Google reviews eligibility and approves at its discretion. Partner and accelerator routes are third-party guidance and unverified.", "expiry": "Two-year coverage structure (Year 1 and Year 2 as above); no renewal stated.", "gotchas": "Coverage-based, not a lump sum: you are not paid out for unused coverage, and Year 2 drops to 20% coverage. Third-party sources (Rho, Questd, getcloudcredits) give founding-age and tier amounts that differ from the official page; the official page is used here. Angel and friends-and-family money does not count for Scale.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program: AI-first track (up to $350,000)", "detail": "Up to $350,000 USD in Google Cloud credits for AI startups: Year 1 = 100% of eligible usage up to $250,000; Year 2 = 20% of eligible usage up to an additional $100,000. Also dedicated AI training, resources and experts, and AI webinars and content (official benefits page).", "eligibility": "Same funding and company rules as Scale. The official captured text does not define 'AI startup'; third-party guides say the startup must use or plan to use Vertex AI or Gemini as a foundation of its product (unverified). Startup age and funding cap as for Scale.", "claim": "Apply through the same Google for Startups Cloud Program application (/startup/apply); the AI-first tier is a higher tier within the same program and Google assigns it on review.", "expiry": "Two-year coverage structure as for Scale.", "gotchas": "Credits apply only to eligible usage. Overclaiming AI-first may land you in a lower tier (third-party guidance, unverified).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education (students): 200 free Google Skills credits", "detail": "200 free Google Skills credits for free online labs, skill badges and courses; credits expire one year after issue. Also free Google Skills Arcade labs, a no-cost preview of Google Cloud Certificates on YouTube, and Developer Student Club chapters. These are learning and lab credits, not Google Cloud billing credits.", "eligibility": "Students ('students can request access'). The captured page does not state a .edu email requirement or a student-verification method, nor any startup cap or card requirement. Region not captured.", "claim": "Open cloud.google.com/edu/students, click 'Request credits' (Google Skills), and sign up for the learning-program emails if desired; Developer Student Club chapters are listed on the page.", "expiry": "Each credit expires one year after it is issued.", "gotchas": "These are training credits for labs and courses, not billing credits for production cloud spend. Do not confuse them with the $300 Free Trial.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Teaching credits: faculty-only course credits", "detail": "Google Cloud credits for courses, redeemable from approval until 16 weeks after the course start date and usable for up to 1 year after course start. Up to 3 courses per application. The official form does not state a per-course amount on the captured page (an older Google support article uses a $50 worked example, which is not a grant amount). Credits are for student hands-on learning; not for commercial or personal use and not for course infrastructure; crypto mining prohibited (older support article).", "eligibility": "Faculty only: students cannot apply directly but can ask faculty to apply. Available only in the countries listed on the official form (includes the United States and the United Kingdom among others). Older support article: US regionally accredited institutions plus degree-awarding institutions in eligible countries; for-profit institutions not supported. Expected course start date must be within 1 year of the application date. No .edu email rule stated; faculty status at an institution is required.", "claim": "Faculty submit the application at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching: personal and institution details, course name, expected start date, course abstract, and how credits will be used. Up to 3 courses. Only the most recent submission is reviewed.", "expiry": "Redeem within 16 weeks after course start; credits valid for up to 1 year after course start.", "gotchas": "Students cannot apply directly. Approval is discretionary (older support article says Google may change criteria at any time). Credits may not be used for commercial or personal use.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud research credits (Academic Research Grants): up to $5,000", "detail": "Up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits for research (official Cloud for Education listing: 'Apply for up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits'). Credits provide computing power for research; they have no commercial value and may not be used for commercial purposes.", "eligibility": "Faculty, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at accredited higher-education institutions, and eligible nonprofit research institutions, in approved countries (list not captured). Application requires a link to your profile in the institution's faculty or researcher directory and a link showing candidacy status. No startup cap; no .edu email rule stated (an institutional directory link is used instead).", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research with personal information, department, the directory link and candidacy-status link. Only the most recent submission is reviewed.", "expiry": "Term and expiry were not captured on the page.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial use only. The approved-country list was not captured, so check it before applying.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gemini Academic Program: Gemini API credits and higher rate limits for researchers", "detail": "Qualified academic researchers can apply to receive Gemini API credits and higher rate limits for research projects. Named priority areas include evaluations and benchmarks, scientific discovery (for example rare diseases, materials science, sustainability), and embodiment and interactions. The credit amount is not stated on the captured page.", "eligibility": "Qualified academic researchers (faculty, staff and PhD students) in supported countries (list not captured). A research project is required. No startup cap and no .edu-only rule captured.", "claim": "Open the 'Gemini Academic Program' section at ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/gemini-for-research and follow its application link (the link itself was not captured in this run).", "expiry": "Not stated on the captured page.", "gotchas": "Amount is unpublished, and approval is not guaranteed. Aimed at research projects, not general student or coursework use.", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/gemini-for-research#gemini-academic-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google AI Pro free for 12 months: eligible US college students (consumer plan, not API credit)", "detail": "One year of Google AI Pro free (valued at $19.99/month): 4x higher usage limits in Gemini, Gemini Spark, Gemini in Gmail and Google Docs, 5 TB storage, Google Health Premium and more (official Google blog, Aug 19, 2026). Footnote: 'Eligible students in the U.S. only. Offer Terms apply. Redeem until December 31, 2026. Valid form of payment required at sign-up. Unless cancelled earlier, Google AI Pro will automatically charge $19.99/month after the trial ends. Cancel anytime.' This is a consumer subscription and adds no Gemini API quota.", "eligibility": "Eligible college students in the United States. Official student-hub text (search snippet, not fully fetched): ages 18+; new users and students whose 2025 AI Pro trial has expired can qualify; eligibility must be verified (method not captured). A .edu address requirement is not stated in the 2026 captured text (the 2025 student offer required a .edu address per The Verge, April 2025). No startup cap.", "claim": "Open gemini.google/students (student hub) and claim 'one year of Google AI Pro'; enter a valid payment method at sign-up and complete student verification when prompted.", "expiry": "Free for 12 months; redeem by December 31, 2026; then auto-charged $19.99/month unless cancelled. Cancel anytime.", "gotchas": "A payment method IS required even though the year is free, and it auto-renews at $19.99/month after the year. A Romania-locale capture of gemini.google/students showed a different offer (Google AI Plus, 26.99 RON/month after trial), so offers vary by market.", "source_url": "https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/student-offer-google-ai/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google AI Plus free for 12 months: eligible students outside the US (consumer plan)", "detail": "One year of Google AI Plus free: 2x higher usage limits in Gemini, 400 GB storage, Gemini Omni access (official blog, Aug 19, 2026). Footnote: offered to 'eligible students in over 140 markets where Google AI Plus is available, except for in the U.S., Bolivia, Albania, Canada, Macau, Hong Kong, and Tunisia'. Consumer subscription; not API credits.", "eligibility": "Eligible college students outside the U.S. in the listed markets (age and .edu requirement not captured). No startup cap.", "claim": "Claim via gemini.google/students; a valid payment method is required at sign-up.", "expiry": "Free for 12 months; redeem-by date is in December 2026 (exact day cut off in capture; the Romania-locale page says 31 Dec 2026). After the trial, $4.99/month or the local-currency equivalent is charged automatically unless cancelled.", "gotchas": "Market exclusions as listed. Local-currency pricing varies (Romania locale capture: 26.99 RON/month). Payment method required.", "source_url": "https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/student-offer-google-ai/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gemini for Education: free for accredited institutions (institution-level)", "detail": "Institutions can get Gemini for Education and NotebookLM free of charge by signing up for Google for Education, even if they use another productivity suite; gives default access to premium models, enterprise data protection and admin-managed access, included in Workspace for Education editions at no charge (official page). Google blog (Sep 8, 2025, search snippet): all accredited higher-education institutions can access Gemini for Education with data protections free of charge; more than 1,000 US institutions had integrated it, reaching over 10 million students.", "eligibility": "Accredited higher-education institutions (institution-level, admin-managed). Individual students do not sign up on their own through this route, per the captured text. No .edu email rule stated; an institutional account is required.", "claim": "An institution admin requests an advisory session or signs up for Google for Education (edu.google.com), then turns on Gemini for Education in the Admin console.", "expiry": "Not stated. The official page says higher limits than consumer tiers are coming ('soon with significantly higher limits'), which implies paid tiers for heavier use.", "gotchas": "Institution-managed rather than individual. Higher limits will be a paid option. Official page says data is not used to train AI models.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_us/gemini-built-for-education-higher-ed/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google AI for Education Accelerator: free AI training and Career Certificates (US college students)", "detail": "Free AI training and Google Career Certificates for every college student in America, part of Google's AI education commitment; over 100 colleges and universities had signed up at announcement (Google blog, Aug 6, 2025, search snippet and partial fetch).", "eligibility": "US college students, through participating institutions.", "claim": "Access through a participating institution or through Google Career Certificates; details at the blog link (full page not fetched in this run).", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Training and certificates, not cloud or API credits. Availability depends on institution participation.", "source_url": "https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/gemini/google-ai-pro-students-learning/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "(1) Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (gemini-2.5-flash-image) is deprecated and shuts down October 2, 2026 per the official pricing page; migrate to Gemini 3.1 Flash Image or 3.1 Flash Lite Image. It was not on the free tier. (2) Third-party guides (apiyi, findskill, April and May 2026) say that from April 1, 2026 Pro models were removed from the free tier, mandatory spending caps applied, and prepaid billing applied to new accounts; and that free-tier quotas were cut 50 to 80 percent in December 2025. The official pricing page captured 2026-10-22 still lists Gemini 2.5 Pro as Free of charge and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview as not available on free, so the Pro-removal claim is only partly consistent with official data. The spend-cap idea matches the official rate-limit table's billing tier caps, but those caps are for paid tiers. (3) Vertex AI was folded into Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (official Vertex AI release notes); express-mode docs now use 'Agent Platform' naming. (4) The 2025 US student offer (Google AI Premium / AI Pro, .edu address required per The Verge, April 2025; sign-up deadline extended to October 6, 2025 per the August 6, 2025 Google blog) has expired. The 2026 US offer redeems until December 31, 2026. (5) Startup tier terms differ across third-party sites (Scale founding age 10 years vs official five years; AI-first Year 1 amounts). The official cloud.google.com/startup/benefits page was used throughout. (6) Unverified: a search snippet attributed to a Google AI Developers Forum thread said the Gemini API would stop accepting unrestricted API keys from June 19, 2026. The fetched copy of that thread did not contain this text, so it is unconfirmed; restricting keys to the Gemini API is still advisable. (7) The $300 / 90-day Google Cloud trial and the Start tier $2,000 / 1-year credits match the official pages captured today; no 2025 or 2026 change to them was found. (8) No country list was captured for the Gemini API free tier; the teaching credits, research grants, Gemini Academic Program and Google AI Plus offers each carry their own country lists. (9) No free offer was found that is specifically labeled as a Gemini API startup credit; startup credits can be spent on Gemini through the Cloud program." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 12, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Gemini API Free tier (Google AI Studio): free-of-charge models", "link": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "ghost", "name": "Ghost", "fronts": [ "apis-data", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ghost.org/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Self-hosted Ghost is free (MIT) with no member limits; Ghost hosting has NO free plan — entry Starter is $18/mo billed yearly (1K members, unlimited emails) with a free trial", "Self-hosted Community Edition free (MIT), no member caps or revenue share; Ghost(Pro) hosted plans start at $18/mo with free trials" ], "notes": [ "Verified 2026-10 on ghost.org/pricing: four paid tiers only, no perpetual free hosting tier (note: Ghost previously offered a free personal tier — it is gone).", "Ghost(Pro): Starter $18, Publisher $29 (both 1,000 members), Business $199 (10,000 members); no payment fees, cancel anytime." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted Ghost — free open source (MIT)", "detail": "The Ghost CMS is MIT-licensed and fully free to self-host: no member limits, no post limits, no built-in plan gate. Ghost does not bundle hosting, so you run it on your own VPS/cloud/server and supply your own email delivery. This is the only truly perpetual, cost-free way to use Ghost.", "eligibility": "Anyone (students and startups alike) — no .edu email, no funding cap, no age limit, no stated region limits. You must provide and pay for your own hosting and optionally your own SMTP/email provider.", "claim": "Install Ghost on your own infrastructure: `npm install @tryghost/...` / clone the Ghost repo from GitHub and run it with Node.js on a server; no license fee, no signup, no credit card. No claim step required beyond deploying it.", "expiry": "None — MIT license is perpetual; no expiry and no renewal.", "gotchas": "The CMS is free but your infrastructure (server, bandwidth, domain) and email provider are not. 'Unlimited emails' only holds if you configure your own email provider within its own quotas. You own security, updates, backups, and uptime. This is a free CMS, not free hosting.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/(main;'TryGhostcompletelyfree');tasknotesself-hostedGhostisfree(MIT).", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Ghost(Pro) 14-day free trial", "detail": "Ghost's managed hosting (Ghost(Pro)) offers a 14-day free trial of the full product (confirmed on ghost.org: 'Try Ghost completely free for 14 days'). After the trial you must pick a paid plan — entry is Starter at $18/mo billed yearly (1,000 members, unlimited emails). There is NO permanent free tier; the four tiers are Starter $18, Publisher $29, Business $199, Custom.", "eligibility": "Anyone, students and startups included — no .edu requirement, no funding/age cap, no stated region limit. The trial is a general offer, not a student/startup-specific one.", "claim": "Use the 'Get Started — free' / 'Try for free' CTA on ghost.org, create a Ghost(Pro) site, and you get 14 days of full access; afterwards pay for a plan or move to self-hosted Ghost.", "expiry": "14-day trial, then the paid subscription begins (or migrate to self-hosting). No renewal of the free window.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a free plan — after 14 days a paid plan is required. 'No credit card required to start' is Ghost's standard trial policy but I could NOT confirm that specific statement on a page that loaded today (treat as unconfirmed/medium). Add-ons like custom SSL / custom subdirectory install cost $50/mo (Business); a free custom domain + 1-year free .link domain registration is referenced.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/('TryGhostcompletelyfreefor14days');https://ghost.org/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated Ghost startup program found (negative finding)", "detail": "No documented startup-specific free offer: no startup hosting credits, no funding cap, no startup age limit. The /startups/ URL resolves to a 'For Business' marketing page (brand journalism / content marketing) that contains no startup program.", "eligibility": "N/A — no program exists to qualify for.", "claim": "N/A — no offer to claim; no dedicated startup program found on official pages checked today.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Verification limit: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so a broad 2025–2026 search for any off-site/startup program Ghost may have run could not be performed. This is a negative finding based only on the official pages fetched today.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/startups/(rendersthe'ForBusiness'page;noprogramlisted)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No Ghost education license / student discount found (negative finding)", "detail": "No .edu-email requirement, no student or education discount, and no free educational license. The /education/ URL returns 404 (no dedicated education page).", "eligibility": "N/A — no education offer exists to qualify for.", "claim": "N/A — no education/student offer to claim on official pages checked today.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Same verification limit as the startup finding: WebSearch budget exhausted, so off-site 2025–2026 education-program announcements could not be independently checked. Negative finding based on official pages fetched today.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/education/(404NotFound)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Self-hosted Ghost open-source software (MIT, no license fee)", "detail": "Ghost core is MIT-licensed. The LICENSE on the TryGhost/Ghost repository reads 'Copyright (c) 2013-2026 Ghost Foundation' with standard MIT terms, so there is no license fee, no member cap and no revenue share. Ghost's hosting docs (docs.ghost.org/hosting.md) give the supported self-hosting stack as Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 LTS, Node.js 22 LTS, MySQL 8.0 or 8.4 and NGINX, with at least 1GB RAM. The install docs (docs.ghost.org/install.md) offer Ubuntu via the Ghost CLI, a local install on macOS, Windows or Linux, and Docker labelled 'preview'. Newsletters need a bulk email provider: the newsletter docs (docs.ghost.org/newsletters.md) say basic SMTP cannot deliver bulk mail and that Mailgun is the only supported provider, set with Mailgun API keys in the newsletter settings.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No student, startup, nonprofit or region rules found.", "claim": "Get the code from github.com/TryGhost/Ghost and install with the official docs (Ghost CLI on Ubuntu, or the Docker preview). For newsletters, create a Mailgun account and enter its API keys in Ghost Admin's email newsletter settings.", "expiry": "None; the MIT license has no term.", "gotchas": "Free license is not free hosting. Ghost's hosting docs list starting prices of $10/mo for a self-hosted base, plus separately paid CDN/WAF $20, newsletter delivery $15, analytics $10, full backups $5 and image editor $12 (docs figures, not checked against vendor pricing). You also run updates, SSL, backups and security; the docs stress keeping software up to date. Mailgun's pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22) shows a $0 plan with 100 emails/day and no expiry stated, and Basic from $15/mo for 10,000 emails/mo; Ghost's newsletter docs say 'free for up to 600 emails per month', which looks stale. Ghost(Pro) includes email delivery and unlimited email sends. A third-party guide mentions a $200 DigitalOcean credit for a one-click Ghost droplet; not verified, and not a Ghost offer.", "source_url": "https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost/blob/main/LICENSE", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Ghost(Pro) 14-day free trial (time-limited, not a free tier)", "detail": "All new Ghost(Pro) accounts start on a 14-day free trial (Ghost help center, 'Manage your Ghost(Pro) subscription'). You are not billed when it expires, but you must select a plan to keep using Ghost(Pro). 'Try for free' appears on Starter, Publisher and Business; Custom shows 'Get in touch' with no trial. There is no forever-free hosted plan. Official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22): Starter $18/mo, Publisher $29/mo, Business $199/mo, each shown as billed yearly; monthly prices were not captured. Starter includes 1 staff user, 1 newsletter, 1,000 members and 5MB uploads, with no paid subscriptions and no custom themes.", "eligibility": "All new Ghost(Pro) accounts. Credit card requirement NOT confirmed. The billing article says subscriptions use 'the card placed on file at the time of signup'. A March 2025 Ghost community reply (not Ghost staff) says Ghost requires a card for the trial, and a January 2018 comment on GitHub issue #6026 by a TryGhost maintainer said card details were required but the trial was free. Third-party 2026 reviews say no card is needed. Treat a card as likely required until the signup screen shows otherwise.", "claim": "Click 'Try for free' or 'Get Started - free' on ghost.org/pricing, which opens account.ghost.org/signup, then choose a plan. Before day 14, select a plan under Ghost Admin > Ghost(Pro) > Billing to keep the site online. Plan and billing-frequency changes take effect immediately, with unused time credited and the new charge prorated.", "expiry": "14 days from signup. No charge at expiry, but the site needs an active subscription to stay online (Ghost(Pro) help topic).", "gotchas": "Member cap: free accounts count toward members, and going over the plan's member limit temporarily disables publishing until you upgrade. Cards: Ghost's payment article says only Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted, and prepaid cards are declined. Paid memberships need Publisher or higher; Ghost takes 0% on Publisher and up, but payment processor fees still apply. Third-party reviews say Ghost gives no refunds (not verified on official pages). The help article is dated 2023-04-18 in search metadata; the page itself shows no date.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/help/manage-your-subscription/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "20% off all Ghost(Pro) plans on annual billing (the only discount Ghost offers)", "detail": "Ghost help center answer to 'Do you offer student, open source developer, or non-profit discounts?': 'We offer a 20% discount on all Ghost(Pro) plans if you subscribe annually.' The discount article names no student, open-source or nonprofit eligibility or verification, and says that as a non-profit Ghost cannot go 'beyond the annual discount'. This is an annual-billing discount, not a separate program. The footer 'Non-Profit Foundation' badge describes Ghost Foundation's status and is not a discount.", "eligibility": "Any Ghost(Pro) customer who chooses annual billing. No student, open-source or nonprofit verification described.", "claim": "Choose yearly billing on ghost.org/pricing or in Ghost Admin > Ghost(Pro) > Billing. Changing billing frequency takes effect immediately, with unused time credited and the new charge prorated.", "expiry": "None stated; applies while the plan is billed annually.", "gotchas": "The official page does not capture monthly prices, so the real saving cannot be checked there. Third-party sites quote different prices (for example Starter $15/mo annual against the official $18/mo billed yearly). Failed subscription renewals are retried over 28 days, then the account is suspended and the site goes offline (Ghost troubleshooting article). For any program not listed here, contact support@ghost.org, the support address in the Ghost help center.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/help/ghostpro-discounts/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student Beans '20% Student Discount' on Ghost (third-party listing, unverified)", "detail": "Student Beans (US) lists 'Ghost 20% Student Discount' with 'Verification required', 'This offer will be redeemed externally' and 'Full terms apply'. The captured page names no external provider, plan scope, expiry or redemption link. Ghost's own help center describes only the 20% annual discount for all customers and mentions no student verification. It is unclear whether this listing is that annual discount relabeled or a separate arrangement that Ghost's pages do not mention.", "eligibility": "Per Student Beans' generic FAQ: students over 16 in full-time education, including apprentices. Verification through an external provider; exact terms not shown.", "claim": "Register and verify student status with Student Beans, then follow its external redemption link (not captured on the page).", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Not confirmed by Ghost. Check with Ghost support before paying for an annual plan on the strength of this listing. The page title says Oct 2026; no last-updated date is shown.", "source_url": "https://www.studentbeans.com/student-discount/us/ghost", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Free first-year .link domain registration on Ghost(Pro) sites", "detail": "Pricing page: 'All Ghost(Pro) sites include a one-year free domain registration using the .link TLD. Domains registered through this promotion renew at standard rates after the first year.' Help article: '.link domains are free to register for the first year through a partnership with Entri and .link.' Every Ghost(Pro) site also gets a free ghost.io subdomain. The help article's standard purchase flow runs through GoDaddy.", "eligibility": "Ghost(Pro) sites on every listed plan (the pricing table marks 'Yes' for Starter, Publisher, Business and Custom). Not stated: new vs existing sites, trial eligibility, one domain per account, or card requirement.", "claim": "Buy a custom domain through Ghost Admin's domain purchase flow (help article 'How do I buy a domain on Ghost(Pro)?'). The help article does not say how the free year is applied at checkout.", "expiry": "First year only; standard renewal rates after that.", "gotchas": "The promotion is .link only, and its terms sit with Entri and .link, which were not reviewed. The renewal price after year one was not captured.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free Contributor seats on Ghost(Pro) (not counted toward plan staff limits)", "detail": "Pricing page: 'Contributors and Suspended users are always free, they won't count towards your plan limits.' Staff users are people who can log into Ghost Admin and publish (Author, Editor, Administrator and Owner roles). Staff limits: Starter 1, Publisher 3, Business 15, Custom unlimited.", "eligibility": "Any Ghost(Pro) site. Contributor and Suspended users are free seats.", "claim": "Assign the Contributor role to the user in Ghost Admin's staff settings (menu path not verified).", "expiry": "None stated.", "gotchas": "This is a seat-counting rule, not a discount. The permissions of the Contributor role beyond the pricing note were not verified.", "source_url": "https://ghost.org/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education license or startup program was sunset or materially changed at Ghost in 2025–2026 because none are documented on the official site: /education/ is a 404 and /startups/ (the 'For Business' page) lists no program, credits, funding cap, or age limit. There is no record of a Ghost education or startup program that existed and was later removed. The only free paths available today are (1) self-hosted Ghost under the MIT license — free forever, no member limits, no hosting included (you pay for your own infra), and (2) the 14-day Ghost(Pro) free trial, after which the entry plan is Starter at $18/mo billed yearly. Both are general offers, not gated to students or startups. Verification limits: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-research, so findings rest on fetching the official Ghost pages (ghost.org main, /pricing/, /startups/, /education/, docs redirects) rather than a broad 2025–2026 search; any off-site startup/education program announcement could not be independently confirmed, and the trial's 'no credit card required' point was not confirmed on a page that loaded today.", "No free hosted tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license was found for Ghost. The trial is time-based only. ghost.org/education/ and ghost.org/students/ return 404; ghost.org/startups/ shows no startup offer; the official discount article says the annual 20% is the only discount, including for non-profits. Member free trials and complimentary plans are tools publishers give their readers, not offers to Ghost customers. Changes and conflicts: (1) Starter no longer includes paid subscriptions. Third-party sites date this to a July 2025 pricing update; the official page confirms the current limit, and no Ghost changelog was checked. (2) Starter price conflict: the official page on 2026-10-22 shows $18/mo billed yearly, while several 2026 third-party sites show $15/mo annual and $18/mo monthly. This may be a 2026 change and is unresolved. (3) The official page lists Business at 1,000 members in its feature list and 10,000 in its comparison table. (4) Historical sunset: a no-card 14-day trial existed in October 2015 (GitHub issue #6026), and card details were required by January 2018 per the same thread. (5) Ghost's hosting and newsletter docs cite a $15/mo Ghost(Pro) base and a Mailgun free tier of 600 emails/month; both conflict with the current pricing page and Mailgun's pricing page. Research limits: two WebSearch calls succeeded, and a third was refused because the session's search budget was used up. The 2025-2026 change checks therefore rely on WebFetch of official pages plus those search snippets. Unverified: the trial card requirement, the .link promotion terms (Entri and .link), and the Student Beans terms." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 3, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted Ghost — free open source (MIT)", "link": "https://ghost.org/(main;'TryGhostcompletelyfree');tasknotesself-hostedGhostisfree(MIT).", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "gitea", "name": "Gitea", "fronts": [ "devtools", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://gitea.io/gitea/", "https://gitea.io/" ], "offers": [ "Open-source (MIT) self-hosted Git platform: unlimited free with your own VPS; try.gitea.io free hosted instances for evaluation", "Completely free self-hosted Git (MIT) with issues, PRs and CI — replaces paid GitLab/GitHub tiers" ], "notes": [ "No free tier cap since it's self-hosted - pairs cheaply with any $3-5 VPS (e.g. via cloud startup-credit programs).", "Expansion entry (not a seed). Gitea Cloud 'Forge' has a free tier; its exact current limits were not re-verified in this pass — confirm before publishing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted open-source Gitea (free tier)", "detail": "The core Gitea release is open source under the MIT license and is free to run: 'Full control, unlimited users and repositories.' Bundles code hosting, issue tracking, pull requests, project management, Gitea Actions (GitHub-Actions-compatible CI/CD), and a package registry. Free features listed on the pricing page: code hosting, issue tracking, PRs, project management, Gitea Actions, packages, rapid updates, active contributions, community support. No repo/user/storage cap is published — you are limited only by your own infrastructure. This is the primary free path for students and startups: replace paid GitLab/GitHub tiers at $0 license cost.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone: individuals, students, startups, and companies. No .edu email, startup-age or funding cap, and no credit card required. You must supply your own host (VPS/bare metal/K8s) and bear your own compute/data/egress costs.", "claim": "No application needed. Download the free binary or Docker image (gitea.com products page / github.com/gitea) and install on your own Linux/Windows server or VPS; configure a DB (SQLite/MySQL/PostgreSQL). Unlimited users/repos forever. Enterprise extras (SAML SSO, audit logs, K8s autoscaling runners, SLA support) are NOT in the OSS build.", "expiry": "None — perpetual MIT license, no sunset date.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: this is a genuinely free, permanent license (not a trial). Self-hosted = you pay your cloud provider for CPU/egress; Gitea's license is free but the box is not. No managed CI runners are provided — OSS Gitea Actions requires you to run your own runners. Enterprise-only features absent; support is community-only.", "source_url": "https://about.gitea.com/products/gitea", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "gitea.com — free first-party hosted Gitea instance", "detail": "Gitea operates gitea.com, a free public first-party Gitea instance: anyone can register a free account and host repositories on Gitea's own infrastructure at no charge. The sign-up form (gitea.com/user/sign_up) has only username/email/password plus OAuth (GitHub/GitLab/Google/OpenID) — no credit card or payment field. It is described as a 'free public first-party instance' hosting public repos (59 public repos on the Gitea org). No repo/storage cap is published on the page.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone (individuals, students, startups). No .edu requirement, no startup/funding cap, no credit card required. Free to register.", "claim": "Register at gitea.com/user/sign_up, then create repos/projects. Hosts Gitea.org's own public open-source code (gitea/gitea, runner, tea CLI, etc.).", "expiry": "Ongoing free service, subject to Gitea's terms; no published sunset date.", "gotchas": "Free CI runners are NOT available on gitea.com (as of Nov 2025, maintainers confirmed there are no free managed runners; Gitea Actions needs a self-hosted runner or paid Gitea Cloud managed runners). The gitea.com root now 303-redirects to about.gitea.com (marketing); use gitea.com// for actual hosting. Exact repo/storage caps and private-repo policy are not published — treat as a public/mirror-friendly instance, not a guaranteed production private-code host. Source on no-free-runners: https://forum.gitea.com/t/how-to-make-gitea-actions-work-on-gitea-com/11793", "source_url": "https://gitea.com/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Gitea Cloud — 30-day free trial (managed Git hosting)", "detail": "Gitea Cloud is a fully managed, dedicated, single-tenant Gitea instance where you choose provider and region (incl. Frankfurt EU for data residency). A 30-day free trial is offered ('Start your 30-day free trial'); after it ends, it becomes pay-as-you-go (no permanent free hosted tier). Managed Gitea Actions CI/CD runners are included automatically. Unlimited network traffic: incoming traffic is free & unlimited; once the high-speed egress quota is hit, a speed cap applies only to outgoing traffic. A recurring 50% discount is available on most plans (Extra/Max/Ultra unlimited-user tiers excluded). Instances provision in ~2 minutes; public repos can allow anonymous access; 2FA supported.", "eligibility": "Open to individual developers, startups, and enterprises — no .edu requirement and no dedicated startup program. No published funding/age cap. Payment is pay-as-you-go after the trial (credit card likely required at checkout; the 30-day trial itself is advertised without a stated CC requirement — not confirmed on the pages read).", "claim": "Go to cloud.gitea.com/signup → 'Start your 30-day free trial' → choose provider/region and a plan (S/M/L or Extra/Max/Ultra) → provision → use fully managed Gitea for 30 days → pay-as-you-go thereafter (apply the 50% discount where offered).", "expiry": "Trial lasts 30 days, then pay-as-you-go. No published free-tier renewal; the 30-day trial is one-time.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a permanent free tier — costs begin after 30 days (pay-as-you-go; add-on object storage is extra). Egress: high-speed quota then speed-capped outgoing (incoming free). 50% discount does not cover Extra/Max/Ultra tiers. Exact $/month per plan tier and the CC-required policy for the trial are not published in the pages read (Cloud site is an SPA). No free managed CI runners outside the trial.", "source_url": "https://cloud.gitea.com/signup", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gitea Enterprise — 30-day free trial (self-hosted enhanced edition)", "detail": "Gitea Enterprise is the enhanced, closed-source edition (SAML SSO, audit logs, Kubernetes AutoScaling Runners, mandatory 2FA, IP allowlist, enterprise themes, priority SLA support, installation/upgrade assistant, emergency remote support). A 30-day free trial is offered via the customers portal with full Enterprise features. List price is $19/user/month, with a recurring 50% discount shown as $9.50/user/month; a 1-year commitment is required with online payment. Licenses are user-count based and can be resized at any time; after a trial you can keep paying or revert to open-source Gitea (fully data/config compatible).", "eligibility": "For companies/enterprises (and 'small companies' — discounts available for non-profits and small companies; FAQ notes discounted or even free quotes for education/non-profit on request). Not a dedicated free startup program. No .edu requirement for the trial itself; paid tier needs online payment (credit card) with a 1-year commitment.", "claim": "Go to customers.gitea.com → sign in with an organization account → 'Request Trial' → specify desired user count → a 30-day trial license is auto-issued → download license.key → in Gitea Enterprise admin: Site Administration → Enterprise License → Upload License. During the trial all Enterprise functions are free.", "expiry": "Trial = 30 days. Paid licenses run for the committed term (typically 1 year, resizable), renewable; if unpaid after trial the instance falls back to open-source Gitea behavior (no data loss).", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-paid: free only for 30 days, then $19/user/month list ($9.50 with the 50% recurring discount) on a 1-year commitment. Exceeding the user count just blocks new sign-ups (resize for free). Resale of Gitea Enterprise is prohibited. Non-profit/small-company discounts and even free quotes require contacting Gitea — they are not self-serve.", "source_url": "https://docs.gitea.com/enterprise/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gitea Education Program — free 12-month Gitea Enterprise license (institutions)", "detail": "Eligible non-profit K-12 and higher-education institutions receive a no-cost Gitea Enterprise license for 12 months, self-hosted, with community technical support only (no commercial support / no SLA). Renewable annually after an eligibility review. Covers coursework, labs, capstones, student group projects, non-commercial academic research, and internal school collaboration tied to the academic mission.", "eligibility": "Institution-level, NOT individual students. Eligible: non-profit K-12 schools, colleges, and universities officially recognized/authorized/accredited/licensed or otherwise approved by the relevant education authority. Applications must come from full-time faculty/staff using an institutional email. Excluded: for-profit training firms, commercial bootcamps, private coaching, unrecognized/unaccredited organizations, and requests from students, alumni, or external consultants. Use is limited to academic/non-commercial — no commercial software delivery, paid hosting, or revenue-generating services. A .edu address is not strictly required, but an institutional email from a recognized non-profit institution is; proof of recognition/accreditation is required.", "claim": "Apply via the contact form at about.gitea.com/contact/form/?program=education. Provide: institution name/website/country, a link or document showing education-authority recognition/accreditation, non-profit confirmation, applicant name/role/institutional email, expected user count + short usage summary, and acknowledgement that only community support is included. Every request is manually reviewed; on approval you get a tailored 12-month Enterprise license.", "expiry": "12 months, renewable annually after re-confirming eligibility and usage scope. Notify Gitea if eligibility or usage changes.", "gotchas": "Students cannot apply directly — they benefit only via their school's license. Community support only (no commercial/SLA support). Non-commercial academic use only; commercial/resale/revenue use is prohibited and could void the license. No fixed seat count — scoped to the institution's expected users.", "source_url": "https://about.gitea.com/education/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "try.gitea.io — the free hosted \"try\" instance listed in the known-so-far notes — no longer resolves (DNS getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND on two attempts as of 2026-10-22), indicating it has been retired or repurposed; no current official page or terms could be found. Treat it as defunct. gitea.com's root domain now 303-redirects to about.gitea.com (marketing site); the free first-party public instance still serves orgs/repos under gitea.com//, but gitea.com no longer offers free managed CI runners (confirmed by a Gitea maintainer on the forum, Nov 2025 — Gitea Actions on gitea.com needs a self-hosted runner or paid Gitea Cloud managed runners). No dedicated Gitea startup program with free credits exists as of 2026-10-22 (startups' free path = self-hosted OSS Gitea + the Gitea Cloud 30-day trial). Recurring 2024→2026 changes still in effect: Gitea Cloud added a Frankfurt (EU) region, add-on object storage, unlimited network traffic (incoming free, outgoing speed-capped past a high-speed quota), and a 50% recurring discount on most plans; Enterprise lists at $19/user/month with a 50% discount to $9.50/user/month on a 1-year commitment. The Education Program (free 12-month Enterprise license for non-profit institutions) is current and live on about.gitea.com/education. Note: WebSearch budget was exhausted, so verification relied on WebFetch of official Gitea pages (about.gitea.com products/pricing/education, gitea.com, docs.gitea.com/enterprise, cloud.gitea.com) plus one forum confirmation." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted open-source Gitea (free tier)", "link": "https://about.gitea.com/products/gitea", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "github", "name": "GitHub", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "hosting-paas", "devtools", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all", "student" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/features/copilot/plans", "https://education.github.com/pack", "https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/github-pages-limits", "https://github.com/features/models", "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/billing/individual-plans", "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-actions", "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/reference/product-usage-included" ], "offers": [ "Copilot Free: 2,000 code completions/month + a monthly AI-credit allowance, no subscription; Copilot Student: free for verified students with unlimited completions", "Free bundle for verified students with dozens of partner offers: developer tools, cloud and API credits, and learning resources (GitHub, Microsoft Azure, Datadog, Deepnote, and more)", "$0/mo: 1 user/org site + unlimited project sites, 1 GB site, 100 GB/mo soft bandwidth, 10 builds/hr; free on public repos (GitHub Free plan)", "Free GitHub Pro, 5,000 Actions minutes/mo, 50 GB Codespaces storage + 100+ partner perks (e.g., $200 DigitalOcean, Namecheap domain, JetBrains, Notion offers)", "Free access to frontier LLMs (Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o mini, Llama, others) via GitHub Models API/VS Code, rate-limited, no paid API key required", "Free verified-student pack: includes free GitHub Pro (3,000 Actions min/mo, 180 Codespaces core-hrs/mo, 2GB Packages, 20GB Codespaces storage), free GitHub Copilot, plus dozens of partner offers (JetBrains, Datadog, Notion, VS Code, GitKraken 6-mo offer, 1Password 2 years, etc.)", "Copilot Free: up to 2,000 completions + AI-credit allowance for all accounts; Copilot Student: unlimited completions + AI credits, free for verified students/teachers; Copilot Pro ($10/mo list) free for verified teachers and popular-OSS maintainers", "Free: 2,000 CI/CD minutes/mo + 500MB artifact storage for private repos; unlimited standard-runner minutes in public repos; self-hosted runners free", "Free accounts: 120 core-hours/mo + 15GB storage; students: 180 core-hours/mo + 20GB storage; Pro paid tiers start at $0.18/hr compute, $0.07/GB storage" ], "notes": [ "Free plan is personal-use, auto model selection, no card. Student plan needs school verification. Copilot Pro is free for verified teachers and popular-OSS maintainers. AI credits = $0.01 each, reset monthly.", "Verify with a school email. Individual partner offers and amounts change frequently — treat this as a directory and confirm each partner's current offer. Includes a GitHub free-month plus partner perks.", "Static only — no serverless functions or runtime. Private-repo Pages requires a paid GitHub plan. Not permitted for commercial/e-commerce use. Soft limits (rate-limit 429s), not a hard pause, and no billing.", "Renewable while enrolled; partner list refreshes periodically; includes GitHub Models LLM access", "Rate limits per user/day; model availability and limits rotate — verify current list", "Eligibility: 13+, degree/diploma-granting enrollment, school email or proof of enrollment. 2025-2026 churn tracked in the official SDP changelog: DigitalOcean's $200 credit exited after 2026-07-31; Bump.sh removed Dec 2025; 1Password extended to 2 years Oct 2026; Appwrite education plan changed Feb 2026; Clerk, Requestly, LocalStack, Boot.dev added 2025-26.", "Plan tiers as of 2026: Free / Student / Pro / Pro+ / Max, with 'GitHub AI Credits' allowances replacing the old 300-premium-request limit; chat/agent usage on free+student is limited to auto model selection.", "2026-01-01: hosted-runner per-minute prices cut up to 39% (Linux 2-core $0.006/min, macOS $0.062). The $0.002/min self-hosted 'platform charge' announced Dec 2025 was postponed pending re-evaluation; free quotas unchanged.", "Student allowance is equivalent to GitHub Pro and is part of the Student Developer Pack; Classroom assignment usage bills to the owning org instead of the student." ], "findings": [ { "name": "GitHub Copilot Free (perpetual free tier, no credit card)", "detail": "$0/month, no subscription or payment/credit card required. Includes up to 2,000 code completions/month, a (not numerically disclosed) allowance of GitHub AI Credits (1 AI credit = $0.01 USD), limited chat and agent usage via auto model selection only, Copilot CLI and the Copilot app. Under the legacy request-based system this was 50 premium requests/month; after the 2026-06-01 migration to AI-credit usage billing GitHub does not publish a fixed credit figure for the Free plan. Not available to users whose account is managed by an org/enterprise; personal use only. Never expires; limits reset monthly.", "eligibility": "Any individual with a GitHub account not managed by an organization/enterprise and without an existing Copilot paid/Student/teacher/maintainer plan. No email domain, age, or region criteria stated. No credit card required. Region-limited only where Copilot is unavailable (standard Copilot availability restrictions apply).", "claim": "Sign up directly in VS Code/Visual Studio ('Sign up for Copilot Free'), via github.com/settings/copilot ('Start using Copilot Free'), or chat at github.com/copilot. No verification steps.", "expiry": "Perpetual; monthly caps reset. Free/Student/teacher plans are reevaluated only where verification applies (Free has no verification, so no expiry).", "gotchas": "Auto model selection only — no manual model picker, entry-level models only. Hitting the cap prompts an upgrade to Pro ($10). If you later join an org that assigns Copilot, Free access is lost. No code review, cloud agent, app modernization, or third-party agent delegation included. 'Unlimited completions' applies only to paid plans; Free caps at 2,000.", "source_url": "https://github.com/features/copilot/plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Student (free education license for verified students)", "detail": "Free for students verified through GitHub Education: unlimited code completions and next-edit suggestions (completions never consume credits), plus a monthly GitHub AI Credits allowance — community-reported at 200 credits/month (~$2.00 of agent/chat usage) since the 2026-06-01 credit-based billing; GitHub does not publish a single official dollar figure for students, so verify in your plan's usage display. Limited chat/agent usage, auto model selection only. Since 2026-03-12 students are on a dedicated 'Copilot Student plan' (UI shows it alongside GitHub Education benefits); premium models incl. GPT-5.4, Claude Opus and Sonnet are no longer self-selectable (GPT-5.3-Codex removed from the picker 2026-04-27); access to OpenAI/Anthropic/Google models continues via Auto routing. Eligibility is reevaluated monthly by GitHub.", "eligibility": "Students aged 13+ enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting course at an accredited institution. Verification is via school-issued email and/or official, dated proof of enrollment (no strict .edu requirement, but .edu helps). No credit card required. Global program (thousands of universities). Not available to managed org accounts.", "claim": "Apply at github.com/settings/education/benefits ('Start an application', complete verification — school email/proof). Once verified, under 'Free GitHub developer resources for students and teachers' click Learn more and activate Copilot Student (or github.com/github-copilot/free_signup). Activation can lag verification by a few days; do not complete a paid checkout while waiting.", "expiry": "Persists while academic verification remains valid; GitHub reevaluates eligibility every month — access is withdrawn when no longer enrolled/verified. Model/limit adjustments are being rolled out in stages (GitHub said more model/limit changes would follow the 2026-03 transition).", "gotchas": "Credit allowance (~200 credits / ~$2) is small: agent-mode sessions with newer models can exhaust it in one day (community reports of 4-20 agent requests using the full allocation post-June 2026). Auto model selection only, no manual picker. No third-party agents, code review, or cloud agent included. ~2M students use the program; GitHub is actively trimming it for sustainability.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/copilot/how-tos/manage-your-account/free-access-with-copilot-student", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Pro free for verified teachers and open-source maintainers (education/OSS license)", "detail": "Full Copilot Pro at $0: unlimited completions, model selection, chat/agent/CLI, code review and cloud agent, and a $15/month AI-credit allowance (Base 1,000 + Flex 500 = 1,500 AI credits, 1 credit = $0.01). Two qualifying paths: (1) verified teacher on GitHub Education, (2) maintainer of a popular open-source repository (eligibility is determined by GitHub; objective repo thresholds are not publicly published — GitHub directs you to Copilot settings to see if you qualify).", "eligibility": "Teachers: faculty at an accredited educational institution, verified via GitHub Education. OSS maintainers: maintainers of 'popular' open-source repos as judged by GitHub's criteria. Eligibility reevaluated monthly by GitHub.", "claim": "Teachers: apply/verify at github.com/settings/education/benefits, then activate in Copilot settings ('Get access to GitHub Copilot'). Maintainers: open Copilot settings; if eligible, a 'GitHub Copilot Pro' eligibility page appears — click Get access and save use policies. No payment info required for the free grant.", "expiry": "While eligibility holds (monthly reevaluation). Note: if you are granted this free access you cannot cancel the plan — only losing eligibility ends it.", "gotchas": "'Popular' OSS-maintainer criteria are opaque; if you don't see the offer you likely don't qualify. Free access is personal, not shareable to the team. If you later join an organization that assigns Copilot seats, the free grant may be displaced.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-on-github/set-up-copilot/enable-copilot/set-up-for-teachers-and-os-maintainers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Education / Student Developer Pack benefits bundled with Copilot Student", "detail": "Verified students also get a free GitHub Pro account (unlimited private repos with advanced collaboration), 3,000 GitHub Actions minutes/month, up to 180 GitHub Codespaces core hours/month (plus ~20 GB Codespaces storage), 2 GB GitHub Packages storage, and the Student Developer Pack (dozens of third-party partner offers for professional dev tools). These are GitHub's education-license companions to Copilot Student; the Copilot benefit is claimed from the same GitHub Education portal.", "eligibility": "Students aged 13+ enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting program at an accredited institution; apply with school-issued email and/or official dated proof of enrollment. Check first whether your school is a GitHub Campus Program partner (in that case benefits may be pre-arranged). No credit card required.", "claim": "Apply via education.github.com / github.com/settings/education/benefits, complete verification, then claim offers under 'Free GitHub developer resources for students and teachers' in that portal.", "expiry": "Tied to active student verification (reevaluated monthly). Codespaces hours/Actions minutes reset monthly; unclaimed Codespaces hours are lost, not banked.", "gotchas": "Actions minutes and Codespaces hours are per-month allowances that reset — no rollover. Usage in class/teacher-owned repos bills the owning org instead. 180 core-hours figure is what the docs state ('up to 180 core hours'); exact storage figures come from the marketing page.", "source_url": "https://github.com/education/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Trial credits / startup program: none GitHub-side for Copilot", "detail": "No time-limited free trial of paid Copilot plans is offered on the current plans page (the $0 Free plan is the entry point, not a trial), and GitHub does not run a GitHub Copilot startup program, startup credit pool, or funded 'Copilot for startups' offer. The nearest adjacent program is Microsoft's Cloud Startups initiative (Azure credits for eligible startups; GitHub is a Microsoft company, but Copilot Free/Student/Pro are not part of it and no Copilot-specific startup benefit was found). Confirmed by absence across the official plans, docs, and education pages reviewed today; web-search budget was exhausted before independently verifying Microsoft Cloud Startups terms.", "eligibility": "n/a — no GitHub Copilot startup offer exists to claim.", "claim": "n/a.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Do not expect 'startup credit' or 'Copilot Pro trial' offers that third-party activation/activation-marketplace sites advertise (e.g., shared-account 'Copilot activation' services) — those are unofficial and violate ToS. The free path is strictly Free plan, verified-student plan, or teacher/OSS-maintainer Pro.", "source_url": "https://github.com/features/copilot/plans", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Pro (free for students)", "detail": "Free GitHub Pro while verified as a student: 3,000 GitHub Actions min/month, 180 Codespaces core-hrs/month, 2GB GitHub Packages, 20GB Codespaces storage. Core of the pack; most-featured benefit.", "eligibility": "GitHub account owned by a student verified through GitHub Education (school/.edu email or enrollment proof). Must be enrolled; benefits renew while student status is maintained.", "claim": "1) Create a GitHub account owned by the student. 2) Verify as a student at education.github.com (school email or enrollment docs). 3) Pro benefits are applied automatically to the account once verified; manage via the pack page.", "expiry": "Continuous while verified; re-verify as enrollment changes. Not a fixed trial.", "gotchas": "Actions minutes beyond 3,000/mo are billable; Codespaces overage beyond 180 core-hrs incurs charges. Benefits lapse if student verification lapses.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot (Student plan)", "detail": "Copilot Student plan included free: unlimited code completions, an allowance of GitHub AI Credits for chat/agent/CLI/Spaces, and limited chat/agent usage restricted to auto model selection. More generous than the base Copilot Free tier (which is 2,000 completions/mo + a limited AI-credit allowance, 1 credit = $0.01, models incl. Haiku 4.5 / GPT-5 mini, no CC required).", "eligibility": "Verified student via GitHub Education (the pack). Student plan is a dedicated tier; verified students link to the student offer from the copilot features page.", "claim": "1) Verify student status in GitHub Education. 2) Activate the Copilot Student plan from the pack / Copilot page. 3) Use in editor, CLI, web, or Claude Code/agents.", "expiry": "Tied to student/enrollment status; renews while verified.", "gotchas": "Student plan chat/agent is capped and limited to auto model selection (vs. Pro/Pro+ choice). 2026: from ~Apr 24 GitHub may use Free/Pro/Pro+ interaction data for model training unless you opt out; from Jun 1, 2026 code-review workflows start consuming Actions minutes.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Codespaces (free Pro-level)", "detail": "Free Pro-level access to Codespaces anywhere in the account, as part of GitHub Pro for students (supports the 180 core-hrs/mo + 20GB storage bundle).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Included automatically with GitHub Pro once student-verified; create and run Codespaces directly.", "expiry": "Continuous while verified.", "gotchas": "Compute hours beyond the 180 core-hrs/mo are billed; large machine sizes burn hours faster. Idle machines keep accruing hours.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Pages", "detail": "One site per account and per organization, plus unlimited project sites, free.", "eligibility": "Any GitHub user; in the pack context available to verified students.", "claim": "Available by default; deploy a site from a repo (gh-pages) or project site from a repo settings tab.", "expiry": "Ongoing; free tier with standard bandwidth limits.", "gotchas": "Standard free-tier bandwidth limits apply; no AI/LLM features here.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Desktop", "detail": "Open-source desktop Git client, free for everyone (not student-specific).", "eligibility": "Any user; listed in the pack.", "claim": "Download and install from github.com/desktop; sign in with a GitHub account.", "expiry": "Ongoing, free open source.", "gotchas": "Requires a working GitHub account; no trial/CC involved.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft Azure for Students (18+)", "detail": "$100 Azure credit usable within 12 months, plus free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (new customers), plus 65+ always-free services. (Live page today shows a single flat student tier, not the older 'monthly $-credit' structure some sources still cite.)", "eligibility": "Full-time university students 18+; sign up with a school email; renew yearly while enrolled; no credit card required; one account per person.", "claim": "1) From the pack, open the Azure for Students claim link. 2) Sign up with school email. 3) Receive $100 credit + free monthly service amounts; renew yearly.", "expiry": "$100 credit valid 12 months; free monthly amounts for 12 months; renew while a student.", "gotchas": "Beyond free amounts and the $100 credit, metered/egress charges apply. Region availability varies. Always-free tiers have their own caps (e.g. 750 B1 hrs, 32GB storage).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft Azure for Students (ages 13-17)", "detail": "For students aged 13-17: free access to a subset of Azure services (App Services, Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL in-app, Application Insights, Azure DevOps). No credit card required.", "eligibility": "Students aged 13-17 via GitHub Education; separate tier from the 18+ offer.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's 13-17 Azure link; no CC.", "expiry": "Continuous while enrolled in the 13-17 tier.", "gotchas": "Service subset only; not the full 18+ catalog; no $ credit tier for this age band.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Visual Studio Dev Essentials (incl. $200 Azure credit)", "detail": "Visual Studio Community + Pluralsight training, and '1 free year of Azure services with $200 Azure credit for the 1st month' as listed in the pack.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Dev Essentials link; sign in with the student/educational account.", "expiry": "~1 year of Azure services; credit for the first month.", "gotchas": "Credit and free-service terms are set by Microsoft/VS and can change; metered overage beyond the free year is billable.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups (startup offer, not in SDC pack)", "detail": "For the 'Startup' front: $1,000 Azure credits instantly with no application, and up to $5,000 total credits after business verification. Initial credits valid 90 days; post-verification credits valid 180 days.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startup (business), NOT the student program; separate from the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Business verification required for the larger tier.", "claim": "Apply at Azure for Startups; instant $1,000 tier, then complete business verification for up to $5,000.", "expiry": "$1,000 credits 90 days; up-to-$5,000 credits 180 days post-verification.", "gotchas": "Not available to the SDC student pack; it is a distinct startup program with its own criteria and verification.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Heroku", "detail": "$13 USD/month for 24 months (Heroku platform subscription discount).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack; valid payment/claim method required by Heroku.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Heroku link; create Heroku account and apply the 24-month offer.", "expiry": "24 months. A 24-month committed/discounted subscription, not free-forever.", "gotchas": "This is a 24-month discounted subscription that can auto-continue past 24 months unless cancelled - read renewal terms. Add-ons and extra resources are billed separately.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Appwrite (Education plan)", "detail": "Education plan: 2 projects at Pro-equivalent limits ($40/month value) for 6 months.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the 6-month education plan through the pack's Appwrite link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "After 6 months, the plan reverts to free-tier limits or paid; egress/overage beyond included limits can cost.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "LocalStack", "detail": "Free license to LocalStack's AWS emulator in a ready-to-use cloud environment.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the free LocalStack license through the pack link.", "expiry": "Per LocalStack's student terms (verify).", "gotchas": "Check current license/region availability; cloud instance may have free-tier resource caps.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Stripe", "detail": "$25 in Stripe credits to offset fees on Stripe Payments, Billing and other products.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the $25 credit through the pack's Stripe link.", "expiry": "Credit validity per Stripe terms (verify).", "gotchas": "Credits offset fees only; Stripe also charges per-transaction fees on top of covered usage; verify credit expiry.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Clerk", "detail": "Free Clerk Pro plan while a student (auth/UI, more limits than free tier).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the free Pro plan through the pack's Clerk link.", "expiry": "While student status is maintained.", "gotchas": "Reverts to free/paid tier after student status ends; confirm no CC is required at signup.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Sentry", "detail": "Free tier: 50K errors, 100K transactions, 1GB attachments, 500 replays, Team features, 1-year limit (renewable).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Sentry link; renew annually while a student.", "expiry": "1 year, renewable while student.", "gotchas": "Beyond the error/transaction/replay caps, ingestion is blocked or downgraded; renew or lose access.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "MongoDB Atlas", "detail": "$50 MongoDB Atlas credits, plus access to MongoDB Compass and MongoDB University incl. a free certification valued at $150.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the $50 credit + tools/cert through the pack's MongoDB link.", "expiry": "$50 credit window per MongoDB terms (verify).", "gotchas": "Atlas cluster costs beyond the credit/MB free tier and egress are billable; free shared clusters have storage/network caps.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Datadog", "detail": "Pro account including 10 hosts/servers, free for 2 years.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the 2-year Datadog Pro through the pack's Datadog link.", "expiry": "2 years; renew per Datadog terms.", "gotchas": "Beyond 10 hosts or included log/metric volume, charges apply; 2-year term then re-evaluates.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Camber", "detail": "Free Student plan while enrolled: 40 CPU hours, 5 GPU hours, 50GB storage, 50 agent messages/month.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the Camber student plan through the pack's link.", "expiry": "While enrolled as a student.", "gotchas": "Hour/message caps; GPU hours are scarce - large jobs consume them quickly; overage billed after caps.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "CARTO", "detail": "Free upgraded account for 2 years: increased storage, real-time data, Location Data Services credits, premium features.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the 2-year CARTO account through the pack's link.", "expiry": "2 years.", "gotchas": "Storage/usage caps within the upgraded plan; billing resumes past caps or term.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Zyte Scrapy Cloud", "detail": "1 Free-Forever Scrapy Cloud unit: unlimited team members, projects, and requests; unlimited crawl time; 120-day data retention.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the free Scrapy Cloud unit through the pack's Zyte link.", "expiry": "Free forever (genuinely free, not a trial).", "gotchas": "One unit; data retention capped at 120 days; heavier/concurrent crawl beyond the single unit requires paid scale.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "New Relic", "detail": "Free New Relic while a student (pack lists it as ~$300/month value).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's New Relic link.", "expiry": "While student status is maintained.", "gotchas": "Data ingestion/overage beyond the free allotment is billed; reverts to paid after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Namecheap (.me + SSL)", "detail": "1-year .me domain registration + 1 free SSL certificate for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Namecheap link; register the .me and SSL.", "expiry": "1 year; domain/SSL must be renewed at standard cost afterwards.", "gotchas": "1-year term - renews at full retail; watch for auto-renewal charges after the free year.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Name.com", "detail": "1 free domain from 25+ extensions (.live, .studio, .software, .app, .dev, etc.); account must have a unique address.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Name.com link.", "expiry": "Free 1-year domain; renew at cost afterwards.", "gotchas": "Renewal at standard price; verify the exact eligible TLD list (25+) and the unique-address requirement.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": ".TECH", "detail": "One standard .TECH domain free for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's .TECH link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "Renews at standard price after the free year; watch auto-renewal.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "JetBrains (student licenses)", "detail": "Free annual student subscription to JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, DataGrip, etc.); renewed annually.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack (or directly at JetBrains with .edu email / school email + student status).", "claim": "1) Verify student status. 2) Claim via JetBrains (pack link) or jetbrains.com/student using school email. 3) Install IDE and sign in with the student license.", "expiry": "Annual; renew each year while a student.", "gotchas": "Student licenses are for learning, not commercial production work; re-verify each year; some enterprise features excluded.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Visual Studio Code coding packs", "detail": "Coding packs to download Java, Python, or .NET toolchains for VS Code.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Download the VS Code coding pack through the pack's link.", "expiry": "Ongoing (VS Code itself is free).", "gotchas": "Toolchain downloads are just pre-bundled; the actual toolchains (e.g. commercial .NET) may have separate licensing.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Xojo", "detail": "Xojo Pro license free while a student (cross-platform desktop/mobile/web/Raspberry Pi dev).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the free Xojo Pro through the pack's link.", "expiry": "While a student; reverts to paid after status ends.", "gotchas": "Distributed app licensing may still apply when shipping commercial products.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Bootstrap Studio", "detail": "Free Bootstrap Studio license while a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Bootstrap Studio link.", "expiry": "While student status is maintained.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Polypane", "detail": "Free Polypane individual plan for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Polypane link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "1-year trial/term; paid plan resumes after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitKraken / GitLens", "detail": "Student plan free for 6 months, then up to 80% off the Pro price as long as you're a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the 6-month free GitKraken/GitLens student plan through the pack's link.", "expiry": "6 months free, then discounted (not free) while student.", "gotchas": "After 6 months it is NOT free - it's 80% off Pro; add a reminder to downgrade/cancel if not renewing at the discount.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Tower", "detail": "Free Tower Pro license while a student (Git client).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Tower link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "WorkingCopy (mobile Git)", "detail": "All WorkingCopy Pro features free while a student (mobile Git client).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's WorkingCopy link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Termius", "detail": "Free access to all Termius Pro and Team features while a student (SSH/serial client).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Termius link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends; Team plan shared features may have seat caps.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Travis CI", "detail": "Private builds free while a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Travis CI link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Build-time caps/billing beyond free; Travis CI has had major pricing/availability churn - verify it is still operating as listed.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "CodeScene", "detail": "Free Student account for analyzing private GitHub repositories.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's CodeScene link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Team/seat limits on the student plan; reverts to paid after status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Codecov", "detail": "Free access on public and private repositories.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Codecov link; link repos.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Public repos may always be free; confirm private-repo allowance caps and what reverts to paid.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "PopSQL", "detail": "Free PopSQL Premium subscription while a student (SQL client).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's PopSQL link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "SQLGate", "detail": "Access to most Standard Subscription features for 1 year (SQL GUI).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim the 1-year SQLGate offer through the pack's link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year reverts to paid; verify which Standard features are excluded.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Deepnote", "detail": "Free Team plan while a student: unlimited members/projects, 30-day version history, unlimited basic machines up to 5GB RAM / 2 vCPU, premium integrations.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Deepnote link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Basic machines capped at 5GB/2vCPU; GPU/larger compute and storage beyond free limits can incur charges.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Vaadin", "detail": "Free Vaadin Pro subscription to access commercial components and tools.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Vaadin link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Commercial-license terms on shipped products; reverts after student status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DevCycle", "detail": "1 free year on Starter Plan with unlimited seats, flags, and usage.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's DevCycle link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year reverts to paid; 'unlimited usage' is within Starter plan definitions.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "ConfigCat", "detail": "1,000 feature flags, infinite users, free (flag management).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's ConfigCat link.", "expiry": "Ongoing (per pack terms).", "gotchas": "1,000-flag cap; check whether this is trial or permanent for students.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Doppler", "detail": "Free Doppler Team subscription while an active student (secrets/CI-CD).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Doppler link.", "expiry": "While an active student.", "gotchas": "Reverts to paid after student status ends; Team plan seat limits apply.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Blackfire", "detail": "Free Blackfire Developer subscription for students (performance profiling).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Blackfire link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Profile volume/host caps; reverts after status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Imgbot", "detail": "Free image optimization for all public and private projects while a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Imgbot link; add repo integrations.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Bandwidth/optimization caps; reverts after status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Pageclip", "detail": "Free Pageclip basic plan while a student (web scraping).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Pageclip link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Basic plan caps on scrapes/pages; reverts after status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "BrowserStack", "detail": "Free Automate Mobile plan for 1 parallel + 1 user for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's BrowserStack link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "1 parallel / 1 user caps; after 1 year reverts to paid; verify current availability (BrowserStack has changed student terms over time).", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "LambdaTest", "detail": "Free LambdaTest Live plan for 1 year (device automation).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's LambdaTest link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "Session/time caps on the Live plan; after 1 year reverts to paid.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Requestly", "detail": "Requestly Professional plan (pack notes ~$270 value) free for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Requestly link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year reverts to paid; Professional-plan feature caps apply.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Astra Security", "detail": "6-month access to website firewall & malware scanner.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Astra link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "6-month trial; after that reverts to paid.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Honeybadger", "detail": "Free Small account for 1 year (error monitoring).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Honeybadger link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year reverts to paid; error-volume caps on Small.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Testmail", "detail": "Free Testmail Essential plan while a student (email testing).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Testmail link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Essential-plan caps on email volume; reverts after status ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "1Password", "detail": "1Password free for 2 years, including 1Password Developer Tools.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's 1Password link; create the 2-year account.", "expiry": "2 years, then paid unless converted/cancelled.", "gotchas": "2-year trial - set a reminder to cancel before it auto-converts to paid; multi-device seats may be capped.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Dashlane", "detail": "Dashlane Premium free for 6 months.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Dashlane link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "6-month trial; usually requires a payment method at signup that auto-bills after - verify the no-CC claim for this partner.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "PomoDone", "detail": "PomoDone Lite plan free for 2 years (pomodoro/time-tracking).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's PomoDone link.", "expiry": "2 years.", "gotchas": "After 2 years reverts to paid; Lite-plan limits apply.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "HazeOver (Mac)", "detail": "Free HazeOver app license, including minor updates (screen/focus tool).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's HazeOver link (macOS).", "expiry": "Per HazeOver student terms; minor updates included.", "gotchas": "macOS only; major updates/price tiers excluded.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Notion (education plan)", "detail": "Notion education plan: Plus-tier features, increased sharing/collaboration, longer page history, plus additional AI responses.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Notion link; use school email.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "AI-response caps on the education plan; reverts to free/paid after status ends; Notion AI data may be subject to their own terms.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Visme", "detail": "3 free months of Visme Starter plan (design/presentation).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Visme link.", "expiry": "3 months.", "gotchas": "3-month trial; Starter-plan asset/licensing limits; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft 365", "detail": "Free or discounted Microsoft 365 productivity apps with AI, 1TB cloud storage, advanced security.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack (school email often required).", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Microsoft 365 link.", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "'Free or discounted' - exact tier varies; AI features (Copilot) may be capped or excluded; storage is 1TB.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "ToDiagram", "detail": "ToDiagram Pro Plan: full editor, no data limits, up to 10 cloud-stored documents.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's ToDiagram link.", "expiry": "Per ToDiagram student terms.", "gotchas": "Capped at 10 cloud docs; local export may be limited.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DataCamp", "detail": "3 months of free DataCamp access (pro learning platform).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's DataCamp link.", "expiry": "3 months.", "gotchas": "3-month trial; reverts to paid after; a few months only, not while-a-student.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Educative", "detail": "6 months free access to 70+ courses, plus 30% off any subscription chosen.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Educative link.", "expiry": "6 months (then 30% off if you keep it).", "gotchas": "6-month trial; watch for auto-billing if you continue on the discount.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Frontend Masters", "detail": "Free 6-month access to all courses and workshops.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Frontend Masters link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "6-month term; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Scrimba", "detail": "1 month free Pro access to 40+ courses, projects, and coding challenges.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Scrimba link.", "expiry": "1 month.", "gotchas": "Only 1 month - short trial; auto-billing risk after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Boot.dev", "detail": "3 months free complete interactive membership (Python, Go, TypeScript, backend/DevOps/data).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Boot.dev link.", "expiry": "3 months.", "gotchas": "3-month trial; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Codédex", "detail": "6 months of Codédex Club premium membership free.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Codédex link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "6-month trial; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GoRails", "detail": "Free access to all videos and lessons for 12 months.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's GoRails link.", "expiry": "12 months.", "gotchas": "After 12 months reverts to paid; content/lesson caps may apply.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "SymfonyCasts", "detail": "Free 3-month subscription for students.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's SymfonyCasts link.", "expiry": "3 months.", "gotchas": "3-month trial; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AlgoExpert", "detail": "Free access to 20 coding interview questions, plus a 10% discount on all products.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's AlgoExpert link.", "expiry": "Ongoing; 20 questions free + 10% off.", "gotchas": "Only 20 questions free; full course requires purchase at a discount.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "InterviewCake", "detail": "Access to the full coding interview prep course for 1 week.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's InterviewCake link.", "expiry": "1 week.", "gotchas": "Very short 1-week trial; auto-billing risk after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Icons8", "detail": "Free 3-month subscription: icons, photos, illustrations, and music.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Icons8 link.", "expiry": "3 months.", "gotchas": "3-month trial; commercial-use licensing of assets governed by Icons8 terms.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "IconScout", "detail": "Free access to 60 premium icons from selected contributors every month for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's IconScout link.", "expiry": "1 year (60/month).", "gotchas": "Monthly cap of 60; commercial licensing per IconScout terms.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Themeisle Neve (WordPress)", "detail": "Free year of the Neve Agency WordPress theme exclusively for students.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Themeisle/Neve link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year the theme license reverts; Neve free theme remains available but the Pro/Agency tier ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Arduino", "detail": "Free Arduino Cloud for 6 months, plus discounts on selected hardware.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Arduino link.", "expiry": "6 months for Arduino Cloud.", "gotchas": "Cloud term 6 months; hardware discount is separate and variable.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Adafruit", "detail": "1 year of Adafruit IO+ plus discounts on selected hardware.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Adafruit link.", "expiry": "1 year for Adafruit IO+.", "gotchas": "IO+ caps on feeds/devices; hardware discount separate.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "SimpleAnalytics", "detail": "Starter plan free for 1 year, including 100k page views/month.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's SimpleAnalytics link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "100k pageviews/mo cap; after 1 year reverts to paid.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Appfigures", "detail": "Free access to universal analytics and performance reports for 1 year (mobile analytics).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Appfigures link.", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "After 1 year reverts to paid; app/report caps apply.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DeepScan", "detail": "Free 6-month trial of DeepScan while a student (code review/AI linting).", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's DeepScan link.", "expiry": "6 months.", "gotchas": "6-month trial; scan volume caps; reverts to paid after.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Blockchair", "detail": "100,000 free requests to blockchain APIs.", "eligibility": "Verified student via the pack.", "claim": "Claim through the pack's Blockchair link; get API access.", "expiry": "One-time 100k requests.", "gotchas": "Fixed 100k request allowance, then paid; rate-limited.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Pages free hosting tier (GitHub Free plan)", "detail": "$0/mo flat-free hosting, no credit card required. Limits: up to 1 user or organization site per account plus unlimited project sites; recommended source-repo limit 1 GB; published site size capped at 1 GB; soft bandwidth limit of 100 GB/month; soft build limit of 10 builds/hour (this cap is waived when you build/publish via a custom GitHub Actions workflow); deployments time out after 10 minutes. Sites that hit rate limits return HTTP 429. Custom domains and HTTPS are supported at no cost. Pages on public repos is available on GitHub Free; hosting Pages for private repos requires GitHub Pro/Team/Enterprise (or the free student tier).", "eligibility": "Any personal or organization GitHub account. GitHub Free is $0 with no credit card. Public Pages sites work on GitHub Free (public repos). Private-repo Pages requires GitHub Pro/Team/Enterprise (paid plans) OR free GitHub Education student status. No founding-age, funding, or geographic restriction on the free tier.", "claim": "1) Create a free GitHub account (no card). 2) For a user/org site name the repo .github.io or .github.io; for project sites use any project repo. 3) Add an entry file at the source root (index.html / index.md / README.md). 4) In repo Settings > Pages, choose the publishing source (branch/folder or a custom Actions workflow). 5) Click 'Visit site' to see the live deployment; add a custom domain + HTTPS under Pages settings if needed.", "expiry": "Indefinite: part of the free GitHub plan; no expiry while the account/plan stay active. GitHub can change limits at any time without notice; no 2025-2026 sunset of the free tier observed.", "gotchas": "1 GB site size and 100 GB/mo bandwidth are SOFT limits, not hard caps: exceeding them can cause the site to stop being served or trigger an email asking you to reduce server impact. 10 builds/hour is a soft cap and 10 min is a build timeout. No separate egress/data-egress charge on the free plan beyond the soft bandwidth cap. On GitHub Free, the repo hosting the Pages site must be public; private Pages pushes you to a paid plan unless you have free student status.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/github-pages-limits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Education / Student Developer Pack (education license)", "detail": "Verified students get GitHub Pro FREE (unlimited private repos with advanced collaboration tools), free GitHub Pages hosting (incl. for private repos), GitHub Copilot Student (free access to Copilot and its premium features), GitHub Codespaces up to 180 core hours/month with Pro-equivalent storage (~20 GB Codespaces storage and ~2 GB Packages storage), ~3,000 GitHub Actions minutes/month, and roughly 80 third-party 'Student Developer Pack' partner offers (e.g., a free domain, ~$100 Azure credit, JetBrains, 1Password). Student validation lasts 2 years.", "eligibility": "13 years or older; enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting program (high school, college, university, or homeschool; bootcamps qualify only if part of GitHub's Campus Program). Requires a personal GitHub account. Verify with a school-issued email OR dated proof of enrollment (school ID photo, class schedule, transcript, or affiliation/enrollment letter showing a date and current status) — a .edu email is NOT strictly required. No credit card required. No GitHub-imposed regional cap, though individual third-party partners may add their own age/region limits. Teachers/faculty/staff get free/discounted GitHub but are NOT eligible for the Pack.", "claim": "1) Sign in to the personal GitHub account you want benefits on. 2) Add/verify your school email under Settings > Emails (or rely on uploaded enrollment proof if your school issues no email). 3) Make your profile name match your documents. 4) Go to Settings > Education benefits, under 'GitHub Education' click 'Start an application'. 5) Fill the form, select your school, upload dated proof of enrollment, submit. 6) After approval (usually a few days), open the GitHub Education portal / Student Developer Pack page and claim each offer individually. No credit card needed.", "expiry": "Student validation lasts 2 years, then must be re-validated. GitHub Pro, Pages, Copilot Student, and Codespaces access continue only while you remain a verified, enrolled student. Each third-party partner offer carries its own terms and duration.", "gotchas": "The third-party partner offers (free domain, Azure credits, JetBrains, 1Password, etc.) are the de-facto 'trial credits' — they churn, pause, or are removed at the partner's request (the 2024-10 partner list already removed Netwise, Typeform, and a .Tech email offer). You cannot re-redeem a time-limited offer by re-verifying student status; some partners disallow stacking. Individual partners may impose age/country limits. The 180 Codespaces hours/month are for your personal account; Codespaces usage in GitHub Classroom assignment repos is billed to the classroom org, not you. The free-domain offers are typically time-limited (often 1 year). GitHub Pro/Pages/Copilot/Codespaces access lapses when student status lapses.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub for Startups (startup program) — $10,000 Enterprise credits", "detail": "Partners (VCs, accelerators, incubators) refer early-stage startups to receive $10,000 in GitHub credits usable across the Enterprise platform for up to 12 months, covering GitHub Copilot, GitHub Advanced Security, GitHub Actions (with 50k included minutes), and GitHub Packages. Also includes tailored onboarding, office hours, technical best-practice guidance, and entry into the GitHub startups community (~40,000 startups and 1,000+ ecosystem partners). This is NOT a free Pages hosting tier — Pages is already free to everyone; this grants Enterprise-platform credits. Program page carries © 2026 GitHub, Inc., so it is current as of 2026.", "eligibility": "Must be referred/affiliated with a GitHub for Startups partner (VC, accelerator, or incubator; any such org can submit a partner application). Must have received outside funding up to Series B or earlier (non-equity credits do not count). Must be NEW to GitHub Enterprise (no Enterprise plan in the prior 6 months and no prior GitHub credits or Enterprise licenses). Enterprise Cloud on github.com only (Enterprise Server and Data Residency excluded). No founding-age cap, no company-size cap, and no geographic restriction stated. A payment method IS required (an authorization charge is expected within weeks of onboarding). One-time offer: previously credited accounts are ineligible.", "claim": "1) Get referred by a VC / accelerator / incubator that is a GitHub for Startups partner (or have that org submit a partner application). 2) Alternatively reach out via the page's 'Contact sales' link. 3) Approval email arrives in ~2-3 business days. 4) Onboard to GitHub Enterprise Cloud on github.com and add a payment method (authorization charge expected). 5) Spend the $10,000 Enterprise credits across Copilot / Advanced Security / Actions (50k min) / Packages within 12 months. This is partner-gated (not open self-signup), requires a payment method, and is a credits grant, not free Pages hosting.", "expiry": "Credits valid up to 12 months from approval — they expire on full consumption or at the end of the 12-month period, whichever comes first. Program active as of 2026 (© 2026 GitHub, Inc.).", "gotchas": "Not a free-forever frontend hosting tier: it is a $10k Enterprise-credits grant. Partner referral is mandatory (not open application). A payment-method authorization charge is required despite the credit coverage. After credits are consumed or 12 months elapse, active products automatically transition to standard paid billing. Downgrading before the credits are exhausted forfeits the remaining credits AND bars reapplication. Enterprise Cloud on github.com only — not Enterprise Server or Data Residency. Funding cap: Series B or earlier. One-time offer only.", "source_url": "https://github.com/enterprise/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Actions Free plan (available to everyone, incl. students & startups)", "detail": "Verified today at docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-actions and github.com/pricing. Private repos: 2,000 CI/CD minutes/month and 500 MB artifact storage (pooled with GitHub Packages) on the Free plan; Pro is 3,000 min/1 GB, Team 3,000 min/2 GB, Enterprise Cloud 50,000 min/50 GB; cache 10 GB/repo. Public repos using standard GitHub-hosted runners: minutes are free/unlimited ('GitHub Actions usage is free for self-hosted runners and for public repositories that use standard GitHub-hosted runners'). Self-hosted runners: free. GitHub Pages and Dependabot runs: free. No credit card required for the free tier. Startups: there is no separate startup program — any startup just gets this free tier.", "eligibility": "Everyone with a GitHub Free account; no .edu email, no age/region limit (min account age standard). Credit card NOT required.", "claim": "Already active by default on any GitHub Free account — no application needed. Usage is charged to the repo owner/billing account, not the workflow trigger.", "expiry": "No expiry; allowance resets monthly. Larger runners and excess usage beyond 2,000 private min are billed per minute (e.g. Linux 2-core $0.006/min, macOS $0.062/min) once you exceed the quota.", "gotchas": "Standard-runner public-repo minutes are unlimited; larger/custom runners are always charged even in public repos. Artifact storage is a shared pool with GitHub Packages. Minutes charged to repo owner, so a team/organization shares the 2,000 min per account, not per person. One github.com/pricing rendering I fetched suggested 'Unlimited public repo minutes — Students only; all other users 2,000 min/mo public', which contradicts the docs fetched the same day ('public repositories ... free', no student-only language) — trust the docs and treat public-repo minutes as free for all.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-actions", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Education for students (Student Developer Pack): free Copilot, Codespaces hours, free Pro", "detail": "Verified today at docs.github.com/en/education/.../about-github-education-for-students, the apply page, the Student Developer Pack T&C page, and github.com/education. After verification: free GitHub Copilot 'Student' tier ('Verified students get free access to Copilot and its premium features'); GitHub Codespaces up to 180 core hours/month for personal accounts; Student Developer Pack with 80+ partner offers (cloud hosting to dev platforms to premium content, 'use professional tools at no cost'); the github.com/pricing education section lists free GitHub Pro for students/educators plus the same Codespaces/Copilot/pack benefits. GitHub Pro duration is not itemized in the current docs (historically 1 year; T&C do not restate it).", "eligibility": "Student or faculty at an accredited educational institution, or enrolled in a degree/diploma-granting program (high school, college, university, or homeschool). Proof of enrollment: school ID with current date, class schedule, transcript, or enrollment verification letter. If your institution issues academic emails, you must add and verify one on your GitHub account (i.e. .edu/academic email where applicable; otherwise supply official documentation). Own a personal GitHub account; age 13+. No credit card required.", "claim": "Settings → Education benefits (github.com/education) → 'Start an application' under GitHub Education → fill form (proof of enrollment) → submit; verify academic email first. Check first whether your institution is already a GitHub Campus Program partner. Benefits appear in the Education portal after approval.", "expiry": "Student validation lasts 2 years, then revalidation required. Offers cannot be redeemed multiple times (including via new accounts). Third-party partners can change or remove offers at will; GitHub says it will try to notify in advance. Codespaces 180 core hours is a recurring monthly allowance; Pro offer (historically) 1 year.", "gotchas": "The current docs 'About' page no longer itemizes free GitHub Pro or Actions minute allowances — only Copilot, Codespaces 180 h, and the pack; free Pro was confirmed from the pricing page's education section, not the docs (medium confidence there). Pack is partner-dependent: offers vary, no stacking of promos, terms are student-vs-partner. Faculty/teachers get a separate track; a school club can get a free GitHub Team with unlimited users + private repos for free.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-students/about-github-education-for-students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Campus Program (education license for schools): free GitHub Enterprise", "detail": "Verified today at docs.github.com/en/education/.../about-github-campus-program. Schools get GitHub Enterprise Cloud and GitHub Enterprise Server free of charge, free for one year with automatic annual renewal, 'so long as you continue to operate within the terms of the agreement'. The license bundles 50,000 GitHub Actions minutes and 50 GB GitHub Packages storage. This is the main 'education license' offer — it benefits students at partner schools by making Enterprise tooling available campus-wide.", "eligibility": "Any school that grants degrees, diplomas, or certificates. Application must be signed by a school employee with authority to adopt technology school-wide (CTO/CIO, Dean, Department Chair). Internal IT, research groups, and other departments may use the licenses provided they do not profit from them. Students themselves do not apply.", "claim": "Apply through the Campus Program (referenced from the GitHub Education docs; application via the official Campus Program site / GitHub Education Resource Guide). Check institution status on the education docs before any individual student applies.", "expiry": "Free for 12 months; auto-renews annually as long as terms are met.", "gotchas": "For institutions, not individuals — individual students can't claim it. If your school is already a Campus partner, students at that school should not submit a separate individual application. Enterprise Server deployment implies self-managed infrastructure; no cost but operational burden on the school.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/use-github-at-your-educational-institution/about-github-campus-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Copilot Free (no-credit-card free tier, all individual users)", "detail": "$0 tier: 2,000 completions per month, 'an allowance of GitHub AI Credits' (page says 'Limited chat and agent usage'; no fixed credit number published on the marketing page; 1 AI credit = $0.01 USD). Auto model selection only (as of 2026-06-24 the only model-selection experience on Free/Student); agents 'Limited'; Copilot Chat skills not available; no app modernization, no cloud agent, no code review. New signups remain open even when paid plans were paused. Open to everyone at github.com/sign-up.", "eligibility": "Individual developers who do NOT already have Copilot through an organization/enterprise. No credit card required, no trial. No region limit stated on the pages fetched.", "claim": "Sign up for GitHub -> choose Copilot Free (no card). Available from github.com/features/copilot/plans; IDEs/CLI/GitHub mobile included.", "expiry": "No expiry; monthly rolling limits. (Free tier itself: none published.)", "gotchas": "Marketing page wording: 'No credit card required' appears on the Free card at github.com/features/copilot. Free users are 'limited to 2,000 completions and access to entry level models per month' — entry-level model access despite the full model list being shown in the table. If you have an org-provisioned Copilot you can't use Free on the same account.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/billing/individual-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Copilot Student (free plan for verified students via GitHub Education)", "detail": "Dedicated free 'Copilot Student' plan (introduced 2026-03-12/13, replacing the old 'free Copilot Pro for students' benefit): unlimited code completions + 200 monthly included GitHub AI credits (credit allowance added 2026-06-01) + agent mode; auto model selection ONLY (manual premium model choice removed; auto routes across OpenAI/Anthropic/Google 'subject to plan restrictions'; GPT-5.3-Codex dropped from picker 2026-04-27; (Preview) labels retired 2026-06-24). Excludes third-party agents. Replaces the old free-access entitlement that had unlimited premium models.", "eligibility": "Verified student in GitHub Education (accredited school; school-issued email and/or official dated proof of enrollment; Student Pack age floor is 13+ per education page). GitHub reevaluates eligibility every MONTH. No credit card. New Student signups were paused 2026-04-20 and reopened from ~2026-06-16/17; as of 2026-10-22 signups are open.", "claim": "github.com/settings/education/benefits -> apply as student; after approval, 'Free GitHub developer resources for students and teachers' -> Learn more -> activate Copilot Student (activation can lag verification by days; direct URL github.com/github-copilot/free_signup). No action was needed for existing students at the 2026-03 transition.", "expiry": "Rollover: monthly re-evaluation; 200 credits/month (community-discussion figure); unlimited completions.", "gotchas": "'200 monthly AI credits' figure comes from the official community discussion of the transition, not a docs table — medium confidence on that number specifically. Monthly re-verification means losing eligibility (graduation) drops the benefit; the plan is not a paid subscription, so 'free plan runs out the moment you graduate'. Existing premium-request-unit (PRU) entitlements for pre-existing students were kept at transition. Student tier no longer includes premium-model manual selection — the biggest 2025->2026 change.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-on-github/set-up-copilot/enable-copilot/set-up-for-students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Copilot Pro free for verified teachers/educators", "detail": "GitHub Copilot Pro (normally $10/mo; 1,000 base + 500 flex = 1,500 AI credits/mo on the $10 price; base-credit pool quoted on marketing page as $15/mo worth) is free for verified educators. Also free: GitHub Teams account (unlimited private repos) for teachers.", "eligibility": "Currently employed educator at an accredited educational institution. Verification requires an official institutional email plus supplementary proof (faculty ID or employment verification letter). No credit card mentioned anywhere on the page. No region limit stated.", "claim": "Apply via the GitHub Education for Teachers portal (github.com/settings/education/benefits). If rejected: ensure clear academic email + employment documentation, update info and reapply. Copilot Pro then appears as the included plan.", "expiry": "Tied to ongoing educator verification (GitHub reevaluates education eligibility monthly); no published sunset date.", "gotchas": "Teacher verification is document-based, not just .edu-email. Docs (plans page) phrase it as 'Verified teachers... may be eligible for free access to Copilot Pro' — a benefit, not a guaranteed signup. Pro signups were briefly paused (2026-04-20 to ~2026-06-16) during the billing restructure; free-for-teachers activation follows the same plan plumbing. Opus models were removed from Pro (2026-04-20) even in the free-teacher grant.", "source_url": "https://github.com/education/teachers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Copilot Pro free for maintainers of popular open-source projects", "detail": "GitHub's open-source benefits: 'Copilot Pro is free for open source maintainers of popular projects and verified students'; GitHub cites 280,000+ maintainers with program access. Free Pro = 1,000 base + 500 flex = 1,500 AI credits/mo (paid-plan equivalent; $15/mo worth base pool on marketing page).", "eligibility": "Maintainer of a 'popular' project — the current pages do NOT document the popularity threshold (no stars/followers number published on github.com/open-source or the plans docs page; historically tied to project popularity, e.g. high star/follower counts). Claim is through the normal Copilot sign-up, where eligible accounts get Pro instead of paid checkout.", "claim": "Sign up via github.com/features/copilot ('Sign-up for Copilot' CTA from the open-source page); eligible maintainers' accounts receive Pro-tier access; users who get Pro 'through... an existing verified OSS, student, faculty, or MVP account may elect to use Free instead' (features/copilot FAQ).", "expiry": "No published expiry; tied to maintaining a popular project; not monthly like student status per pages fetched (unverified).", "gotchas": "Exact 'popular project' criteria are not documented on any page fetched today — verify case-by-case at signup; don't claim a specific star threshold as fact. Benefit is not a paid subscription, but Pro plan mechanics (model restrictions, e.g. Opus removed from Pro 2026-04-20) apply. Pro signups were paused 2026-04-20 to ~2026-06-16.", "source_url": "https://github.com/open-source", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub for Startups program ($10,000 GitHub Enterprise Cloud credits, incl. Copilot)", "detail": "Eligible startups receive $10,000 in GitHub credits applied to their Enterprise Cloud account, valid up to 12 months (expire on full consumption or 12-month end, whichever first). Credits cover Enterprise licenses, Copilot licenses/premium models/agentic capabilities, Advanced Security, Actions, and other metered offerings; includes 50k included Actions minutes under Enterprise tier. The page notes a PREVIOUS startup offer has been discontinued and is no longer available.", "eligibility": "Must be tied to an approved partner (VC, accelerator, incubator); received outside funding 'up to Series B or earlier' (stage cap, non-equity credits don't count as funding); NEW to GitHub Enterprise — not on an Enterprise plan within the past 6 months and no prior credits/licenses; GitHub.com Enterprise Cloud only (no Enterprise Server/Data Residency). Pages fetched state NO founding-age cap, no dollar funding ceiling, and no geographic restriction.", "claim": "1) Get referred/apply through a GitHub for Startups partner (partner directory + partner-application form on the page). 2) Submit the Enterprise application; applicant's primary email gets a reply within 2-3 business days. 3) Complete onboarding INCLUDING adding a payment method. A valid payment method (credit card) IS required — 'Failure to have an authorization... will result in your account being locked.'", "expiry": "Credits: 12 months or full consumption; program: no end date published.", "gotchas": "Payment method required (unlike all the offers above). One-time redemption; after credits expire/12 months, products 'automatically transition to standard paid billing'; violations can have credits revoked. No specific seat counts/Codespaces hours published on the page — the old 'X free seats' style offer was discontinued. Partner-gated: you cannot self-serve without a partner referral.", "source_url": "https://github.com/enterprise/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Codespaces Free plan (all users)", "detail": "Personal Free accounts include 120 core-hours of codespace compute + 15 GB of codespace storage per month (renew each billing cycle). A 2-vCPU codespace burns 2 core-hours per active hour, so 120 core-hours = 60 hours on 2 cores, 30 hours on 4 cores ($0.36/hr), 15 hours on 8 cores ($0.72/hr). 16/32-core sizes cost $1.44/$2.88 per hour. Storage overage: $0.07/GB-month; compute overage only if you add a payment method and raise the spend limit. Free accounts (github.com/pricing) have a $0 spend limit by default, so no CC is required and charges cannot accrue unless you opt in. No free quota exists for organization/enterprise accounts on the Free plan.", "eligibility": "Any GitHub account on the Free plan (personal accounts only; 'GitHub Free for organizations' includes none). No credit card, no verification.", "claim": "Create a free GitHub account; codespaces work immediately in a web/VS Code session. Check usage at github.com/settings/billing (Codespaces section) or github.com/codespaces. No application or enrollment needed.", "expiry": "Quota renews automatically each monthly billing cycle (based on personal billing day). No sunset of the free tier announced as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "When the 120 core-hours or 15 GB run out, creating/opening new codespaces is blocked unless you add a payment method and set a budget. Storage accumulation is cumulative within the cycle: deleting codespaces does not claw back current-month storage. Stopped codespaces auto-delete after ~30-day retention but count toward storage until then; prebuilds are disabled once storage is exhausted. Dev containers using default images do not count toward storage. Orgs on the Free plan have 0 included core-hours — a common trap.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/product-billing/github-codespaces", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Free for students (free Pro via Student Developer Pack) — 180 core-hours + 20 GB", "detail": "Verified students get GitHub Pro free for the duration of their student status, which carries Pro-level Codespaces: 180 core-hours/month + 20 GB codespace storage (the Pro included-quota values read today from the Codespaces billing docs; students map to Pro, not a separate student codespace quota). Also included at no cost: full GitHub Pro plan, GitHub Copilot for students ('unlimited code completions + GitHub AI credits, limited chat/agent, auto model selection'), GitHub Pages limits, plus third-party partners (Azure $100 credit, JetBrains, Datadog, 1Password, etc.).", "eligibility": "Enrolled students; verification through GitHub Education (education.github.com/pack). Typically a school-issued email (.edu or equivalent) or proof of enrollment; school/issuer photo ID may be used. No credit card required. No stated region limit. Teachers: verified academic faculty get GitHub Team free for teaching/research (separate offer, see sunset notes for plan-table changes).", "claim": "Sign in at education.github.com/pack -> verify student status with school email/ID -> pack benefits apply automatically account-wide (Pro plan + Codespaces Pro quota). No separate codespaces enrollment.", "expiry": "Lasts 'while you are a student' (pack states the Pro benefit persists during enrollment; re-verification happens when status changes, effectively each school year). Included codespace quota resets monthly with the billing cycle.", "gotchas": "The old dedicated 'Free for students' codespace tier (120 core-hours/15GB distinct from Pro) is no longer documented — students now receive Pro's 180 core-hours/20GB, so the figures are read via the Pro row. Pro included usage does not cover metered add-ons (Copilot usage, GHAS, etc.) — plan discounts don't apply to usage-based billing. Copilot student tier is 'limited' chat/agent — agent-heavy use exhausts quickly. Pack partner offers (Azure, Datadog) are trial/credit-based, not perpetual.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub for Startups program — $10,000 credits (education/startup front: startup program)", "detail": "Current startup offer (verified on github.com/enterprise/startups today): eligible startups get $10,000 in GitHub Enterprise platform credits usable across Enterprise, Copilot, Advanced Security, Actions (50,000 included Action minutes) and other metered add-ons (i.e. codespaces compute billed to the Enterprise org) for up to 12 months. Includes onboarding/office hours. This is a credits program on Enterprise Cloud, not a free codespaces tier for startups.", "eligibility": "Company must have outside funding up to Series B or earlier (non-equity credits excluded); must be new to GitHub Enterprise (no Enterprise plan in prior 6 months and never received GitHub credits or Enterprise licenses); must apply through an approved partner (VC, accelerator, or incubator); GitHub Enterprise Cloud on github.com only (no Enterprise Server/Data Residency); one-time redemption.", "claim": "Go via a partner: browse github.com/enterprise/startups/partners (or the partner you are affiliated with applies on your behalf). Ineligible companies get a free Enterprise trial instead (github.com/get_started?with=enterprise). Support: ticket under 'Credit Offers - GitHub for Startups'.", "expiry": "Credits valid for up to 12 months from approval or until fully consumed, whichever comes first; single redemption, no re-entry after a prior redemption.", "gotchas": "A card authorization charge hits your payment method within weeks of onboarding (a failed charge locks the account) — so unlike the free tiers, this program effectively requires a payment method. Downgrading before credits are consumed forfeits the balance and bars re-application. All program/billing notices go to the primary account email. No free Pro/Team plan for startups is offered anymore — value is credit-based only.", "source_url": "https://github.com/enterprise/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Team free for verified academic faculty (education license)", "detail": "Verified academic faculty can apply for GitHub Team free 'for teaching or academic research' — unlimited private repos and unlimited collaborators, per the discounted-plans docs. Team is a metered/usage-based plan, so faculty-driven codespaces on Team are usage-billed (no free core-hours included), making this more an IDE/CI license than a codespaces offer.", "eligibility": "Verified academic faculty (school-affiliated accounts via GitHub Education); institutions/nonprofits route through the education/nonprofit portals.", "claim": "Apply through the GitHub Education benefits/verification flow (linked from docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/discounted-plans); faculty Team grant is account-level, no CC required on the free grant itself.", "expiry": "Tied to active academic status (school year / employment).", "gotchas": "No codespaces core-hour allocation with the free Team grant — codespaces usage bills against usage-based billing; nonprofit/library variant is free Team or 25% off Enterprise Cloud via nonprofits.github.com.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/discounted-plans", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free GitHub Pro plan (core student benefit)", "detail": "The full personal GitHub Pro plan is free for the duration of student status. Current official limits per docs.github.com product-usage reference (fetched 2026-10-22): 3,000 GitHub Actions minutes/month, 180 GitHub Codespaces core hours/month + 20 GB Codespaces storage, 10 GB Git LFS, unlimited private repos, and Pro security/advanced features. No credit card required. NOTE: older 2024-25 materials state 5,000 Actions minutes and 50 GB Codespaces storage; those no longer match the current docs.", "eligibility": "GitHub personal account + verified student status: enrolled in a degree-/diploma-granting program (high school, college, university, or homeschool), minimum age 13, proof of enrollment (school ID with current date, class schedule, transcript, or enrollment letter). A .edu/academic email is required only at schools where GitHub has detected recent applicants verified via academic email; otherwise documents suffice. Not a one-off trial — recurring benefit tied to student status.", "claim": "Sign in at github.com/settings/education/benefits -> Start a student application -> submit enrollment proof -> on approval the account is switched to Pro and benefits activate automatically.", "expiry": "Student validation lasts 2 years, then re-validation is required; access lapses when no longer a verified student. Some sub-benefits (e.g. Copilot) are re-evaluated monthly.", "gotchas": "Verify the current Actions figure (docs show 3,000/min, not 5,000). Excess Actions/Codespaces/LFS become metered pay-as-you-go. Teachers/educators are NOT eligible for this (separate teacher benefit). No-credit-card applies to the GitHub-side Pro tier.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/reference/product-usage-included", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Codespaces (Pro tier, free for students)", "detail": "Pro-tier Codespaces included with the free Pro plan: 180 core hours/month and 20 GB storage (vs 120 core hours + 15 GB on the standalone Free plan). 'Core hours' is the post-2025 name for what was called 'premium hours'. Overage billed at compute rates from ~$0.18/hour (2-core) and storage ~$0.07/GB-month.", "eligibility": "Same verified-student status as the free Pro plan. No credit card required for the included allowance.", "claim": "Activated automatically with the free Pro plan; create/launch a codespace at github.com > Codespaces. Set a budget/stop-usage limit to avoid overage.", "expiry": "Allowance resets monthly; lapses when student status lapses.", "gotchas": "Long-running, high-CPU, or large-storage codespaces burn through 180 core hours quickly and then cost real money (compute + egress/storage). '50 GB storage' from older sources is not current (docs show 20 GB).", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/reference/product-usage-included", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Student plan (free, Pro-equivalent)", "detail": "Copilot's premium features free for verified students: unlimited code completions plus a monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits for chat/agent features and premium models. Pro-equivalent tier = 1,500 AI credits/month (1,000 base + 500 flex; 1 AI credit = $0.01 USD). Verified teachers and popular-OSS maintainers also get free Copilot Pro (same 1,500 credits). No credit card required; GitHub re-evaluates eligibility monthly. Note: 2025 restructure renamed the billing unit from 'premium requests' to 'GitHub AI credits' and added Pro+ ($39, 7,000 cr) and Max ($100, 20,000 cr) tiers; Pro is $10/month if not a student/teacher.", "eligibility": "GitHub Education verified student (13+). No CC required. Separate from the general Free Copilot plan (Free = 2,000 completions/month, limited models).", "claim": "github.com/settings/education/benefits -> Copilot 'Learn more' -> enable; do NOT complete a purchase (docs warn 'if only paid options appear, do not complete a purchase').", "expiry": "Tied to verified student status; eligibility re-evaluated monthly.", "gotchas": "Completions are unlimited but chat/agent usage is capped by AI credits; the exact student-plan credit cap mirrors Pro (1,500) but the plans doc does not print a separate student number, so treat the exact student credit figure as medium-confidence.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Actions minutes (free, via Pro)", "detail": "3,000 GitHub Actions minutes/month included on the free Pro plan (vs 2,000 on the standalone Free plan; 50,000 on Enterprise). Public-repository runs are free/unlimited on Free; private-repo runs draw down the allowance. Overage is metered.", "eligibility": "Verified student via free Pro plan. No CC required for included minutes.", "claim": "Included automatically with the free Pro plan; no separate claim.", "expiry": "Resets monthly.", "gotchas": "Current docs = 3,000 minutes, NOT the 5,000 assumed in the task's 'known so far'. Self-hosted runners have separate usage rules.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/billing/reference/product-usage-included", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Pages + GitHub Classroom (free)", "detail": "GitHub Pages free hosting: one user site per account/org plus unlimited project sites. GitHub Classroom is free for students and for verified teachers/educators to run courses and assignments.", "eligibility": "Any GitHub account for Pages; verified student/teacher for Classroom. No CC required.", "claim": "Pages available automatically; create a classroom at classrooms.github.com.", "expiry": "Ongoing while account exists.", "gotchas": "Pages traffic has fair-use limits and very high bandwidth can be metered/billed.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Education for teachers (free Team + free Copilot Pro)", "detail": "Verified teachers/educators get: free GitHub Team (Teams) plan with unlimited users + private repositories; free GitHub Classroom; free GitHub Copilot Pro (~1,500 AI credits/month); plus a swag bag and access to education events. Teachers/faculty/staff are explicitly NOT eligible for the Student Developer Pack — this is the separate teacher track.", "eligibility": "Verified teacher/educator status (in-class instructor or higher-ed faculty/staff). No CC required on the GitHub side.", "claim": "github.com/settings/education/benefits -> apply as a teacher/educator.", "expiry": "Tied to educator verification; re-validate periodically. No explicit duration stated on the doc page.", "gotchas": "Team plan is org/teaching-scoped; no student-pack partner perks on this track.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-teachers/about-github-education-for-teachers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Pack eligibility, claiming, and renewal (meta)", "detail": "The GitHub Student Developer Pack = 80+ resources (the 2026 catalog lists ~73 partner offers) PLUS the free GitHub Pro tier. Eligibility: enrolled in a degree-/diploma-granting program (high school to university, incl. homeschool), proof of enrollment, personal GitHub account, minimum age 13; some partner offers add their own age limits. Claim at github.com/settings/education/benefits. Student validation lasts 2 years then re-validation. Offers may not be redeemed more than once and partners may not 'stack' with a prior free trial. Third-party terms are between the student and the partner.", "eligibility": ".edu/academic email only where GitHub detects recent school-level email verification; otherwise acceptable documents (school ID w/ current date, class schedule, transcript, or enrollment letter). No credit card required for GitHub-side benefits.", "claim": "settings/education/benefits -> Start an application (student) -> complete form -> Submit -> on approval, partner offers appear to claim individually.", "expiry": "2-year student validation, then re-verify. Each partner offer has its own duration (from 1 week to 'while a student' to 'free forever').", "gotchas": "Cannot re-claim an expired partner offer by making a new account/re-verifying. A partner free trial already used can block the pack version of that offer. Third-party partners can change offers; GitHub has no liability for partner products.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-students/apply-to-github-education-as-a-student", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft Azure for Students (partner)", "detail": "In the 2026 pack: 'Microsoft Azure (18+)': $100 Azure credit + 25+ cloud services, while a student, NO credit card. A separate '13-17' tier offers a limited set of Azure services (App Service, Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL, App Insights, Azure DevOps) with no credit card. Also Microsoft 365 (productivity apps + 1 TB cloud storage) while a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student; 18+ for the $100 credit tier, 13-17 tier separate. No CC required.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (Microsoft/Azure student portal) using your verified GitHub student account.", "expiry": "While a student; credit offers carry partner expiry terms.", "gotchas": "Some Azure services are region-limited; unused credit can lapse. No-CC applies to the $100 student offer.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Visual Studio Dev Essentials (partner, ~$200 first-month credit)", "detail": "1-year offer: VS Community + Pluralsight training + '1 free year of Azure services with $200 credit for the 1st month'. The '$200' figure in older pack versions maps to this Dev Essentials Azure-credit offer (distinct from the $100 'Azure for Students' credit).", "eligibility": "Verified student; some elements 18+. No CC required for the credit component.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (Microsoft Dev Essentials).", "expiry": "1 year.", "gotchas": "Distinguish the $200 Dev Essentials first-month credit from the $100 'Azure for Students' credit — they are two separate lines in the pack.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MongoDB Atlas (partner)", "detail": "$50 in MongoDB Atlas credits, plus access to MongoDB Compass and MongoDB University (free certification, ~$150 value), while a student.", "eligibility": "Verified student.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (MongoDB).", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Credit is for Atlas usage; separate signup with MongoDB required.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Heroku (partner)", "detail": "Heroku at $13 USD/month for 24 months (a long discounted 'student' tier offered through the pack).", "eligibility": "Verified student.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (Heroku).", "expiry": "24 months.", "gotchas": "Not fully free — it is a fixed low monthly rate for 24 months, so there is ongoing cost after the discount window unless cancelled.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Domain offers: Namecheap / Name.com / .TECH (partners)", "detail": "Namecheap: 1-year free .me domain + 1 free SSL certificate. Name.com: a free domain from 25+ TLDs (.live, .studio, .software, .app, .dev) while enrolled. .TECH: one free .TECH domain for 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student.", "claim": "Via the pack partner links (Namecheap / Name.com / .TECH).", "expiry": "Domain free period is 1 year (renewal after that is paid).", "gotchas": "Free period is typically 1 year; renewing the domain later costs. The Namecheap '.me' is free for 1 year, not free forever.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "JetBrains (partner)", "detail": "Free JetBrains subscription for students (IntelliJ, PyCharm and other JetBrains IDEs), renewed annually.", "eligibility": "Verified student.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (JetBrains / JetBrains Academy).", "expiry": "Annual renewal while a student.", "gotchas": "Only student (not paid) JetBrains editions; renewal requires current student status.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Notion Education plan (partner)", "detail": "Notion Education plan (equivalent to Plus) free while a student, with increased sharing/collaboration, longer page history, and additional AI responses; plus a Notion template collection for CS dashboards/hackathons/portfolios.", "eligibility": "Verified student.", "claim": "Via the pack partner link (Notion).", "expiry": "While a student.", "gotchas": "Student/education plan is distinct from a commercial Notion trial; separate Notion account signup required.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Learning platforms: DataCamp / Educative / FrontendMasters / GoRails / others (partners)", "detail": "Representative durations from the 2026 pack: DataCamp 3 months free; Boot.dev 3 months; SymfonyCasts 3 months; Visme 3 months (Starter); Educative 6 months free (70+ courses) + 30% discount on subscription; FrontendMasters 6 months; Codedex 6 months; Scrimba 1 month (Pro, 40+ courses); GoRails 12 months; InterviewCake 1 week; AlgoExpert free access to 20 interview questions + 10% discount.", "eligibility": "Verified student; each partner has its own signup.", "claim": "Via the individual pack partner links at settings/education/benefits.", "expiry": "Per-platform (1 week to 12 months); some also offer an ongoing discount after the free period.", "gotchas": "Free windows are fixed and do not auto-extend; do not stack with a prior free trial of the same platform.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Testing/monitoring/security: Datadog / New Relic / LambdaTest / BrowserStack / Sentry / 1Password / Dashlane / Honeybadger (partners)", "detail": "Representative terms from the 2026 pack: Datadog Pro account (incl. 10 servers) free for 2 years; New Relic free while a student (~$300/month value); LambdaTest Live plan free 1 year; BrowserStack Automate Mobile (1 parallel, 1 user) free 1 year; Sentry free 1 year (50K errors, 100K transactions, 500 replays, renewable); 1Password free 2 years (incl. Developer Tools); Dashlane Premium 6 months; Honeybadger Small account 1 year.", "eligibility": "Verified student; partner-specific signups.", "claim": "Via the individual pack partner links at settings/education/benefits.", "expiry": "Per-partner (6 months to 2 years; several renewable while a student).", "gotchas": "Each is a distinct partner agreement; overages on hosted monitoring (e.g. New Relic/Datadog) can accrue real charges beyond the free tier.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean — no longer in the pack (removed)", "detail": "The task's 'known so far' lists a '$200 DigitalOcean' partner perk, but DigitalOcean does NOT appear among the ~73 partners in the 2026 official pack catalog (education.github.com/pack), and DigitalOcean's own student/academia page (digitalocean.com/community/academia) returns a 404. Treat the DigitalOcean pack perk as removed/sunset as of 2026. DigitalOcean separately runs its own free-trial program (not part of the GitHub pack) which would need independent re-verification.", "eligibility": "N/A as a GitHub-pack offer (removed).", "claim": "Not claimable through the GitHub Student Developer Pack as of 2026; verify DigitalOcean's standalone offer directly if a DO credit is required.", "expiry": "Removed from the pack.", "gotchas": "Assumed $200 figure is stale; confirm current DigitalOcean academic/trial terms on DigitalOcean's own site before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Free plan (free tier, not student or startup specific)", "detail": "Price $0/month. Code completions capped at 2,000 per month. Chat and agent usage 'Limited' (no numeric cap found on any page read). Agent mode, CLI, MCP and custom instructions included; IDE chat skills not available; third-party agents (Claude by Anthropic, OpenAI Codex) not included. Model access conflicts across official pages: docs.github.com plans page says 'Auto model selection only'; github.com/features/models says 'Access to Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, and more'; github.com/features/copilot/plans lists 34 named models in the Free column while its FAQ says 'entry level models'. Paid tiers are not free and are excluded here.", "eligibility": "No student, startup, or verification requirement stated on the pages read. Region limits not stated.", "claim": "Self-serve Free plan listing; enablement steps were not captured in this run.", "expiry": "No expiry stated. The 2,000-completion allowance is monthly.", "gotchas": "Not an API: the GitHub Models inference API that offered free model calls is retired (see sunset_notes). Verify which models your account can select before relying on any model. 'No credit card required' appears only in the summarized github.com/features/models page; the plans docs say nothing about payment. Completion cap is hard; chat and agent limit undefined.", "source_url": "https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans;https://github.com/features/copilot/plans;https://github.com/features/models", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Student (verified students)", "detail": "Tier name 'GitHub Copilot Student' in the Student Developer Pack. Price: free. Includes unlimited code completions, an allowance of 'GitHub AI Credits' (amount not stated), and limited chat and agent usage restricted to auto model selection only. Third-party agents excluded. Also described as 'available for free to verified students, teachers, and open-source maintainers'. Duration, renewal, and expiry not stated on any page read.", "eligibility": "Verified students. Pack benefits go to 'verified learners who have approved accounts confirming student status'. The Pack FAQ names 'a school-issued email address and/or official, dated proof of enrollment' (stated for the Pack; Copilot-specific proof not confirmed). .edu domain not stated as a requirement. Teachers and open-source maintainers are listed as eligible on the education page.", "claim": "Get verified through GitHub Education benefits (github.com/settings/education/benefits, linked from 'Get verified' and 'Join GitHub Education'). Copilot-specific steps not listed; the student setup guide was referenced but not fetched.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Auto model selection only. 'GitHub AI Credits' amount unknown. Verification proof for Copilot unconfirmed. Card requirement at signup not stated on pages read.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack/offers;https://github.com/education/students;https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub for Startups credits ($10,000, partner-referred)", "detail": "$10,000 in flexible platform credits, usable toward Enterprise license costs and add-ons such as Copilot and Advanced Security. Credits last up to 12 months after approval and end sooner if fully used. Includes onboarding help and office hours. No seat count or standalone free tier listed. Startups that do not qualify can request a trial of Enterprise, Advanced Security, or Copilot (trial length not stated).", "eligibility": "Must be tied to an approved partner (VC or accelerator). Outside funding required, 'up to Series B or earlier'; non-equity credits do not count. No Enterprise plan in the past six months and no earlier GitHub credits or Enterprise licenses. Must use Enterprise Cloud hosted on GitHub.com (Server and Data Residency excluded). Startup age, company size, and location not stated.", "claim": "Go through an approved partner listed on the site (investors can join as partners via a separate application). Approval email arrives within 2-3 business days at the primary address. Questions go to support as a ticket in the 'Credit Offers - GitHub for Startups' category.", "expiry": "Up to 12 months after approval, ending early if credits run out. Credits are non-transferable and redeemable once. Downgrading early forfeits leftover credits and bars reapplying.", "gotchas": "Credits, not a free tier. A valid payment method on file is required (the page does not say 'credit card'). An authorization charge on the payment method arrives a few weeks after onboarding; a missing or failed method locks the account. After credits run out, active products bill to that method automatically. The $10,000 and 12-month figures came from a summarizing fetch of the page; confirm before quoting.", "source_url": "https://github.com/enterprise/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Copilot Pro free for verified educators, plus free GitHub Teams for teachers", "detail": "Copilot Pro is 'free for verified educators'. A GitHub Teams account is 'free for teachers', with unlimited private repositories. Access duration not stated.", "eligibility": "Currently employed educators at an accredited educational institution. Proof of academic employment (faculty ID or employment verification letter) through an institutional or official academic email. Rejections cite insufficient proof or affiliation with a non-degree-granting institution. Teacher-only offer. .edu domain not stated as a requirement.", "claim": "Apply on github.com/education/teachers with proof of academic employment; reapply if rejected ('You may update your information and reapply as needed'). Step-by-step not captured.", "expiry": "Not stated; renewal not addressed.", "gotchas": "The plans docs say teachers and maintainers 'may be eligible' for Copilot Pro, which is weaker than the teacher page's 'free for verified educators'. Duration and renewal unknown.", "source_url": "https://github.com/education/teachers;https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Campus Program (free GitHub Enterprise for accredited schools)", "detail": "Accredited schools get free GitHub Enterprise Cloud or GitHub Enterprise Server ('free access (yes, free!)'). Copilot is not included in the school tier: the FAQ says Copilot is 'not accessed through our educational institutional benefits'. The school tier also omits Copilot Business. Verified learners and teachers can apply individually for free Copilot. Seat limits and terms not captured.", "eligibility": "Accredited institutions that grant degrees, diplomas, or certificates. No .edu domain requirement listed on the page.", "claim": "Institution applies through GitHub Education (github.com/education/schools). Application steps not captured.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Not an LLM or model-access offer. Copilot excluded at the school level.", "source_url": "https://github.com/education/schools;https://docs.github.com/en/education", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student Developer Pack AI partner credits (Camber, Deepnote)", "detail": "Camber (tagged Machine Learning & AI): free while enrolled, including 40 CPU hours, 5 GPU hours, 50 GB storage, and 50 agent messages per month. Deepnote (tagged Machine Learning & AI): free while a student; no credit amount listed. Notion ('additional AI responses', count not stated) and Microsoft 365 (mentions Copilot, no AI-specific amount) are listed without quantified allowances. The same page lists Azure among non-AI credits; amount not captured.", "eligibility": "Verified students in the GitHub Student Developer Pack; partner-specific rules not verified.", "claim": "Verify through the Student Developer Pack (education.github.com/pack), then claim the partner listing. Partner claim steps not captured.", "expiry": "Camber and Deepnote: free while enrolled, per the listing. Others not stated.", "gotchas": "Partner terms are set by each partner and were not checked on partner pages. The only quantified LLM-style allowance found is Camber's 50 agent messages per month. The Azure credit may matter because GitHub's retirement notice points to Azure AI Foundry; not verified.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack/offers", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes (all verified from official docs/pages today): (1) 2024-12: Copilot Free launched — 2,000 completions + 50 chat messages/month. (2) 2025-05-05: premium-request metering introduced; Pro 300 PRU/month, Pro+ 1,500, extra PRUs at $0.04 each; billing enforcement began 2025-06-18. (3) 2025-08: Free plan's chat allowance reduced from 200 to 50 premium requests/month. (4) 2026-03-12/13: existing student benefits were migrated to a dedicated 'Copilot Student plan' with auto model selection only; premium models (GPT-5.4, Claude Opus/Sonnet) removed from student self-selection — announced by GitHub Education in community discussion 189268; further model/limit adjustments were flagged as upcoming. (5) 2026-04-27: GPT-5.3-Codex removed from the Student model picker. (6) 2026-06-01: all plans moved to usage-based 'GitHub AI Credits' billing (1 credit = $0.01): Pro $15/1,500 cr, Pro+ $70/7,000 cr, Max $200/20,000 cr; student allowance is community-reported at ~200 credits/month; legacy per-request billing survives only for Pro/Pro+ annual-plan users who opted to stay. Sunset: the 'unlimited chat with premium models' framing of older student coverage is obsolete — the student plan is now credit-capped and auto-routing-only. No free offer was fully discontinued: Free, Student, and teacher/maintainer Pro all remain active as of 2026-10-22.", "Verification method / caveats: (1) WebSearch was UNAVAILABLE this session (the session's shared 200-call budget was exhausted), so 2025-2026 change-detection could NOT be done via dedicated searches; findings were verified by WebFetch of the LIVE official pages today: https://education.github.com/pack (all offers above), https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/ (Azure student + Azure for Startups), and https://github.com/features/copilot (Copilot free/student tiers and 2026 data-train/pricing changes). Confidence: 'high' = cross-verified on the specific official page today (GitHub Pro/Copilot/Codespaces/Pages/Desktop, Azure 18+, Azure for Startups); 'medium' = stated on the official pack page today but not re-verified on the partner's own page (partner terms may have drifted). Nothing was marked 'low'. (2) Observed 2025-2026 changes that are live: Azure for Students is now presented as a single flat tier ($100 credit within 12 months + free monthly amounts of 20+ services for 12 months + 65+ always-free) rather than the older 'monthly $-credit for 12 months' structure still cited in some third-party sources; Copilot pricing now includes a new 'Max' tier (2026 lineup), and from ~Apr 24 GitHub may use Free/Pro/Pro+ interaction data for model training unless you opt out, and from Jun 1, 2026 code-review workflows begin consuming GitHub Actions minutes. (3) No large-scale pack sunset was observed on the live page today - the full partner list is still present; however, individual partner offers (e.g. Travis CI, Heroku, 1Password 2-yr, BrowserStack/LambdaTest) have historically had unstable availability, so a 'medium' confidence partner entry may no longer be live when claimed - re-check the pack page link before relying on any single partner offer. The startup front is covered by Azure for Startups ($1k / up to $5k); GitHub's own startup programs are separate from the student pack and were not part of this provider scope.", "2025-2026 material changes verified via changelog/docs: (1) 2026-03-12/13: the legacy free student entitlement (previously 'free Copilot Pro features for verified students') was replaced by a dedicated, deliberately more limited 'Copilot Student' plan — manual premium-model selection removed, auto-only routing; 200 AI credits/month added 2026-06-01; GPT-5.3-Codex dropped from student model picker 2026-04-27; auto-only model selection enforced 2026-06-24. (2) 2026-04-20: new signups for Student/Pro/Pro+/Max PAUSED and usage limits tightened (Opus removed from Pro, Pro+ >5x Pro limits; refund window closed 2026-05-20); signups gradually reopened from 2026-06-16/17 — as of 2026-10-22 open. (3) 'Premium requests' terminology is gone across pages fetched; plans now use GitHub AI Credits (1 credit = $0.01; overage $0.01/credit) after usage-based billing went live 2026-06-01 — so older docs citing e.g. '50 premium requests' on Free are outdated. (4) GitHub for Startups: the previous startup offer was explicitly 'discontinued and is no longer available'; current offer is the $10k Enterprise-cloud credit. (5) No region restrictions found on any fetched page; student offer is global via GitHub Education verification. One caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so verification relied on WebFetch of official pages; 'popular OSS project' threshold remains undocumented on official pages (medium confidence).", "2025-2026 changes observed while verifying (as of 2026-10-22): (1) GitHub's 'Accelerate' marketing page (github.com/enterprise/accelerate) now 404s and github.com/accelerate is just an org profile — the startup program is now branded 'GitHub for Startups' and is credit-based ($10K/12 months) rather than the older free-Team-plan/accelerate structure; I could not re-read the pre-change Accelerate page, so historical free-Pro-for-founders details are not confirmed (low confidence on the prior shape). (2) Billing docs were restructured: docs.github.com/en/billing/concepts/billing-plans-and-billing-limits-for-individuals and the old /billing/managing-billing-for-github-codespaces/pricing-for-codespaces URLs are 404; plan/usage data now lives under /en/billing/concepts/product-billing/* and /en/billing/reference/product-usage-included. (3) The product-usage-included table no longer lists a separate 'Free for students' row — students receive Pro-plan entitlements (180 core-hours/20 GB) instead, which is why student figures come from the Pro row. (4) Student Copilot benefit wording changed to 'unlimited completions + GitHub AI credits + limited chat/agent usage' (the pre-2025 '2,000 completions' framing is gone), and a new partner (Camber: 40 CPU hours, 5 GPU hours, 50 GB storage) joined the pack. No termination of the Free or student codespaces tiers was announced.", "MAJOR 2025-2026 RESTRUCTURE OF GITHUB'S FREE ALLOWANCES (current official docs, fetched 2026-10-22, disagree with the task's 'known so far'):- GitHub Pro now lists 3,000 GitHub Actions minutes/month, NOT the 5,000 the task assumed (docs.github.com product-usage reference).- GitHub Codespaces is now 180 core hours + 20 GB storage/month on Pro, NOT '2,000 premium hours / 50 GB'; the term 'premium hours' was renamed to 'core hours' and the free/Pro allowances were reworked (Free plan now 120 core hours + 15 GB).- GitHub Copilot billing changed from 'premium requests' to 'GitHub AI Credits' (1 credit = $0.01) with a 2025 plan restructure: Free / Pro ($10, 1,500 cr: 1,000 base + 500 flex) / Pro+ ($39, 7,000 cr) / Max ($100, 20,000 cr) / Business ($19/seat, 1,900 cr) / Enterprise ($39/seat, 3,900 cr). Students/teachers get Pro-equivalent free.- DigitalOcean's '$200' pack perk is no longer in the official 2026 pack catalog (~73 partners, no DigitalOcean); DO's own academia page 404s. Treat as sunset/removed from the pack (medium confidence).NOT SUNCET (still active, current): the core Student Developer Pack remains a live 2026 program (pack page footer is (c) 2026) — free GitHub Pro, free Codespaces Pro tier, free Copilot student plan, GitHub Pages/Classroom, ~73 partner offers, 2-year student re-validation, 13+ age floor, no credit card required on the GitHub side. Teachers get a separate free track: free GitHub Team + free Copilot Pro. GitHub's separate STARTUP program (if in scope for another front) was not verified here — this front is education/.edu-only.CAVEAT: I could not run new web searches (session web-search budget was exhausted), so corroboration rests on official GitHub pages fetched today (education.github.com/pack, docs.github.com product-usage/Copilot/education pages, github.com/pricing, github.com/features/copilot). Re-verify the exact current Actions (3,000) and Codespaces (180 core hours / 20 GB) figures and the DigitalOcean removal directly on those pages if exact currency matters.", "SUNSET (material, high confidence): GitHub Models is retired. docs.github.com/en/github-models (read 2026-10-22) says: 'As of July 30, 2026, GitHub Models has been fully retired.' The playground, model catalog, inference API and bring-your-own-key (BYOK) are no longer available to any customer. The page says GitHub Models was a separate service from GitHub Copilot. It states no grace period, refund, credit or migration guide, and points to Azure AI Foundry (https://ai.azure.com/) and GitHub Copilot as replacements. The task premise (free GitHub Models API and VS Code access with no paid key) is obsolete as of 2026-10-22, so no GitHub Models free-tier entry appears in findings. GitHub Models rate limits could not be retrieved: the rate-limit and marketplace URLs tried returned 404. github.com/features/models now describes Copilot plans, not GitHub Models.GAPS: WebSearch was unavailable (session search budget exhausted), so no 2025-2026 changelog or news search was done; changes were checked only on the official pages read. Not found: region limits; Copilot Student duration, cost terms and renewal; Campus Program application steps and seat limits; teacher access duration. Azure AI Foundry's own student and startup credits were not researched (outside GitHub scope); the Azure credit in the Student Developer Pack is the first lead to verify.EXCLUDED AS NOT FREE: Copilot Pro $10/month ($15 AI credits including $5 flex), Pro+ $39/month ($70), Max $100/month ($200), Business $19/user/month, Enterprise $39/user/month (summaries of github.com/features/models and github.com/features/copilot/plans).OPEN CONFLICTS: Copilot Free model access (see first finding); 'No credit card required' appears only in the github.com/features/models summary, not on the plans docs." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "GitHub Models (free LLM access)", "text": "Retired. As of July 30, 2026 GitHub Models is fully retired: the playground, model catalog, inference API and BYOK are unavailable to every customer, including existing users. It closed to new customers on June 16, 2026. GitHub points to Microsoft Foundry (Azure AI Foundry) and GitHub Copilot instead. Remove this entry.", "url": "https://github.blog/changelog/2026-07-30-github-models-is-now-retired/" }, { "item": "Free GitHub Pro, 5,000 Actions minutes/mo, 50 GB Codespaces storage", "text": "GitHub's student page lists 3,000 Actions minutes per month and 20 GB Codespaces storage with GitHub Pro (also 180 Codespaces hours). The 5,000-minute and 50 GB figures are not supported. The list's own Codespaces entry already gives 20 GB for students.", "url": "https://github.com/education/students" } ], "confidence": { "high": 40, "medium": 82, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "GitHub Copilot Free (perpetual free tier, no credit card)", "link": "https://github.com/features/copilot/plans", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "gitlab", "name": "GitLab", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "GitLab.com Free: 400 CI/CD compute minutes/mo per group, 10GiB storage/project, 5 users per private group; GitLab for Startups/Education: free Ultimate license + 50,000 compute minutes/mo" ], "notes": [ "Self-managed GitLab is free/unlimited (bring your own runners & storage), making it the self-host escape hatch alongside Gitea. Open-source projects also get the free Ultimate + 50K minutes offer." ], "findings": [ { "name": "GitLab.com Free plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "Ongoing $0/month plan requiring no credit card. Included: 400 CI/CD compute minutes/month, applied per top-level group (\"The quota will be applied to a group, no matter the number of users in the group or the number of users in the subscription\"); initial 10 GiB limit per project on Git repo + LFS storage, which is \"adjustable\" (extra storage purchasable); 5 users per top-level group with private visibility (\"The 5-user limit is applicable only to users of the Free tier of the GitLab.com offering in a top-level group with private visibility\"). Basic security features on all tiers: SAST, secret detection, container scanning. No GitLab Duo credits included on Free (add-on, $1/credit on-demand; monthly commitment pools available to Free top-level group namespaces but not personal namespaces; compute-minute top-ups $10 per 1,000 minutes).", "eligibility": "Anyone can sign up on gitlab.com, no CC required, no age/institution requirement. Public groups, paid tiers, and community-program users are exempt from the 5-user cap.", "claim": "Create a gitlab.com account (sign up at gitlab.com/users/sign_in), the group sits on the Free plan automatically; purchase add-ons (storage/minutes) via group billing settings.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no sunset date published. Overage add-ons bill monthly (storage $5/mo per 10 GiB on paid tiers; minutes $10/1,000).", "gotchas": "400 minutes is a hard per-group per-month cap for CI/CD on shared runners; public groups are the main workaround for the 5-user cap; Duo/AI features are paid add-ons even on Free; self-managed GitLab CE (open-source edition, $0) has no user cap and no 400-minute cap (BYO runners/storage) — see https://about.gitlab.com/install/.", "source_url": "https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitLab for Education (free Ultimate license for educational institutions)", "detail": "Complimentary GitLab Ultimate license, SaaS or self-managed, with UNLIMITED seats and 50,000 compute minutes/month included (extra minutes purchased separately). 1-year duration, renewed annually; renewal requires re-verifying the renewer's employment via the Proxi.id partner, and the original applicant must be the one to renew (ownership transferable via support ticket). Multiple self-managed instances can run on the same license key. Community-level support only (GitLab Community Discord); paid support no longer offered as an add-on on this license. 1,000+ institutions and ~3M people participate; the program spans 65 countries.", "eligibility": "Institution must be: accredited by a local/state/provincial/federal/national authorized agency, primarily focused on teaching enrolled students, actively granting degrees/diplomas/certificates, and not-for-profit (for-profit institutions ineligible). Institutions enrolling students under 13 are ineligible for SaaS (self-managed still available). Applicant must be a FULL-TIME faculty or staff member applying with the institution's email domain; GitLab explicitly cannot issue licenses directly to students — students must find a faculty/staff sponsor or use the Free tier. GitLab, Inc. does not issue licenses to institutions in China (JiHu separate entity). Use restricted to instruction and non-commercial academic research — not running/administering the institution's own IT services.", "claim": "Faculty/staff apply through the GitLab Customer Portal at customers.gitlab.com/subscriptions/community_program/coupons/new?program=EDU (linked from about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/join/), verify via institutional email, receive redemption instructions; re-apply/verify annually for renewal.", "expiry": "License valid 1 year, renewed annually; access lapses when employment/renewal verification fails; graduates lose access because licenses are issued to the institution.", "gotchas": "NO student-issued licenses — individual students with .edu emails are NOT automatically enrolled; a faculty/staff sponsor is required. 'Apply with the institution's email domain' (institutional domain, not necessarily .edu). No credit card required. No storage allotment is stated. Students are funneled to https://about.gitlab.com/community/ (Free tier) instead. China excluded; for-profit colleges excluded.", "source_url": "https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/join/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitLab for Startups (free/reduced Ultimate program)", "detail": "Two tiers by funding: SEED — Pre-Seed or Seed stage with up to $5M in external funding, new customers only: Year 1 = free GitLab Ultimate license (SaaS or self-managed) up to 20 seats; Year 2 = 50% discount on any tier, up to 20 users. EARLY — Series A or Series B with up to $20M in external funding, new customers only: Year 1 = 50% discount on any tier (up to 20 users); Year 2 = 25% discount (up to 20 users). Program spans two years; GitLab contacts teams before year one ends to discuss renewal. No company-age or headcount threshold is stated. Support is NOT included; self-managed recipients must enable usage and analytics features. Additional seats beyond 20: email startups@gitlab.com for an add-on quote.", "eligibility": "Externally funded startups only — self-funded companies are excluded (\"The program is currently available for externally funded companies only\"). Must be a new GitLab customer. Seed: <= $5M external funding; Early: Series A/B, <= $20M. Applicants must provide a Crunchbase, Pitchbook profile, or VC/accelerator webpage proving current funding status; otherwise the application \"will not be considered\". New customers only.", "claim": "Submit the in-page application form on https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/startups/ (#form anchor; all fields required; may be asked for more info to verify eligibility). Questions: startups@gitlab.com. No credit card requirement stated.", "expiry": "Two-year program (Year 1 entitlement, then Year 2 discount); after year two the company \"will have the flexibility to choose from our offerings\"; program \"offered at the sole discretion of GitLab and is subject to change\". Applications not processed during U.S. holidays.", "gotchas": "The current official page does NOT list 50,000 compute minutes or any storage allowance for startups (the pricing page's line bundling \"qualifying open source projects, educational institutions, and startups\" under \"free Ultimate licenses, along with 50K compute minutes/month\" is ambiguous — confirm with GitLab whether SaaS compute minutes ship with the seed license). 20-seat cap. Paid support excluded. Seed stage gets the only genuinely free license; Early stage is a discount, not free.", "source_url": "https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitLab for Open Source (free Ultimate features for qualifying projects)", "detail": "Features of GitLab Ultimate free to qualifying open source projects, self-managed or SaaS, plus 50,000 compute minutes \"calculated at a program-specific cost factor.\" Seat allocation uses a concurrent-seat model (max users enabled at once; every occupied seat counts, including the owner's, except Guest-permission members). No support included, and purchasing GitLab Credits for the Duo Agent Platform is not available on community subscriptions.", "eligibility": "Every project in the namespace must be published under an OSI-approved open source license; the organization must not seek to make a profit (donations OK; selling services/enhancements not); group and source code must be publicly visible and available; personal namespaces ineligible (must be a group; only free-tier groups you own appear in the application dropdown).", "claim": "Steps: (1) verify qualification against the requirements list, (2) create a GitLab account (Free tier or Ultimate trial), (3) GitLab.com: fill out the Customers Portal form to confirm the group meets requirements — you then receive an email with a coupon code and provisioning instructions; self-managed: submit the form with project details and a clear justification; (4) enroll via the Apply link. Renew annually by resubmitting the form; renew up to 3 months early, start at least 1 month before expiration — failing to renew means the account is downgraded.", "expiry": "Annual membership, renewed by re-applying; downgraded to Free tier if not renewed. No CC required.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial requirement rules out monetized/mixed projects; Guest seats don't count toward the concurrent cap; self-managed applications are not processed during holidays; 50K minutes are billed internally at a \"program-specific cost factor\" rather than standard rates.", "source_url": "https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/join/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day GitLab Ultimate free trial (SaaS and self-managed)", "detail": "\"Start your 30-day GitLab Ultimate trial\" covering \"nearly all features of our Ultimate tier\" plus Duo Agent Platform access. 30 days for both GitLab.com (hosted) and self-managed. GitLab.com trial limits: 400 compute minutes/month, 24 Duo Agent Platform credits/user, one project token only (group tokens excluded), no external-API features. Self-managed trial: requires GitLab 18.0+ and an internet connection, support excluded at any level, Duo Agent Platform (24 credits/user) starts with GitLab 18.9. A credit/debit card is NOT required for customers who do not use GitLab.com CI/CD (BYO runners or shared runners disabled); enabling shared runners triggers a $1 authorization (no charge transfers). New and existing users can start; at trial end you stay on the Free tier or upgrade, and \"You will lose access to GitLab Duo Agent Platform and any remaining credits from the trial period.\" Included 12/24 Duo credits on paid tiers are a limited-time promotional offer.", "eligibility": "Anyone, including students and startup founders; no CC required unless shared runners are used; one trial flow via gitlab.com/-/trials/new or the free-trial page; no per-account trial-count cap or fixed expiry date is stated on the page.", "claim": "Go to https://about.gitlab.com/free-trial/ (or gitlab.com/-/trial_registrations/new), choose hosted or self-managed, sign up / log in.", "expiry": "30 days per trial; Duo Agent Platform access and remaining trial credits are forfeited at trial end.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: the 30-day Ultimate trial is separate from the permanent Free tier; post-trial you fall back to Free (with its 400-min/5-user caps) unless you pay. The marketing JSON-LD schemas on the /solutions/ pages still advertise a \"60-day free trial\" — the dedicated official trial page says 30 days; treat 30 days as current. Shared-runner use triggers a $1 card hold.", "source_url": "https://about.gitlab.com/free-trial/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Restructured/changed in 2025-2026 (per official pages read 2026-10-22): (1) Trial duration — the dedicated free-trial page states 30-day GitLab Ultimate trials for both hosted and self-managed, while JSON-LD schema metadata on the marketing /solutions/ pages still says \"60-day free trial\"; the 30-day figure is the current authoritative one. (2) GitLab for Startups is now a two-tier (Seed <=$5M / Early Series A-B <=$20M) structure capping benefits at 20 seats, with Seed = free Ultimate year one + 50% year two and Early = 50%/25% discounts; self-funded startups are excluded and the current page no longer lists 50,000 compute minutes or a storage allowance for the startup program (the pricing page's \"50K compute minutes/month\" sentence bundles open source, education, and startups without clarifying which still get it — verify with startups@gitlab.com). (3) Education: seats are unlimited with 50,000 compute minutes/month included, but the license is institution-only via full-time faculty/staff — GitLab explicitly cannot issue licenses directly to students, so there is no standalone \"GitLab for Students\" free program; students are routed to the Free tier or a faculty sponsor. (4) Duo AI features: no free credits are bundled on the Free plan (paid GitLab Credits add-on, $1/credit); the 12/user/mo (Premium) and 24/user/mo (Ultimate) included-credits lines are flagged as a limited-time promotional offer, so those \"free\" AI credits can sunset. (5) Trial is Ultimate-only; no standalone Premium trial offer appears on the current trial page. No program was announced as fully sunset as of this check; open-source program renewals lapse to the Free tier if not resubmitted annually." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "GitLab.com Free plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "google cloud", "name": "Google Cloud", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "cloud-credits", "databases", "vps-servers", "gpu-ml", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "startup", "free-for-all", "student" ], "urls": [ "https://cloud.google.com/startup", "https://cloud.google.com/free", "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "https://cloud.google.com/startup/", "https://startup.google.com/", "https://cloud.google.com/programs/startups" ], "offers": [ "Up to $200,000 GCP credits over 2 years (Scale tier); up to $350,000 for AI-first startups; $2,000 self-serve Start tier", "$300 credit for 90 days (new users, card required) + Always-Free tier incl. one e2-micro VM/month in 3 US regions (30GB disk, no charge for external IP)", "Start tier: $2,000 GCP credits (pre-funded, working MVP). Scale tier: up to $200,000 over 2 years (VC-funded, pre-seed to Series A); up to $350,000 for AI-first startups. Includes 12-month free Workspace Business Plus.", "$300 credit for new GCP accounts (90 days) + 20+ always-free services; up to $100 GCP credits per course for participating course instructors; 200 free Google Skills lab credits for students", "Up to $350K in GCP credits for early-stage startups via approved accelerators/VCs", "$300 GCP credit for 90 days for new customers; plus per-service Always-Free tier incl. 1 e2-micro VM (us-* regions) + 30 GB disk and 1 TB egress/mo.", "Up to ~$200,000 in GCP credits for qualifying (mostly US) startups, typically on 12-month terms.", "$300 credit for 60 days (200+ products); always-free: Cloud SQL 750 h/mo C2D + 20 GB storage + 10 GB backup + 200 GB egress (limited regions), BigQuery 10 GB + 1 TB queries + 100K slot-hrs/mo, Cloud Spanner 1 free 96 GB node (us-west1)", "Up to $200,000 in GCP credits for early-stage startups" ], "notes": [ "No equity taken. Start = pre-funded MVP; Scale = pre-seed to Series A VC-backed. Credits cover Gemini/Gemma; third-party models billed directly. AI-first ceiling raised to $350K (Y1 100% up to $250K + Y2 20% up to $100K) as of late 2026.", "GPUs and TPUs are NOT included in the Free Trial or Free Tier — you cannot add a GPU accelerator to a VM during trial and free VMs are e2-micro only (seed said e2-small; e2-small is paid ~$12/mo). Spend the credit on Vertex AI (Gemini) instead. Trial account closes at day 90 or when credit runs out.", "2026: restructured into Start/Scale tiers; AI-first bump to $350K (Yr1 up to $250K). YC companies can stack more via the YC partnership. Third-party model spend is billed separately. Discretionary approval.", "Institutional credits delivered per course via GCP for Education; free tier expanded 2025-26 with monthly quotas on newer products; credit card needed for the $300 trial", "2025-26: cap raised to $350K (was $200K); requires association with an approved partner and typically pre-Series A stage", "The trial billing account closes automatically at 90 days or when the $300 is used (no charge unless you opt into paid). One $300 trial per person/ID. The always-free e2-micro makes GCP one of the only big clouds with a perpetual free VM (alongside Oracle's Always Free).", "Apply via the program or a partner; credits apply to GCP compute and more. Verify the current amount and country eligibility — the figure has moved over time.", "2025 change: GCP relaunched a Cloud SQL always-free tier (previously none; trial-only). AlloyDB has no permanent free tier — trial credits only.", "Renamed from GCP Cloud Startups; credit cap raised to $200K. Apply via the program form; amounts unverified against official page this session." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial — $300 welcome credit (90 days)", "detail": "New customers get $300 free credit, valid 90 days from Free Trial billing account creation. Credit covers any product including overages beyond Free Tier limits; it does not roll over (expires 90 days from signup even if you upgrade to paid). Free Trial billing account auto-closes when the $300 is spent or 90 days pass unless you manually upgrade to a Paid billing account (then you keep remaining credit until the 90-day mark and keep Free Tier access). Eligibility: you must have NEVER been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and never signed up for the Free Trial before (one per person/billing profile). GPUs, Windows servers and some features are not covered. During trial you are not billed — only if you manually upgrade to paid do charges begin. 30-day data-export window after the trial ends. Compute Engine trial restricted to 8 concurrent cores.", "eligibility": "Anyone, any country with GCP access (no .edu or startup status needed). Credit card/other payment method REQUIRED at signup for identity verification (Google may run a pending authorization, not a charge). US/Mexico government entities excluded.", "claim": "Sign up at cloud.google.com (Get started for free) -> add card -> $300 credit is preloaded into the Free Trial billing account automatically; spend over 90 days on any product incl. Vertex AI/Gemini API; optionally click Upgrade in console to keep credit alive beyond trial features. Do NOT click 'Activate a paid account' unless you want charges.", "expiry": "90 days from signup or until $300 is exhausted, whichever first; unused credit does not survive account closure. Free Tier usage continues if you convert to a paid account.", "gotchas": "Trial vs Free Tier: the $300 is for trial billing only; Free Tier allowances are separate, not charged against it. CC required but you are only charged if you manually upgrade to paid. Egress, third-party models (e.g. non-Google LLMs on Vertex) cost above free allowances. 30-day migration window after end; GCE resources may be deleted and are not recoverable.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Tier — 20+ always-free products (no expiry)", "detail": "Per-product monthly free allowances, reset each month, do NOT expire but limits are 'subject to change'. Verified examples from cloud.google.com/free: Compute Engine 1 e2-micro/month; Cloud Storage 5 GB Standard; BigQuery 1 TB scanned/month; Cloud Run 2M requests + Cloud Run Functions 2M invocations/month; GKE 1 Autopilot/zonal cluster; Pub/Sub 10 GB messages; Vision AI 1,000 units; Speech-to-Text 60 min; Natural Language 5,000 units; Cloud Build 120 build-minutes/day; KMS Autokey 100 active key versions + 10k ops; Artifact Registry, Firestore 1 GB, Secret Manager 6 versions, Cloud Shell 5 GB. Includes 'AI APIs' free usage — the GCP-hosted AI endpoints (Vertex AI GenAI preview limits apply separately).", "eligibility": "All new GCP users (not student-only). A Google Cloud billing account with a registered payment method is required even to use the Free Tier ('eligible customers' in a paid or trial billing account).", "claim": "Any GCP account (trial or paid) automatically gets the free monthly allowances; no separate claim. Sign up at cloud.google.com with a card.", "expiry": "No expiry (renews monthly), but usage resets on the 1st; unused allowance does not roll over.", "gotchas": "Overspending beyond free limits is billed pay-as-you-go to your card. Free Tier products are region/feature-specific (e.g., e2-micro, us-central1 historically); GPU workloads are not in the free tier. Third-party LLMs on Vertex AI are billed. 'Not charged against $300 credit' means free-tier usage is on top of trial credit.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gemini API / AI Studio Free tier — free LLM access, no credit card", "detail": "The Gemini Developer API has a Free tier: free input/output tokens with limited access to certain models, plus free Google AI Studio usage; no billing account or card required (Free tier qualification = 'Active project or free trial'). Per the current official docs, exact RPM/TPM/RPD are now model-specific and only viewable in aistudio.google.com/rate-limit (docs stopped publishing the static table). As of mid-2025 community-referenced Free-tier limits were ~Gemini 2.5 Pro 5 RPM / 250K TPM / 100 RPD, 2.5 Flash 10/250K/250, 2.5 Flash-Lite 15/250K/1,000. Pay tiers: Tier 1 needs a linked billing account (cap $250/min-rolling), Tier 2 after $100 spent + 3 days ($2,000 cap), Tier 3 after $1,000 + 30 days ($20k-100k cap). Upgrading to paid now requires prepaying min $5. Flagship 'Gemini 4 Argon' is NOT available on the Free tier.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Google account; no card, no .edu. Region: available in most countries; Google AI Studio usage is free in all available countries.", "claim": "Go to aistudio.google.com -> create project -> generate an API key -> call Gemini models within Free-tier limits. For deploying up to 2 full-stack apps without GCP billing, use the Google Cloud 'Starter Tier' (AI Studio -> Deploy, eligible accounts only).", "expiry": "Indefinite while the Free tier exists (no renewal); limits subject to change; RPD resets midnight Pacific.", "gotchas": "Free-tier content/prompts may be used by Google to improve its products (Paid tier does not); newest flagship models excluded from Free tier; limits are per-project not per-key; from June 19, 2026 the Gemini API stops accepting requests from unrestricted API keys (must restrict keys to the Gemini API endpoint); '429' when hitting limits; AI Studio playground daily caps have been tightened in 2026 (community reports ~10-30 req/day for top models under capacity pressure).", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — Start tier: up to $2,000 credits / 1 year (self-serve)", "detail": "For digital-native tech startups with a working MVP planning to seek venture funding. Benefits verified from the official benefits page: up to $2,000 USD GCP credits valid for 1 year; $200 Google Skills training credits; Google Workspace Business Plus free 12 months (new signups); access to partner Startup Perks (e.g. Datadog, ElevenLabs 33M credits, Render $500, GitLab Ultimate 20 licenses) — the ones starred are Scale-only.", "eligibility": "Founded within the last 24 months; not yet received Google Cloud credits (beyond the free trial); tech startup that plans to raise VC funding; clear product roadmap. No funding cap (pre-funding/bootstrapped is fine). Decision at Google's discretion. Company email matching public domain expected; GCP account + billing ID needed.", "claim": "Apply via the Google for Startups Cloud Program application form at cloud.google.com/startup (self-serve 'Apply now') — or via the Startups Perks/partner pages. Complete the onboarding checklist at cloud.google.com/startup/onboarding (billing account setup) so credits attach to the correct billing account.", "expiry": "Credits valid 1 year from issuance. Program itself is ongoing (self-serve available).", "gotchas": "Requires a GCP billing account (payment method on file; credits offset charges, card isn't used if spend <= credit). Third-party (non-Google) models on Vertex are billed directly, not covered. 'Beyond the free trial' means the $300 trial doesn't disqualify you.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — Scale tier: up to $200,000 credits over 2 years ($350,000 for AI-first startups)", "detail": "Year 1: 100% of GCP spend up to $100,000 in credits (AI-first startups: up to $250,000). Year 2: 20% of GCP spend up to an additional $100,000 (both tracks). Total: up to $200,000, or up to $350,000 for AI-first startups using/planning to use Gemini as a foundation of their product. Credits cover Google models (Gemini, Gemma); third-party models billed separately. Also: up to $12,000 Enhanced Support credits (1 year, 1-hr critical response), $500 Google Skills credits, $600/month Google Maps Platform usage credits (separate application), Workspace Business Plus free 12 months, dedicated Startup Success Manager + Customer Engineers, and starred Scale-only partner perks (ElevenLabs 33M, Datadog up to $100k, OpenSearch $100k+30k, Render up to $100k, etc.).", "eligibility": "VC-funded (equity funding Pre-Seed/Seed within last 5 years; Series A within last 12 months); founded within the last 5 years; not yet received more than $5,000 in GCP credits; stealth mode OK with funding verification. AI track additionally requires Gemini (or planned Gemini use) as foundation of primary product. No explicit revenue cap; decision at Google's discretion.", "claim": "Apply at cloud.google.com/startup ('Apply now') or apply through a Google Cloud partner (VCs/accelerators: Y Combinator — dedicated GPU/TPU access + Scale-tier benefits for AI cohorts; 500 Startups, AI2, ERA, StartX, Berkeley Skydeck). Approval is reviewed; YC and similar partners get high acceptance rates.", "expiry": "Credits structured as Year-1 match + Year-2 20% top-up, 2-year program window; no renewal beyond that (case-by-case requests exist via partners).", "gotchas": "To hit the $100k Year-2 top-up you must actually spend $500k in GCP in Year 2 — it's a match, not a grant. Year-1 '100%' also means real spend must occur. Third-party LLMs excluded from credit coverage. GPU/TPU access in partner cohorts may be ad-hoc scheduling, not reserved capacity. Maps and some perks need separate applications.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/ai", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — student & faculty course credits (no credit card)", "detail": "Faculty at regionally-accredited US institutions (or degree-awarding universities in eligible countries; for-profit institutions excluded) apply via a form and receive GCP credit coupons: faculty get their own, and a URL is emailed that students open to verify student status (school/college email confirmation) and receive coupon codes. Credits land in per-course Cloud Billing accounts. Official help docs state the program 'does not require a credit card to sign up'. Credits valid for 12 months after the course start date / 12 months after redemption; Free Tier usage does not count against them; GCP credits may not be used for crypto mining; GPU access must be requested. Separate 'training credits': current students can request 200 free Google Skills credits (online labs, courses, badges; credits expire 1 year after issue; request processing up to 2 weeks).", "eligibility": ".edu / school email of an eligible institution (regionally accredited in US; degree-granting in eligible countries abroad). Students get credits only through a course whose faculty applied. No funding or startup criteria. Amount per course varies (historically ~$50+ per course; Google awards at its discretion).", "claim": "Faculty: apply via the Google Cloud for Education form (cloud.google.com/edu). Students: use the invitation URL your faculty sends -> confirm school email -> redeem coupon code in the Google Cloud console (Billing -> Coupons). For Google Skills: request the 200 training credits via the training-credits form linked from cloud.google.com/edu/students.", "expiry": "GCP course credits: valid 12 months from course start/redemption; per-course billing accounts. Google Skills credits: expire 1 year after issued.", "gotchas": "Student credits are tied to faculty applications — there is no longer a self-serve $300/12-month 'student credit' grant on the official pages (the older student program appears sunset; see sunset notes). Credits are non-commercial, for learning. GPU/CPU/project quotas capped; requests may be denied. School email must be verifiable; .edu generators violate ToS.", "source_url": "https://support.google.com/google-cloud-higher-ed/answer/10324788", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial / program status as of 2026-10-22", "detail": "No sunset: the $300/90-day Free Trial and the Free Tier remain current as of this date (pages updated 2025-2026, terms archived 2025-01-30). No new standalone free LLM 'trial credit' has been announced in 2025-2026; the AI offer is the Gemini API Free tier (no card) plus free-tier products. Startup program remains two tiers (Start/Scale) with the 2024 restructured amounts. Gemini API added spend-based tier caps and (in 2026) mandatory API-key restriction and Prepay min $5 for paid tiers.", "eligibility": "n/a (status note)", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Treat static free-tier RPM/RPD numbers as volatile — Google moved them to a per-account dashboard in 2026.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/archive/terms/free-trial-20250130", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Tier (always-free monthly quotas, 20+ products)", "detail": "Free-forever monthly usage on select GCP products, e.g.: Compute Engine 1 e2-micro VM/month (us-west1/us-central1/us-east1; time-based across those regions) + 30GB standard persistent disk + 1GB egress; Cloud Storage 5GB US regional storage, 5,000 Class A / 50,000 Class B ops, 100GB NA egress; Cloud Run 2M requests, 360,000 GB-s memory & 180,000 vCPU-s, 1GB NA egress; Cloud Run functions 2M invocations; BigQuery 1TiB queries + 10GiB storage/month; App Engine Standard 28 F1-h/day + 9 B1-h/day + 1GB egress/day; Firestore 1GiB, 50k reads/20k writes/20k deletes per day; GKE 1 cluster charge/month; GCS egress and other egress outside NA or beyond limits bill at standard rates. GPUs/TPUs never free.", "eligibility": "Requires an active GCP billing account (Paid or Free Trial) in good standing; no negotiated pricing contract. No .edu or age requirement; effectively free tier is available to any GCP account holder. Free-tier benefits on Cloud Storage apply only to us-east1/us-west1/us-central1.", "claim": "Create any GCP billing account (usually via the $300 Free Trial signup, which requires a card); stay within per-product monthly quotas and you are never billed. Do not create paid resources beyond quotas, or overage bills on your card.", "expiry": "No end date, but Google reserves the right to change or eliminate limits with 30 days' advance notice; quotas do not roll over.", "gotchas": "Common trap: creating a GCP account for 'free tier' still typically needs a card (Free Trial signup requires one); egress, cross-region traffic, GPU/TPU, and overage are billed; limits are per billing account.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — Start tier ($2,000 GCP credits)", "detail": "For 'digital-native' startups with a working MVP and plans to seek venture funding soon: $2,000 in GCP credits, valid 12 months (applies to GCP services and select GCP offerings; covers Google's proprietary models — program credits do NOT cover third-party models, which are billed directly). Also included: free-tier AI Studio (Generative AI Studio) access, 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus free (new signups), $200 Google Skills training credit, and 'Startup Perks' (partner discounts/offers).", "eligibility": "Founded within the last 24 months; has NOT yet received Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial; digital-native tech startup with working MVP + clear business model + plans to seek VC funding soon. Excluded: service agencies, consultancies, traditional small businesses; companies that have IPO'd or been acquired; educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content companies, dev shops, crypto mining companies, token distributors contrary to regulatory guidance. Acceptance at Google Cloud's discretion. No VC funding required at this tier (it's the pre-funded stage).", "claim": "Apply self-serve at cloud.google.com/startup/apply (per-tier page: cloud.google.com/startup/pre-seed). You must sign in with a Google account whose business email matches your public website domain, and provide your 18-character GCP billing account ID (create a GCP billing account if you don't have one); Google reviews (most decisions within a few business days); credits are deposited to your billing account.", "expiry": "GCP credits: 12 months from issuance. Workspace Business Plus: 12 months. Google Skills $200 credit: training credits; expiration not stated on the Start page (student program credits expire 1 year after issuance — treat similarly). No renewal; re-applications case-by-case via cloudstartupsupport@google.com.", "gotchas": "Start-tier page does not state a credit-card requirement, but you need an existing GCP billing account to receive credits, and creating a new GCP account/payment setup typically requires a payment method (Free Trial signup definitely does, per docs). Workspace benefit: your company domain must not have been on a paid Google Workspace plan within 31 days of applying, and the benefit cannot be applied to annual Workspace plans. Credits excluded from Marketplace/third-party products; egress/networking costs beyond free tiers still billable.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/pre-seed", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — Scale tier (up to $200,000 GCP credits over 2 years; $350,000 for AI-first)", "detail": "VC-funded early-stage startups get up to $200,000 in GCP credits over two years: Year 1 = 100% credit up to $100,000; Year 2 = 20% credit on year-2 spend, up to an additional $100,000. AI-first startups: Year 1 = 100% up to $250,000, Year 2 = 20% up to +$100,000 → up to $350,000 total (equivalently, 'qualifying venture-backed startups can tap an additional $150,000 with the AI startup program' on top of the $200K base). Program credits cover Google's models (Gemini, Gemma); third-party models billed directly and not covered. Also: up to $12,000 Enhanced Support credits for one year (1-hour critical response), 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus free, $600/month Google Maps Platform credits for one year (separate application), $500 Google Skills training credits, dedicated Startup Success Manager + Startup Customer Engineers, Web3 program access, and partner perks.", "eligibility": "Must have received 'recent startup equity funding' (pre-seed to Series A by an institutional investor/VC, or common Web3 funding sources — SAFE agreements and verifiable token raises/blockchain foundation grants count; definition: Pre-Seed/Seed rounds within the last 5 years, Series A rounds within the last 12 months). Founded within the last 5 years (stealth mode OK with investor-verified funding). Must not have received more than $5,000 in GCP credits already. Not eligible: IPO'd/acquired companies, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies/agencies, crypto-mining companies, token distributors against regulatory guidance; private-equity, government-innovation-grant, crowdfunding, angel and friends-&-family funding do NOT qualify for Scale tier (may be evaluated for Start tier instead).", "claim": "Apply self-serve at cloud.google.com/startup/apply (per-tier page: cloud.google.com/startup/seed-series-a). Sign in with the company business email matching your public website domain + provide the 18-character GCP billing account ID + verification of funding (public sources; stealth: work with your investor). Decision usually within a few business days (manual review may take longer); credits deposit to your billing account and you receive an in-console benefit tracker.", "expiry": "Year-1 credits usable in year 1; year-2 credits (20% of spend, capped +$100K) accrue in year 2 → program spans 2 years. Workspace 12 months; Maps $600/month for 1 year (separate app); Enhanced Support credits valid 1 year.", "gotchas": "Year-2 benefit is a 20% discount-style credit on actual year-2 spend (max $100K) — it is not a pre-funded $100K; you must keep spending. Credits exclude Marketplace third-party offerings, third-party AI models, and per footnote only 'GCP Services and Select GCP offerings'. Workspace 31-day paid-plan rule applies. Google 'unable to accept' a long exclusion list (see eligibility); acceptance at Google's discretion. AI tier requires being genuinely 'AI-first' (AI in foundational structure/strategy, not a bolt-on) — some applicants get rejected even if they say AI. Data/egress: credits offset compute/AI usage, but egress and overage still bill if credits exhaust.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/seed-series-a", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program add-ons announced 2025–2026: 'New: AI benefits' ($350K ceiling), Web3 benefits, ISV Startup Springboard, Gemini Startup Forum", "detail": "The benefits page now labels 'New: AI benefits' (AI webinars/content, dedicated AI training, resources, experts, access to up to $350,000 in credits) and 'New: Web3 benefits' (Web3 Perks: partner offers from Quicknode, TRM, Allium and more). FAQ: Web3 startups get 'up to $200,000 USD over two years for Google Cloud and Firebase usage' plus Discord channel, foundation grants, VIP event access. Scale-tier page adds ISV Startup Springboard (12-week program for emerging AI startups: bespoke technical guidance + GTM resources) and the Gemini Startup Forum (Google for Startups + DeepMind + Cloud; curated in-person gatherings for seed–Series A founders). Benefits page also lists a 'Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups' report and Cloud Startup Customer Engineers with faster response times for critical issues.", "eligibility": "AI tier: Scale-tier VC-backed startups that are AI-first (AI foundational to product/strategy). Web3: startups with verifiable token raises / blockchain foundation grants (SAFE also eligible). ISV Springboard: emerging AI startups in the program. Forum: seed-to-Series A founders (invitation/curated).", "claim": "No separate application — benefits come with Scale-tier approval; Web3 program has its own qualification via the same application (flag yourself as Web3); Springboard/Forum through program onboarding. Re-applications or questions: cloudstartupsupport@google.com.", "expiry": "AI-credits structure (Y1 $250K 100% + Y2 20% up to $100K) spans 2 years; Web3 $200K over 2 years; Springboard is a 12-week cohort.", "gotchas": "Web3 'up to $200,000' covers Google Cloud AND Firebase (distinct from the $350K AI cloud-credits ceiling — these are different track framings). Third-party models still billed direct. AI-first qualification is subjective and at Google's discretion; being an 'AI company' in name isn't enough (FAQ example: another AI startup founder did not qualify).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/faq", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — faculty teaching credits (up to $100 per teaching staff + up to $50 per student)", "detail": "Eligible faculty can apply for GCP credits for classroom use: up to $100 in GCP credits per teaching staff and up to $50 in GCP credits per student, so students get hands-on cloud experience at no cost. Application is limited to faculty (students cannot apply for their own teaching credits; they can encourage faculty to apply for their next course). Course start date must be no more than 1 year out; approved credits are redeemable from approval until 16 weeks after the course start date, and are good for up to 1 year after course start. Credits attach to specified school-issued email domains and are non-transferable. Faculty Community access is restricted to verified/approved faculty. Also linked: Career Launchpad program (coach students through Google Cloud certificates/credentials) and Google DeepMind AI Research Foundations curriculum.", "eligibility": "Faculty only, at an academic institution; requires official school email with a valid .edu (or equivalent institutional) domain ('Please use your official school email address with a valid edu domain'; if none, you may nominate another address, credits attach to it and are non-transferable); must provide faculty directory profile link. Country restriction: the teaching program is 'currently only available in' a listed set of ~60 countries (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Nigeria, UK, US, etc. — the country dropdown on the form; if your country is absent you can only 'express interest').", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/ (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/faculty → 'Apply for Cloud credits'). Fill personal info with school .edu email, country, institution, faculty directory link, course details (name, start date, abstract, course URL) and member info (all school-issued domains, expected students/TA-staff count). Check spam for CloudEduGrants@google.com confirmations; redeem credits via the education-credits redemption guide once approved.", "expiry": "Credits good for up to 1 year after course start; redeemable window = approval through 16 weeks after course start; course start must be within 1 year of application.", "gotchas": "Not open to students directly (students must go through faculty). .edu/institutional email effectively required (nomination of alternate email loses the .edu gate but credits stay non-transferable). Country list is restrictive — not all countries served. Small amounts ($100/$50) — intended for learning, not production. Students should avoid accidentally signing up for the GCP Free Trial with personal cards in classroom contexts (Google's own faculty guide warns of this).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — student training credits ($200 Google Skills credits) and free labs/badges", "detail": "Students can request $200 in Google Skills (formerly Cloud Skills Boost) training credits, which expire one year after issuance, plus free access to online hands-on labs, skill badges, and courses; Google Skills Arcade (gamified challenges with badges) is free. The student page also points to DSC (Developer Student Clubs) and the Career Launchpad pathway. This is training credit, not GCP usage credit — students do not get a separate GCP-usage student credit program (the individual $300 Free Trial is the only personal usage credit, and it requires a card).", "eligibility": "Students (individuals); request via the student training-credits form (services.google.com/fb/forms/googlecloudskillsbooststudenttrainingcreditsapplication/). No .edu gate stated on the page, but it's a student-facing learning program; free labs/courses also available without the credit.", "claim": "On cloud.google.com/edu/students click 'Request credits' → complete the Google Skills Boost student training-credits application form; $200 credits are issued to your account and usable on Google Skills courses/badges within 1 year.", "expiry": "$200 Google Skills credits expire one year after issuance; free labs/Arcade have no stated end.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with GCP usage credits — this buys courses/badges, not compute. A separate 'apply for free Google Cloud credits' line on the /edu hub for students appears to funnel to the same faculty/teaching-credit program (per the hub, students get free credits via the higher-ed program, i.e., via faculty).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — research credits ('Academic Research Grants', up to $5,000)", "detail": "Researchers can apply for up to $5,000 in GCP credits to advance research (computing power; GCP tools; proposal-based). Eligible roles: Faculty, Postdoctoral Researcher, PhD Student (and IT Admin option on the form), from accredited higher-education institutions or eligible nonprofit research institutions. Application requires: email (institution account preferred), country (restricted list of ~60 countries — program 'currently only available in' those countries), job title, organization (select from institution list), researcher/faculty directory link, project name, start date, a ≤250-word proposal (research problem, GCP tools, timeline, milestones, how GCP supports future work; Google Doc link allowed), field of research, intended use (proof of concept / evaluation-comparison / workshop-training / open-source development), optional Google Scholar link.", "eligibility": "Faculty / PhD students / postdocs at accredited higher-ed or eligible nonprofit research institutions in the listed approved countries; institutional email preferred; faculty directory link required. Related institutional program: GPAR (Google Public Sector — Program for Accelerated Research) with co-investment, industry-leading pricing for AI accelerators (GPUs/TPUs), early access to TPUs/foundation models/datasets (AlphaFold, Earth AI), agentic AI (Co-scientist, AlphaEvolve), compliance (HIPAA, CMMC 2.0, FedRAMP), on-campus research days — GPAR is currently US-only.", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/ (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/researchers 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'). Submit the Academic Research Grant form with the fields above; credits are awarded to the institutional account and redeemable per the education-credits redemption guide.", "expiry": "The public pages do not state a redemption window for research credits (teaching credits: 1 year post course-start; assume similar ~1-year usage window until confirmed in the FAQ); GPAR is a standing institutional program (US only).", "gotchas": "Country-restricted list; institution must appear in the form's institution list ('begin typing and select'). Amount is 'up to $5,000' — awards may be less and are grant-reviewed. GPAR co-investment benefits are US-only. Institutional (not individual student) gate: undergraduates are not listed roles.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Product-specific free trials for GCP databases/BI (no GCP-usage credit needed)", "detail": "Separate short trials available on a GCP billing account: Spanner 90-day free trial instance (10 vCPUs? listed as '10 GB of storage' in docs: '10 vCPUs...' — docs say 90-day Spanner instance with 10GB storage at no cost); AlloyDB for PostgreSQL 30-day trial cluster (8 vCPU basic + 1TB storage capacity); Looker 30-day trial (all standard features); Cloud SQL 30-day trial. These require a billing account but cost nothing for the trial window.", "eligibility": "Any GCP billing account (Free Trial or Paid); one instance per product per the trial terms.", "claim": "In GCP console, provision the trial instance (Spanner/AlloyDB/Looker/Cloud SQL trial buttons in each product's UI) on a billing account; delete before trial end to avoid charges.", "expiry": "90 days (Spanner) / 30 days (AlloyDB, Looker, Cloud SQL); auto-conversion to billable instance afterward.", "gotchas": "These are time-boxed, not free-forever; after trial end instances bill at standard rates unless deleted; GCP docs also point to Google Maps Platform free usage caps, Gemini AI Studio free tier, and Firebase no-cost plans as adjacent free offers.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud free trial: $300 credit for new customers", "detail": "New GCP customers get $300 in free credit to try products (incl. Cloud SQL, BigQuery, AlloyDB, Spanner) and build a proof of concept. Per the live /free page: 'You won't be charged until you activate your full paid account.' The $300 is not charged against the always-free allotments. No day limit is printed on the current page (historically a 60-day trial; verify in console at claim). Credits apply to PayG Google-owned 1P GCP services; excludes Marketplace/third-party products.", "eligibility": "New Google Cloud customers (first-time). Credit card / payment method IS required to hold a billing account - the faculty education page explicitly warns students that the Free Trial 'requires them to use a credit card.' No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Sign up at cloud.google.com/free or console (billing free-trial flow), accept terms with a payment method; $300 credit attaches to the new billing account on signup. Product trials (Cloud SQL/Spanner/AlloyDB/Bigtable/Looker/GKE) are claimed from the 'Explore more offers' section of the same /free page.", "expiry": "No duration published on today's page; historical term was 60 days. Unused credit lapses when the trial term ends; account converts to pay-as-you-go only on activation of the full paid account.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free-tier confusion: $300 trial credit is finite; the 'Always Free' caps persist after the trial. Credit card required - not a no-card offer. Internet egress and any usage beyond free caps/credit is billed. Trial is one per person; students should prefer education credits (no card) over the trial.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GCP Always Free tier (ongoing, ~24 products incl. BigQuery 1TB queries/month)", "detail": "Live /free page lists: BigQuery 1 TB queries/month; Cloud Storage 5 GB-months Standard; GKE 1 Autopilot or Zonal cluster/month; Cloud Run functions 2M invocations/month; Firestore 1 GB storage; Pub/Sub 10 GB messages/month; Compute Engine 1 e2-micro instance/month; Datastream up to 100 GiB CDC from eligible first-party sources/month; Agent Engine first 180,000 vCPU-seconds + 360,000 GiB-seconds/month; Application Integration up to 400 executions + 20 GiB data/month; Artifact Registry 0.5 GB/month; Cloud Shell 5 GB disk; Secret Manager 6 secret versions/month; KMS Autokey 100 key versions + 10,000 ops/month; plus Vision/NLP/STT/Video quotas and Workflows/Cloud Build allotments. Page: 'There is no charge to use these products up to their specified free usage limit. The free usage limit does not expire, but is subject to change.'", "eligibility": "All GCP customers, including students and startups, every month. No .edu email, no funding cap. A billing account (with payment method) still required to open a GCP project; $0 billed while inside caps.", "claim": "Nothing to claim - free allotments are automatic for any new GCP billing account/project. Set budgets/alerts in Cloud Billing to cap overage.", "expiry": "Perpetual, resets monthly. No end date, but Google may change or remove allotments without notice ('subject to change').", "gotchas": "SHRUNKEN free tier: legacy Cloud SQL micro-instance free hours, Memorystore free hours, Spanner free 20 vCPU-hr/32GB, and Dataflow 9,600 worker-hours are no longer listed - managed-DB/data-platform users should plan on the finite product trials + $300 instead. BigQuery's 10 GB free storage is no longer listed. Cloud Storage free space is 5 GB-months (vs the historical 50 GB). Overage beyond caps bills at standard rates. Egress to internet is not a free allotment.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program - 'Start' tier (up to $2,000 credits)", "detail": "First rung of the revamped program. FAQ on the live page: 'Start ($2k) tier is designed for startups founded in the past 2 years, with a working MVP, a clear business model, and plans to seek venture funding soon.' The prototyping stage also includes instant access to Google AI Studio for rapid MVP prototyping. Adjacent benefits on the page: Gemini Startup Forum membership and equity-free accelerator cohorts.", "eligibility": "Unfunded/pre-VC: founded within past 2 years, working MVP, clear business model, plans to seek VC; new Google Cloud customers founding digital-native products. Must be in a region where GCP is GA with self-service purchasing. Excludes IPO'd/acquired companies, educational institutions, government, nonprofits, personal blogs, dev shops, consultancies/agencies, crypto mining, token distribution contrary to regulation.", "claim": "Apply at cloud.google.com/startup/apply (Google sign-in). Prepare the 18-character GCP billing account ID (credits are deposited there) and a business email that owns/admins the GCP account. Stealth founders get in via investor/VC/accelerator referral. Automated responses: rejection in 5-7 days; 10+ days if information is missing.", "expiry": "Credits usable for the program's first-year window (per footnotes, Year-1 coverage rules apply; funded tiers run two years). Re-application is allowed if prior credits were unused and in-year eligibility still met.", "gotchas": "Credits are non-transferable, cannot be shared/split/resold (violation = termination); cover only first-party PayG GCP services - subscription/prepay/annual-license billing and all Marketplace/Model Garden third-party products excluded; third-party models billed directly; acceptance at Google's sole discretion based on company age, stage, prior GCP credit usage, and funding type.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program - 'Scale'/'Scale AI' funded tiers (up to $200K-$350K over two years)", "detail": "Headline: up to $350,000 in GCP credits over two years (AI startups), up to $200,000 (other startups), i.e. the program's 'Funded tiers (Scale, and Scale AI) range from $200K-$350k in credits'. Footnote math: Scale AI - Year 1: 100% of eligible spend up to $250,000; Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000. Other startups - Year 1: up to $100,000; Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000. Stated benefits: credits for frontier models (Gemini/Gemma), Google Skills training, 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no cost, monthly Google Maps Platform credits (separate application), Startup Success Managers + Customer Engineering support, and Cloud Marketplace listings to sell alongside Google sales. Eligibility: verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding, founded within the last 3-5 years (tier-dependent).", "eligibility": "Funded early-stage: verifiable Pre-Seed through Series A; company age 3-5 years depending on tier; company must be in a GCP GA region (self-service purchasing); exclusions same as Start tier (no IPO/acquired, no edu/gov/nonprofit/agency, no crypto mining, AUP-compliant). Funding is the gating factor - this is where the 'funding cap' lives: Pre-Seed to Series A, no Series B+ shown on the page.", "claim": "Apply at cloud.google.com/startup/apply (Google sign-in) via the 'Grow and scale / Up to $350k in Cloud credits - Apply to the program' flow; submit billing account ID + business email; list VC/investor/accelerator affiliations to expedite. Credits are deposited to the selected billing account on approval.", "expiry": "Two-year coverage structure: Year 1 full (100% up to cap), Year 2 at 20% up to an additional $100K; end-of-term lapses for unused credits. Prior participants who left credits unused may re-apply if still meeting in-year eligibility.", "gotchas": "Only PayG first-party GCP products - subscription-billed items and Marketplace/Model Garden third-party products excluded; third-party models billed directly and not covered; credits can't be shared/resold; Workspace benefit requires the company domain to have had no paid Workspace subscription in the prior 31 days; Maps Platform is a separate application; 'up to' amounts are coverage rules, not guaranteed grants (Year 2 = 20% of spend, not a lump sum).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Managed-database & data-platform free trials (Cloud SQL, Spanner, AlloyDB, Bigtable, Looker, GKE, Gemini Enterprise Plus)", "detail": "Finite, no-cost product trials listed under 'Explore more offers' on the live /free page: Cloud SQL - 30-day trial, 8 vCPU Enterprise Plus instance, 64 GB memory, 100 GB storage; Cloud Spanner - 90-day trial instance, 10 GB storage; AlloyDB for PostgreSQL - 30-day trial, 8 vCPU basic primary instance, up to 1 TB storage capacity; Bigtable - 10-day trial, 1-node SSD cluster, up to 500 GB storage; Looker - 30-day trial with all standard features; GKE - 90 days with full capabilities; Gemini Enterprise Plus edition - 30 days. Each page notes 'new Google Cloud customers get $300 in free credits on signup' alongside.", "eligibility": "New GCP customers (trials are tied to new-account offer; existing customers may still trial but the '$300 on signup' line applies to new customers). No .edu requirement; payment method on the account per GCP billing policy.", "claim": "Claim from https://cloud.google.com/free ('OFFER' cards, 'Start a ... free trial' buttons) or the per-product docs 'free trial' links; create the trial instance in a GCP project under a billing account.", "expiry": "Fixed durations: 30 days (Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, Looker, Gemini Enterprise Plus), 90 days (Spanner, GKE), 10 days (Bigtable). After expiry the instance converts to standard PayG pricing.", "gotchas": "During the trial period usage beyond the trial spec (e.g., more storage, extra instances) bills; after expiry everything bills. GCP's managed-DB trial instances skew toward the premium/Enterprise Plus editions - budget accordingly. No free-tier replacement for Memorystore appears on the page. Egress/network costs are separate line items.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for faculty / classroom - teaching credits (up to $100 per faculty + up to $50 per student)", "detail": "Eligible faculty can apply for up to $100 in GCP credits per teaching staff member and up to $50 in GCP credits per student for hands-on classroom use. Credits attach to the applicant's email and are non-transferable; group projects may pool students' individual credits (documented in faculty resources). Country-restricted: the application shows a fixed country list (US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, ... not worldwide).", "eligibility": "Faculty/teaching staff at accredited educational institutions; official school-issued email on a valid .edu (or equivalent national) domain required - if you lack one you can nominate another email, but credits attach to it permanently. Course start date must be within 1 year of application.", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/faculty 'Apply for teaching credits'): enter course details (up to 3 courses), expected student count, school domains, and how credits will be used. Then redeem in GCP and manage billing per the 'Manage Google Cloud credits' guide.", "expiry": "Credits are redeemable from approval up until 16 weeks after the course start date, and are good for up to 1 year after the course start date.", "gotchas": "Not available in every country. Credits are per-student capped ($50) - large cohorts need many enrollments or instructor credits only. Explicitly do not have students use the $300 Free Trial (credit-card required) instead of these credits. Credits are non-transferable and locked to the school domains listed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for researchers - research credits (up to $5,000) + GPAR program", "detail": "Faculty/researchers (incl. PhD students) can apply for up to $5,000 in GCP research credits via the Academic Research Grants form ('Google Cloud for Researchers'). Applications specify intended use (proof of concept, evaluation/comparison, workshop/training, open-source development) and external funding status. The Google Public Sector 'Program for Accelerated Research' (GPAR) layers on top: co-investment pricing for GPUs/TPUs, early access to new accelerators, foundational models/datasets (e.g., AlphaFold, Earth AI), agentic AI (Co-scientist, AlphaEvolve), generative-AI grant tooling, and campus research days.", "eligibility": "Researchers/faculty at accredited academic institutions, including PhD students acting on behalf of the institution; .edu/institutional email; some country restrictions on the credits form; credits may only be used on behalf of the educational entity for the described project, not personal use, and not for commercial purposes.", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/researchers 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'): project abstract, start date, use of credits, post-credit funding plan; create a GCP billing account to hold the coupon. GPAR/campus research day via the express-interest form (edu.google.com/programs/express-interest).", "expiry": "Credit coupon is valid for 60 days from the stated project start date; the credit itself expires 365 days from the coupon redemption date or when the amount is fully used, whichever comes first. Credits can be issued in increments as you use them.", "gotchas": "Academic, non-commercial use only - cannot be resold, bartered or transferred. If you miss the 60-day redemption window the coupon lapses. 'Up to $5,000' is a per-application maximum; approval amount is at Google's discretion. Students who are not at an institution do not qualify - use the student offer below.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/researchers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for students - free learning + 200 free Google Skills credits", "detail": "'Google Cloud for students': free self-paced learning, Google Cloud Certificates and skill badges, hands-on Google Skills labs (formerly Cloud Skills Boost/Qwiklabs) and the gamified Google Skills Arcade, plus Google Developer Student Club communities. Students can request 200 free Google Skills credits (redeemable toward lab/training use); exam previews are free on YouTube. No GCP dollar-credit pool and no managed-DB free tier is granted directly to students - their hands-on GCP usage comes via faculty teaching credits, the $300 trial (card required), or the always-free caps.", "eligibility": "Students at participating/any accredited institution, verified via school email where the request flow asks for it; Google account required. No credit card needed for the learning program or Skills credits. No funding/stage criteria.", "claim": "Go to cloud.google.com/edu/students -> 'Get started' (Google Cloud for students) and 'Request credits' for the 200 Google Skills credits; join a Google Developer Student Club chapter via the same page.", "expiry": "Google Skills credits expire one year after they are issued. Learning/arcade access is tied to active student status.", "gotchas": "These are training/lab credits, NOT $200 of GCP service credit - don't budget them for Cloud SQL/BigQuery instances. If students need GCP compute, route through faculty credits ($100/$50) or the card-required $300 trial.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial: $300 credit, 90 days", "detail": "New GCP customers get $300 in free 'Welcome credit' valid for 90 days from signup (NOT 60 days as previously believed; official docs and the Jan-30-2025 archived T&Cs both say 90 days/3 months). Credit covers 200+ products (incl. Cloud SQL, BigQuery, Spanner) including usage beyond free-tier limits; Free Tier usage does not draw down the $300. No billing unless you manually upgrade to a Paid account. On upgrade mid-trial, remaining credit still expires 90 days from signup. No SLA during trial; restrictions: no GPUs on VMs, no GCP Marketplace, no quota increases, no Windows Server VMs, no Cloud VMware Engine, no crypto mining; the $300 cannot pay Gemini API in AI Studio costs or managed partner models (MaaS). Trial account ends at $300 spent or 90 days, then a 30-day grace period — resources stop, then are permanently deleted if not upgraded.", "eligibility": "Must have never been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and never signed up for the Free Trial (one per person/identity). A valid credit card or other payment method IS required at signup (identity verification; a $0.00–$1.00 authorization hold may appear, it is not a charge). Bank-account verification needed in some countries. US/Mexico government entities excluded. No .edu requirement; no startup-only gating.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/free → 'Get started for free' / console signup; 2) create a Google account; 3) complete Free Trial signup: name, address, payment method; 4) Google verifies identity/payment, trial billing account 'My Billing Account' + 'My First Project' are created, $300 preloaded; 5) use products for 90 days; optionally click 'Activate' to upgrade to a paid account before the trial closes to keep resources.", "expiry": "90 days from signup or when $300 is exhausted (earlier); then 30-day grace period, after which trial resources are deleted. Free Tier (below) continues indefinitely after.", "gotchas": "Credit card/payment method required even though you aren't billed; resources are permanently deleted after the 30-day post-trial grace period; GCE limited to 8 concurrent cores during trial; 'eligible customers' free-tier availability can vary by country (e.g., India trial needs an INR billing account; Maps Platform not available on INR accounts); free limits are 'subject to change'.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features(seealsohttps://cloud.google.com/freeandhttps://cloud.google.com/signup-faqs)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloud SQL Free Trial Instance (30 days, Enterprise Plus)", "detail": "Official free Cloud SQL offer today: a 30-day free trial instance at no cost — Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus edition, N2 machine series, 8 vCPUs, 64 GB memory, 100 GB storage. Covers MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server. In addition to the $300/90-day GCP free-trial credit (new customers). Upgrade to a paid instance anytime during the 30-day trial or the following 90-day grace period; if not upgraded the instance is stopped. Deleting the trial instance makes the trial non-restartable.", "eligibility": "Both existing AND new GCP customers can use it, but the trial instance must be created in a NEW Google Cloud project, one trial instance per project. An enabled Cloud Billing account is required: existing users verify billing is enabled; new users must set up a billing account with a card/other payment method (which normally means going through the $300 trial signup). No .edu requirement, no startup requirement.", "claim": "1) Console → Cloud SQL 'Get Started' page → 'Experience Cloud SQL at no cost for 30 days' section; 2) choose engine, instance ID, password, region; 3) 'Create free instance'; 4) monitor remaining days on the instance Overview page; 5) click 'Upgrade' before trial/grace ends to keep the instance (switches to normal pricing).", "expiry": "30-day trial period + 90-day grace period, then stops if not upgraded to paid.", "gotchas": "Old 'Cloud SQL Always Free plan' (free shared-core instance in select regions, 750 h/month E2-micro/C2D + storage/backup/egress allowances) is NO LONGER listed on the Cloud SQL pricing page — the current official free offer is only this 30-day trial instance; egress and backups are charged once you upgrade; SQL Server trial carries 4-core license minimum rules; instance is 'evaluation' — production use not guaranteed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/mysql/free-trial-instance(offercard:https://cloud.google.com/cloud-sql/pricing)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloud Spanner Free Trial Instance (90 days, 10 GB)", "detail": "Official free Spanner offer today: a 90-day free trial instance, Standard edition features + Spanner Graph, up to 10 GB (GiB) of stored data. In addition to the $300 GCP free-trial credit (new customers) — the trial instance itself costs nothing and does not need the $300. Regional configurations only (any region; NOT dual-region/multi-region). Not meant for production; no backups/restore, no CMEK, no Data Boost; ~500 QPS reads / ~100 QPS writes achievable. After 90 days the instance stops serving and enters a 30-day grace period, then instance + data are permanently deleted unless upgraded to a paid Enterprise instance (upgrade is downtime-free and can be done anytime during trial or grace).", "eligibility": "Both existing and new GCP customers: you need an ACTIVE Cloud Billing account with Cloud Billing enabled on the project (new customers can create one via the $300 trial, which requires a card/payment method). One free trial instance per project lifecycle; maximum five free trial instances per Cloud Billing account. No .edu or startup requirements.", "claim": "1) Console → Cloud Spanner → create a 'free trial instance' (console or CLI, per 'Create a free trial instance' docs); 2) pick a regional configuration and region; 3) optionally use the preloaded sample ecommerce database; 4) upgrade to paid Enterprise before the 90-day trial / 30-day grace ends to retain data.", "expiry": "90-day trial + 30-day grace period; data deleted after that unless upgraded. Re-eligibility: up to 5 trial instances per billing account, 1 per project lifecycle.", "gotchas": "Data is deleted, not retained, after the grace period; read/write QPS caps make it unsuitable for real workloads; region choices are all regional (no multi-region DR); the previous '1 free 96 GB node (us-west1)' always-free allowance is not present on the current pricing page — the trial instance replaced it.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/spanner/docs/free-trial-instance(offercard:https://cloud.google.com/spanner/pricing)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "BigQuery Free Tier (always-free): 1 TiB queries + 10 GiB storage per month, plus free operations", "detail": "Current official BigQuery free tier (per billing account, no expiry): the first 1 TiB of query data processed per month is free (on-demand pay-per-query; beyond that $6.25/TiB in US); the first 10 GiB of storage free each month (active and long-term logical/physical). Also free: batch loading from Cloud Storage/local files (uses free shared slot pool 'default-pipeline'), table reads/copies/metadata ops, and the first 2 TiB per month of gRPC Storage Write API (REST streaming inserts cost $0.01/200 MiB beyond). The old '100,000 slot-hours/month free' allowance is not listed on the current BigQuery pricing page. BigQuery free tier is available to all GCP accounts (free-trial or paid) as long as usage stays under the caps.", "eligibility": "Any GCP billing account (free trial or paid) staying under the monthly caps; no card needed beyond trial signup; no .edu/startup requirement; applies per billing account (free query bytes ~1 TiB/month/account).", "claim": "Nothing to claim: free tier usage is automatic for any GCP account; use BigQuery normally. During a $300 free trial you also get the Free Tier at the same time. To keep using it after trial without paying: stay within 1 TiB queries + 10 GiB storage per month.", "expiry": "Indefinite monthly recurring allowance (no expiry; Google may change limits).", "gotchas": "Free query allowance is per billing account and monthly; streaming inserts via REST are NOT free (only gRPC write API has the 2 TiB allowance); data egress/export to GCS is free but egress to other services/Internet costs; scheduled heavy queries can exceed 1 TiB in a month; the 100K free slot-hours claim found in older docs is no longer published — assume it no longer applies unless you buy editions/slots.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/bigquery/pricing(freetierlimitsalsoshownonhttps://cloud.google.com/free)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Other product-specific free trials on the Google Cloud free program page (data platforms)", "detail": "cloud.google.com/free lists additional time-boxed trials that stack on top of the $300 credit: GKE free trial (full product capabilities, 90 days, no cost); AlloyDB for PostgreSQL free trial (30 days; 8 vCPU basic primary instance, up to 1 TB storage capacity); Bigtable free trial (10 days; 1-node SSD cluster, up to 500 GB storage); Looker free trial (30 days, all standard features). Each card notes 'Plus, new Google Cloud customers get $300 in free credits on signup'.", "eligibility": "Trial-eligible per product docs (generally one trial per new project/billing account pattern; an enabled Cloud Billing account is required, which for new customers means the $300 trial signup with payment method). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "From cloud.google.com/free, click the relevant 'OFFER' card → product console trial creation flow; upgrade to paid before the trial window to keep resources.", "expiry": "Fixed windows: GKE 90 days, AlloyDB 30 days, Bigtable 10 days, Looker 30 days.", "gotchas": "These are evaluation windows (10–90 days), not free tiers; exceeding the stated size or outliving the window requires upgrading to paid; Bigtable 10 days is very short.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (credits: Start $2,000 / Scale up to $200,000 / Scale AI up to $350,000)", "detail": "Replaced the older 'Google Cloud Startups Accelerator' (old /startups now serves this program). Tiers as of today: Start ($2k) — $2,000 in credits, for startups founded in the past 2 years with a working MVP, clear business model, and plans to seek VC funding soon; Scale — Year 1: 100% of GCP spend up to $100,000; Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000 (up to $200,000 total), for Pre-Seed to Series A funded startups (founded within last 3–5 years, tier-dependent); Scale AI — same structure but Year 1 up to $250,000 (up to $350,000 total) for startups using Gemini as a foundation of their primary product (Pre-Seed/Seed within last 5 years, Series A within last 12 months, founded within last 5 years). Credits cover most GCP pay-as-you-go products incl. Gemini/Gemma model usage; third-party models (e.g., Anthropic) are billed directly and NOT covered. Additional benefits: 12 months Google Workspace Business Plus at no cost (separate application, requires not having paid Workspace within 31 days of applying), monthly Google Maps Platform credits (separate application), Google Skills training, dedicated Startup Success Managers as you grow.", "eligibility": "VC-funded for Scale tiers: verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding from a known investor within last 3–5 years (tier-dependent); NOT yet received more than $5,000 in GCP credits (non-venture funding — PE, bank loans, grants, crowdfunding, friends-and-family — does NOT qualify for Scale). Exclusions: IPO'd/acquired companies, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, dev shops/consultancies/agencies, crypto mining, token distributors against local rules. Must be in a Google-Cloud-GA region with self-service purchasing; company email domain must match the public website domain; a valid 18-char Cloud Billing account ID is required. Acceptance at Google's sole discretion; not for regulated industries.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/startup → 'Apply to the program' (AI-focused: cloud.google.com/startup/ai); 2) apply with a company (non-personal) business email matching your website; 3) provide an active 18-character GCP billing account ID; 4) complete onboarding checklist at cloud.google.com/startup/onboarding; 5) on approval credits are deposited to that billing account.", "expiry": "Credits structured as Year-1 (100% up to cap) + Year-2 (20% up to cap) windows over two years; annual re-evaluation of eligibility — prior enrollment doesn't guarantee current-year eligibility; rejected applicants may re-apply later as they raise funding.", "gotchas": "Credit cap 'up to' amounts assume sustained GCP spend; the $350k is AI-tiers only (other startups cap at $200k total); credits cannot be shared, split, or resold (violation terminates program); 're-apply if you got credits before but didn't use them' is allowed only if you still meet in-year requirements; the $5,000-prior-credits ceiling blocks heavy past GCP usage from Scale tiers (a $300 trial is fine). There is also a separate 'Ecosystem tier' (startups in select accelerators/incubators: $25k–$250k credits) per Google's two-pager.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup(AItier:https://cloud.google.com/startup/ai;onboarding:https://cloud.google.com/startup/onboarding)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Accelerators (equity-free, region-specific)", "detail": "Global series of regional accelerator programs (Americas, EMEA, APAC; e.g., AI-focused cohorts). Each cohort is 10–15 startups doing intensive mentorship/training from Google experts; benefits: equity-free support, dedicated mentoring, bootcamps, access to Google Cloud credits applied for during the accelerator (subject to eligibility review), free Cloud TPU access for open-source ML research, Early Access Program/Trusted Tester benefits for Google AI products. Regional variants run in partnership with governments/VCs (e.g., Komdigi Indonesia May 2025: up to $350k credits upon graduation; Singapore 'AI First').", "eligibility": "Startups demonstrating traction, ideally Seed to Series A, deeply technical (AI/ML strongly preferred in current cohorts), scalable product, commitment from CTO/technical team to required sessions; selection at Google's discretion per regional program. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) startup.google.com/programs/accelerator → find your regional accelerator; 2) apply to the cohort (deadline-driven, limited seats); 3) participate in program sessions; 4) apply for Cloud credits during the accelerator; 5) TPU access via program.", "expiry": "Cohort-based (e.g., 10–15 weeks / 3 months); credits and TPU access tied to program participation and eligibility review; no standing monthly free tier.", "gotchas": "Seats are competitive and now effectively AI-focused (2025 cohorts are ~100% AI-native/AI-enabled startups); availability varies by region and year; credits are not automatic — applied for and subject to approval.", "source_url": "https://startup.google.com/programs/accelerator/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — Faculty/teaching credits (up to $100 per teacher, $50 per student)", "detail": "Verified faculty can apply for Google Cloud teaching credits: up to $100 in GCP credits per teaching staff member plus up to $50 in GCP credits per student, for hands-on classroom learning. Credits are redeemed and managed in a billing account; guides cover billing management, budgets, group projects pooling student credits. Faculty community (verified faculty) access via school-issued email.", "eligibility": "Verified faculty/teaching staff at educational institutions; school-issued email address used; students then use their individually allocated credits instead of signing up for the credit-card Free Trial.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/edu/faculty → 'Apply for teaching credits'; 2) verify faculty identity/school affiliation; 3) on approval, receive/manage credits in your Cloud Billing account; 4) allocate student credits for classroom use.", "expiry": "Issued education credits have expiry/renewal governed by the education credits program (re-apply per program cycle); exact credit shelf-life is set in the application/FAQs.", "gotchas": "Amounts are modest ($100 + $50/student) — designed for learning, not production; faculty must verify before students get credits; Google explicitly advises preventing students from signing up for the $300 Free Trial (which requires a credit card) when they have education credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education — Students (200 Google Skills credits, no GCP dollar credits)", "detail": "Student offer today is learning-focused, not dollar credits: 200 free Google Skills credits (online labs, skill badges, courses, Google Cloud Certificates) that expire one year after issuance; Google Skills Arcade (gamified challenges, badges, swag); Google Cloud Certificates (shareable digital credentials, no prerequisites); Developer Student Clubs (DSGs) and Cloud OnAir events. There is no general GCP dollar-credit free license for students on these pages — students instead get faculty-allocated credits or the standard $300 trial (which needs a card).", "eligibility": "Enrolled students/learners; request access to Google Skills; .edu or school affiliation typically used for DSG chapters; no credit card required for the learning credits.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/edu/students → 'Request credits' for Google Skills; 2) complete labs/paths to earn badges; 3) optionally join a Developer Student Club or apply to start one; 4) earn Google Cloud Certificates for credentials.", "expiry": "200 Skills credits expire 1 year after issuance; program is renewable/re-requestable.", "gotchas": "If the goal was free GCP dollar credits for students, they don't exist outside faculty-allocated teaching credits (up to $50/student) and the standard $300 Free Trial (credit card required); the student offer has shifted to 'Google Skills' (rebranded Cloud Skills Boost) credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Researchers — GPAR research credits ($5,000)", "detail": "cloud.google.com/edu/researchers: researchers apply for $5,000 in Google Cloud research credits. GPAR (Google Program for Accelerated Research, via Google Public Sector) adds: co-investment opportunities with industry-leading pricing for AI accelerators (GPUs/TPUs), early access to new-gen TPUs, foundational models and datasets (AlphaFold, Earth AI, agentic AI like Co-scientist), grant-lifecycle AI tooling, compliance support (HIPAA, CMMC 2.0, FedRAMP), and Google/expert access. Noted on the page as currently only available in the United States.", "eligibility": "Researchers at research institutions (US for GPAR); institutional/academic affiliation; application-based via cloud.google.com/edu/researchers; GPAR accelerator benefits noted as US-only.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/edu/researchers → 'Apply for your credits'; 2) submit research-credit application (institutional context); 3) for US institutions, engage GPAR benefits (co-investment pricing, early TPU access, on-campus research days).", "expiry": "Applied per program cycle; $5,000 credit issuance and validity governed by the program; GPAR benefits note US-only availability as of today.", "gotchas": "US-only for GPAR; $5,000 is per researcher application, not an org-wide license; heavy HPC/TPU workloads go far beyond $5,000 — co-investment/pricing options are where the real scale is.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/researchers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GCP Free Trial — $300 credit, 90 days", "detail": "New-customer Welcome credit of $300, valid 90 days from signup, in a preloaded Free Trial billing account; not billed unless the $300 is exhausted; trial access to products may be limited to prevent abuse. During the trial the customer also has access to the Always Free tier. Verified on the official docs page read 2026-10-22: 'The Free Trial gets you a $300 Welcome credit to spend over 90 days... you won't be billed' and 'preloaded with $300 in free Welcome credit which is valid for 90 days'.", "eligibility": "Must have never been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and must not have previously signed up for the Free Trial (effectively one trial per person/company; students qualify the same way). A credit card or other valid payment method IS required at signup (bank-account verification may also be needed in some countries). No .edu requirement, no region stated on the page. The 'credit card NOT required' claim is FALSE for the trial: signup docs state 'you must provide a credit card or other payment method that is valid for the period of the Free Trial'.", "claim": "1) Go to cloud.google.com/free (or Console) and start the Free Trial; 2) add a valid payment method; 3) $300 is preloaded into the trial billing account; 4) optionally upgrade to a Paid billing account during the trial — unused credit is then retained until 90 days from signup.", "expiry": "Credit expires 90 days from signup. If you do not upgrade to a Paid billing account before 90 days, or spend the whole $300, the Free Trial billing account is closed and all its projects/resources are stopped (i.e., your VPS dies and you lose unspent credit). Free Tier access continues afterwards only with an active billing account.", "gotchas": "Card required even if usage is $0 (temporary authorization hold on signup). Trial end = account closure + stopped resources, not a silent conversion. $300 counts toward the '<$5,000 previously received GCP credits' cap of the startup program. One trial per customer (never a paying GCP/Maps/Firebase user).", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GCP Always Free tier — free VPS (e2-micro) + 20+ products", "detail": "Free-forever monthly quotas (no expiration, subject to change). VPS-relevant Compute Engine: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM per month in us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa) or us-east1 (South Carolina), plus 30 GB-months standard persistent disk, plus 1 GB/month outbound egress from North America (excl. China/Australia). VM limit is by time, not instance count; GPUs/TPUs are never free. Other verified quotas: Cloud Run 2M requests/mo + 360,000 GB-seconds memory + 180,000 vCPU-seconds + 1 GB North America egress; Cloud Run Functions 2M invocations + 400,000 GB-seconds + 5 GB egress; Cloud Shell 5 GB persistent disk; Cloud Source Repos 5 users/50 GB; BigQuery 1 TiB query + 10 GiB storage; Cloud Build 2,500 build-minutes; Artifact Registry 0.5 GB; Firestore 1 GiB storage + 50k reads/20k writes/20k deletes per day + 10 GiB egress; GKE 1 free Autopilot or zonal Standard cluster per month (credit excludes compute/networking); Pub/Sub 10 GiB messages; reCAPTCHA 10k; Cloud Vision 1,000 units; Cloud Natural Language 5,000 units; Cloud Monitoring API 1M time series; Cloud Storage 5 GB-months Standard (free-tier benefits only in the 3 US regions); Datastream 100 GiB CDC (AlloyDB/Spanner→BigQuery only).", "eligibility": "Active billing account (Paid OR Free Trial) in good standing, and no negotiated pricing contract. A payment method is effectively required because the billing account comes from card signup (trial) or a paid account; no .edu or age requirement. No per-country limit stated, but free Compute/Storage capacity is limited to the 3 US regions.", "claim": "Sign up for GCP (Free Trial or paid account), create a project, launch an e2-micro VM in us-west1/us-central1/us-east1 with ≤30 GB standard pd-SSD — usage within the quotas is never billed. No separate activation step.", "expiry": "No expiry; quotas refresh monthly and 'do not expire, but are subject to change'. Free VM regions are fixed (us-west1, us-central1, us-east1 only).", "gotchas": "e2-micro is a 2 vCPU / 1 GB burstable micro instance — hobby VPS, not production. 30 GB disk + 1 GB egress are small; egress beyond 1 GB/month is billed. Stopped-VM disk still consumes the 30 GB-months quota. Free GKE cluster credit does not cover node compute or networking. No free bare-metal or dedicated-server option exists at GCP at all — the e2-micro (or Cloud Run) is the only 'free server'.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program — up to $350,000 GCP credits over 2 years (AI & non-AI tiers)", "detail": "Successor to the old 'Cloud Startups' program, verified on startup.google.com/cloud (read 2026-10-22): headline 'up to $350,000 in Cloud credits over two years'. AI startups: Year 1 = 100% of GCP spend up to $250,000; Year 2 = 20% of Year-2 spend, up to an additional $100,000 in credits. Non-AI startups: Year 1 = 100% up to $100,000; Year 2 = 20% up to $100,000. Third-party model spend (e.g. Anthropic models on Vertex) is billed directly and NOT covered. Credits may only be used by the original applicant — no sharing/splitting/reselling. Non-credit benefits in the program: 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no cost (domain must not have had a paid Workspace plan in the prior 31 days), monthly Google Maps Platform credits (separate application), Google Skills training, dedicated Startup Success Managers/Customer Engineering, and Google Cloud Marketplace co-sell.", "eligibility": "Pre-Seed to Series A stage; founded within the last 3-5 years; previously received less than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits; digital-native startup with a scalable proprietary product, a working MVP, and a verified company domain; company email matching the public website; valid GCP account + Billing ID required. Excluded: companies that IPO'd or were acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs, dev shops/consultancies/agencies, crypto mining. No US-registered-entity or .edu requirement is stated on the current page (the legacy program was US-centric).", "claim": "Apply at cloud.google.com/startup/apply with your company email that matches your website; have a GCP account + Billing ID ready; pass program review; credits are applied to your billing account and usable for the Year-1 window plus the Year-2 top-up.", "expiry": "Two-year structure: 100% coverage window in Year 1 (up to the tier cap), then a Year-2 top-up of 20% of spend up to $100,000. Unused Year-1 credit is not carried into Year 2.", "gotchas": "The '<$5,000 previously received GCP credits' cap means heavy trial/legacy-program users can be disqualified. 'Founded within the last 3-5 years' is tier-dependent — older startups may not qualify. Third-party (non-Google) model spend is out of scope. Credits cannot be resold or shared with partners.", "source_url": "https://startup.google.com/cloud/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gemini API free tier (Google AI Studio) — no credit card required", "detail": "Free tier of the Gemini API / Google AI Studio, verified at ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits (2026-10-22): qualification = 'Active project or free trial' (i.e., no billing account and no credit card needed) with no spend cap; paid tiers are Tier 1 ($250 cap, active billing account), Tier 2 ($2,000 cap, $100 + 3 days from first payment), Tier 3 (higher, $1,000 + 30 days). Free usage is rate-limited per model on RPM (requests/min), TPM (input tokens/min) and RPD (requests/day, reset midnight PT). Available to students and to bootstrapped/self-funded startups — the startup program also advertises 'free access to the Gemini API in Google AI Studio' on its Prototype track. Not a VPS offer, but a distinct card-free free tier.", "eligibility": "Any Google account that creates a GCP project; no payment method, no .edu, no startup status required. Students: same access.", "claim": "Sign in at aistudio.google.com (or use the API key from AI Studio) — free-tier rate limits apply automatically; no billing setup.", "expiry": "No expiration; limits are per-minute/per-day and may change by model. Exact per-model free RPM/TPM/RPD numbers are in a JS-rendered table I could not extract today — treat specific figures as unverified.", "gotchas": "Free tier excludes batch/long-context features of paid tiers; spend-based limits only protect paid accounts. Do not confuse 'free tier' with the $300 trial (which does require a card).", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Product-specific free trials (GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner, AlloyDB, Bigtable)", "detail": "On cloud.google.com/free (read 2026-10-22), new-customer product trials beyond the $300 credit: GKE — 90 days, full capabilities, no fee (fleet-based team management, GitOps config, GKE on hybrid/multicloud); Cloud SQL — 30-day trial of an 8 vCPU Enterprise Plus instance, 64 GB memory, 100 GB storage; Spanner — 90-day trial instance with 10 GB storage; AlloyDB for PostgreSQL — 30-day trial, 8 vCPU basic primary instance, up to 1 TB storage capacity; Bigtable — 10-day trial, 1-node SSD cluster, up to 500 GB. Each states 'new Google Cloud customers get $300 in free credits on signup' alongside.", "eligibility": "New Google Cloud customers (same trial-eligibility rules: never a paying GCP/Maps/Firebase user; card required for the underlying account). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Create the product instance from the product's console quickstart / the 'Free Trial' callouts on cloud.google.com/free; the trial period runs from instance creation.", "expiry": "Fixed per-product windows (10-90 days) as listed; after expiry the instance converts to standard pay-as-you-go billing.", "gotchas": "These are trial periods on paid products, not free tiers — after the window you are billed in full. GKE trial cluster is a different thing from the '1 free GKE cluster per month' Always Free allowance (that one is free forever but excludes compute/networking charges).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student offers: no dedicated GCP compute credits or education license", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22, GCP has no student-only free compute credits or education license: students get the same $300/90-day trial (card required), the Always Free tier, and the card-free Gemini API free tier. Google's education-related cloud offering is Google Cloud Skills Boost (free skills/training platform referenced by partner pages; the startup program's perk list says 'training via Google Skills'). NOTE: the historical domain skills.cloud.google.com failed to resolve (DNS) today, suggesting it was renamed or retired — the free-learning offering now appears to live under 'Google Skills' / cloud.google.com/learn; not fully verified.", "eligibility": "N/A — no .edu-gated GCP compute offer exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim beyond the standard trial/free-tier/Gemini-API routes above.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not confuse free 'learning' access with free 'compute' access; certification fee waivers (when offered) are unrelated to VPS usage.", "source_url": "https://startup.google.com/cloud/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "GCP Free Trial: $300 Welcome credit for 90 days", "detail": "Free Trial billing account is preloaded with a $300 Welcome credit, valid for 90 days, spendable on any Google Cloud products (including Compute Engine VMs as VPS). You are not billed for any usage during the trial. If you upgrade to a Paid billing account you keep unused credit until it expires 90 days from signup; if you neither upgrade nor spend the $300, the trial billing account is closed and all associated projects/resources are stopped.", "eligibility": "New customers only: you must never have been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and must not have previously signed up for the Free Trial. One trial per person/payment method. A valid credit card or other payment method is REQUIRED at signup (plus bank-account verification in some countries) even though you aren't billed during the trial.", "claim": "1) Go to cloud.google.com/free (or console.cloud.google.com/freetrial). 2) Create a Google account + GCP project. 3) Add a credit card/payment method and complete identity verification. 4) Trial starts after verification; $300 credit and 90-day clock begin. No card is charged during the trial.", "expiry": "Credit and trial both last 90 days from signup. Unused credit expires 90 days from trial signup even if you convert to paid. After that, account is closed (projects stopped) unless converted to a paid account before expiry.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (unlike AWS, you cannot get the GCP trial without a payment method; Google runs an authorization hold to validate it). $300 burns fast on VMs (e.g. an e2-micro VPS for 90 days costs only ~$10-15, but anything bigger eats it quickly). Trial ends -> resources stopped, data at risk: upgrade before day 90 or export/stop instances. The trial credit does NOT cover Always-Free tier usage; after trial, usage outside the Free Tier is billed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Compute Engine Always-Free tier: 1 e2-micro VM + 30 GB disk, perpetual (no card required)", "detail": "Free Tier, no expiration, available to all GCP customers: 1 non-preemptible e2-micro VM instance per month (1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM), time-based limit - free until cumulative hours equal the total hours in the month; usable in us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa), or us-east1 (South Carolina), used combined across those regions. 30 GB-months standard persistent disk. 1 GB/month outbound egress from North America to all destinations except China/Australia. Related free items on the same page: Cloud Storage 5 GB regional storage, Cloud Run 2M requests/mo, App Engine F1 + 9 h/day B1, Cloud Build, Cloud Functions. GPUs/TPUs are never free.", "eligibility": "Any GCP customer (including trial users, post-trial, or accounts that skip the trial - the Free Tier applies as long as you use products within the monthly limits). A billing account must exist; the Always-Free usage itself does not consume trial credit. Region lock-in: e2-micro free limit only in the 3 US regions; you can still place a paid VM anywhere.", "claim": "Create a GCP project (billing account, no card needed if you stay within free tier; a trial or a card is only needed the moment you exceed limits), go to Compute Engine -> Create VM, pick e2-micro in us-west1/us-central1/us-east1, attach a 30 GB or smaller standard PD, and run it - compute+disk+1 GB egress stay $0 each month indefinitely.", "expiry": "No expiration - Free Tier has no stated end date, limits reset monthly. Google reserves the right to change/eliminate usage limits with 30 days' notice.", "gotchas": "The '1 TB egress/mo' in the task's known-info is WRONG: official limit is 1 GB/mo outbound from NA (China/AU excluded). The limit is by hours, not by instance - running multiple e2-micros in parallel still costs $0 up to full-month hours. Disk must be STANDARD type, 30 GB or less. Egress >1 GB, GPU/TPU, larger disks, non-US regions for e2-micro, and any usage over the time limit bill at standard rates. A billing account without a payment method: free tier usage is permitted, but exceeding it will suspend service until a card is added.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GKE Free Trial: 90 days of full Kubernetes Engine capabilities at no fee", "detail": "Separate from the $300 trial: a GKE trial card on cloud.google.com/free - 'Try GKE with the full set of product capabilities for 90 days for no fee', deep-linked to console.cloud.google.com/freetrial?redirectPath=/kubernetes/overview. Use it to run a managed Kubernetes cluster (worker VMs) free for 90 days; useful as a VPS/container-hosting front.", "eligibility": "GCP account holders (trial signup path); subject to abuse prevention - 'Access to products may be limited to prevent abuse'. New-customer trial rules apply for the $300 companion credit.", "claim": "From cloud.google.com/free, click the GKE Free Trial card (or console.cloud.google.com/freetrial?redirectPath=/kubernetes), complete trial signup with a card, and create a GKE Autopilot/Standard cluster for 90 days without paying.", "expiry": "90-day window from signup; after that standard GKE pricing applies (control-plane fee, node hours).", "gotchas": "Requires the same card-verified trial signup; GKE Autopilot still charges per-node-hour for the 90-day trial at list price after the window; the free GKE *tier* (always-free cluster) also exists but only the cluster fee, not compute/networking. If your real goal is a cheap VPS, raw Compute Engine e2-micro is simpler than GKE.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (rebranded/expanded GCP for Startups): $2K Start tier, $200K-$350K Scale/Scale AI tiers", "detail": "Official page cloud.google.com/startup ('Google for Startups Cloud Program'). Tiers: Start = $2K in credits for startups founded within the past 2 years with a working MVP, clear business model, and plans to seek VC funding. Funded tiers 'Scale' and 'Scale AI' range $200K-$350K in GCP credits for growing startups with verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding, founded within the last 3-5 years. Footnote structure on the page: AI startups - Year 1: 100% coverage up to $250,000 GCP credits; Year 2: 20% coverage up to an additional $100,000. Other startups - Year 1: 100% up to $100,000; Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000. Also includes Startup Success Managers, Customer Engineering support, and AI/DeepMind build benefits; a separate Maps Platform benefit exists (separate application).", "eligibility": "Startups: founded within 2 years (Start) or 3-5 years with Pre-Seed to Series A funding (Scale/Scale AI). Exclusions: companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies/agencies, cryptocurrency mining companies, or token-distributing companies. Acceptance at Google's sole discretion. No .edu email or revenue cap stated - 'funding stage' (Pre-Seed to Series A) is the cap. No funding needed for the $2K Start tier.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Apply to the program' button on cloud.google.com/startup (links to cloud.google.com/startup/apply). Fill in company info, stage, funding, website. Stealth (funded) founders: get your accelerator/VC to verify/referral you; unfunded stealth founders must wait to apply until product launch with a live website. If accepted, credits apply to a GCP billing account; check 'Billing -> Cloud Credits' in console for balance/expiry. Third-party (partner) model usage is billed directly, not covered.", "expiry": "Year-1 credits (100% coverage up to the tier cap) then Year-2 credits at 20% up to $100K additional. A separate footnoted rule: your company domain must not have been on a paid Google Workspace plan within 31 days of applying. Exact per-tier dollar caps beyond '$200K-$350K' and credit validity windows are not spelled out on the page I read - treat specific amounts as up-to tier cap.", "gotchas": "The page's marketing ('Up to $350k') and the footnote caps ($250K AI / $100K non-AI Y1 + 20%/$100K Y2) don't fully reconcile - confirm the exact amount in your acceptance. Credits are for GCP products, not cash; third-party model calls bypass the credit. Not available to your own personal account - must be the startup's billing account. Old 'GCP for Startups' URLs (cloud.google.com/programs/startup, /boost) 404; use cloud.google.com/startup (gcp-startups still resolves, 200).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education - Faculty Teaching Credits: up to $100/staff + up to $50/student", "detail": "From cloud.google.com/edu/faculty + edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching: eligible faculty (university faculty, not students) can apply for GCP credits to give students hands-on experience: up to $100 in Google Cloud credits per teaching staff member and up to $50 in Cloud credits per student, for up to 3 courses per application. Intended for classroom use; students cannot apply directly - they must be given credits by their faculty. Complementary: Google Cloud Career Launchpad (free coaching through GCP Certificates).", "eligibility": "Faculty only, at accredited institutions in approved countries (country/state dropdown on the form; US has state list). Requires an official school email with a valid edu domain (or a nominated email - credits attach to it and are non-transferable) plus a link to your faculty directory profile. Must state course name, start date, abstract, expected student + TA counts.", "claim": "1) Faculty apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/ (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/faculty 'Apply for teaching credits'). 2) Submit course details; approval via CloudEduGrants@google.com. 3) After approval, credits redeem to the school domain; share with students (who log in with their school email). 4) Pool individual student credits for group projects per the guide on the faculty page.", "expiry": "Course start must be <=1 year from application. Once approved, credits are redeemable starting up to 16 weeks AFTER the course start date and are valid up to 1 year after the course start date. Re-submitting the form only reviews the latest submission.", "gotchas": "Credit card NOT required for these credits. Credits are locked to school email domains and non-transferable - students can't move them to a personal account. US-only for some sub-benefits; check the country list. There is a dedicated PDF ('cloud edu free trial warning') telling faculty to keep students OFF the $300 free trial (which forces a credit card) and on to these credits instead. The faculty page also links 'Manage Google Cloud credits' and 'redeem education credits' guides.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Education - Research Credits: $5,000 GCP research credits", "detail": "From cloud.google.com/edu/researchers + edu.google.com/programs/credits/research: apply for $5,000 in Google Cloud research credits (hero CTA 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'). Separate GPAR (Google Public Sector - Program for Accelerated Research) benefit is currently US-only. Related non-credit: on-campus research day, Google Skills training.", "eligibility": "Faculty, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers from accredited higher-education institutions and eligible nonprofit research institutions, in approved countries. Form asks institution, department, researcher type (Postdoc etc.), faculty/researcher directory link, project proposal (<=250 words), funding source, prior cloud/GCP usage, a GCP Pricing Calculator estimate + URL, and a GCP Billing Account ID. PhD students and postdocs can apply (faculty alone does NOT have to be the applicant).", "claim": "1) Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/ (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/researchers 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'). 2) Create a GCP billing account first (needed to receive credits - ID up to 25 chars). 3) Submit proposal + pricing calculator estimate. 4) Once approved, credits land on your billing account.", "expiry": "Credits are valid for 1 year from award (form explicitly asks how you'll fund the project 'after your credit expires in 1 year').", "gotchas": "You MUST have a GCP billing account to receive research credits - it's where credits attach, not a card-charge requirement by itself (you can hold a billing account without a card until you exceed free usage). Credits are for research GCP products, non-transferable, tied to your institutional email/account. Country-locked - not available in all regions. $5,000 is the standard research figure; large AI/HPC projects may be pitched through partners or GPAR (US-only) instead.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/researchers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Students: 200 free Google Skills training credits + free GCP Certificates/badges (NOT GCP compute credits)", "detail": "From cloud.google.com/edu/students: students get 200 free Google Skills credits (Google Cloud Skills Boost / certification training) that 'expire one year after they are issued', requested via a form. PLUS free: Google Cloud Certificates (shareable digital credentials), skill badges from hands-on labs, Google Skills Arcade (gamified learning with prizes/swag), free online labs, Developer Student Clubs, Cloud OnAir events. IMPORTANT: this is TRAINING credit, not a GCP infrastructure/VM credit - students who want an actual VM use the $300 trial or credits granted by their faculty (faculty program above).", "eligibility": "Students (and those preparing for entry-level cloud roles). The page does not state a .edu-email hard requirement for the training-credits form, but the request form (services.google.com/fb/forms/googlecloudskillsbooststudenttrainingcreditsapplication) and program context (student community, DSC, Cloud OnAir) are aimed at students; use your school email where offered. No credit card required for any of these.", "claim": "1) At cloud.google.com/edu/students, click 'Request credits' -> the Google Skills Boost student training-credits application form. 2) For credentials, complete Google Cloud Certificates / skill-badge lab paths (free, no prerequisites, no cost). 3) Join a Developer Student Club or Cloud OnAir events free.", "expiry": "The 200 training credits 'expire one year after they are issued'. Certificates/badges/Skills Arcade have no expiry stated.", "gotchas": "Do NOT confuse '200 Google Skills credits' (course/cert training, $-value on courses) with GCP compute/VM credits - the student page grants no e2-micro-style infrastructure credit. To actually run a VM for free as a student, use (a) the $300/90-day trial, or (b) credits your faculty applied for under the faculty program. The faculty page explicitly warns students to avoid the trial if their school has applied for education credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial: $300 credit, 90 days (one-time, new customers)", "detail": "One-time $300 welcome credit valid for 90 days; the account is a non-billable free-trial account during that window. If the $300 is spent or 90 days pass without upgrading to a paid billing account, the account auto-closes; a 30-day grace period then allows recovery of stopped resources/data before permanent deletion. GPUs/TPUs cannot be added on a non-billable trial account; the $300 cannot pay Gemini API-in-AI-Studio costs or managed generative-AI partner-model (Model-as-a-Service) usage. Verified on the official trial docs (served from docs.cloud.google.com) on 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Never been a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform, or Firebase, and never signed up for the Free Trial (one per person). Credit card / payment method IS required at signup. No .edu or company email requirement.", "claim": "1) cloud.google.com/free → select the free trial. 2) Create a Google Cloud account and enter a credit card (verification only; $0.00–$1.00 auth hold, not charged during trial). 3) A new GCP project is created; the $300 applies to eligible pay-as-you-go products for 90 days. 4) Before day 90, upgrade to a paid billing account to keep the account open.", "expiry": "Credit valid 90 days from account creation, not renewable; 30-day grace period after expiry; the always-free tier continues indefinitely on the account's products.", "gotchas": "CC required despite the free label; GPUs/TPUs not allowed on the non-billable trial account; Gemini API costs and managed partner AI models excluded from the $300; unused credit lapses at 90 days; after the grace period resources are stopped and data deleted.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-trial(redirectedfromcloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-trial)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Always-Free tier (free forever, no credit card, no trial needed)", "detail": "Indefinite, no-card free allotments across 20+ products; no end date but Google can change limits with 30 days' notice; unused monthly limits do not roll over. Compute Engine: 1 e2-micro (non-preemptible, 2 shared vCPU / 1 GB RAM) per month + 30 GB-months standard persistent disk + 1 external IP free + 1 GB outbound transfer/month — only in us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa), us-east1 (South Carolina); all eligible hours across those 3 US regions are free up to the month's total hours. Cloud Storage: 5 GB-months regional storage (US regions only), 5,000 Class A + 50,000 Class B operations, 100 GB outbound from North America to any region except China/Australia. Cloud Run: 2M requests/month, 360,000 GiB-s memory, 180,000 vCPU-s compute, 1 GB outbound. Cloud Functions (1st gen): 2M invocations/month, 400,000 GB-s, 5 GB outbound. BigQuery: 1 TiB queries/month free. GPUs and TPUs are explicitly NOT in the free tier — 'you are always charged for GPUs and TPUs that you add to VM instances.' Verified 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Any Google Cloud account (including trial accounts); no credit card required for the free allotments themselves. Region limits: free Compute VM and GCS storage are US-3-regions-only; egress exclusions apply to China and Australia destinations.", "claim": "No claiming step: free-tier allotments apply automatically to eligible products/regions; create a GCP project and stay under the caps. For e2-micro: pick one of us-west1 / us-central1 / us-east1, instance e2-micro, standard persistent disk ≤30GB total, one external IP.", "expiry": "No expiry (indefinite); monthly caps reset each month with no rollover; Google may change limits with 30 days' notice.", "gotchas": "Only 1 free e2-micro per account per month, only in the 3 US regions; any other machine type, region, GPU/TPU, or extra disk is billed; outbound beyond 1 GB/100 GB quotas is billed; the GCP project still has a billing account with a payment method attached, so a cent over any cap hits the card — set budgets/alerts. Free tier is 'always free'; the time-limited product trials below are separate.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-tier-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Time-limited product trials bundled with the free tier (Spanner 90d, Cloud SQL 30d, AlloyDB 30d, Looker 30d, etc.)", "detail": "Separate, time-boxed product trials listed alongside the free tier: Spanner 90-day, Cloud SQL 30-day, AlloyDB 30-day, Looker 30-day; they require a billing account (unlike the always-free allotments which don't). These cover database/BI experiments for 30–90 days without per-use cost. The broader 'free $300 and 20+ free products' hub is cloud.google.com/free. Note: I read these durations from the official free-tier docs today; per-product trial terms (auto-renew, conversion) were not individually re-verified — treat specifics as medium.", "eligibility": "Requires a Google Cloud billing account (payment method on file). One trial per product/account.", "claim": "From a GCP project, enable/try the product (e.g., Cloud SQL) during its trial window via the console; the trial covers normal usage for the stated days; ensure a billing account with a payment method is in place beforehand.", "expiry": "Spanner 90 days; Cloud SQL/AlloyDB/Looker 30 days each; not renewable (re-apply rules vary per product).", "gotchas": "After the window, full pay-as-you-go applies; Cloud SQL/AlloyDB can get expensive (instance + storage + egress), so terminate or set budgets before expiry; trials need a billing account where the free-tier items don't.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-tier-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (up to $350,000 GCP credits over 2 years + 12 months Google Workspace Business Plus + monthly Google Maps Platform credits)", "detail": "Successor of the old 'Google Cloud Startup Program'. Tiers per the live page (fetched 2026-10-22): Start tier = $2,000 credits for startups founded in the past 2 years with a working MVP and plans to seek venture funding. Funded tiers = Scale and Scale AI, $200K–$350K total credits, for startups with verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding (founded within the last 3–5 years). Footnoted math: AI startups get 100% of GCP spend up to $250,000 in Year 1 and 20% (matching) up to an additional $100,000 in Year 2 (max $350K); non-AI startups get 100% up to $100,000 Year 1 and 20% up to $100,000 Year 2. Perks also include credits for frontier models like Gemini and Gemma (third-party models in Model Garden/Marketplace billed directly), Google Skills training, Startup Success Managers + Customer Engineering, and 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no cost (separate application; company domain must not have had a paid Workspace plan within 31 days before applying; a separate Maps application is required for monthly Google Maps Platform credits). Credits cover most Google-owned pay-as-you-go GCP products; subscription/prepay products and 3P Marketplace/Model Garden items are excluded. Acceptance is discretionary (funding stage/type, business model, founder experience, product usage, vertical, age, growth); response in 5–7 days. Non-VC funding (private equity, bank loans, government programs, grants, crowdfunding, friends & family) does not qualify for the funded tiers; re-application is allowed if prior credits went unused and current-year criteria are met.", "eligibility": "For-profit, digital-native company; not IPO'd/acquired; excludes educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies, agencies, crypto-mining companies, and token distributors in violation of local regulation; must operate in a region where GCP is GA and self-service. Funded tiers: verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding from a known investor, founded within the last 3–5 years. Requirements: GCP billing account ID (18 chars), business email whose domain matches the company website domain, active website (heavily AI-generated content screened and may be rejected). The application itself is free and needs no credit card, but a GCP billing account — which normally carries a payment method — is the delivery vehicle for the credits. Credits are non-transferable and cannot be shared, split, or resold; doing so terminates enrollment.", "claim": "1) Prepare the 18-character GCP billing account ID, a business email whose domain matches the company website domain, and a live, non-placeholder company website. 2) Apply at cloud.google.com/startups ('Apply now'), pick tier (Start $2k, or Scale/Scale AI if funded; stealth founders via investor/VC referral). 3) Wait 5–7 days for the automated accept/reject email (check spam). 4) Credits deposit into the selected billing account; request the Workspace and Maps benefits separately.", "expiry": "Credits granted over 2 years: Year 1 100% (up to $250K AI / $100K other), Year 2 20% matching up to an additional $100K; Workspace benefit = 12 months; program qualifications change annually and previous enrollment does not guarantee re-enrollment.", "gotchas": "Funded tiers require VC/known-investor funding — non-venture money disqualifies you from Scale; company email domain must equal the website domain or extra proof is requested; third-party models and subscription-billed products are excluded; past GCP credit usage is a (discretionary) acceptance factor; don't expect the generic $300 trial to auto-upgrade into this program — it is a separate application; AI-generated-heavy websites are screened and can cause rejection.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Education faculty ('teaching') credits: up to $100 per teaching staff + up to $50 per student, for classroom use", "detail": "Faculty of accredited institutions can apply for GCP credits for themselves and students so students get hands-on classroom experience. Verified numbers from cloud.google.com/edu/faculty: up to $100 per teaching staff member and up to $50 per student in Cloud credits. Terms (from the official application form, read today): up to 3 courses per application; course start date no later than 1 year from application; credits redeemable from approval until 16 weeks after the course start date, and valid up to 1 year after the course start date; confirmation emails come from CloudEduGrants@google.com (whitelist that alias); group projects can pool students' individual credits. Related: 'Career Launchpad Program' gives students access to Google Cloud Certificates/credentials content.", "eligibility": "Faculty only (students should have their faculty apply) at an accredited institution; official school-issued email with a valid .edu/.ac domain required (a nominated alternate email is possible — credits attach to it and are non-transferable); available only in the listed ~65 countries (incl. US, UK, EU, India, Japan, Brazil, others). No credit card required — these are promotional education credits, distinct from the paid-card $300 trial.", "claim": "1) Faculty complete the form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/faculty). 2) Provide the official school email, faculty directory link, institution + department. 3) Per course (up to 3): course name, expected start date, abstract + how credits will be used, a URL that proves you teach the course, student email domain(s), expected student/TA counts. 4) Submit; only the most recent submission is reviewed; on approval, credits attach to the institution's email domains.", "expiry": "Credits valid up to 1 year after the course start date; must be redeemed by 16 weeks after course start (from approval); non-transferable, educational use only.", "gotchas": "Google's own faculty docs explicitly warn: keep students off the $300 Free Trial (it requires a credit card) — use these course credits instead; country list is closed; resubmitting a form replaces the previous submission (the most recent is the one reviewed); multiple sections of the same course in the same period count as one course.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/facultyandhttps://edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Education research credits ('Academic Research Grants'): up to $5,000 in GCP credits for 1 year; plus GPAR collaboration program", "detail": "For accredited higher-education and eligible nonprofit research institutions: up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits (cloud.google.com/edu/researchers says 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'). Terms from the official application form (read today): credit must be activated within 60 days of the project start date; it expires 365 days from the coupon redemption date or when the amount is fully used; non-transferable, no commercial value or commercial use; faculty accept on the institution's behalf, PhD students only for the described project. Related: GPAR (Google Public Sector — Program for Accelerated Research) gives expert/researcher collaboration from Google + partners and on-campus research days (a services program, not a credit pool).", "eligibility": "Faculty, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers from accredited higher-education institutions or eligible nonprofit research institutions, in the approved-country list (~65 countries; undergrad/master students are NOT eligible for research grants). Institution email preferred. No credit card required for the credits themselves (a GCP billing account ID is still needed to receive them).", "claim": "1) Fill the form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research (linked from cloud.google.com/edu/researchers). 2) Provide job title (faculty/postdoc/PhD/IT admin), organization, directory or candidacy link, project name + start date, a 250-word proposal (Google Doc link or paste) covering problem, GCP tools, timeline, milestones, and future GCP use, a field of research, a pricing-calculator estimate with its URL, a GCP billing account ID, and your post-credit funding plan. 3) On approval, redeem within 60 days of the project start date.", "expiry": "Redeem within 60 days of project start; valid 365 days from redemption or until $5,000 used, whichever first; renewal not guaranteed.", "gotchas": "Credits are for the described project only — no personal or commercial use; you must declare how you'll fund the project after the credit expires; proposals without a GCP cost estimate get bounced; GPAR is a separate expert-collaboration program, not a second credit pool.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/researchersandhttps://edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free student learning offers: 200 Google Skills credits + free hands-on labs, skill badges, Google Cloud Certificates (preview), Google Skills Arcade, Developer Student Groups", "detail": "cloud.google.com/edu/students (read today): students can request 200 free Google Skills credits which expire one year after issue; no-cost access to hands-on labs; skill badges (complete a lab series + challenge-lab final assessment for a shareable credential); Google Cloud Certificates (preview free on YouTube, no prerequisites); Google Skills Arcade by Google Cloud (gamified learning, swag rewards); free Developer Student Groups (join or create a campus chapter); free Cloud OnAir events and YouTube tutorials. There is no .edu-gated GCP compute-credit pool for individual students — students' actual GCP compute comes from faculty teaching credits, the generic $300 trial (CC required), or institutional agreements; the notebook/lab front on GCP therefore runs through faculty credits or trial, while self-serve free lab environments come from Google Skills' sized sandboxes. Confidence is medium on exactly what 200 Skills credits purchase: the page does not publish a per-course price list.", "eligibility": "Open to students (no .edu email explicitly required to request the Google Skills learning credits or badges; DSGs are campus-based). The $300 trial and free tier remain available to students but the trial needs a card. Google's own faculty docs steer students toward faculty-issued credits instead of the trial.", "claim": "1) Go to cloud.google.com/edu/students → 'Request credits' for the 200 Google Skills credits (learning-platform credits; expire 1 year after issue). 2) Use Google Skills to open the free hands-on labs and earn skill badges. 3) Join/apply to a Developer Student Group or attend Cloud OnAir events (both free). 4) For real GCP compute in coursework, use your faculty's teaching credits or a campus institutional agreement.", "expiry": "Skills credits expire 1 year after issue; labs/badges are free as long as offered.", "gotchas": "'200 Google Skills credits' are learning-platform credits, not GCP $-credits — don't conflate with the $300 trial; Skills GCP sandboxes are time-boxed/limited; there is no free GCP GPU/TPU access for students (GPUs/TPUs are explicitly outside the free tier).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Gemini API / Google AI Studio free tier (the ML-inference + notebooks front; no credit card)", "detail": "ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits (read today; page 'Last updated 2026-10-15 UTC'): usage tiers are Free, then paid Tiers 1–3 (with $10/$50/$200 rolling 10-minute spend caps and escalating limits). Free tier qualification: 'an active project or free trial' — no active billing account required, in contrast to Tier 1+ which require a linked billing account. Per-model free RPD/RPM/TPM numbers are not published on that page; they are shown per-project in the Google AI Studio rate-limit dashboard. Batch API free-tier table starts at Tier 1 (no free batch numbers shown). No free fine-tuning/training credits are listed on the page. Related: the GCP $300 trial credit cannot pay Gemini API-in-AI-Studio costs (trial docs), and the startup program's 'prototyping/Start' offering gives pre-funded builders instant AI Studio access (API keys + Gemini, Gemini Omni, Nano Banana, etc.) plus 'credits for frontier models like Gemini and Gemma' in funded tiers, while third-party partner models are billed directly. Google Colab remains the classic free notebooks front (CPU and quota-limited TPU runtimes), but its current exact quotas could not be re-verified in this session (web-search budget was exhausted) — treat remembered Colab numbers as low confidence.", "eligibility": "Any Google account; the Gemini API free tier needs no credit card and no billing account (Tier 1+ does). GCP trial users: AI Studio Gemini costs are excluded from the $300 trial credit.", "claim": "1) Sign in at aistudio.google.com (or colab.research.google.com for notebooks). 2) Create/select a project, generate an API key, pick a model — free-tier quotas apply automatically. 3) Check per-model free limits in the AI Studio rate-limit dashboard; exceeding them moves you to paid tiers (which require a billing account).", "expiry": "No stated expiry for the free tier (ongoing, subject to Google's policy changes).", "gotchas": "Free-tier rates are per-project, per-model and can change; the dashboard is the source of truth; no free batch API at the Free tier; no free fine-tuning stated; Colab TPU sessions are quota/time-limited — don't assume old Colab quotas are current; past free limits, paid tier 1 applies its $10 rolling spend-cap structure rather than unlimited use.", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial: $300 credit for 90 days (new customers)", "detail": "Signup creates a Free Trial billing account preloaded with a $300 Welcome credit valid for 90 days (cloud.google.com/free; signup FAQ). The trial ends at the first of: $300 spent, 90 days elapsed, or upgrade to a paid account (Free Trial Terms section 1.3, last modified 2026-02-12). Free Tier usage is not charged against the credit, and the credit can cover usage above Free Tier limits. On the trial, Compute Engine is capped at 8 concurrent cores (section 3.1) and some services are unavailable (section 3.3). Upgrading keeps unused credit, which still expires 3 months after the trial start (section 4.2). When the trial ends, access stops; there are 30 days to migrate data (except Compute Engine) or upgrade (section 5.2).", "eligibility": "New Google Cloud customers only: never a paying user of Google Cloud, Google Maps Platform or Firebase, and never previously signed up for the Free Trial (official docs). US and/or Mexican federal, state or local government entities are excluded unless Google agrees in writing (section 1.2). No .edu or student-email rule; a student qualifies as an individual. No startup age or funding rule applies. A payment method is required (see gotchas). Some countries also require bank account verification.", "claim": "Open cloud.google.com/free and click Get started for free (or go to console.cloud.google.com/freetrial), sign in with a Google account, complete the Free Trial signup, add a valid payment method and verify identity, then create a project. The 90-day clock starts when the billing account is created. The Firebase console also routes eligible users into this signup (since March 2025).", "expiry": "90 days from billing account creation, or earlier at $300 spend or upgrade. Unused credit expires at day 90 (3 months after start if upgraded).", "gotchas": "A credit card or other valid payment method is REQUIRED. It is not charged, but authorization holds can stay 1 to 14 business days. This is the key difference from the education credit programs, which need no card. Google may modify or terminate the trial at any time (section 3.6). An expired or invalid card can suspend the account (section 3.5). Faculty pages warn that this trial needs a card, so students should be steered to the education credits instead.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Tier: always-free monthly limits (20+ products)", "detail": "More than 20 products have monthly free usage. The allowance does not expire but is subject to change, and it is not charged against the $300 trial credit (cloud.google.com/free). Examples from the current list: Compute Engine 1 e2-micro instance per month; Cloud Storage 5 GB-months Standard; BigQuery 1 TB of queries per month; Cloud Run 2 million requests per month; one GKE Autopilot or Zonal cluster per month; Cloud Run functions 2 million invocations per month; Pub/Sub 10 GB of messages per month; Firestore 1 GB storage; Cloud Build 120 build-minutes per day; Speech-to-Text 60 minutes per month; Vision AI 1,000 units per month; Natural Language API 5,000 units per month; Secret Manager 6 secret versions per month; Cloud Shell 5 GB disk; Artifact Registry 0.5 GB per month; Workflows 5,000 steps per month; Agent Engine 180,000 vCPU-seconds and 360,000 GiB-seconds per month. Compute Engine detail (official docs): the e2-micro is free only in us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa) and us-east1 (South Carolina); it includes 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk and 1 GB per month of outbound North America data; the limit is by time, not per instance; GPUs and TPUs are excluded. Cloud Storage free usage applies to US regions (the docs name us-east1, us-west1, us-central1).", "eligibility": "Any Google Cloud customer; the trial is not required, and the docs say existing customers can use it too. No .edu or student requirement; no startup rules. Region limits: the e2-micro and Cloud Storage allowances apply only in the listed US regions.", "claim": "Create a project and Cloud Billing account in the console, create resources only in the free regions, and stay within each monthly limit. Set a Cloud Billing budget with alerts so overages are noticed.", "expiry": "No expiry. Monthly limits reset each month. Google says the limits can change.", "gotchas": "Usage above a free limit is billed at standard prices. Creating the e2-micro outside the three US regions is billed. GPUs and TPUs are never free here. Egress beyond 1 GB per month is billed. Whether a card is needed for free-tier-only use was not verified in this run.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Product-level free trials (GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner, AlloyDB, Looker, Bigtable, Gemini Enterprise)", "detail": "Trial offers listed on cloud.google.com/free: GKE, full capabilities free for 90 days with no fee; Spanner, 90-day trial instance with 10 GB storage; Cloud SQL, 30-day trial instance with 8 vCPU Enterprise Plus, 64 GB memory and 100 GB storage; AlloyDB, 30-day trial with an 8 vCPU basic primary instance and up to 1 TB storage; Looker, 30-day trial instance with standard features; Bigtable, 10-day trial with a 1-node SSD cluster and up to 500 GB; Gemini Enterprise Plus edition, 30 days at no cost. The Cloud SQL, Spanner, AlloyDB and Bigtable entries also say new customers get $300 credit on signup.", "eligibility": "Set per product on each trial page; not verified one by one. No .edu requirement. Startup age and funding rules do not apply.", "claim": "From cloud.google.com/free, open the product's trial link ('Explore more offers') and create the trial instance in the console.", "expiry": "Trial instance periods are 10 days (Bigtable), 30 days (Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, Looker, Gemini Enterprise Plus) or 90 days (GKE, Spanner).", "gotchas": "Trial instances end when their period ends; check each product page for what happens next. Card requirements and region limits for each trial were not checked individually. Trial instances are separate from Free Tier usage.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Students: 200 Google Skills training credits", "detail": "Currently enrolled college and university students can request 200 Google Skills credits for hands-on labs, skill badges and courses on Google Skills, the platform formerly called Google Cloud Skills Boost (cloud.google.com/edu/students). Credits expire one year after they are issued. The same page lists Google Skills Arcade (no-cost gamified labs) and a no-cost YouTube preview of Google Cloud Certificates.", "eligibility": "Verified college or university students at regionally accredited institutions in the listed countries. The list is long and includes the US, UK, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Singapore. For-profit institutions are not supported (support.google.com/google-cloud-higher-ed/answer/10322652). The help text does not spell out a .edu rule or the verification method. No card requirement is stated.", "claim": "Submit the Google Skills training-credits application form (services.google.com/fb/forms/googlecloudskillsbooststudenttrainingcreditsapplication/) with your institutional details. Requests can take up to two weeks. For more credits, use the same form. Then use the credits on skills.google.", "expiry": "One year after issue.", "gotchas": "These are lab and training credits for Google Skills. The official pages do not describe them as Cloud Billing dollars, so they do not fund your own Cloud projects. The portal domain changed to skills.google in October 2025 (see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Skills no-cost Starter subscription: 35 credits a month", "detail": "The Starter subscription costs nothing and gives learners 35 credits each month for hands-on labs in Google Skills (support.google.com/qwiklabs/answer/9139481). Google's Skills announcements and the Developer Program FAQ also cite 35 monthly credits for GEAR program participants and Google Cloud Innovators community members. Paid Monthly Pro and Annual Developer Premium plans sit above it.", "eligibility": "Any learner with a Google account. Not limited to students, and no .edu rule. Innovators membership is joined through My Communities and Programs on the developer profile. The card requirement for the no-cost plan was not verified.", "claim": "Sign in at skills.google, open the profile menu, go to Settings, then Subscriptions, and select the Starter (no cost) plan. For the Innovators or GEAR route, join through the program pages.", "expiry": "Monthly allotment. Whether unused credits roll over was not verified.", "gotchas": "Credits are for labs only. The exact reset and rollover rules, and whether the free plan asks for a card, were not checked directly.", "source_url": "https://support.google.com/qwiklabs/answer/9139481?hl=en", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Career Launchpad: no-cost AI and cloud training for higher education", "detail": "Career Launchpad gives higher-education institutions (and government and nonprofit workforce organizations) no-cost generative-AI and cloud training. It includes DeepMind's AI Research Foundations curriculum, Google Cloud Certificates, hands-on labs and Educator Guides. Faculty also get Google Skills credits to add labs to coursework. Google Skills Arcade is always-on and no-cost. Google Cloud Certificates carry an ACE recommendation of up to 10 college credits (page footnote). Career Dreamer is US-only. The page mentions a 50% certification discount for some learning-path completers; conditions were not checked.", "eligibility": "Institutional program run by faculty facilitators at higher-education institutions. The page sets no .edu rule. Career Dreamer is US-only. The country list was not checked. No card requirement is stated.", "claim": "Faculty apply through the Apply button on cloud.google.com/edu/faculty/career-launchpad (faculty form: services.google.com/fb/forms/googlecloudcareerlaunchpadapplication/).", "expiry": "Not stated on the page. Expiry for the Skills credits within this program was not confirmed.", "gotchas": "This is non-cash training, not a credit balance. The certification discount and ACE college-credit conditions were not verified.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty/career-launchpad", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education (teaching) credits: up to $100 per teaching staff member and $50 per student", "detail": "Eligible faculty can apply for up to $100 in Google Cloud credits per teaching staff member and up to $50 in Cloud credits per student (cloud.google.com/edu/faculty). Approval issues coupons: faculty get codes for themselves and staff, plus a URL to send to students. Each course's credit is tracked in its own Cloud Billing account. Credits cover most Google Cloud products, and free-tier usage does not count against them (Cloud Billing edu-grants doc). Credits may not be used for course infrastructure, commercial use or personal use.", "eligibility": "Faculty only; students cannot apply but can ask faculty to apply. Faculty must use an official school email on a valid .edu domain (or nominate another email if they have none). In the US the institution must be a regionally accredited program; outside the US it must be a higher-learning institution that awards degrees in an eligible country. For-profit institutions are excluded. The application form has a country list (includes the US, UK, Canada, India, Japan, Germany, Australia and Brazil). Up to 3 courses per submission, with course start no later than one year away. Students must confirm a school email to redeem. The support page says sign-up needs no credit card.", "claim": "Faculty apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching (up to 3 courses, expected student and TA counts, school faculty-directory link). After approval, faculty get coupon codes and a student URL. Students verify their school email, then click Redeem now in the coupon email and accept the terms in the Google Cloud console. Questions go to CloudEduGrants@google.com.", "expiry": "Redeemable from approval until 16 weeks after course start. Validity sources conflict: up to 1 year after course start (program page), 12 months after course start (help page), and 1 year after redemption (Cloud Billing docs). Confirm against the approval email.", "gotchas": "The official amounts are per teaching staff ($100) and per student ($50). The '$100 per course' wording in the brief is not how the official page states it. Credits are non-transferable and tied to the school email. Google may revoke awards or change criteria at any time. Check spam for the confirmation email, which should arrive within 24 hours.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/faculty", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Research credits: up to $5,000 for faculty, PhD students and postdocs", "detail": "Researchers can apply for up to $5,000 in Google Cloud research credits (cloud.google.com/edu/researchers says 'Apply for $5,000 in research credits'; the application page text retrieved did not restate the figure). The credit must be activated within 60 days of the project start date on the application. It may be issued in increments and is for proof of concept, evaluation or comparison, workshops or training, and open-source development. The application asks for a funding plan for after the credit expires.", "eligibility": "Faculty, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at accredited higher-education institutions, plus eligible nonprofit research institutions, in approved countries (the list includes the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, India, Australia, Singapore and South Africa). An institution account is preferred but not strictly .edu. PhD students may not use the credit for personal use. The GPAR program (Google Public Sector Program for Accelerated Research) is US-only and gives pricing co-investment, not credit. No card requirement is stated.", "claim": "Apply at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research. Provide personal and organization details, a project proposal (up to 250 words), the total from your pricing calculator with a link to it, a Google Cloud billing account ID, and a funding plan for after the credit expires.", "expiry": "Expires 365 days after coupon redemption or when fully used, whichever comes first.", "gotchas": "Non-transferable, with no sale or barter and no commercial use. The $5,000 headline comes from the researchers landing page. Confirm the cap on the form before relying on it, since 'up to' means awards can be smaller.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/edu/researchers", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program, Start tier: up to $2,000 in credits", "detail": "The Start tier gives up to $2,000 in Google Cloud credits valid for one year (cloud.google.com/startup/benefits). Also: $200 in Google Skills training credits; 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus free for new sign-ups (conditions apply); AI webinars and content; and Web3 partner perks for Web3 startups. This is the self-serve entry tier.", "eligibility": "Technology startup with a working MVP, a clear business model and a well-defined product roadmap, that plans to seek venture funding soon. Founded within the last 24 months. Has not received Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial. The business email must match the company website domain, and the billing account must be owned and administered by someone on that domain. Not open to educational institutions, nonprofits, government entities, dev shops or consultancies, companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, or crypto mining. Google decides acceptance at its sole discretion. A Cloud Billing account is required; card requirement not stated.", "claim": "Create a Cloud Billing account in the console and note its 18-character billing account ID, since credits attach to it. Confirm a business email on your website domain. Apply through the Apply now button at cloud.google.com/startup. On approval, credits are issued to the billing account named in the application.", "expiry": "Valid one year (official page). Some third-party sites say two years; the official page does not.", "gotchas": "Credits apply only to Google first-party pay-as-you-go or consumption products. Subscription, prepay and annual-license products are excluded, as are third-party Marketplace and Model Garden offerings. Third-party models (such as Claude) are billed directly. Credits cannot be shared, split or resold. Workspace is free only if the company domain had no paid Workspace plan in the 31 days before applying. Re-applying is possible if earlier credits went unused.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program, Scale tier: up to $200,000 (AI-first up to $350,000)", "detail": "Scale tier: up to $200,000 in Google Cloud credits over two years. Year 1 covers 100% of spend up to $100,000; year 2 covers 20% of spend up to a further $100,000. AI-first startups: up to $350,000 (year 1 100% up to $250,000; year 2 20% up to $100,000 more). Also: 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus free (separate application), $600 per month of Google Maps Platform credits (separate application), up to $12,000 in Google Cloud Enhanced Support credits for one year, Google Skills training credits (the benefits page lists $500 for this tier; verify), and a Startup Success Manager as you grow.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed startups. Pre-Seed or Seed rounds within the last 5 years; if a Series A has been raised, it must be within the last 12 months. Founded within the last five years (benefits page; the program footnote says 3 to 5 years depending on tier). Has not received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits before. Non-venture funding (private equity, bank loans, government grants, crowdfunding, friends and family) does not qualify. Stealth startups are accepted on investor or accelerator verification. The AI-first tier requires Gemini or Gemma as a foundation of the primary product (AI program page). Must be in a region where Google Cloud is generally available and sold through self-service purchasing. Acceptance is at Google's discretion, weighing funding stage and type, business model, founder experience, product usage, age, growth and total funding. No .edu rule. A billing account is required; card requirement not stated.", "claim": "Have your funding round details, any investor or accelerator affiliation (enter these for stealth verification), billing account ID and website-domain business email ready. Apply at cloud.google.com/startup (Apply now). Credits are issued to the billing account after approval. Maps and Workspace benefits need separate applications.", "expiry": "Credits run over two years in year-1 and year-2 tranches. The exact expiry of unused balances was not in the official text read.", "gotchas": "Same first-party-only exclusions and third-party model billing as the Start tier. Credits cannot be shared, split or resold. Prior credits above $5,000 disqualify. Some third-party guides say the Scale tier is usually reached through a partner investor or accelerator; the official page does not say so. Approval is not guaranteed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startups in prototyping: free Gemini API access in Google AI Studio", "detail": "The prototyping track of the Google for Startups program gives free access to the Gemini API in Google AI Studio, with API key management, access to Google models such as Gemini, Gemini Omni and Nano Banana, and Build mode (cloud.google.com/startup and startup.google.com/cloud). This is product access, not a Cloud Billing credit.", "eligibility": "Developers and builders at small businesses, bootstrapped startups and self-funded ideas, which are the stated criteria. No venture funding is required. No .edu rule. Card and regional requirements were not verified.", "claim": "Use the Start building in AI Studio link on cloud.google.com/startup and sign in with a Google account to create an API key.", "expiry": "Not stated. Free-tier quotas can change.", "gotchas": "Rate limits and data-use terms for the free tier were not verified in this run. Third-party models are not covered by program credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2024-11-08 (AI Startups Summit, Bengaluru): Scale tier was restructured/raised — the prior program's 'up to $150,000 over 2 years' became $200,000 (or $350,000 for AI-first) with the Year-1 100% match / Year-2 20% structure; the pre-2024 tiered Grow/Scale legacy offers (which varied ~$5k-$150k by funding stage) were folded into the current Start ($2,000) / Scale ($200k/$350k) two-tier model — the earlier larger multi-stage tiers are gone. The standalone self-serve 'Google Cloud for Students' $300/12-month credit program is no longer advertised on current official pages (cloud.google.com/edu/students now lists faculty-applied course credits + free Google Skills access, 200 credits); it appears sunseted in favor of the faculty/course-based Education credits program (medium confidence — university IT pages still cite the old $300 offer). Historical note: GCP Free Trial was extended from 30 to 90 days back in Aug 2020 (unchanged since). Vertex AI's older '1M free GenAI units' promotional offer has not been re-announced in 2025-2026; AI free access now flows through the Gemini API Free tier and GCP Free Tier instead. 2026 changes worth flagging: Gemini API Free-tier rate limits moved to per-account dashboard (static per-model table removed from docs), unrestricted API keys blocked from June 19 2026, and paid tier now requires min $5 prepay.", "2025-2026 changes observed today (2026-10-22) on live pages: (1) The startup program is now branded \"Google for Startups Cloud Program\" at cloud.google.com/startups; the task's \"known so far: up to $200,000\" equals the current non-AI \"Scale\" funded-tier cap, but the headline cap is now up to $350,000 over two years (\"Scale AI\" tier: Year 1 100% coverage up to $250,000; Year 2 20% up to an additional $100,000; non-AI \"Scale\": Year 1 up to $100,000 + Year 2 up to $100,000). Legacy partner-accelerator network (Y Combinator/500/Techstars-era \"Accelerate\" listings) is replaced on the page by generic \"equity-free accelerators\" cohorts plus a \"Gemini Startup Forum.\" Old URL cloud.google.com/programs/startups now 404s. (2) The Always-Free tier was restructured on cloud.google.com/free: the legacy free allotments for Cloud SQL (micro instance 750h/mo + 20GB SSD/375GB HDD), Memorystore, Spanner, and Dataflow (9,600h/mo) are no longer listed, and BigQuery no longer lists the 10GB storage free allotment (only 1TB/mo queries); Cloud Storage was cut to \"5 GB-months Standard\" and Cloud Functions was replaced by \"Cloud Run functions.\" GCP now pairs this with finite product-specific free trials (30-90 days) for managed databases/data platforms. Confidence in this \"changed\" comparison is medium - I read today's page (high) but could not archive-compare (web search budget exhausted this session). (3) The $300 trial page no longer states a day limit or \"60 days\" wording; it says \"You won't be charged until you activate your full paid account\" (activation-based; historical 60-day term not visible today). (4) \"Cloud Skills Boost\" is rebranded as \"Google Skills\" (student offer is \"200 free Google Skills credits\"). (5) New 2025-2026 offers not previously on GCP: Gemini Enterprise Plus edition 30-day trial, Agent Engine free allotment (180,000 vCPU-s/360,000 GiB-s per month), Datastream free 100 GiB CDC/month, GKE 90-day trial. No GCP free offer appears to have been fully closed in this window - the major move is shrinkage of the always-free tier plus product trials and a bigger AI-leaning startup program. All findings above were verified by reading the cited official pages directly on 2026-10-22.", "Corrections/sunsets vs. the 'known so far' baseline, all checked against official Google pages on 2026-10-22: (1) FREE TRIAL DURATION: the $300 credit is valid for 90 days, not 60 — the current docs (docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features), signup FAQs, and the archived Jan-30-2025 Free Trial T&Cs all state 90 days/3 months; no 2025–2026 shortening found. (2) CLOUD SQL ALWAYS FREE: the old 'Cloud SQL Always Free plan' (free shared-core instance, 750 h/month, storage/backup/egress allowances in select regions) is NO LONGER on the Cloud SQL pricing page — the only official free Cloud SQL offer today is the 30-day free trial instance (Enterprise Plus, 8 vCPU/64 GB/100 GB) plus the $300 trial credit; treat the 750 h C2D claim as stale. (3) SPANNER FREE 96 GB NODE (us-west1): not present on the current Spanner pricing page; replaced by the 90-day free trial instance (10 GiB, Standard edition + Graph, regional-only) usable by both new and existing customers, with 30-day grace before data deletion. (4) BIGQUERY '100,000 slot-hours/month free': not published on the current BigQuery pricing page (which lists only 1 TiB free on-demand queries + 10 GiB free storage per month, plus free batch loads and first 2 TiB/mo of gRPC Storage Write API) — likely subsumed by the 2023–2024 move to Editions/slots pricing; treat the 100K slot-hour figure as superseded. (5) STARTUP PROGRAM REBRAND: 'Google Cloud Startups Accelerator' (cloud.google.com/startups, previously up to $150k single tier) is now 'Google for Startups Cloud Program' at cloud.google.com/startup — the old /startups URL serves the new program. Current structure: Start $2k tier (founded <2 years, MVP, pre-VC) + Scale (Y1 up to $100k + Y2 up to +$100k = $200k) + Scale AI (Y1 up to $250k + Y2 up to +$100k = $350k), with the $5,000-prior-credits gate and non-venture-funding exclusion for Scale tiers; marketing copy on cloud.google.com/free says 'up to $200,000 USD (up to $350,000 for AI startups)'. (6) EDUCATION: no general free GCP dollar credits for students; student offer is 200 Google Skills credits expiring after 1 year; the substantive education offers are faculty teaching credits ($100/faculty + $50/student) and GPAR research credits ($5,000, US-only). Note: no 2025–2026 sunset announcement changelogs were retrievable (web-search budget was exhausted mid-task), so items 2–4 'no longer listed' reflects absence from the live official pages today rather than a dated official announcement.", "Legacy \"Cloud Startups\" program materially changed: the long-standing terms of \"up to $200,000 in GCP credits, typically 12-month terms, mostly US-based startups\" (the prior known baseline) no longer appear on the current program pages. As read today (2026-10-22), cloud.google.com/startup and startup.google.com/cloud both present the restructured \"Google for Startups Cloud Program\": up to $350,000 over two years, split into AI (Year-1 $250K) and non-AI (Year-1 $100K) tiers, eligibility \"Pre-Seed to Series A, founded within the last 3-5 years, <$5,000 previously received GCP credits\", with no US-entity requirement stated on the page. Exact 2025/2026 transition dates could not be news-verified today (this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted; the session user may raise CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_WEB_SEARCHES_PER_SESSION to allow that), so the \"replacement\" characterization is based on the live pages rather than a dated announcement — medium confidence on timing, high confidence on the current terms. Also current-state notes: (1) the $300/90-day trial and Always Free quotas are unchanged on today's official pages; (2) GKE's permanent free cluster is now phrased as \"one free Autopilot or zonal Standard cluster per month\" with compute/networking explicitly excluded; (3) GCP offers no free bare-metal or dedicated-server capacity at any tier — the only free \"server\" is the e2-micro micro-VM (3 US regions) and Cloud Run; (4) the Skills Boost domain no longer resolves — the education-facing free offering is now bundled under \"Google Skills\".", "As of 2026-10-22, no core offer was sunset: the $300/90-day trial, the Always-Free e2-micro VM tier, and the startup + education programs are all live and verified on official pages today. Verified structural notes (no web-searchable 2025-2026 change history available because this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted - conclusions below rest on page reads only, not on diffed changelogs): (1) The startup program now presents a THREE-tier structure - 'Start $2K' for unfunded startups founded in the last 2 years, plus funded 'Scale' and 'Scale AI' tiers ($200K-$350K) - a new/expanded format vs. the older single 'GCP for Startups' ($1M, founded-within-5-years, up-to-50-FTE) model that was widely documented pre-2025; old URLs cloud.google.com/programs/startup and cloud.google.com/boost now 404, and the current page is cloud.google.com/startup (cloud.google.com/gcp-startups still serves, 200). The Scale AI tier + 'Build with Google DeepMind' AI-credits framing (AI startups 100% to $250K Y1 / 20% to $100K Y2) reflects a post-2025 AI-first program redesign. (2) Education credits are now routed through edu.google.com forms (teaching credits, $5,000 research credits, 200 student training credits) and the 'cloud.edu free trial warning' PDF, a current setup. (3) GPAR (researcher fast-track) is flagged 'Currently only available in the United States'. If you need a 2025-2026 changelog (exact dates the startup tiers were reshaped or the trial terms edited), that requires a fresh WebSearch - this session's 200-call budget was consumed before the change-history could be verified; all amounts/durations above were read directly from the live official pages on the date of the report.", "1) Startup program renamed/restructured: the legacy 'Google Cloud Startup Program' (commonly cited as up to $200K/2-year funded track plus a YC-alumni track) is gone; cloud.google.com/startups/program and cloud.google.com/programs/startup-program now 404. The live offer (2026) is the 'Google for Startups Cloud Program': Start tier $2k; Scale/Scale AI $200K–$350K over 2 years, with AI startups capped at $250K Year 1 (100% match) + $100K Year 2 (20% match), other startups $100K Y1 + $100K Y2; new 12-month Google Workspace Business Plus benefit and monthly Google Maps Platform credits added. 2) Trial: current official terms are $300/90 days (not the 30/60-day figures seen in third-party summaries, including some of today's truncated page renders); a 30-day recovery grace period after expiry is now documented. 3) Trial restrictions are explicit and new-ish: GPUs/TPUs cannot be added on non-billable trial accounts; the $300 cannot pay Gemini API-in-AI-Studio or managed partner-model costs — so the 'GPU/ML-training' front on GCP trial means CPU (e2s) + free-tier e2-micro, with real GPU/TPU access requiring a paid account. 4) Docs domain moved: cloud.google.com/free/docs/* now 301-redirects to docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/*. 5) Method caveat: WebSearch was unavailable for this run (shared session search budget exhausted), so 2025–2026 change-detection relied on the live official pages themselves; items I could not re-verify (Colab free quotas, Google Skills credit prices, per-product trial renewal rules) are marked medium/low confidence rather than carried from memory. 6) No evidence found this session that the always-free e2-micro or the education faculty/research grants were sunset — all confirmed live on 2026-10-22." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Google Cloud Free Trial + always-free tier (Cloud SQL, BigQuery, Spanner)", "text": "Duration is wrong. The $300 Welcome credit is valid for 90 days from signup, not 60. Free-tier products do not draw down the credit. The trial billing account closes when the credit is spent or 90 days pass, whichever comes first.", "url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features" }, { "item": "Google for Startups (Cloud)", "text": "Term length is wrong. Scale-tier credits are paid over two years: Year 1 is 100% of spend up to $100,000 (up to $250,000 for AI-first startups), and Year 2 is a 20% credit on spend up to an extra $100,000. The Start tier's $2,000 is valid for one year.", "url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits" }, { "item": "$300 credit for 60 days (200+ products)", "text": "The $300 Free Trial credit is valid for 90 days, not 60. Google's free-tier page describes 20+ free products; '200+ products' is not stated.", "url": "https://cloud.google.com/signup-faqs" }, { "item": "Up to ~$200,000 in GCP credits ... typically on 12-month terms", "text": "The $200,000 Scale-tier credit runs over 2 years: up to $100,000 in year 1 plus 20% (up to an additional $100,000) in year 2. The 12-month term applies to the $2,000 Start tier. AI startups can reach $350,000.", "url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/early-stage" } ], "confidence": { "high": 51, "medium": 13, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Google Cloud Free Trial — $300 welcome credit (90 days)", "link": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "google colab free tier", "name": "Google Colab Free Tier", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html" ], "offers": [ "Free browser Jupyter notebooks with T4 GPU (16GB) and TPU access; sessions up to 12h; no fixed published quota" ], "notes": [ "Google deliberately publishes no fixed free GPU hours — limits are dynamic (users report ~15-30 T4 h/week). Idle runtimes terminate. As of 2026 the free tier is explicitly 'prioritized for interactive programming'; SSH/remote-desktop banned on free runtimes. Colab Pro ($9.99/mo, 100 compute units) and Pro+ ($49.99/mo, 600 units) add guaranteed/premium GPUs." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Colab Free Tier (Notebooks) — free CPU/GPU/TPU runtimes", "detail": "Browser-hosted Jupyter notebooks, free of charge, with CPU-only and free GPU + TPU runtime options. Free sessions run for at most 12 hours; idle VMs are deleted after inactivity. No fixed/published compute quota — Google states the specific GPU and TPU types available \"vary over time\" (community-reported free GPU is commonly an NVIDIA T4, 16 GB; official FAQ does not name a guaranteed model). No credit card required — sign in with a Google account. Free (no compute-unit balance) runtimes are shared/preemptible and prohibit: file hosting, torrent/P2P, remote shells & desktops, bypassing the notebook UI, remote proxies, crypto mining, DoS, password cracking, multi-account abuse, deepfakes, distributed-compute workers, and containerization to evade anti-abuse checks.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Google account. No .edu email required, no region restriction stated in the FAQ, and no credit card required.", "claim": "Go to colab.research.google.com, sign in with any Google account, open/create a notebook, then Runtime > Change runtime type > Hardware accelerator = GPU or TPU. No signup form or payment.", "expiry": "No subscription expiry. Each session is capped at ~12 hours; idle VMs are deleted. Notebooks/models persist only if saved to Google Drive (Drive free-tier 15 GB shared).", "gotchas": "Free GPU/TPU are shared and intermittently unavailable (no guaranteed quota; may be interrupted under high demand). T4 vs TPU specifics not officially fixed. Paid products (Colab Pro / Pro+ / Pay-As-You-Go, billed on a compute-unit balance; Pro+ up to 24 h continuous with enough units) are separate from free — do not conflate. Free runtimes carry the anti-abuse restrictions above.", "source_url": "https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Colab Pro for Education (students & faculty)", "detail": "Formerly a FREE 1-year Colab Pro subscription for students and faculty of US-based universities (more compute than the free tier). Per the official FAQ it is now CLOSED: \"no longer available for new signups at this time.\" Previously-verified education users keep access until their 1-year anniversary.", "eligibility": "Was: US-based university students/faculty (typically .edu verification). Now: new signups not accepted.", "claim": "No longer claimable for new users. Existing verified education users retain access until their 1-year subscription end.", "expiry": "Existing subscriptions expire at the 1-year mark; new signups are closed. Upgrading to a paid personal plan permanently unsubscribes the free education benefit.", "gotchas": "Sunset offer. Do not pay for a personal Colab Pro/Pro+ assuming it replaces the education benefit — doing so terminates the free edu subscription permanently.", "source_url": "https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No Colab-specific startup program or Colab trial credits (GCP credits do NOT apply)", "detail": "There is no Colab-specific startup program and no free Colab trial-credit offer. The adjacent offers are Google Cloud ones: a Startup Program (tiered credits, roughly $500 up to ~$100K) and a new-account Free Trial (historically ~$300 over ~90 days, credit card typically required). These credits apply to GCP services (GCE, Vertex AI, GKE, BigQuery, etc.), NOT to Colab's free tier or to Colab Pro/Pro+ subscriptions.", "eligibility": "Startup Program: for-profit company, founded within the last ~3 years, raised under ~$50M, in a supported region. Free Trial: new GCP account (CC historically required). Neither grants free Colab.", "claim": "Not claimable for Colab. To use the credits you run self-hosted GCP workloads (Vertex AI / GKE / GCE) instead of Colab.", "expiry": "Startup credits valid ~3 months from issuance; free trial ~90 days.", "gotchas": "Could not re-verify live GCP figures today (cloud.google.com/programs/startup returned 404; /free and /colab/pricing were truncated/JS-rendered) — treat the credit amounts and caps as approximate/low-confidence. Colab free tier itself needs no CC and no credits.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/programs/startup", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "Sunset / materially changed (2025–2026): (1) COLAB PRO FOR EDUCATION — the formerly free 1-year Colab Pro subscription for US university students/faculty is now CLOSED to new signups (official FAQ, read 2026-10-22); only pre-verified users keep access until their 1-year anniversary, and upgrading to a paid personal plan terminates it permanently. (2) NO COLAB-STARTUP OFFER — there is no Colab-specific startup program or free Colab trial-credit; the only \\\"credits\\\" are Google Cloud Startup Program / new-account Free Trial, which do NOT apply to Colab. Method note: web-search budget was exhausted this session, so 2025–2026 change-detection relied on the official FAQ fetched today plus best-effort GCP fetches; GCP credit amounts/eligibility could not be re-verified live (target pages 404'd or truncated), so treat those figures as approximate." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Colab Free Tier (Notebooks) — free CPU/GPU/TPU runtimes", "link": "https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "google gemini api", "name": "Google Gemini API", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free input + output tokens on eligible models (Gemini 3.8/3.6 Flash, 3.5 & 3.1 Flash-Lite, Gemini Embedding 2, Gemma 4) with per-project RPM/TPM/RPD limits; no billing account or card required" ], "notes": [ "Verified Oct 2026. Free tier covers Flash/Flash-Lite/embedding models; Gemini 3.1 Pro and image/video are paid-only. Paid tier now requires a $5 min prepay. Free-tier content may be used to improve Google products. Exact per-model limits shown in AI Studio, not published." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Gemini API Free Tier (Google AI Studio)", "detail": "Free input AND output tokens, no billing account or credit card required. New accounts start on the Free tier automatically; qualification = an active GCP project or free trial, no spend-based cap. Free-tier models (official pricing page, fetched 2026-10-22): Gemini 3.8 Flash, 3.6 Flash, 3 Flash Preview, Gemini 3.5 & 3.1 Flash-Lite (all service tiers), Live/audio models (3.8 Live, 3.5 Transcribe, 2.5 Flash Native Audio), TTS (3.8 Flash TTS, 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS, 2.5 TTS previews), Gemini Embedding 2 (Standard tier only), Gemma 4 (all capabilities incl. tuning), and Robotics ER 2 previews. Context caching free on 3.8/3.6 Flash and Gemma 4. Limits are per-project RPM/TPM/RPD (RPD resets midnight Pacific); the docs no longer publish static per-model numbers — exact quotas are shown live in the AI Studio dashboard for your project. Free tier is indefinite, no renewal mechanism.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Google account + an active Google Cloud project; no billing account, no card, no .edu, no startup status. Region: Gemini API availability is limited to Google's supported-countries list (list not re-verified today).", "claim": "1) Sign in at aistudio.google.com with a Google account; 2) select/create an active GCP project; 3) an API key is auto-provisioned and the Free tier applies automatically — nothing to enable. To upgrade later: link a billing account and prepay a minimum of $5 (new 2026 paid flow).", "expiry": "No expiry/renewal — free tier is permanent; per-model quotas are live in AI Studio. Note: free tier is 'limited access to certain models' — Pro/image/video models are NOT free-tier eligible.", "gotchas": "Free-tier prompts and responses ARE used by Google to improve products (only paid tiers, except invite-only Contributor, exclude your data from product use). Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Gemini 4 Argon, Omni Flash, 3 Pro Image, Nano Banana 2/2.1/Lite, 2.5 Pro, Veo 3.1, Lyria 3.x are NOT free-tier eligible. 2.5-generation models are access-restricted to prior active users; new projects are told to use 3.5 Flash-Lite or 3.8 Flash. Static per-model RPM/TPM/RPD figures were removed from the docs — verify quotas in AI Studio. Model lineup churns fast (see deprecations).", "source_url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing(free-tiermodellist,caching,deprecations);https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing(nobillingrequiredforFreetier,$5prepayforpaidtiers);https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits(limitsareper-project,viewinAIStudio)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Trial — $300 credit for new customers", "detail": "$300 USD of free GCP credit for new customers ('You won't be charged until you activate your full paid account') — usable for Vertex AI / Gemini model calls, AI app building, agents. Separately: 20+ products with always-free monthly limits (e.g. 1 e2-micro VM, 5 GB Cloud Storage, BigQuery monthly quota, 'AI APIs' free usage) that do not draw from the $300 and never expire ('the free usage limit does not expire, but is subject to change'). Also listed on the same page: GKE full-capability 90-day trial, Cloud SQL 30-day trial (8 vCPU Enterprise Plus instance, 64 GB RAM, 100 GB storage), and a 30-day free trial of Gemini Enterprise Plus (the agentic enterprise platform). Core terms read from the page today (high); exact card requirement and 90-day credit duration live in the sign-up flow (medium sub-parts, flagged in gotchas).", "eligibility": "New Google Cloud customers only (one trial per person; household/organizational duplicates are detected and denied). A payment method is required at sign-up (card/PayPal; standard verification hold) — unlike the Gemini API free tier this one DOES need a card. Trial duration for the $300 credit is not stated on the marketing page (historically ~90 days; verify in the sign-up flow).", "claim": "1) Go to cloud.google.com/free; 2) sign up for Google Cloud and add a payment method; 3) the $300 credit is granted automatically to the new billing account — no coupon. Use it on Vertex AI/Gemini workloads; the separate always-free tiers apply on top.", "expiry": "Credit expires at end of trial window if unused (duration stated in sign-up flow); always-free tiers: no expiry, subject to change. No auto-renewal — continuing requires activating a paid account.", "gotchas": "Card required (vs. zero-card Gemini API free tier). GCP Marketplace third-party SKUs excluded from credit. After trial end, if a payment method is on file and you continue using billable services, you will be charged — cancel or switch the account if you don't want that. The $300 credit covers GCP/Vertex AI charges; it is a different entitlement from the free Gemini API (ai.google.dev) tier.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free(creditamount,'notchargeduntilyouactivateyourfullpaidaccount',20+free-tierproducts,GKE/CloudSQL/GeminiEnterprisePlustrials—pagefetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (startups)", "detail": "Rebranded/expanded program: up to $200,000 USD in GCP credits (up to $350,000 for AI startups) over two years, plus credits for frontier models (Gemini, Gemma), 12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no extra cost, monthly Google Maps Platform credits, dedicated technical support, and accelerator residencies. Tier structure (official FAQ): 'Start ($2k)' tier = $2,000 credits, for startups founded in the past 2 years with a working MVP, a clear business model, and plans to seek venture funding. Funded tiers 'Scale' and 'Scale AI' = $200K–$350K credits, for startups with VERIFIABLE Pre-Seed to Series A funding. Credit mechanics (footnote on the page): AI startups get Year 1 100% coverage up to $250,000 + Year 2 20% coverage up to an additional $100,000; non-AI startups Year 1 100% up to $100,000 + Year 2 20% up to an additional $100,000. Targeted at 'new Google Cloud customers founding digital-native products'.", "eligibility": "For-profit startup, digital-native product, new Google Cloud customer. Excluded: companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies/agencies, cryptocurrency mining, direct competitors/resellers of GCP. Scale/Scale AI tiers: venture funding must be verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A; non-VC funding (private equity, bank loans, government grants, crowdfunding, friends & family) does NOT qualify for Scale — such startups 'may be evaluated for other program tiers' (i.e., typically the $2,000 Start tier). No hard dollar funding cap stated; stage cap is Series A. Stealth/unfunded founders must wait until product launch and need a working website. Company domain must not have had a paid Google Workspace plan within 31 days of applying. Acceptance at sole discretion of Google Cloud.", "claim": "1) Apply at cloud.google.com/startups ('Apply now' form: company info, funding stage, accelerator affiliations, use case); 2) acceptance/rejection email typically within 5–7 days (10+ if info missing); 3) credits provisioned to your GCP project on acceptance; the Workspace Business Plus and Maps credits are separate application items ('Separate application required').", "expiry": "Two-year program: Year 1 = 100% of eligible spend up to cap ($250K AI / $100K non-AI); Year 2 = 20% of additional spend up to +$100K. No renewal; alumni can re-apply after completion.", "gotchas": "Year-2 credits are 20% coverage, not 100% — the 'up to $350K' assumes heavy Year-2 eligible spend. Third-party (non-Google) models are billed directly and NOT covered by program credits. Bootstrapped/self-funded startups realistically get only the $2,000 Start tier without verifiable VC money. The '5–7 days' decision clock is typical, not guaranteed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups(tiers,creditamounts,Y1/Y2mechanics,exclusions,FAQ—pagefetched2026-10-22);programalsoadvertisedathttps://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Research Credits ('Academic Research Grants') — up to $5,000", "detail": "GCP research credits to advance academic work. Amount advertised: 'Apply for up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits' (researcher card on the Google Cloud for Education hub). Formal terms on the application page: 'Credit awards must be activated within 60 days of the project start date indicated in the application form. Credit awards expire 365 days from the coupon redemption date, or when the credit amount has been fully used, whichever comes first.' Credits 'do not have commercial value and may not be sold or bartered.' A GCP billing account is required to use the credits.", "eligibility": "Limited to faculty, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers at accredited higher-education institutions and eligible nonprofit research institutions in APPROVED COUNTRIES (region-limited). Institutional email account required; .edu is the typical but not only qualifying domain (nonprofit research institutions also qualify).", "claim": "1) Apply via the form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/research (institutional email, project details, grant ID, funding plan for after the 1-year credit expiry); 2) on approval, redeem the coupon in the Google Cloud console (billing account required); 3) activate within 60 days of project start.", "expiry": "Credits: 365 days from coupon redemption or full use, whichever first; must activate within 60 days of project start. No auto-renewal — reapply for new projects/years.", "gotchas": "Requires a GCP billing account (payment method on file), so it is NOT zero-card like the Gemini API free tier. Not for teaching — separate 'Teaching Credits' program. 'Approved countries' restriction may exclude some regions. Credits are research-only, not transferable/sellable.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/research/(eligibility+redemptionterms,fetched2026-10-22);https://cloud.google.com/edu('Applyforupto$5,000inGoogleCloudcredits')", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Teaching Credits (faculty)", "detail": "GCP credits for faculty to give students hands-on cloud experience: 'Apply for GCP credits for you and your students to give them real, hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform. It is the intent of the program that the credits are used by students to learn about how to use the cloud.' Application covers 1–3 courses per entry (different courses/time periods listed separately); form captures institution, department, course name, expected course start date, and a link to your school's faculty directory profile. Program is advertised alongside 'up to $5,000 in Google Cloud credits' on the Google Cloud for Education hub; the exact per-course credit amount is not printed on the application page (hence medium confidence).", "eligibility": "Faculty ONLY ('Eligibility is limited to faculty only. If you are a student, you can encourage your faculty members to apply for your next course.') Requires an academic institution (US states list on the form; international institutions via the academic-institution field).", "claim": "1) Faculty apply via the form at edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching (institution + 1–3 courses with start dates); 2) on approval, students use the GCP credits for course work; 3) review the program FAQ on the page for current amounts.", "expiry": "Per program terms (not printed on the fetched page; typically tied to the course term — confirm in the FAQ). No auto-renewal; reapply each course/year.", "gotchas": "Students cannot apply for themselves — the faculty member must apply. Credits are intended for learning use only. Amount is not stated on the application page, unlike the research program's 'up to $5,000'.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/programs/credits/teaching/(form+faculty-onlyrule,fetched2026-10-22);https://cloud.google.com/edu('ApplyforfreeGoogleCloudcredits','upto$5,000'programfigure)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Gemini for Education (free education AI license)", "detail": "Google's education-license front: 'Gemini for Education' — Gemini (premium Gemini 2.5 Pro with LearnLM 'world's leading model for learning' claims) delivered free of charge to educators, students, and staff: 'Your institution can get Gemini for Education at no cost by signing up for Google for Education Fundamentals, even if you use a different primary productivity suite,' and 'Gemini for Education is also included in all Google Workspace for Education editions free of charge.' Included in the free offering: default access to premium AI models 'with significantly higher limits than what consumers get at no cost,' limited-access Deep Research, custom Gems ('AI experts' per topic), Gemini Canvas, Gemini Live, Gemini Notebook (documents-to-podcasts), enterprise-grade data protection — 'Data is not human reviewed or used to train AI models' (Core Service under Workspace for Education terms).", "eligibility": "K-12 and higher-education institutions (school/university domain; 'Google for Education Fundamentals' sign-up, or any Google Workspace for Education edition). Not an individual-offering — the institution signs up and admins enable the Gemini app. No payment method required. The upsell 'Google AI Pro for Education' (expanded premium-model access + full Gemini across Workspace apps, Gmail/Meet/Docs) is a paid add-on, contact-sales pricing.", "claim": "1) Institution signs up for Google for Education Fundamentals (free, edu.google.com) even if another suite is primary, and admin enables ONLY the Gemini app; 2) or it is already bundled in a Workspace for Education license; 3) educators/students sign in with their school Google account to gemini.google.com / Gemini mobile app.", "expiry": "Not a credit — it persists as long as the (free) GFE Fundamentals membership or the institution's Workspace for Education license is active; annual license renewal applies to paid GWE editions. No separate renewal for the free app.", "gotchas": "Free tier is 'limited access' to Deep Research vs. the paid Google AI Pro for Education add-on (expanded limits + full in-Workspace Gemini). Consumer 'Gemini Free' at gemini.google.com is a separate, lower-limited product — the education version needs the institutional sign-up. Admin-managed: usage/rollout is controlled by school IT. LearnLM claims are Google marketing, not benchmarks.", "source_url": "https://edu.google.com/ai/gemini-for-education/(fetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "WebSearch was unavailable for this agent (shared session budget exhausted); all findings above were read directly from official Google pages fetched 2026-10-22 (cloud.google.com/startups, cloud.google.com/free, cloud.google.com/edu, ai.google.dev pricing/billing/rate-limits/deprecations, edu.google.com credits pages), so 'high' confidence means the page was read today. Programs materially changed in 2025–2026: (1) The startup program was restructured into tiered 'Start ($2k) / Scale / Scale AI' with the headline raised from the old 'up to $200K' framing to 'up to $200K (up to $350K for AI startups) over two years', and large credits now REQUIRE verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A VENTURE funding — bootstrapped/self-funded startups are effectively capped at the $2,000 Start tier unless re-evaluated; non-VC money (PE, bank loans, grants, crowdfunding, friends & family) no longer qualifies for Scale. Year-2 credits are only 20% coverage up to +$100K. (2) Gemini API free-tier model lineup churn: official deprecation page (last updated 2026-10-20) — Gemini 2.0 Flash & 2.0 Flash-Lite shut down Jun 1, 2026; 3.1 Flash-Lite Preview May 25, 2026; 3 Pro Preview Mar 9, 2026; 2.5 Pro previews Dec 2, 2025; Imagen 4 Aug 17, 2026; Veo 3.1 & Omni Flash Preview shut down Oct 22, 2026 (today); 2.5 Flash Image stable Mar 15, 2027; 3.1 Flash-Lite stable May 7, 2027; text-embedding-004 Jan 14, 2026 (→ Gemini Embedding 2). 2.5-generation models are access-restricted to prior active users with no announced shutdown. (3) Docs no longer publish static free-tier RPM/TPM/RPD — quotas are per-project and shown live in the AI Studio dashboard only. (4) Paid-tier billing flow changed 2026: minimum $5 prepay to enter paid tiers; 'Postpay temporarily until Prepay system propagates, starting March 23, 2026'; upcoming paid price doublings Dec 1, 2026 (Gemini 4 Argon) and Jan 1, 2027 (3.8/3.6 Flash, TTS, robotics) — relevant when free-tier users upgrade. (5) GCP free trial marketing now leads with AI ($300 credit usable for Gemini/Vertex; new 30-day Gemini Enterprise Plus trial, GKE 90-day trial, Cloud SQL 30-day trial); the trial's exact day-count for the $300 credit is not printed on the public page." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Google Gemini API (AI Studio) Free Tier", "text": "Partly stale. Google's pricing page now describes the free tier as limited access to certain models, with free input and output tokens. Free-tier RPM and RPD figures are no longer published; limits are shown in AI Studio. The Sept 2026 changelog limits 2.5-series access to users who used those models before and tells new projects to use 3.5 Flash-Lite or 3.8 Flash. Gemini 4 Argon is not on the free tier.", "url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing" }, { "item": "Gemini API Free Tier (Google AI Studio)", "text": "Same change as the AI Studio entry. Free-tier limits are not published in Google's docs and 2.5-series access is restricted to returning users (changelog, Sept 2026).", "url": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/changelog" } ], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Gemini API Free Tier (Google AI Studio)", "link": "https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing(free-tiermodellist,caching,deprecations);https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing(nobillingrequiredforFreetier,$5prepayforpaidtiers);https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits(limitsareper-project,viewinAIStudio)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "google maps", "name": "Google Maps Platform", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/faq" ], "offers": [ "Per-SKU monthly free usage caps: 10K calls (Essentials), 5K (Pro), 1K (Enterprise) per SKU/month; Maps Demo Key needs no credit card (daily caps); $300 / 90-day Google Cloud trial also applies" ], "notes": [ "Major 2025 change: the old $200 monthly credit was REPLACED on 2025-03-01 by the Essentials/Pro/Enterprise free-usage model (verified 2026-10). Places/Directions/Distance Matrix APIs moved to Legacy status in Mar 2025. Paid subscription plans: Starter $100/mo, Essentials $275/mo, Pro $1,200/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Google Maps Platform free usage tier (per-SKU monthly caps)", "detail": "Since 2025-03-01 Google replaced the old flat $200/month GMP credit with free monthly billable-event caps per Core Service SKU, tiered by pricing category: Essentials 10,000 / Pro 5,000 / Enterprise 1,000 free calls per SKU per month. Exception: 2D Map Tiles API and Map Tiles API Street View Tiles get 100,000 free events per SKU/month. Google's Dec 2024 blog claims up to ~$3,250/month of combined free usage across products; Maps Embed API and parts of Maps SDKs remain unlimited-free. Automatic volume discounts now scale to 5M+ monthly events (20% to up to 80% off); negotiated contracts migrate on renewal from 2025-09-01. Legacy SKUs (Places legacy, Directions, Distance Matrix) keep a separate legacy free allocation; no decommission date yet, Google commits to 12+ months notice.", "eligibility": "All GMP accounts (individuals, students, startups, enterprises); no .edu or startup status required; no funding cap; no region limit on the caps themselves, but EEA (billing address) customers are on separate EEA terms with some different features, and India-eligible accounts follow a separate price schedule. A standard billing-enabled key requires a payment method.", "claim": "Create a Google Cloud project, enable the Maps/Routes/Places/Environment APIs, link a Cloud billing account (credit card), create a standard API key. Free caps apply automatically each month to usage below them; no application needed. Check your numbers in the Maps API Library console / billing reports.", "expiry": "Recurring and indefinite: caps renew every calendar month with no end date. Legacy services remain 'Legacy' status with at-least-12-months' notice before decommission (no date set as of the Oct 2026 page update).", "gotchas": "Caps are per-SKU, not per product: a product exposing many SKUs (e.g., Places) can exhaust caps quickly even at modest call volumes; overflow is billed at per-SKU price. Trial credit vs free tier: the $300 trial is one-time/90-day while these caps are perpetual — do not conflate. Multiple GMP-related Cloud billing accounts violate GMP ToS. EEA customers get different terms/features since 2025-07-08. Free tiers do NOT cover subscriptions: Starter/Essentials/Pro subscription plans ($100/$275/$1,200 per month for 50K/100K/250K combined calls) are paid products.", "source_url": "https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/faq(readtoday);https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/march-2025;https://mapsplatform.google.com/resources/blog/build-more-for-free-and-access-more-discounts-online-with-google-maps-platform-updates/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Maps Demo Key (no credit card, daily-capped sandbox)", "detail": "Always-free sandbox API key for prototyping: no billing account and no credit card required. Daily usage limit per API (exact numbers are not published in the docs; Google states limits are 'subject to change' and may be adjusted or zeroed at any time; the AI Studio-hosted variant lists ~100 calls/day). Hitting the limit pauses the map for the day with zero charge; usage resets next day. Supported (limited): Maps JavaScript API (with Maps Grounding Lite, Places UI Kit, drawing/styling), Places API (new), Geocoding API v4, Compute Routes, Weather API, Maps SDK for Android/iOS in demo form; user-generated content (photos, reviews) is NOT available; Route Optimization, Solar, and Nav Connect APIs are excluded entirely.", "eligibility": "Any Google account (free). One Maps Demo Project per Google account at a time. Intended for evaluation/prototyping only — production use is strictly prohibited by the demo-project terms. No student/age/region eligibility; no .edu or credit card.", "claim": "Sign in with a Google account on mapsplatform.google.com/maps-demo-key (or via Google AI Studio, which provisions a demo key in-flow), click 'Get a Demo Key', accept the Maps Demo Project Terms of Service; the key is displayed immediately and emailed. Upgrade: add a Cloud billing account to the demo key, or create a new billing-enabled API key.", "expiry": "No end date published; no SLA, no support; Google may suspend/terminate access at any time without notice and can change or zero the daily limits at any time. Demo key can be kept alongside a paid account indefinitely.", "gotchas": "Daily caps, not monthly — different from the per-SKU monthly free tier. Not for production. On upgrade, a standard key requires a credit card and you then inherit the per-SKU free caps plus (for new Cloud customers) the one-time $300 GCP trial. Limits are undisclosed numerically, so budget against unknowns; if a demo project stops mid-project, the only remedy is upgrading.", "source_url": "https://developers.google.com/maps/demo-key(readtoday);https://mapsplatform.google.com/maps-demo-key/(readtoday);https://cloud.google.com/terms/maps-platform/demo-project-terms;https://developers.google.com/maps/ai/ai-studio", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud $300 / 90-day free trial (covers GMP usage)", "detail": "One-time $300 of no-charge usage on your first Cloud Billing account, valid for 90 days or until $300 is consumed, whichever comes first. If your first Cloud billing account has GMP APIs/SDKs enabled, BOTH the $300 trial and the GMP per-SKU free usage caps apply: charges are first absorbed by the free usage cap per SKU; overflow is drawn against the $300. The free usage caps keep applying after the trial ends.", "eligibility": "New Google Cloud customers (first billing account). Students are eligible with a personal Google account — no .edu required. A payment method (credit card) IS required to activate the trial; no charge is made while usage stays within the trial + free tiers.", "claim": "Create your first GCP billing account via cloud.google.com/free, attach a payment method, select the trial; enable GMP APIs on that account. Before the trial ends, upgrade the billing account to paid to avoid disruption of GMP usage.", "expiry": "Trial ends at the earlier of 90 days or $300 exhausted. Not renewable, one per new Cloud customer; the perpetual per-SKU free caps survive independently of the trial.", "gotchas": "Credit card required (unlike the Demo Key). After the trial you must upgrade to a paid account or GMP service is at risk of disruption. GMP docs state that creating multiple GMP-related Cloud billing accounts violates GMP ToS — you cannot re-claim the trial via extra accounts. Trial credit is a one-time bridge; long-term free usage comes only from the per-SKU caps and the Demo Key.", "source_url": "https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/billing-overview(readtoday);https://developers.google.com/maps/get-started;https://mapsplatform.google.com/maps-demo-key/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google for Startups Cloud Program (GCP credits + $600/month Google Maps Platform usage credits, Scale tier)", "detail": "GCP's startup program has two tiers (2025-2026 structure). Start tier: up to $2,000 GCP credits valid 1 year + $200 Google Skills training credit + free Google Workspace Business Plus 12 months. Scale tier: up to $200,000 GCP credits over 2 years ($350,000 for AI-first startups: Year 1 100% up to $250K vs $100K for non-AI; Year 2 20% up to an additional $100K) + $500 Google Skills credit + Workspace Business Plus 12 months + up to $12,000 Enhanced Support credits (1-year) + the Maps-specific benefit: $600 per month in Google Maps Platform usage credits (separate application required). GCP program credits can cover GMP usage on the shared GCP billing account (GMP is a GCP product); the dedicated $600/month GMP credit is a separate entitlement.", "eligibility": "For-profit technology startups. Scale tier: Pre-Seed/Seed raised within the last 5 years AND Series A raised within the last 12 months; founded within 5 years; stealth accepted with funding verification; not yet received more than $5,000 in GCP credits. Start tier: founded within 24 months, planning to seek VC funding, no GCP credits received beyond the free trial. EXCLUDED: educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs/content, dev shops, consultancies, agencies, crypto mining, IPO'd/acquired companies. Application must use a business email matching the company's public domain.", "claim": "Apply at cloud.google.com/startup: provide an active 18-character GCP Billing Account ID in good standing (wait ~48 hours after creating it), public proof of funding (online links), business email + domain. Approval typically within a few business days. Then submit the SEPARATE application for the $600/month GMP usage credits (offered in the Scale-tier welcome materials). Web3 and AI variants (cloud.google.com/startup/web3, /startup/ai) have the same tiered structure.", "expiry": "GCP credits last 1 year (Start) or are structured over 2 years (Scale: Year-1 100%, Year-2 20%). The $600/month GMP credit is ongoing monthly for the program duration (no published end date; tied to program membership). One-time program — previous participants cannot re-apply except via case-by-case review through cloudstartupsupport@google.com.", "gotchas": "Funding-window caps matter (Series A older than 12 months disqualifies Scale; PE/crowdfunding/grant-only funding doesn't qualify Scale). Credits do NOT cover third-party Marketplace services or third-party model inference. Acceptance is at Google's sole discretion; meeting criteria does not guarantee approval. Educational institutions are explicitly ineligible — students/edu email addresses are NOT a path into this program. The $600/month GMP benefit is NOT automatic with tier acceptance; it requires a separate application.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/benefits(pageconfirmedviatoday'ssearchsnippet;JS-rendered,directfetchtruncated);https://cloud.google.com/startup;https://cloud.google.com/startup/faq;https://startup.google.com/cloud/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) SUNKEN: The legacy flat $200/month GMP credit ended 2025-03-01, replaced by per-SKU free usage caps (10K/5K/1K Essentials/Pro/Enterprise; 100K for 2D Map Tiles and Street View tiles; auto volume discounts up to 5M+ events). Any page still citing '$200/month' (including some third-party tutorials) is stale. 2) CHANGED 2025: GCP for Startups was restructured into Start/Scale tiers; the live benefits page now requires founding within 5 years (older program docs said 10), with the $600/month GMP usage credit offered to Scale tier only and requiring a separate application; AI-first startups capped at $350K. 3) EDUCATION: No Maps Platform education license or student-specific program found as of 2026-10-22 — Google publishes no .edu-gated GMP offer; educational institutions are explicitly EXCLUDED from the Google for Startups Cloud Program (and no GMP-education credit program was listed on cloud.google.com/edu, which did not render fully, so this is stated as absence-of-evidence rather than a verified program). Students' practical free paths are the general per-SKU caps, the no-CC Demo Key, and the $300 GCP trial (all open, no .edu). 4) REGIONAL: Since 2025-07-08, EEA-billed customers are on separate EEA GMP Terms of Service (post-German Bundeskartellamt proceeding) with different features and, per GMP docs, possibly different terms for features like Places UI Kit. 5) LEGACY: Places (legacy), Directions, and Distance Matrix APIs remain in 'Legacy' status with no announced decommission date; Google commits to 12+ months' notice — users must migrate to new SKUs to keep expanded volume discounts. 6) VERIFICATION CAVEAT: cloud.google.com pages (startup benefits, free trial) are JS-rendered and truncated for automated fetches; the $600/month GMP credit and trial figures were verified via full-text search snippets of the official pages today, not a complete page read, hence 'medium' confidence on the startup finding." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Google Maps Platform free usage tier (per-SKU monthly caps)", "link": "https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/faq(readtoday);https://developers.google.com/maps/billing-and-pricing/march-2025;https://mapsplatform.google.com/resources/blog/build-more-for-free-and-access-more-discounts-online-with-google-maps-platform-updates/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "google tpu research", "name": "Google TPU Research Cloud", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "TRC free Cloud TPU quota for accepted researchers", "detail": "Accepted researchers get no-cost Cloud TPU quota in their own Google Cloud project, usable within minutes of accepting an invitation. The About page describes access to more than 1,000 Cloud TPU devices (also described as thousands of Cloud TPU chips). Per-participant TPU type, device count, and access length are not stated; access is granted on a temporary basis. No dollar credits or cash amounts are offered. Supported frameworks: TensorFlow, PyTorch, Julia, JAX. Only TPU use is free; other Google Cloud services are billed (see gotchas).", "eligibility": "Researchers accepted into the TRC program. Anyone may express interest, but invitations go only to approved applicants, and the approval criteria are not published. The official pages name no student-only, startup-only, or country restriction, and they do not name students or startups as a target group. Students are not excluded by the text, but no student track exists. Startups are not mentioned at all, so a startup has no stated path in.", "claim": "1) Submit the TRC interest form, reached from the Express interest button on https://sites.research.google/trc/about/ (direct link https://forms.gle/uwWjUewyxZ5okL3W7). 2) Wait for an invitation. Invitations are sent on a rolling basis to approved applicants; no review timeline is published. 3) Accept the invitation and agree to Google's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. 4) The Cloud TPU quota appears in your Google Cloud project. The quota is not compatible with CMLE, CAIP, or Vertex-based workflows; the FAQ recommends GCE tutorials instead.", "expiry": "No end date or renewal terms are published. Access is only described as 'on a temporary basis'. The pages carry no dates.", "gotchas": "(1) Approval is discretionary and undisclosed; expressing interest does not guarantee an invitation. (2) Required in return: share TRC-supported research publicly (peer-reviewed papers, open-source code, blog posts, or similar), give Google detailed feedback, and keep research consistent with Google AI Principles. A suggested acknowledgment line is 'Research supported with Cloud TPUs from Google's TPU Research Cloud (TRC)'. (3) Non-TPU GCP services are not free: the FAQ names small VMs (n1-standard-2) and Cloud Storage buckets for training data, described as 'generally minimal'. Networking and egress are not addressed. Billing questions go to trc-support@google.com. (4) Access is temporary with no stated length, so do not plan on it as permanent compute.", "source_url": "https://sites.research.google/trc/about/andhttps://sites.research.google/trc/faq/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No closure or 2025-2026 change was found, but the About and FAQ pages are undated and say nothing about 2025 or 2026, so the program's current status is unconfirmed. WebSearch was unavailable (session search budget exhausted), so no third-party or news check of 2025-2026 status was possible. The 2026 TPU Research and Education Awards (unrestricted gift up to $100K plus TPU access, June 30, 2026 deadline) could not be verified: neither official page mentions it, and https://sites.research.google/trc/awards/ returned HTTP 404 (a guessed URL). It is not listed as a finding. Its deadline is before today (2026-10-22), so it cannot be claimed in any case. The TRC homepage (https://sites.research.google/trc/) returned only its title on fetch, so its content was not checked. The About page also says Cloud TPUs can be used free in Google Colab with no setup, framed for researchers and students; Colab's limits and terms were not verified, and it sits outside TRC, so it is not a finding here. Verdict: the TRC offer is genuine for accepted researchers, but it is not a student or startup offer as such, because no student or startup track is published." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "TRC free Cloud TPU quota for accepted researchers", "link": "https://sites.research.google/trc/about/andhttps://sites.research.google/trc/faq/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "gpustack", "name": "GPUStack", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://gpustack.co" ], "offers": [ "Free, open-source (MIT) self-hosted AI runtime — one-line install that bundles Ollama-style serving, CUDA/Metal/ROCm support, and a local web UI for free" ], "notes": [ "2026 note: repositioned itself as a 'local AI runtime' (formerly GPU cluster manager). No cloud free tier; value is running your own GPU fleet at $0 marginal cost." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free open-source self-hosted runtime (the only real free offer; available to students and startups alike)", "detail": "GPUStack core is free, open-source, Apache 2.0 licensed (NOT MIT as the task's 'known so far' said — both gpustack.ai and the GitHub repo state Apache 2.0 today). One-line Docker install (server: sudo docker run -d --name gpustack -p 80:80 --volume gpustack-data:/var/lib/gpustack gpustack/gpustack; worker: separate privileged Docker command with --server-url and a generated --token). Includes Ollama-style local web UI + OpenAI/Anthropic-compatible API, model deployment, and supports heterogeneous accelerators (NVIDIA; AMD/ROCm, Ascend, Hygon, MetaX, Moore Threads, Cambricon, Iluvatar, T-Head PPU per the site). Free forever, no expiry. No hosted free tier, no trial credits, no student/education offer, no startup program exists on the official site (verified /, /enterprise, /blog, GitHub, docs quickstart on 2026-10-22; /cloud/ and /pricing/ are 404). Sources read today: https://gpustack.ai, https://gpustack.ai/enterprise, https://gpustack.ai/blog/, https://gpustack.ai/blog/introducing-gpustack/, https://github.com/gpustack/gpustack, https://docs.gpustack.ai/latest/quickstart/", "eligibility": "Anyone — students, startups, enterprises, individuals. No .edu email, no account, no company age or funding-cap requirements, no region limits. Credit card NOT required; no commercial license, no login/account to set up (local 'admin' user with a system-generated password).", "claim": "Nothing to claim or sign up for: clone/download the open-source code (https://github.com/gpustack/gpustack) and run the Docker one-liners from https://docs.gpustack.ai/latest/quickstart/. Worker nodes need Linux + at least one GPU (docs quickstart covers NVIDIA; site advertises AMD/ROCm and Chinese accelerators too; macOS/Windows can host the server via Docker Desktop, workers are Linux-only; Windows via WSL2).", "expiry": "Indefinite — Apache 2.0 license is perpetual; no sunsetting date for the open-source product.", "gotchas": "The 'free compute' is BYO-hardware: you pay for your own GPU, electricity, and (for model pulls from hub sources) data egress; there is no GPUStack-hosted free GPU pool. Workers are Linux-only — no macOS worker nodes. RBAC, SSO (OIDC/SAML/LDAP), token quotas, metering & billing, white-label, HA and multi-tenancy are Enterprise features sold via 'Talk to Sales'/'Book a Demo' (https://gpustack.ai/book-demo) with no published pricing — do not assume free. The June 2026 'Introducing GPUStack' blog repositions the product as an 'enterprise AI infrastructure platform' with 'MaaS and GPUaaS under one control plane' (https://gpustack.ai/blog/introducing-gpustack/), so a commercial hosted GPUaaS is signaled, but no public self-serve page, pricing, or free tier for it was found (gpustack.ai/cloud and gpustack.ai/pricing return 404). WebSearch was unavailable this session (session budget exhausted), so third-party sources (funding news, off-site discount resellers) could not be checked.", "source_url": "https://gpustack.ai", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GPUStack Enterprise (paid, sales-led — NOT a free offer; listed so it is not confused with a free tier)", "detail": "Enterprise adds high availability, multi-tenancy, RBAC/SSO, token quotas, rate limits, audit logs, metering & billing, white-label. No dollar figures, no tiers, no trial credits, no self-serve purchase anywhere on gpustack.ai; the only CTA is 'Talk to Sales' → /book-demo. A free trial or evaluation sandbox may be negotiated via sales but is not publicly published. Sources: https://gpustack.ai/enterprise, https://gpustack.ai/book-demo", "eligibility": "Enterprise/sales channel; no public self-serve. No student or startup eligibility criteria published.", "claim": "Book a demo at https://gpustack.ai/book-demo/ to request evaluation or pricing; nothing claimable online.", "expiry": "n/a (no published free component)", "gotchas": "Verify what is actually free vs. Enterprise-locked before self-hosting in production; the metering/billing and white-label features are on the paid side of the line.", "source_url": "https://gpustack.ai/enterprise", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student, education, or startup program existed to sunset, and no trial-credit program was closed, in 2025-2026 — GPUStack has run exclusively as (a) a free Apache-2.0 self-hosted runtime and (b) a sales-led Enterprise product, with no published pricing pages (/pricing/ and /cloud/ are 404 as of 2026-10-22). Material 2025-2026 changes to note: (1) the task's 'known so far' claim of an MIT license is wrong — both the official site and the GitHub repo say Apache 2.0 today; (2) November 2025 'v2' and March 2026 'v2.1' releases added faster inference, Alibaba T-Head PPU support, a model gateway with routing, and a community backend marketplace (per https://gpustack.ai/blog/ listing; individual release details not fetched, so medium confidence on the specifics); (3) in June 2026 GPUStack repositioned as an 'enterprise AI infrastructure platform' marketing 'MaaS and GPUaaS under one control plane' (https://gpustack.ai/blog/introducing-gpustack/) — a hosted GPUaaS is signaled but had no public self-serve page, pricing, or free tier as of 2026-10-22. The original https://gpustack.co domain does not resolve; gpustack.ai is the live official domain. Caveat: the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so all 'no program exists' conclusions rest on official-page fetches done today only; an off-site program (e.g., a partner marketplace discount) could not be ruled out via search." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free open-source self-hosted runtime (the only real free offer; available to students and startups alike)", "link": "https://gpustack.ai", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "grafana labs", "name": "Grafana Labs", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://grafana.com/products/cloud/free-tier/" ], "offers": [ "10K active metric series + 50 GB logs + 50 GB traces/month, 14-day retention, 100K k6 executions; free forever, no credit card" ], "notes": [ "Most generous managed-observability free tier; community support only. Managed LGTM stack (metrics, Loki logs, Tempo traces)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Grafana Cloud Free tier (free forever, no credit card)", "detail": "Official Grafana Cloud Free plan, read today (2026-10-22) on grafana.com/pricing and grafana.com/products/cloud/free-tier. Exact limits: 10k active metric series/month; 50 GB logs/month; 50 GB traces/month; 50 GB profiles/month; k6 limited to 500 virtual user hours/month; Synthetics (uptime) limited to 100k API test executions + 10k browser test executions/month; Frontend Observability 50k sessions/month; Grafana Assistant 3 active AI users (40M tokens/user/month) plus 25M tokens/month for service-account usage; Grafana Visualization 3 active users; IRM 3 active users; 14-day retention for metrics, logs, traces, profiles & k6 tests; community support. 'Free forever', 'No charges ever', 'No credit card required' — stated on each service block. Note: the commonly cited '100K k6 executions' is outdated; k6 is now capped in virtual user hours, while the 100k figure applies to Synthetics executions.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu email, no student status, no startup status, and no credit card required. Free tier page markets it as 'perfect for personal projects, exploring new ideas, and early-stage startups'. No region restriction mentioned; stacks can be created in Grafana's public-cloud regions. Total user count is capped at 3 active users on the free tier.", "claim": "Sign up free at grafana.com (Create free account → grafana.com/auth/sign-up/create-user/?cta=free). Create an organization and a stack in your chosen region; all services above are available within the stated limits at $0. No credit card or payment method is asked. Upgrade to Pro (from $19/month + usage, 13-month metric retention / 30-day log-trace retention) or Enterprise (from $25,000/year spend commit) anytime if you outgrow the limits.", "expiry": "No expiry or sunset stated; marketed as 'Free forever'. Limits shown are current as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "1) Total seat cap of 3 active users — a team larger than 3 cannot all use the free tier. 2) As of April 20, 2026, Grafana disabled alerting and reporting for NEWLY created free/trial stacks (email alerts/reports restricted to users inside your own instance; Cloud Alertmanager access disabled) as an anti-abuse measure — existing free accounts keep full functionality (third-party mirror of the Grafana status incident; medium confidence). 3) As of Jan 1, 2026, Grafana Assistant became billed on active users; free plan includes 3 AI users with a 40M tokens/user/month message cap, and paid plans charge $20 per additional active user beyond 3. 4) Free tier data is 14-day retention only; exceeding volume limits means downsampled/dropped data or upgrade — no egress-charge surprise, but no billing above limits on free (hard caps, not overage billing). 5) 'Adaptive Telemetry' and AI features included on free are allotment-limited, not unlimited.", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/pricing/(limitstableread2026-10-22;corroboratedbyhttps://grafana.com/products/cloud/free-tier/andhttps://grafana.com/auth/sign-up/create-user/?cta=free&pg=graf&plcmt=pricing-card)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Grafana Labs Startup Program (up to $100,000 in Grafana Cloud credits)", "detail": "Announced at ObservabilityCON on 2024-09-25; program page still live as of 2026-10-22 (© 2026 footer, ObservabilityCON 2026 banner; terms mirror the original launch). Awards up to $100,000 in Grafana Cloud credits, valid for 12 months or until the startup's next funding round (whichever comes first). Credits apply to ANY Grafana Cloud service: managed metrics/logs/traces backends, k6 performance testing, profiling, incident response & management, frontend/application observability, and synthetic monitoring. Additional perks for accepted startups: all Enterprise data source plugins, 24x7 Grafana support, guaranteed 20% discount off list price after credits or the 12-month window end (plus further consumption-based discounts), and access to Grafana's integrations team.", "eligibility": "Open to all new customers — explicitly including existing Grafana Cloud Free-account holders and Grafana OSS users migrating to managed cloud; students with a startup can apply too. Ideal profile: raised less than $10 million and under 25 employees, but the page says 'apply even if you do not meet these guidelines'. No stated company-age cap, no .edu requirement, no region limit. Admission is at Grafana Labs' sole discretion (not first-come-first-served). Accepted startups must agree to be a reference customer and may be asked to participate in marketing (guest blogs, event speaking). No credit card required to apply.", "claim": "Fill out the 4-question application form: https://grafana-labs.typeform.com/to/cSI7ohks (linked from the official blog post). Wait for Grafana Labs' discretionary decision; if accepted you receive the credit allocation plus the perks listed above.", "expiry": "No published sunset date as of 2026-10-22. Each award lasts 12 months or until the company's next funding round; the guaranteed 20% discount continues after credits end. No 2025-2026 amendments to the program structure are stated on the page.", "gotchas": "1) Discretionary selection — 'apply' does not mean 'get in'; no SLA on decisions. 2) Obliges reference-customer and marketing commitments. 3) Credits offset usage-based billing; they are not free hosting — if usage exceeds the credit value you must pay (at the 20% discount). 4) Program is startup-company-oriented, so a solo student project with no company may be a weak application. 5) The $100k figure is 'up to' — actual credit amounts vary per acceptance.", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/blog/grafana-labs-startup-program/(read2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education license — no dedicated Grafana education offer exists", "detail": "No Grafana student program, .edu-only license, or university discount program was found as of 2026-10-22: grafana.com/education/ and grafana.com/academy/ both return HTTP 404; the official free-tier and pricing pages contain no education/student section; the free tier's stated audience is 'personal projects, exploring new ideas, and early-stage startups' — students simply use the same no-credit-card free tier as everyone else. (Grafana's free learning content exists under its learning hub/docs, but it grants no cloud credits or .edu-verified accounts.)", "eligibility": "N/A as a standalone program. The de facto student path is the general free tier: no .edu email required, no credit card, up to 3 users, 14-day retention.", "claim": "Students should just create a free Grafana Cloud account at grafana.com (no verification email or .edu address gate) and use it within free-tier limits; for a student-founded company, also consider the Startup Program application.", "expiry": "Absence-of-program determination as of 2026-10-22; web search was unavailable (session search budget exhausted) so this is based on the official pages fetched today plus 404 probes, not an exhaustive web sweep.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse Grafana Academy/courses (free learning content, if they reappear under another URL) with a cloud-credit student offer. If a student program launches later, it would appear on grafana.com.", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/products/cloud/free-tier/(noeducationmention,read2026-10-22)+404probesofhttps://grafana.com/education/andhttps://grafana.com/academy/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial / trial-credit offers — no separate trial-credit program found; a 'Trial' tier exists alongside Free", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 the official pricing page lists no paid-plan trial-credit program for students or startups, and the sign-up page pushes 'The (actually useful) free forever plan' (create free account) rather than a time-boxed trial. The April 2026 status incident separately references a Grafana 'Trial' tier/stack category next to 'Free' (both affected by the new-stack alerting restriction), indicating a trial offering of some kind exists in the product, but Grafana's public pages reviewed today do not document trial-credit amounts, durations, or eligibility. The Startup Program (finding 2) is the only structured 'credit' offer.", "eligibility": "Unknown/not documented publicly; no .edu or startup gating documented for any trial credits.", "claim": "No documented claim path; students/startups should rely on the free tier plus the Startup Program application. Worth re-checking grafana.com/pricing when search is available.", "expiry": "N/A — based on absence of documentation as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Absence of a documented trial-credit program is a snapshot observation; Grafana's 'Send more, charge more is broken. We are changing it.' pricing banner on the pricing page signals an in-flight pricing overhaul, so tier structure (including any trial) may change in 2026.", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/pricing/(notrial-creditmention,read2026-10-22);trial-tierexistencecorroboratedbytheApril2026statusincidentsummary(https://isdown.app/status/grafana/incidents/573697-restrictions-on-alerts-reports-for-grafana-cloud-free-users)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Grafana Cloud Free tier (free forever, no credit card)", "link": "https://grafana.com/pricing/(limitstableread2026-10-22;corroboratedbyhttps://grafana.com/products/cloud/free-tier/andhttps://grafana.com/auth/sign-up/create-user/?cta=free&pg=graf&plcmt=pricing-card)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "groqcloud free plan", "name": "GroqCloud Free Plan", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits" ], "offers": [ "No-card free plan: gpt-oss-120b & qwen-3.8-27b at 30 RPM / 1,000 RPD / 8K TPM / 200K TPD; smaller models like llama-3.1-8b reach ~14,400 RPD" ], "notes": [ "Limits are per organization. Free model list rotates (dropped/added models in 2026). Developer-tier upgrades were paused in 2026 due to demand. Confirm the current model list in the console." ], "findings": [ { "name": "GroqCloud Free Plan (ongoing free tier)", "detail": "Genuinely free, rate-limited inference on open models (gpt-oss-120b/20b, qwen3.8-27b, Whisper, TTS, safety classifiers), no subscription. Per-model limits from the official table as of 2026-10-22: openai/gpt-oss-120b and openai/gpt-oss-20b: 30 RPM / 1,000 RPD / 8,000 TPM / 200,000 TPD; openai/gpt-oss-safeguard-20b: 3 RPM / 1,000 RPD / 2,000 TPM / 200K TPD; qwen/qwen3.8-27b: 30 RPM / 1,000 RPD / 8K TPM / 200K TPD; whisper-large-v3 and whisper-large-v3-turbo: 20 RPM / 2,000 RPD / 7.2K audio-sec/hr / 28.8K audio-sec/day; meta-llama/llama-prompt-guard-2-22m and -86m: 30 RPM / 14,400 RPD / 15K TPM / 500K TPD; canopylabs/orpheus-v1-english and -arabic-saudi (TTS): 10 RPM / 100 RPD / 1.2K TPM / 3.6K TPD. Limits apply at the organization level (all keys in an org share one pool); cached tokens do not count; exceeding any limit returns HTTP 429 with a retry-after header and x-ratelimit-remaining-* headers. Docs call the table a high-level summary — the org's exact limits live on the Limits page in console settings.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (students and startups alike) with a GroqCloud account; email or GitHub sign-in; one free account per person. No .edu email, no funding/age cap, no referral, no approval step. No region limit is documented. A credit card is NOT required for the free plan — the official community help center states free signup gives immediate free-tier access 'without requiring a credit card', and the Billing FAQ only requires a payment method (credit card, US bank account, or SEPA debit) when UPGRADING to the Developer tier.", "claim": "1) Sign up at console.groq.com (email or GitHub) — you start on the $0 Free plan automatically, no card. 2) Open the API Keys page (console.groq.com/keys), create a key, store it as GROQ_API_KEY. 3) Call the OpenAI-compatible endpoint https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions with a model ID such as openai/gpt-oss-120b or qwen/qwen3.8-27b. Higher limits require upgrading to the Developer plan (paid, pay-per-token, progressive billing thresholds at $1/$10/$100/$500/$1,000 cumulative; can downgrade to Free at any time after settling the final invoice).", "expiry": "No expiry: the free plan is ongoing and refills daily within its per-model limits. No renewal needed. Note the catalog changes frequently (models are deprecated on a rolling basis — see sunset_notes), so 'free tier' content drifts even while the plan itself is permanent.", "gotchas": "(1) Llama chat models (llama-3.1-8b-instant, formerly ~14,400 RPD; llama-3.3-70b-versatile) are NOT on the free tier as of Aug 16, 2026 — they are enterprise-only; the 14,400-RPD figure now belongs to the llama-prompt-guard safety classifiers, not general chat. (2) The 8,000 TPM cap binds long before 1,000 RPD for long prompts — one ~6K-token request consumes a whole minute's quota. (3) TPD on gpt-oss models is 200K = ~200 tokens/request average across 1,000 requests. (4) Limits are org-wide: one busy script burns the quota for all teammates/keys. (5) Upgrading to Developer requires adding a card/bank/SEPA payment method; if you only need free usage, do not upgrade or a small bill can appear. (6) A promo-code redemption page exists (Settings > Billing > Promo) where free credits can be redeemed, but there is no standing public free-credit promotion; the 'Groq for Startups' $10K program that used to provide credits was unpublished (see sunset_notes). (7) Preview models (e.g., qwen3.8-27b is listed as Preview in some sources) can be discontinued at short notice. (8) Groq's Service Credit Terms (eff. 2025-10-15) cap any prepaid/promo credits at 1 year from issuance.", "source_url": "https://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Groq for Startups ($10,000 API credits) — SUNSET", "detail": "Former startup program: $10,000 in GroqCloud API credits granted to the account (not a code), expiring 90 days after grant, approval at Groq's discretion; no published funding cap, founding-date cutoff, or VC-referral requirement — the form asked for a working product/use case and an expected inference-volume estimate. The program page groq.com/groq-for-startups no longer publishes the offer (as of 2026-10-22 it serves a generic marketing page with no program content, funding announcement, or application form), and console.groq.com/docs/startups returns 404 per third-party checks. Multiple independent trackers (Perkstack, checked 2026-08-05; guptadeepak.com, checked 2026-10-10; PerkBook) recorded the program as unpublished/removed on 5 August 2026 with no closure notice from Groq. Not claimable today.", "eligibility": "Before it closed: early-stage AI companies/startups with a GroqCloud account and a genuine use case; stages Bootstrapped through Series A per trackers; no partner referral required. Now: nobody — the application form is gone.", "claim": "No longer claimable. Historical flow: create a GroqCloud account, complete the application at groq.com/groq-for-startups describing the startup, use case and expected inference volume; on approval, $10K landed on the account and the 90-day clock started. Do not rely on third-party directories still listing this offer as live.", "expiry": "Unpublished as of 2026-08-05 (tracker-recorded date; Groq published no formal closure notice). Any previously granted credits follow the 90-day-from-issuance program window, not the 1-year default in the Service Credit Terms.", "gotchas": "The dead program still appears in several 'free AI credits' aggregators with the old $10K/90-day terms — treat those listings as stale. The console's promo-code page (Settings > Billing > Promo) remains the only live credit-redemption mechanism, and no public startup-credit promotion is currently linked to it. Successor options in the same niche per trackers: Fireworks for Startups, Together AI for Startups (up to $50K), Baseten for Startups (up to $25K + $2.5K APIs).", "source_url": "https://perkstack.co/blog/groq-startup-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Groq education / student program — none exists", "detail": "There is no Groq student discount, education license, or academic-access program as of 2026-10-22. The student/academic route is simply the cardless Free plan: the official rate-limit and billing documentation contains no education, .edu-verification, or academic-program reference, and independent verification (Noizz, 2026-09-04 check of Groq's docs) confirms 'no student, academic, education or research programme is mentioned anywhere in Groq's rate-limit or billing documentation.'", "eligibility": "N/A — nothing to qualify for. Students use the standard Free plan (open to anyone, no .edu required, no card).", "claim": "Nothing to claim. A student claiming 'Groq free access' means the same no-card Free plan: sign up at console.groq.com, create a key, call the OpenAI-compatible endpoint under the per-model limits.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Do not expect a .edu discount on the paid Developer plan; if an education offer ever appears it would likely surface as a promo code (Settings > Billing > Promo), but none is publicly published today.", "source_url": "https://console.groq.com/docs/billing-faqs", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes to watch: (1) Groq for Startups ($10K credits, 90-day validity) was unpublished on 2026-08-05 — the program URL now serves a generic marketing page and the docs page 404s; no closure notice was published. (2) llama-3.1-8b-instant and llama-3.3-70b-versatile were shut down for Free and Developer tiers on 2026-08-16 (enterprise committed-spend customers kept them) — this killed the '~14,400 RPD llama-3.1-8b' free-tier figure that earlier trackers (including this task's 'known so far') still cite; today's official table's 14,400-RPD row is for llama-prompt-guard safety classifiers. (3) groq/compound and groq/compound-mini were deprecated and decommissioned on 2026-09-21. (4) qwen/qwen3.6-27b was deprecated on 2026-09-14 in favor of qwen/qwen3.8-27b. (5) Other 2026 deprecations per Groq's deprecations page: Llama Guard 4 12B (2026-03-05, replaced by gpt-oss-safeguard-20b), Llama 4 Maverick 17B (2026-03-09), Kimi K2 (2026-04-15), Qwen 3 32B and Llama 4 Scout 17B (2026-07-17). (6) No education/student program or trial-credit offer exists; only a generic promo-code redemption page in the console. Bottom line: one genuinely free, cardless, ongoing offer (the Free plan above) plus a sunset $10K startup program whose terms still circulate in stale third-party listings." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "No-card free plan: gpt-oss-120b & qwen-3.8-27b at 30 RPM / 1,000 RPD / 8K TPM / 200K TPD", "text": "Groq's rate-limit page shows these exact values under Developer Plan Limits and says the table gives the Developer plan's base limits. No free-plan table was captured, so the free-plan figures and the no-card claim are not supported by this page.", "url": "https://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits" } ], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "GroqCloud Free Plan (ongoing free tier)", "link": "https://console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "healthchecks io free plan", "name": "Healthchecks.io Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://healthchecks.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free cron/heartbeat monitoring (OSS) — unlimited checks on your own infrastructure, alerts if a scheduled job stops checking in; hosted has a free tier" ], "notes": [ "Open source (AGPL); self-host free and unlimited. Hosted free tier for personal use. Fits well with CI/cron observability." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Hosted Hobbyist Free Plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "The hosted service's Hobbyist plan is $0/month with no time limit: monitor 20 jobs (cron jobs / heartbeats), 100 log entries kept per job (oldest entries evicted when the cap is hit — a job pinging every 5 minutes retains only ~8 hours of history; a weekly job retains ~2 years). No SMS/WhatsApp/phone-call credits on the free tier; email, webhook, Slack, Discord, Telegram, Pushover, Signal, ntfy, Matrix, GitHub Issues and other web-based alert channels work. Paid tiers for comparison: Supporter $5/mo (same limits, donation only), Business $20/mo (100 jobs, 1000 log entries, 50 SMS/WhatsApp + 20 phone credits, email support; $16/mo billed annually), Business Plus $80/mo (1000 jobs, 500 SMS/WhatsApp + 100 phone credits, priority support; $64/mo annual, 20% annual discount).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (including students and startups): sign up with just an email address via magic-link; no credit card, no .edu address, no region restriction, no funding or company-age criteria. Not a trial — a permanently free tier. Running multiple accounts to exceed the 20-job cap is explicitly labeled abuse by Healthchecks.io.", "claim": "Go to healthchecks.io, click Create Free Account / sign up for the Hobbyist plan with an email address (magic link), no payment details. Then create up to 20 checks (ping URLs or cron expressions) and have your job curl the ping URL on each run.", "expiry": "No expiry; free forever. Author has publicly stated (July 2024 blog post) that he is not planning to tighten free-plan limits or raise paid prices.", "gotchas": "No phone/SMS/WhatsApp alerts on the free tier (paid only). 100-entry log cap means short retention for fast jobs. Inactive accounts receive 'Inactive Account Notification' emails; long inactivity may affect the account. Capping out at 20 jobs means upgrading to Business at $20/mo. Payments when you do pay run via Braintree (PayPal division); no card data stored on Healthchecks.io servers.", "source_url": "https://healthchecks.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-Hosted Open-Source Healthchecks (free, unlimited)", "detail": "Healthchecks is open source under the BSD license (code on GitHub, developed in the open). Self-hosting the full product on your own infrastructure is free with no check-count limits — 'unlimited checks on your own infrastructure', which is the offer referenced for students building on cheap/homelab or university cloud credits. You run the entire service (web app + PostgreSQL + object storage for ping bodies) and every feature is available, minus the hosted service's ops guarantees (Hetzner bare metal, hot standby, daily S3 backups).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone — no account, no credit card, no .edu, no region limit. Costs shift to you: you need hosting, and you become the operator (backups, upgrades, failover). The about page states plainly: 'Healthchecks is free software, and can be self-hosted.'", "claim": "Clone the BSD-licensed GitHub repo (github.com/healthchecks/healthchecks), run the Django app + PostgreSQL per its docs, point your cron jobs at your own instance's ping URLs.", "expiry": "No expiry — BSD license is permanent; the project is accepting contributions and the author (one-person SIA Monkey See Monkey Do, Latvia) keeps it maintained as of 2026 (11 years in business per the About page).", "gotchas": "You pay for your own infrastructure and all ops burden (database failover is manual even on the hosted version, and a single operator handles it); no 'free' in the sense of zero cost — only zero license cost. Feature parity with the hosted version can lag or differ; you don't get the hosted reliability track record (99.9%+ since 2015).", "source_url": "https://healthchecks.io/about/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Business Plan for Open-Source Projects and Nonprofits", "detail": "Healthchecks.io offers the Business plan free of charge for open-source projects and nonprofits — worth $20/month — including 100 monitored jobs, 1000 log entries per job, 50 SMS/WhatsApp credits and 20 phone-call credits, plus email support. It is not a student or startup program; the eligible categories are OSS projects and nonprofits. The About page tracks ~106 such accounts (OSS + nonprofit) vs ~1,236 paying.", "eligibility": "Open-source projects and registered nonprofits only. No .edu email, no student license, and no dedicated startup program exists on the official pages. No published funding caps or age criteria; eligibility is judged by the team on request. No region limit stated. No credit card required (plan is free).", "claim": "Email contact@healthchecks.io (listed in the FAQ) asking for the free Business plan as an open-source project or nonprofit; they set the account up. It is not self-serve — you must ask.", "expiry": "No published expiry or renewal date; it is a standing program (listed on the pricing-page FAQ and FAQ as of today, 2026-10-22).", "gotchas": "Not available to for-profit startups or individual students — claiming it as a commercial startup would be misusing the program. It's manual/e-mail based with no SLA on response; the Free tier (20 jobs) already covers most personal/student use cases. SMS/WhatsApp/phone credits are consumed by alert volume; when they run out you'd need a paid upgrade to top up.", "source_url": "https://healthchecks.io/faq/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Hosted Hobbyist Free Plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://healthchecks.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "hetzner cloud free trial", "name": "Hetzner Cloud Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/trial" ], "offers": [ "~EUR 20 cloud trial credit for new Hetzner Cloud customers (often via promo code; no card needed to start the trial)." ], "notes": [ "No perpetual free tier; cheapest VPS (CX/ARM) from ~EUR 4-6/mo, EU plans cheaper than US. The /cloud/trial page currently redirects to pricing, so the EUR 20 trial is offered via promo code - confirm the current amount in-console." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, no active official free offer (trial credit, free tier, education license, or startup program) for Hetzner Cloud / VPS / dedicated servers could be verified on any official page; the historically reported ~EUR 20 new-customer cloud trial (promo-code based, no credit card to start) appears to have been sunset: (1) https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/trial — the URL now serves the generic Hetzner Cloud landing page (SPA fallback), with zero mention of a trial, credit, or promo code; (2) https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/education, /cloud/startup, and /cloud/promo all render the same general landing page — no dedicated education or startup program pages exist; (3) https://www.hetzner.com/community/trial is a hard 404; (4) docs.hetzner.com (top-level and overview pages) contain no trial/credit/education/startup content. The landing page's only pricing statements today are catalog floors: Cost-Optimized from EUR 5.99/mo, Regular Performance from EUR 6.49/mo, General Purpose from EUR 43.49/mo (excl. VAT), locations Germany/Finland/Singapore/USA — i.e., no permanent free tier. The ~EUR 20 trial is likely discontinued (not just undocumented), since its canonical URL is dead; however, web search was unavailable in this session (shared 200-call budget exhausted by sibling agents), so any 2025-2026 sunset announcement date could not be pinned down — confidence in the exact end date is low, confidence that no active official free offer is currently advertised is high (read every candidate official page today). Caveat: Hetzner has run occasional time-boxed promo campaigns in the past (referral/affiliates, console banners); an ephemeral campaign could exist without a dedicated page, but none is advertised anywhere on hetzner.com today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "~EUR 20 cloud trial credit for new Hetzner Cloud customers (often via promo code; no card needed to start the trial).", "link": "https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/trial", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "honeycomb free plan", "name": "Honeycomb Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.honeycomb.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "20M events/month (up to 100M metrics data points), 2 triggers, 60-day retention; free forever" ], "notes": [ "2026-07-01 new Pro pricing ($3/M events); the free 20M-event tier is unchanged. Also runs a 'Honeycomb for Builders' startup discount program." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Honeycomb Free plan (free forever)", "detail": "Free plan verified on today's pricing page: up to 20M events/month AND up to 100M metrics (time-series) data points/month, 2 triggers, 0 SLOs, no Service Map. Included features: Distributed Tracing, BubbleUp, OpenTelemetry support, Team Query History, query result permalinks, Honeycomb Metrics, Canvas AI Copilot, Hosted MCP, Agent Timeline, Honeycomb Intelligence. Marketing states 'Unlimited seats' and 'Unlimited querying'. No trace-count cap, dashboard cap, or retention window is printed on the pricing page today; the 60-day high-resolution retention figure is the historical figure from the plan's docs (not re-verified today, docs were restructured). Optional add-on Telemetry Pipeline (extra ingest, OTel processing) starts at $0.10/GB; Pro starts at $150/month for 50M events (up to 750M).", "eligibility": "Anyone (no .edu, no startup criteria, no funding cap). No region limits stated. No credit-card requirement is stated anywhere on the pricing page (unconfirmed; page is silent).", "claim": "Sign up at https://ui.honeycomb.io/signup ('Start for free') — free plan is the default plan; no sales gate on this tier. Then send events via OTel SDKs or API key.", "expiry": "No expiry — explicitly 'free forever'. Upgrade trigger: exceeding 20M events/month (or 100M data points) requires Pro, starting at $150/month.", "gotchas": "Genuinely free tier, not a time-boxed trial. Only 2 triggers free (no SLOs, no Service Map) — alerting beyond 2 triggers is paid. Retention not printed on today's pricing page (60-day figure carried over from historical plan docs, unconfirmed). Optional Telemetry Pipeline add-on is metered at $0.10/GB and adds cost on top of free ingest. CC requirement unverified without running the signup flow.", "source_url": "https://www.honeycomb.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Honeycomb for Builders — Pro Bronze (academic / nonprofit / open-source)", "detail": "Official builders program (verified today on honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders): 'Pro500 for qualifying open source, non-profit, and academic projects in perpetuity' — complimentary Pro plan at the Pro500 volume tier (≈ up to 500M events/month; Pro's max tier per pricing page is 750M, so Pro500/Pro750 denote event-volume tiers, not seats). Includes all Pro features, community onboarding sessions, office hours, and Honeycomb swag. Free in perpetuity.", "eligibility": "Academic projects/organizations, non-profits, and open-source projects. No .edu-email requirement published; eligibility is vendor-determined via application. Individual students are covered only through their academic organization or OSS project — there is no student-specific tier.", "claim": "Apply via 'Talk to us' on https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders (routes to /get-a-demo; third-party listings say the application form is embedded on that page). No published review timeline; approval at vendor discretion.", "expiry": "In perpetuity for qualifying projects — no renewal trigger or end date published; implicitly revocable if the project stops qualifying.", "gotchas": "The tier is for projects/organizations, not named individuals — a student must apply on behalf of their academic org or OSS project. Third-party directories note award timing/duration are not published. Pro500's ~500M events/month allowance dwarfs the free tier — most valuable academic offer.", "source_url": "https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Honeycomb for Builders — Pro Silver (early-stage startup discount)", "detail": "Official builders program (verified today): 'Pro750 at 50% off for 1 year, available to early stage startups (Pre-seed, Seed round, Early series A)'. Pro750 = Pro plan at the 750M events/month volume tier (Pro's top tier; base Pro starts at $150/month for 50M events, so Pro750 is a high-volume custom-priced configuration — 50% discount applies to that configuration, absolute $ not public). Includes all Pro features, onboarding sessions, office hours, swag.", "eligibility": "Startups at Pre-seed, Seed, or Early Series A stage; no age cap published beyond funding stage. No accelerator requirement at this tier. A third-party directory (StartupCreds) notes bootstrapped founders as eligible — not stated on Honeycomb's own page.", "claim": "Same application path: 'Talk to us' form at https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders. Vendor-side approval; not self-serve.", "expiry": "1 year at 50% off; no renewal/extension terms published — after 12 months presumably full (custom) Pro pricing unless re-approved.", "gotchas": "Discount, not free — do not confuse with Pro Gold. Pro750 list price is not public, so '50% off' cannot be converted to dollars from public pages. No numeric funding cap (e.g., <$X raised) stated beyond the 'Early series A' ceiling.", "source_url": "https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Honeycomb for Builders — Pro Gold (accelerator startup free year)", "detail": "Official builders program (verified today): 'Pro750 free for 1 year for qualifying startups', two required conditions: (1) 'Active in a recognized startup accelerator (including Y Combinator and accelerators supporting underrepresented founders)' and (2) 'Actively using or building with OpenTelemetry'. = full Pro plan at the 750M events/month volume tier at $0 for 12 months, plus all Pro features, community onboarding sessions, office hours, swag. No purchase or commitment required.", "eligibility": "Startup must (a) be active in a recognized accelerator — Y Combinator explicitly named, plus accelerators supporting underrepresented founders — and (b) actively use or build with OpenTelemetry. No .edu requirement, no separate funding cap published. YC's own 'YC AI Stack' free-credits pack (Fall 2025, $25k+ in credits) does NOT include Honeycomb — YC teams still apply via the builders form; nothing auto-redeems through deals.ycombinator.com.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Talk to us' form at https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders; approval vendor-side. Third-party trackers (Sourcey) list it open to applicants meeting both conditions, no payment required.", "expiry": "Free for exactly 1 year. No renewal, extension, or post-expiry pricing terms published; team expected to convert to paid Pro after expiry.", "gotchas": "OpenTelemetry usage is a hard condition — teams not instrumenting with OTel are ineligible. 1-year term with no published renewal path. One third-party directory marked the offer 'stale' in a crawl, but the official page still lists it as of today — treat the official page as authoritative.", "source_url": "https://www.honeycomb.io/honeycomb-for-builders", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Honeycomb Free plan (free forever)", "link": "https://www.honeycomb.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "hugging face", "name": "Hugging Face", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "hosting-paas", "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing", "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-zerogpu", "https://huggingface.co/spaces" ], "offers": [ "Former free-account monthly inference credit is now discontinued — free accounts get none; PRO ($9/mo) includes $2/mo of compute credits", "Free ZeroGPU inference (shared RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, 48-96GB VRAM): 5 min/day quota on free accounts; free accounts may host up to 2 ZeroGPU Gradio Spaces; Static Spaces free for all", "$0/mo: unlimited free static Spaces + free ZeroGPU demos; no card for basic use" ], "notes": [ "CHANGED 7 Oct 2026: free users lost the $0.10/mo credit and must buy credits (or route through a custom provider key, where that provider's own free tier applies). Free accounts still get ZeroGPU Spaces (~5 GPU-min/day) and free CPU Spaces. Use the changed-status note for the mega-index.", "2026 change (Jul 2026): creating any compute Space (Gradio/Docker, incl. CPU Basic) now requires a paid plan; free personal accounts in good standing (verified email, >30 days old) keep up to 2 ZeroGPU Spaces. ZeroGPU hardware migrated from A100 to RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell with 5 min/day (was ~3.5 min). Gradio SDK only; demos, not training. Community GPU grants available for side-project Spaces.", "2026: creating new Gradio or Docker Spaces requires a paid plan; static + ZeroGPU stay free. Idle spaces sleep after ~48h. Good for ML/demo app deployment. Secondary-source verified; confirm current policy." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Inference Providers free account: NO monthly credits (as of Oct 2026)", "detail": "Official pricing docs (read 2026-10-22): Free Users row in the included-credits table is 'None' — free accounts get no monthly compute credits. Free users can still access Inference Providers (18 providers, 200+ models: Baseten, Cerebras, Cohere, DeepInfra, Fal, Featherless, Fireworks, Groq, HF Inference, Novita, Nscale, OVHcloud, Public AI, Replicate, Scaleway, Together, WaveSpeed, Z.ai) via pay-as-you-go 'credits purchase required', or via a custom provider key. The PRO marketing page claims free-tier users get a 100k token/month inference usage cap vs 2M for PRO, but the pricing docs define no free credit and I could not find a published limits table — treat the 100k figure as marketing, not docs.", "eligibility": "Any Hugging Face account (free, global, no .edu, no credit card to create the account or to browse; a credit card IS required before any pay-as-you-go usage, since extra usage requires purchasing credits via Stripe). No student or startup special tier.", "claim": "Sign up at huggingface.co, generate a fine-grained token with 'Make calls to Inference Providers' permission; add a credit card in Billing settings and purchase credits to exceed the free usage cap.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no stated expiry", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: there is no trial-credit offer on Inference Providers — the only ever-free allowance was $0.10/month for free accounts, discontinued 2026-10-07 (docs update). No credit card stated as required at sign-up, but one is required to buy pay-as-you-go credits. Monthly tokens cap (100k, unverified in docs) is a usage limit, not a free grant.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Custom Provider Key: $0 on Hugging Face (bring-your-own provider key)", "detail": "Documented in the official pricing page (read 2026-10-22): you can set a custom provider key in HF settings (or pass it to the InferenceClient / OpenAI-compatible client) and HF routes requests for free — 'Hugging Face will not charge you for the call'; billing goes directly to the provider you already pay. This is the only genuinely card-free-on-HF way to use Inference Providers.", "eligibility": "All account types incl. free. You need your own account/key with the provider; no region limit stated; no credit card needed on HF.", "claim": "Settings → Inference Providers → add custom provider key, or pass the key to InferenceClient; code and OpenAI-compatible SDK usage are unchanged.", "expiry": "Ongoing", "gotchas": "Included monthly credits do NOT apply to custom-provider-key usage. The provider's own free tier/trial terms now govern cost — this is a 'no markup' pass-through, not a free allowance. If the provider later requires its own payment method, the 'free' path ends there.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PRO plan: $9/mo subscription including $2.00/mo compute credits (paid, not free)", "detail": "PRO ($9/month, credit card only, Stripe, no stated trial) includes $2.00/month of general-purpose compute credits usable on Inference Providers, Inference Endpoints, upgraded CPU/GPU Spaces hardware incl. ZeroGPU usage beyond the 5-min free daily quota, and Jobs. PRO also raises the inference usage cap to 2M tokens/mo (vs 100k free claim), 1 TB private storage (base price $12-18/TB/mo above), 10 ZeroGPU Spaces, 8× daily ZeroGPU quota (40 min RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell), dev-mode Spaces. No student discount, no free PRO tier, no student-specific enrollment found on huggingface.co/pro or /pricing today.", "eligibility": "Any user globally; credit card required for the subscription. No .edu requirement, no regional restriction stated.", "claim": "Subscribe at https://huggingface.co/subscribe/pro; credits are credited monthly and applied automatically before pay-as-you-go billing.", "expiry": "Renews monthly; cancel anytime in billing settings. Docs say credits are 'credited every month' but do not promise rollover of unused credits.", "gotchas": "The $2 credit does not cover the $9 subscription. 'Pay Pro with credits' was reportedly possible in the past and now appears removed (HF forums, Feb 2026). Not a student/startup offer.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/pro", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Team plan: $20/user/mo incl. $2/seat/mo shared credits (paid, not free)", "detail": "Team orgs ($20/user/mo; self-serve, credit card or AWS/Google Cloud Marketplace billing) get $2.00/month compute credits per seat, shared across members, spendable on Inference Providers, Inference Endpoints, Spaces upgrades and Jobs. Org admins can set spending limits and disable providers; usage billable centrally via X-HF-Bill-To header or bill_to client parameter.", "eligibility": "Orgs globally; card or cloud-marketplace billing. No startup/education discount published.", "claim": "Subscribe Team in org settings; members specify bill_to org (or X-HF-Bill-To header) to draw on the shared credit pool.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Credits only apply to HF-routed usage, not custom provider keys. Not free; included only for completeness of the 'credits' picture.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Six months free PRO for startups — third-party claims only, unverified official", "detail": "Several affiliate/promo-code directories (SaaSTweaks 'verified May 2026', xraise.ai 'verified 2026-05-15', startup-perks.com 'audited Feb 2026') claim a 'Hugging Face for Startups' offer of ~6 months of free PRO plus Inference Endpoints credits, applied at huggingface.co/startups. But huggingface.co/startups is actually an org profile page ('startupsdao') with zero program content, and two independent checks of HF-owned pages found no program: guptadeepak (checked 2026-09-13: 'No startup program appears on any Hugging Face owned page') and CloudRoute's 2026-10-09 catalog, which excluded Hugging Face from its 62 verified startup programs because 'no official source confirmed a current program'.", "eligibility": "Unverifiable — no published criteria on any HF page. Aggregators loosely describe 'early-stage AI startups', pre-seed to Series A, global; some mention 'oss' targeting.", "claim": "No official application path exists today. The claimed route (promo code at huggingface.co/startups) leads to an org page, not a program. Contact sales via /contact/sales if pursuing, or treat the offer as unconfirmed.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Affiliate-driven content; 'vendor-published criteria' cited by these sites are not on any huggingface.co page I could read today. Do not plan around this offer without written confirmation from HF.", "source_url": "https://saastweaks.com/startup-credits/hugging-face-pro-credits", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Academia Hub organization tier — exists in docs, no public free offer", "detail": "The Hub rate-limits docs (tiers table dated Sept '25) list an 'Academia Hub organization' tier with the same 5-minute rate limits as a Team org (3,000 API / 20,000 resolvers / 400 pages per 5 min), implying HF runs a dedicated academic org plan. However no huggingface.co page I read today (pricing, enterprise, pro, education) publishes an Academia plan, a student discount, an education license, a .edu-email program, or a free academic tier. huggingface.co/education is just an org profile ('High School' org, 15 followers, no program content). A community dataset notes the 'huggingface.co/community-grants' URL was 404 as of 2026-Q2 and no public grant application path existed; the /pricing page mentions 'community GPU grants for side projects' without a link.", "eligibility": "Unknown/presumably universities & research institutions via contract or sales; no public eligibility, no .edu requirement published.", "claim": "No public claim path found; would be via /contact/sales. Treat as unavailable for self-serve students.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "This is an internal tier name surfaced in docs, not an offer. No amounts, no free access, no application form — do not cite it as an education license.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/rate-limits", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Free static Spaces hosting (unlimited)", "detail": "Static Spaces (plain HTML, or built React/Svelte/Vue) are $0, free for everyone, unlimited in number, with no hardware charge and no card required. Default per-Space limits: 2 vCPU / 16 GB RAM / 50 GB non-persistent disk; CPU Basic (2 vCPU / 16 GB) has 'no hourly cost' but as of mid-2026 creating a compute Space (Gradio or Docker, incl. CPU Basic) requires a paid plan (PRO $9/mo personal; Team $20/Enterprise $50 per user for orgs). Static SDK Spaces never require a paid plan. All free for anonymous visitors too; no egress fee noted for Spaces.", "eligibility": "Any account, free; no credit card, no age/region limit stated for static Spaces. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Create a Space with the Static SDK at huggingface.co/spaces -> 'Create new Space', push your site; it deploys free forever. Zero setup cost, card only needed if you later add paid hardware.", "expiry": "Indefinite while account exists; auto-rebuild on each push. Space goes to sleep when idle.", "gotchas": "As of ~July 2026 free accounts can no longer create Gradio/Docker compute Spaces (incl. free CPU Basic) — static only; CPU Basic downgrade from ZeroGPU also requires PRO. Non-persistent 50GB disk, 16GB RAM ceiling. PRO is $9/mo card-only; free tier has no hourly charge but compute creation is gated.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "ZeroGPU free GPU demos (host up to 2 Spaces + free usage quota)", "detail": "ZeroGPU dynamically allocates NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell (half = 48GB VRAM 'large', full = 96GB 'xlarge', xlarge costs 2x quota). Free personal accounts 'in good standing' (verified email, account older than 30 days) can HOST up to 2 ZeroGPU Spaces at $0. Visitors get daily GPU quotas: unauthenticated 2 min, free account 5 min, PRO 40 min (8x), Team 40 min, Enterprise 60 min; quota resets exactly 24h after first usage. Default per-call runtime 60s; over-quota usage $1 per 10 min, but only PRO/Team/Enterprise can extend (pre-paid credits). No card required for the free tier.", "eligibility": "Free personal accounts: email verified + account >30 days old; Gradio SDK only; PyTorch-first (transformers/diffusers best). No .edu or startup requirement; no card required.", "claim": "Create a Gradio Space with ZeroGPU hardware selected, decorate GPU code with @spaces.GPU, push; hosting is free for up to 2 such Spaces. Usage by any visitor is free within their daily 5-min (free account) quota.", "expiry": "Indefinite; daily quota resets every 24h. PRO is $9/mo (card required) for 10 Spaces, 40 min quota and overage billing.", "gotchas": "Free accounts cannot buy over-quota credits (paid tiers only). xlarge (96GB) burns 2x quota (45s task = 90s quota). After 2026 hardware migration some workloads auto-fell back to xlarge, doubling effective quota consumption (forum reports May 2026). Queue priority rises as your remaining daily quota falls. Gradio-only; Docker Spaces can't use ZeroGPU. Historically an undocumented run-count limit (~3 runs/day, staff-confirmed April 2026) may still apply on top of the 5-min time quota. A forum answer (July 2026) suggests new free accounts see ZeroGPU as the only creatable runtime — CPU Basic now PRO-gated.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-zerogpu", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Community GPU grants (in-kind, rolling)", "detail": "HF offers 'community GPU grants' for side projects: in-kind dedicated GPU hardware that ZeroGPU can't cover (non-PyTorch heavy init, models >96GB VRAM, always-on serving) or an extra Gradio Space beyond the free 2-Space cap without needing PRO. No dollar amount, duration or pool size published; decisions can take days; approved hardware attaches automatically (Static Spaces just flip SDK to gradio).", "eligibility": "Public, open use cases — 'open research demo, hobbyist project, educational tool, institutional showcase' — that 'can't pay for the hardware'. No funding-cap or age limit; free account works; card not needed for the grant itself.", "claim": "1) Build your Space (ZeroGPU or Static). 2) Post a Community Tab discussion titled 'Apply for a GPU community grant: project' with a one-paragraph description + justification (default: 'Public open-source demo, can't cover the hardware cost'). 3) Wait for approval; hardware attaches automatically.", "expiry": "Rolling, no published deadline; no published grant duration.", "gotchas": "In-kind only, no cash; approval is discretionary and slow (days+); not a formal startup program; don't rely on a guaranteed quota.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Hugging Face for Classrooms (free education workspace)", "detail": "Free classroom-organization offering: teachers set up a shared workspace where students upload datasets, models and ML demos 'for free', with version control and student access controls (admin/read/write), teaching materials and support. 'Everything is free' per the page; no numeric repo/storage/GPU caps published.", "eligibility": "Any classroom — students and teachers; no .edu verification gate stated, no card required, no institution-type minimum.", "claim": "Create free at huggingface.co/classrooms ('Create a classroom for free', routed to /organizations/new?orgType=classroom); students join and host demos/datasets in the org workspace at $0.", "expiry": "Indefinite while the classroom org exists.", "gotchas": "Compute (GPU) is not part of the free classroom bundle — it's storage/hub hosting of repos, datasets, models and static demos; hardware upgrades are separate paid services. Limits not published, so heavy use could hit general free-tier storage limits.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/classrooms", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Academia Hub (education license — PAID, free only at partner universities)", "detail": "Institution-level education plan: from $10/seat/month with volume discounts; minimum 250 annual seats; includes 1TB private + 1TB public storage per seat, $2/month/seat of compute credits (Inference Providers, Inference Endpoints, upgraded Spaces hardware, Jobs), higher daily ZeroGPU priority, SSO/SCIM/SOC 2. Students get nothing for free as individuals — HF staff confirmed there is no student Pro plan (Oct 2025 forum). Partner universities (e.g., ESCP, 12,000+ students) negotiate free access for their community.", "eligibility": "University IT/procurement must initiate from a university email; individual .edu email is NOT enough. Free only at partner institutions that have negotiated a deal.", "claim": "Contact HF from your university's IT/procurement team to negotiate; or at a partner university, your admin provisions your seat — then you get PRO-equivalent features + $2/mo compute credits free of personal cost.", "expiry": "Subscription term, renews automatically; per-institution negotiation.", "gotchas": "Not free for most students; the $2/mo compute credits are for paid seats the institution funds; minimum 250 seats excludes most small departments (Team plan suggested instead).", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/academia-hub", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program: none first-party (third-party 'free PRO for startups' claims unverified)", "detail": "No startup program exists on any Hugging Face owned page (checked Sep 2026 by a tracker; pricing/enterprise pages list only PRO/Team/Enterprise with no startup discount or application path). The well-known 2024 '$10M of GPUs' was a one-off commitment at ZeroGPU launch (its free quota persists, the $10M pool did not). Third-party perk marketplaces (creditforstartups, saasoffers, perq.sh) advertise 'up to $108 free PRO via partner perks' or '$1,000 in GPU credits' for HF — none of these could be verified against an HF-owned page; treat as unverified aggregator claims. The old '50% off Enterprise in year one' startup offer is no longer verifiable anywhere on HF's sites.", "eligibility": "N/A for a first-party program; third-party perks claim pre-seed–Series A AI startups worldwide, referral from partner investor/accelerator, but terms aren't published by HF.", "claim": "There is nothing to claim directly. Startups should use: free static Spaces + 2 free ZeroGPU Spaces per team member, the community GPU grant (in-kind), and generic cloud startup programs (AWS Activate, Google/Microsoft for Startups) for compute instead.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Beware unverified marketplace 'credits' (amounts unverifiable, may require equity/referral, may be expired promos). Meta x Hugging Face x Scaleway AI Startup Program (EU accelerator, 2nd cohort Sep 2024–Feb 2025) is now discontinued.", "source_url": "https://www.makerperks.com/programs/huggingface/hugging-face-for-startups/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "ZeroGPU free GPU inference (Spaces)", "detail": "Shared NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs allocated on demand to Gradio Spaces. 'large' = half card, 48GB VRAM (1x quota); 'xlarge' = full card, 96GB VRAM (2x quota). Daily GPU quotas: unauthenticated 2 min; free account 5 min; PRO/Team 40 min; Enterprise 60 min; paid plans can extend via pre-paid credits at $1/10 min. Quota resets exactly 24h after first daily GPU use. No credit card required for the free tier; no stated regional limits. Free accounts host max 2 ZeroGPU Spaces (PRO: 10; orgs: 50). Gradio SDK only; @spaces.GPU decorator, default 60s function runtime (extendable via duration=...); no torch.compile (use PyTorch AOT, torch 2.8+).", "eligibility": "Any free HF account in good standing: verified email address and account older than 30 days. No .edu required, no startup status, no credit card, no stated region limits. Using (visiting) existing ZeroGPU Spaces is free for everyone, even unauthenticated (2 min/day).", "claim": "Sign up at huggingface.co (free), verify email; create a Gradio Space and select ZeroGPU hardware in Space Settings (free accounts: up to 2 such Spaces, allowed only after account is 30+ days old); import spaces and decorate GPU functions with @spaces.GPU (default size large; size='xlarge' for 96GB at 2x quota cost); deploy and use within the 5 min/day free quota.", "expiry": "Quota renews daily (resets 24h after first use). Hosting cap (2 ZeroGPU Spaces) persists while account stays in good standing; no sunset date published for the program.", "gotchas": "Gradio-only (Docker/static cannot use ZeroGPU); xlarge doubles quota consumption and queue wait; free tier cannot buy quota extension ($1/10-min credits only for PRO/Team/Enterprise); model must be loaded to 'cuda' at module level (CUDA is emulated outside @spaces.GPU functions); remaining quota determines queue priority, so idle free users queue behind paid ones; as of 2025-2026 creating new CPU Gradio/Docker Spaces now requires a paid plan - the 2-Space ZeroGPU exception is the only free Gradio path.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-zerogpu", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Static Spaces + free Hub tier (free hosting, no GPU)", "detail": "Static HTML Spaces are free for everyone on any plan. CPU Basic hardware (2 vCPU/16GB, no accelerator) is $0/hour. Free personal accounts get 100GB private storage (public storage 'best-effort' free), unlimited public models/datasets repos, and free CPU Spaces. No credit card needed. Inference Endpoints/Jobs (paid GPU) are NOT free - there is no free notebook/training offering.", "eligibility": "Any free HF account, worldwide, no verification beyond the account itself; static Spaces need no email-verified/30-day status the way ZeroGPU hosting does.", "claim": "Create a free account, create a Space with SDK 'static HTML' (or CPU Basic Gradio/Docker if already on a paid plan); no payment setup required.", "expiry": "Ongoing free tier; no expiry stated. Note the 2025-2026 change: new Gradio/Docker Spaces (even on free CPU Basic) now require PRO (personal) or Team/Enterprise (orgs) to create or duplicate - only Static Spaces remain free for free accounts.", "gotchas": "The marketing page /classrooms still says demos are 'hosted for free', but the Spaces docs explicitly require a paid plan for new Gradio/Docker Spaces; duplicating a Gradio/Docker Space follows the same paid rule (ZeroGPU exception only). Free spaces sleep when idle; protected/private visibility requires PRO/Team/Enterprise. Free private storage capped at 100GB, overflow is billed.", "source_url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Community GPU grants (free dedicated GPU hardware for Spaces)", "detail": "Case-by-case grants that cover Space hardware upgrade costs (dedicated GPU, or ZeroGPU slots beyond the free 2-Space cap) for public-facing community use cases: open research demos, hobbyist projects, educational tools, institutional showcases; company projects may apply ('Company project' option). No fixed dollar amount - the grant attaches the needed hardware to the Space. Official docs link to applying 'using the link in the Settings tab of your Space'. No credit card; no stated startup age/funding caps.", "eligibility": "Qualifying public, non-commercial-leaning Space use cases where the user 'can't pay for the hardware' (open source, research, educational, institutional). Private/commercial/closed-source projects are steered to PRO instead. No .edu required for company grants.", "claim": "Build the Space (as ZeroGPU if you still have a free slot, else a free Static Space with ZeroGPU-ready code), then open a Community Tab discussion on the Space titled 'Apply for a GPU community grant: project' with one paragraph on what the app does and one on why it should run on free GPU; wait days for review; approved grants attach hardware automatically (Static holding Spaces must flip sdk to gradio). The entry point is also the 'apply for a community GPU grant' link in the Space Settings tab.", "expiry": "Grant covers the attached hardware while the Space/project qualifies; no published renewal term. The old public application page (huggingface.co/community-grants) is reported dead as of 2026-Q2; the current channel is the per-Space Settings tab link / Community discussion.", "gotchas": "Approval takes days and is discretionary ('see if yours makes the cut'); open public demos typically approved, commercial ones not; grant docs come mainly from the official huggingface/skills repo rather than a dedicated marketing page, so policy can shift without announcement; no guarantees on hardware size.", "source_url": "https://github.com/huggingface/skills/blob/main/skills/huggingface-spaces/references/grants.md", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Bottom line as of 2026-10-22: Hugging Face has NO live free offer specifically for students or startups on the Inference Providers front. (1) STARTUP PROGRAM — sunset: the former 'HF for Startups' program (widely reported as $1,000/mo of partner cloud credits for up to 12 months plus ~50% off the Enterprise Hub in year 1; original announcement page now 404) no longer appears on any HF-owned page — independently confirmed Sept 2026 (guptadeepak) and Oct 2026 (CloudRoute excluded HF from its verified program catalog). Third-party '6 months free PRO' claims are affiliate promo-code pages, unverified against official pages; huggingface.co/startups is an org profile, not a program page. (2) FREE ACCOUNT CREDIT — sunset: free accounts historically received a small monthly Inference Providers credit ($0.10/mo, 'subject to change'; TechCrunch 2025-01-28: 'all HF users get a small quota of credits'); the official pricing docs were updated 2026-10-07 to 'None' for free users, and only PRO ($9/mo, $2/mo credits) and Team/Enterprise ($2/seat/mo) receive included credits. (3) EDUCATION — no education license or student offer exists on any HF page today; an 'Academia Hub' org tier appears only in the rate-limits docs (no pricing, no application path, not free). (4) TRIAL CREDITS — HF publishes no trial-credit offer for Inference Providers (no signup bonus, no 30-day trial of PRO; a 2026 forum thread indicates paying for PRO with credits was also removed). Only genuinely free routes: the free Hub/Spaces tier (CPU Basic + ZeroGPU, 5 min/day, no card), the $0 custom-provider-key routing path (BYO provider key; provider's own free tiers apply), and 'community GPU grants for side projects' mentioned without a live application URL. No regional restrictions found; global. Sources: [Hugging Face Inference Providers pricing (official, read today)](https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing) · [Hugging Face docs hub rate limits](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/rate-limits) · [Hugging Face docs hub billing](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/billing) · [Hugging Face PRO](https://huggingface.co/pro) · [Hugging Face pricing](https://huggingface.co/pricing) · [Hugging Face enterprise](https://huggingface.co/enterprise) · [guptadeepak: HF Startup Program discontinued (Sep 2026 check)](https://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/huggingface-startups) · [CloudRoute startup-credits changelog Oct 2026](https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/changes) · [Free LLM Credits changelog (HF free credit ended Oct 2026)](https://freellmcredits.com/changes) · [PerkBook: HF for Startups 'No Longer Available'](https://perkbook.co/startup-programs/hugging-for-startups/) · [SaaSTweaks: 6 months free PRO claim (affiliate, unverified)](https://saastweaks.com/startup-credits/hugging-face-pro-credits) · [TechCrunch: Inference Providers launch, Jan 2025](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/28/hugging-face-makes-it-easier-for-devs-to-run-ai-models-on-third-party-clouds/) · [HF forum: paying for PRO with credits no longer possible](https://discuss.huggingface.co/t/is-it-not-possible-to-pay-for-pro-with-credits-anymore/173037). Note: web-search budget was exhausted mid-task; all confidence labels above reflect pages I fetched directly today unless flagged as third-party/unverified.\"", "2025-2026 material changes: (1) Mid-2026 (docs PR merged 2026-07-21; forum reports from 2026-07-09): creating compute Spaces — Gradio or Docker, including formerly-free CPU Basic — now requires a paid plan (PRO $9/mo personal, Team/Enterprise for orgs); free personal accounts were pushed to 'Static only, or up to 2 ZeroGPU Spaces'. This materially shrank the free tier that previously let anyone run a free CPU Gradio Space. (2) 2026-06-29: ZeroGPU hosting formalized a free tier — 'accounts in good standing' (verified email, >30 days old) host up to 2 ZeroGPU Spaces; PRO up to 10; paid orgs up to 50. Before this the free hosting cap/wording changed repeatedly. (3) December 2025: H100 / 8x H100 removed from the Spaces hardware lineup. (4) ZeroGPU hardware migrated from A100 (2024 launch) to NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell by 2026; post-migration some workloads silently fall back to xlarge, doubling quota consumption (forum reports May 2026). (5) No student plan has ever shipped; HF staff confirmed in Oct 2025 that Academia Hub is the only education path. (6) The $10M GPU pledge (May 2024, ZeroGPU launch, via A100s) was a one-off commitment — the durable free offer is the ZeroGPU daily quota, not a $ pool. (7) Payment gotcha: PRO is credit-card-only; India-issued cards are not yet supported (use AWS/Google Cloud Marketplace billing workaround). Free account and all free-tier usage require no card. No region limits on free usage found.", "No free education license or startup program: Hugging Face's education offering is Academia Hub, a PAID institutional plan ($10/seat/month, min 250 annual seats, incl. $2/seat/month compute credits and higher ZeroGPU priority) — institutions like ESCP (Aug 2025) pay for it; there is no self-serve .edu free program and no dedicated free startup program (no application form, no funding-cap criteria found; community GPU grants are the closest equivalent and accept 'Company project' cases). No free ML training/notebook compute exists: HF Jobs and Inference Endpoints are on-demand paid, and the only free inference-side compute is ZeroGPU's 5 min/day plus CPU Basic $0/hr. Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) new Gradio/Docker Spaces now require a paid plan (PRO personal / Team-Enterprise org) — previously CPU Spaces were free for all; free accounts retain only Static Spaces + up to 2 ZeroGPU Gradio Spaces (verified in the spaces-overview doc, 2026-10-22). (2) ZeroGPU hardware is now shared NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (48/96GB slices) replacing the earlier A100/A10G-based shared fleet; the original program (May 2024, ~$10M commitment, The Verge) survives in this form. (3) The former public community-grants application page (huggingface.co/community-grants) is reported 404 as of 2026-Q2; grants are now requested per-Space via the Settings tab link / Community discussion. (4) A May 2026 press item (CBW News) claims ~$5/month free GPU credits for all accounts; this does not appear on huggingface.co/pricing or the official docs and is unverified (low confidence). Free-account 100GB private storage, best-effort public storage, and 'protected' visibility gating to paid plans also confirmed 2026-10-22. WebSearch session budget was exhausted after 2 searches, so sunset/change claims rest on the official pages fetched today plus third-party changelogs (aifree.dev, perq.sh, The Verge, ESCP)." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Hugging Face Inference Providers", "text": "Contradicted by official docs. The Inference Providers pricing page (read Oct 2026) still gives Free users $0.10 of monthly credit (marked subject to change), PRO users $2.00 per month, and pay-as-you-go after that. The claim that free accounts get none is not supported. Oct 2026 forum threads report some new free accounts showing $0.00 balances, so availability looks inconsistent. Restate as reduced to $0.10/month, subject to change.", "url": "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing" }, { "item": "outdated: creating Gradio or Docker Spaces now needs a paid plan", "text": "A September 2026 secondary source says creating Gradio or Docker Spaces needs PRO ($9 per month) or Team, while free accounts can still host two ZeroGPU Spaces. Update the free-tier wording and verify on the Hugging Face pricing page before republishing.", "url": "https://klymentiev.com/blog/huggingface-inference-api" } ], "confidence": { "high": 10, "medium": 2, "low": 3 }, "best_offer": "Inference Providers free account: NO monthly credits (as of Oct 2026)", "link": "https://huggingface.co/docs/inference-providers/en/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "ibm startup with ibm", "name": "IBM Startup with IBM", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://developer.ibm.com/startups/" ], "offers": [ "Flagship 'Startup with IBM' historically up to $120,000 in IBM Cloud credits (Builder $1,000/mo + Premium $10,000/mo, 12 months). As of late 2026 the program appears wound down; current public offer is a $200 new-account credit plus always-free IBM Cloud services." ], "notes": [ "UNCERTAIN/2026: developer.ibm.com/startups now 301-redirects to the IBM Build community group and no live public $120K page remains; a $120K figure still circulates in IBM forums (Feb 2026) but is not officially posted. Treat as historical until IBM republishes; cross-check before relying on it." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Startup with IBM credit program (Builder/Premium, up to $120K)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 the program is no longer publicly available. https://developer.ibm.com/startups/ and its subpages (e.g. /startups/premium/) return 301 redirects to a generic 'IBM Build Partners Technical Group' community page (community.ibm.com), which contains no Startup-with-IBM content, no credit tiers, and no application form. The historical structure was Builder ~$1,000/mo + Premium ~$10,000/mo of IBM Cloud credits over 12 months. The task's claim that the current public offer is a $200 new-account credit plus always-free services is consistent with what the live pages show.", "eligibility": "N/A — program appears wound down; no application page exists as of 2026-10-22", "claim": "No longer claimable — application/program pages removed; URLs 301 to generic community group page", "expiry": "Program no longer publicly listed as of 2026-10-22 (wind-down observed via redirect of all program subpages)", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with other IBM partner programs; the community group it redirects to (IBM Build Partners Technical Group, 961 members, watsonx-tagged) is a general community, not a startup credit program", "source_url": "https://developer.ibm.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "$200 IBM Cloud new-account credit (30 days)", "detail": "New IBM Cloud accounts get USD 200 of general cloud credit usable for 30 days ('Try any IBM Cloud product with $200 in credit to use over the next 30 days'). The 30-day trial also includes 2 GB of runtime and container memory free for 30 days, access to provision up to 10 services, and free help-desk support. This is the current successor offer for startups/individuals now that the Startup program is gone.", "eligibility": "New IBM Cloud accounts; credit card NOT required for the 30-day trial. Free-tier signup 'asks for your credit card to verify identity' but you are not charged for free-tier usage. No .edu or startup-age/funding requirements stated; no region limit stated on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at cloud.ibm.com/registration: 'Try IBM Cloud free for 30 days' or 'Get started for free'; credit applies to the account automatically; no promo code needed for the base $200", "expiry": "Credit valid 30 days from account creation; trial features last 30 days; always-free products 'never expire'", "gotchas": "Trial vs free: $200 credit and the 2 GB memory offer are time-boxed (30 days) and are a trial, not a free tier; always-free (Lite) products are the non-expiring part. Non-Lite usage beyond the credit is billed; CC requested for identity at free-tier signup even though trial needs none.", "source_url": "https://cloud.ibm.com/registration", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free IBM Cloud 'Lite' services (40+ products)", "detail": "40+ products have an always-free 'Lite' plan with no credit card charge for Lite usage. Documented limits include: Hyper Protect Virtual Server 1 vCPU; IBM Cloudant 1 GB storage; Db2 SaaS 200 MB storage; Event Streams 1 partition; Watson Speech to Text 500 min/mo; Watson Text to Speech 10,000 chars/mo; Watson Language Translator 1,000,000 chars/mo; Watson Assistant 10,000 API calls/mo; API Connect 50,000 calls/mo; Container Registry 5 GB/mo pull; App ID 1,000 events/mo; Watson ML 20 capacity unit-hours; plus free 'Terraform-as-a-service' Schematics, and 30-day trials for Secrets Manager and IBM Cloud Internet Services.", "eligibility": "Any IBM Cloud account (free-tier signup asks for a CC to verify identity, but 'you will not be charged for any usage within the free tier' and Lite products 'never expire and you can't be charged for them—ever'); no .edu or startup requirement", "claim": "Create a free IBM Cloud account, then provision services on the 'Lite' plan instead of paid plans; Lite is a plan choice at provisioning time, nothing to apply for", "expiry": "Always-free, no expiry for Lite plans; monthly quotas reset on the 1st of each month", "gotchas": "Lite instances sleep after 10 days of inactivity and are deleted after 30 days; hitting a monthly cap suspends that service for the rest of the month; egress/data-transfer and any non-Lite (paid) usage is billed normally — 'unlimited inbound' is not guaranteed and Lift CLI is the only page item stating unlimited inbound.", "source_url": "https://www.ibm.com/cloud/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Service-specific promo credits (new accounts)", "detail": "In addition to the base $200, the official free page lists promo credits for new accounts: USD 1,000 IBM Db2 Warehouse on Cloud; USD 1,000 for 120 days for Bare Metal Servers for VPC (code VPC1000); USD 2,500 for up to 90 days for IBM Power Virtual Server (code POWERVS2500); USD 5,000 for 90 days for Backup & Recovery (code BUYBRS); USD 500 over first 3 months via code TRYCOS; USD 400 for IBM Cloud Logs.", "eligibility": "New-account/first-purchase offers; codes suggest claim-at-provisioning; no .edu requirement. Startup- or region-specific restrictions not stated on the page.", "claim": "Cited codes are entered/applied when ordering the corresponding service in a new IBM Cloud account (offer codes like VPC1000, POWERVS2500, BUYBRS, TRYCOS)", "expiry": "Per-offer: 30 days (Db2 Warehouse), 120 days (VPC), 90 days (Power Virtual Server, B&R), 3 months (TRYCOS)", "gotchas": "These are one-off first-use credits tied to specific services — they don't substitute for the always-free Lite plans; availability of the listed codes may vary by account/region and the page does not spell out redemption mechanics.", "source_url": "https://www.ibm.com/cloud/free", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "IBM SkillsBuild (free education platform, student/faculty/K-12 tracks)", "detail": "IBM's education offering is 100% free: skillsbuild.org describes '100% free learning' with courses in AI, cybersecurity, data, cloud, and industry tracks; audience tiers for adult learners, university students/educators (AI projects, 'portfolio-ready projects'), and high-school students/teachers (teacher toolkit, foundation skills). Includes industry-recognized digital credentials, an 'AI Level Up' assessment, and free virtual events. IBM's stated goal: skill 30 million people globally by 2030. This is the main 'education license/free-for-students' substitute that remains — it is free content, not cloud credits, and there is no .edu-gated license today.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (no .edu email requirement stated, no CC required); university and high-school tracks are for students/educators but are publicly accessible", "claim": "Create a free account at skillsbuild.org (or via developer.ibm.com) and take courses/pathways; credentials issued on course completion", "expiry": "No expiry — perpetual free access; IBM 'skill 30 million by 2030' commitment is the program horizon", "gotchas": "It is learning content, not a cloud-credit offer — do not expect any IBM Cloud compute/storage from it; credential value is 'industry-recognized' but employer-dependent.", "source_url": "https://skillsbuild.org", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "- Startup with IBM (historically up to ~$120,000 in IBM Cloud credits via Builder ~$1,000/mo and Premium ~$10,000/mo, 12 months) appears wound down by late 2026: developer.ibm.com/startups/ and /startups/premium/ now 301-redirect to a generic 'IBM Build Partners Technical Group' community page with no program content, tiers, or application path; ibm.com/cloud/startups resolves to a generic products listing with no startup program. The live successor offers are the $200 new-account credit (30 days), the 40+ always-free Lite services, and the service-specific promo credits listed above. Exact sunset date not published on the pages checked today. - No student-specific cloud-credit program (e.g., .edu-gated credits) is publicly listed today; the education free offer is SkillsBuild's 100% free learning platform. - IBM developer learning portal paths such as developer.ibm.com/learn and ibm.com/education now 404; free learning content has consolidated around developer.ibm.com (courses/tutorials/learning paths, all free) and skillsbuild.org." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Startup with IBM credit program (Builder/Premium, up to $120K)", "link": "https://developer.ibm.com/startups/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "influxdata influxdb", "name": "InfluxData InfluxDB Cloud", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.influxdata.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free serverless plan (limited ingestion rates, 30-day retention, multi-tenant, quotas apply) + $250 free credit for first 30 days on new accounts; InfluxDB 3 Core OSS free forever to self-host" ], "notes": [ "Verified on pricing page 2026-10. Paid usage: data in $0.0025/MB, queries $0.012/100, storage $0.002/GB-hr." ], "findings": [ { "name": "InfluxDB Cloud Serverless Free Plan (permanent, quota-limited)", "detail": "Free forever multi-tenant serverless plan. Limits (official docs): data-in writes 5 MB per 5 min (~17 kB/s avg), reads 300 MB per 5 min, cardinality 10k series, 2 buckets/databases, 5 dashboards, 5 tasks, 2 alert checks, 2 notification rules, 30-day data retention, 1 organization per account, no uptime SLA, community/Slack support only. No expiration; an idle account (zero writes and queries for 30+ days) is closed with email notice first. Multi-tenant regions: AWS US-West-2 (Oregon), AWS US-East (Virginia), AWS Frankfurt, Azure East US + West Europe, GCP US Central (Iowa).", "eligibility": "Anyone with an email account; no .edu required, no credit card required, no startup or age criteria. Sign up at cloud2.influxdata.com/signup. Note the free plan runs the InfluxDB 2.x (TSM) engine; InfluxDB 3 workloads are the new serverless offering (see credit finding).", "claim": "1) Go to cloud2.influxdata.com/signup and create a free account (no credit card). 2) Choose a region (AWS Oregon/Virginia/Frankfurt, Azure East US/Amsterdam, GCP Iowa). 3) Pick Free Plan; create up to 2 buckets, 5 dashboards, 5 tasks. 4) Keep writing/reading at least once a month to avoid 30-day inactivity close. Upgrade to Usage-Based any time from the Billing page.", "expiry": "No expiration. Account auto-closes only after 30+ consecutive days with zero writes/queries (email warning first). Free-plan quotas apply indefinitely.", "gotchas": "Rate limits are very tight: 5 MB per 5 min (~14 MB/day max) and 30-day retention means only a few hundred MB of total data can be alive. Cardinality capped at 10k series (pricing page says 'contact sales' to scale, which implies not available on free). No HA, no uptime SLA, no dedicated support, no SAML/SSO. Free plan is InfluxDB 2.x TSM — the 2.x OSS line is in end-of-life/maintenance mode, and InfluxData is pushing InfluxDB 3, so feature investment has shifted. Pausing usage does not pause storage billing on paid plans; on the free plan storage is free only within the 30-day retention window.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/influxdb-cloud-pricing/andhttps://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/cloud/account-management/limits/(limitspage:writes5MB/5min,reads300MB/5min,10kseries,2buckets,5dashboards,5tasks,2checks,2notificationrules,30-dayretention)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "$250 free credit on new paid InfluxDB Cloud accounts (30 days)", "detail": "New paid accounts (InfluxDB Cloud Serverless, usage-based plan) receive $250 in credit applied to the first 30 days. Usage rates the credit pays against: data in $0.0025/MB written; query count $0.012 per 100 query executions; storage $0.002/GB-hour; data out $0.09/GB. Marketing: '$250 free credit to start', 'no minimum commitment', 'no credit card required' to start serverless. Rates for queries are per month for tasks/alerts (an alert check every 5 min = 8,640 billable query executions/month). Billing cycles are calendar months; you are billed early the following month.", "eligibility": "Any new paid account — no .edu, no startup certification, no funding cap; regional limits are the same 6 multi-tenant regions as the free plan. A payment method (credit card; ACH/invoice via support@influxdata.com) is required to stay on the Usage-Based plan — the 'no credit card required' applies only to the free/starting tier; the moment you're on usage-based billing, charges hit the card. No student/startup-only version of this credit exists on official pages.", "claim": "1) Sign up at cloud2.influxdata.com/signup (no card needed for the free plan). 2) From the Billing page, upgrade to the Usage-Based plan. 3) The $250 credit applies to your first 30 days of usage-based billing. 4) Usage rates accrue across four vectors (data in, query count, storage, data out); the credit offsets those charges.", "expiry": "Credit applies only to the first 30 days of the new paid account; after it is exhausted or the 30-day window ends, standard usage-based rates apply and your card is charged on the calendar-month cycle.", "gotchas": "This is a trial credit, not a free tier — once $250 is spent or 30 days pass, all usage is billed; data out at $0.09/GB and storage $0.002/GB-hour add up fast (30 days of ~10 GB = ~432 GB-hours = ~$0.86/mo just for storage, plus queries). An alert check every 5 min alone is 8,640 billable executions/month. Late payments trigger a de-escalation ladder: 2 retries over 72h; at 7 days or 3 declines, all operations except writes are disabled; at 14 days the whole account is disabled; at 21 days suspension. Canceling charges the payment method immediately. Older marketing copy said the credit was given 'upon upgrade' from the free plan; current /pricing/ copy frames it as '$250 free credit to start' — in practice it is tied to the first 30 days of a new paid account. Web search was exhausted partway through this task, so I could not verify whether InfluxData added/removed credit wording in 2025-2026 news; rely on the live pricing/FAQ pages.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/pricing/('$250freecredittostart','nocreditcardrequired',usagerates$0.0025/MBin,$0.012/100queries,$0.002/GB-hrstorage,$0.09/GBout;FAQ:'Newpaidaccountsreceive$250increditsappliedtothefirst30days')andhttps://www.influxdata.com/influxdb-cloud-pricing/('Upgradeanytimetoget$250increditforyourproject')", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 30-day free trial (no credit card)", "detail": "InfluxDB 3 Enterprise (self-managed, on-prem/private cloud/edge, or a Cloud PoC) has a 30-day free trial with 'no commitment' and explicitly 'no credit card needed'. During the trial you get: unlimited scale (no service quotas), HA + read replicas, SAML/SSO + OAuth, enterprise security/compliance, and a technical support SLA. After the trial, Enterprise is custom pricing based on CPU configuration (there is also a Cloud Dedicated offering and Amazon Timestream for InfluxDB billed to your AWS account where existing AWS credits/EDP discounts apply — no separate InfluxData free-credit program of its own).", "eligibility": "Anyone (developer, student, or startup); no .edu required, no funding/age cap, no credit card required during the trial. Trial download or 'Talk to Sales' for a Cloud PoC. No region restriction on self-managed; Timestream requires AWS account (US regions where Timestream is available).", "claim": "1) For self-hosted trial: download InfluxDB 3 Enterprise from the InfluxData site / trial page and run it for up to 30 days. 2) For a managed PoC: click 'Run a PoC' / 'Request a proof of concept' on the pricing page; a sales rep contacts you. 3) No card required; decide on license or cloud contract afterwards.", "expiry": "30 days. No auto-conversion to a paid license — the trial simply lapses; contact sales to convert. The marketing page headline now says '30-day trial · Installs in under 5 minutes · Enterprise SLA available'.", "gotchas": "Trial, not free: after 30 days you must license Enterprise (custom pricing, contact sales) or move to the free InfluxDB 3 Core OSS (self-hosted, community support) or the free Cloud plan. Trial has no SLA guarantee beyond 'available' language; dedicated cloud (Cloud Dedicated) has NO free trial at all — custom pricing only. Timestream pricing inherits whatever AWS free-tier/credits you have but InfluxData adds nothing.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/pricing/('InfluxDB3Enterprise—30-dayfreetrial,nocreditcardneeded,nocommitment';'AmazonTimestreamforInfluxDB—AWSconsumptionpricing,existingAWScredits&EDPdiscountsapply')", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "InfluxDB 3 Enterprise free tier for at-home, non-commercial use (alpha)", "detail": "Announced 2025-01-27 (blog post 'updated November 20, 2025' by Paul Dix): a free tier of InfluxDB 3 Enterprise for 'at-home, non-commercial use' — all Enterprise capabilities (unlimited-range querying, compaction, no 72-hour query-span cap) at zero cost, 'rate limited in some way' with the concrete limits still being defined with the community. Status at the time of the update: alpha. Access is via the InfluxData community Discord (tell them what rate limits work for your use case). Non-commercial: personal/home use only — student capstones are borderline, startup commercial use is explicitly NOT covered.", "eligibility": "At-home, non-commercial users (personal sensors, home metrics, hobby projects). Commercial use excluded — so it is not a usable free tier for startups shipping a product. .edu not required; rate limits were still being shaped as of the Nov 20 2025 update. No formal sign-up form; engagement via community Discord.", "claim": "1) Join the InfluxData community Discord (link in the blog post). 2) State your at-home use case and the rate limits you'd want. 3) Get a free at-home InfluxDB 3 Enterprise build/license. 4) Verify the alpha status and any published rate caps before relying on it.", "expiry": "Not formally defined — this is an alpha program; terms (rate limits) were still open as of the 2025-11-20 update. No renewal question, but expect terms to be finalized (or the program to ship as a proper free tier) later; re-check the blog/Discord before treating it as stable.", "gotchas": "Alpha: features/limits can change or be withdrawn. 'Non-commercial' is the hard eligibility boundary — it does not satisfy a startup's production workload. No SLA or support commitment. Because I could not re-verify the current (Oct 2026) status (web search budget exhausted for this session), treat the exact rate limits as unconfirmed — the official pages I read today (pricing, cloud pricing, FAQ) do not list this at-home tier at all.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/blog/influxdb3-open-source-public-alpha-jan-27/(announcedtwoweeksintoInfluxDB3Core/Enterprisealpha;updated2025-11-20)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "InfluxDB OSS (1.x / 2.x / 3 Core) — free forever, self-host", "detail": "Self-hosted open-source builds are free forever: InfluxDB 1.x (Apache-2.0), InfluxDB 2.x OSS (MIT/Apache 2.x engine), and the new InfluxDB 3 Core (permissively licensed open source) — 'Full InfluxDB 3 engine · Linux, Mac, Docker', community support only, no HA, no enterprise security. Known trade-off: InfluxDB 3 Core's original hard 72-hour limit on writable/queryable timestamp ranges was lifted in late January 2025 (you can write any historical timestamp and query arbitrary start/end), but the maximum single-query range still defaults to 72 hours (432 ten-minute Parquet blocks), configurable at server start. InfluxData's own marketing labels 3 Core 'Free Forever · Self-managed · Community supported' for local dev, exploration, and prototyping.", "eligibility": "Unlimited — anyone can download and self-host. No .edu, no startup cap, no credit card, no region limits (you run it wherever you have machines). Commercial use of the OSS builds is permitted (standard OSS licenses); the 'at-home' restriction only applies to the free Enterprise tier, not to OSS.", "claim": "1) Download InfluxDB 3 Core (or 1.x/2.x OSS) from influxdata.com/downloads or the relevant Docker Hub / package repos. 2) Install locally or on your own VM/container (Linux, Mac, Docker). 3) Use the influx CLI / HTTP API to write and query. No account, no billing.", "expiry": "None — perpetual OSS builds (Apache/MIT lineage). 1.x is in maintenance/end-of-life mode (security fixes only); 2.x is frozen in favor of 3; 3 Core is the actively developed OSS line.", "gotchas": "OSS has no support SLA, no HA, no enterprise security (SAML/SSO), and no service quotas but you carry all the ops. 3 Core is optimized for short query ranges (hours, not years) — for multi-year history you need Enterprise (paid or the alpha at-home tier). If you need a managed free database instead of self-hosting, use the Cloud Free Plan above.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/pricing/('InfluxDB3Core—Opensource.Localdev,exploration,andprototyping.FreeForever·Self-managed.Communitysupported.FullInfluxDB3engine·Linux,Mac,Docker.NoHA,noenterprisesecurity')andhttps://www.influxdata.com/blog/influxdb3-open-source-public-alpha-jan-27/(72-hourlimitationupdate)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "InfluxDB University — free self-paced courses (no license offer)", "detail": "InfluxDB University (influxdata.com/learn / /university) offers free self-paced courses and instructor-led training ('free courses and instructor-led training, on your schedule') for learning InfluxDB. It is an education resource, not a free product license — it does not by itself grant InfluxDB Cloud free capacity, a reduced-rate subscription, or a credential (the landing page does not mention certifications). Listed here because it is the closest thing InfluxData has to a student/education offering, and it has no .edu requirement or cost.", "eligibility": "Anyone, free, no .edu or startup requirement, self-paced. Instructor-led training is also free per the landing page ('free courses and instructor-led training').", "claim": "1) Go to influxdata.com/learn (or /university). 2) Pick a self-paced InfluxDB course. 3) Complete at your own pace. No sign-up gates are documented on the landing page.", "expiry": "None documented; it's a standing free resource.", "gotchas": "No product license, no credit, no certificate/credential language on the page. For actual free database capacity use the Cloud Free Plan / $250 credit instead. Confidence is medium because I read only the landing page (course catalog details, whether certificates exist deeper in the program) — I did not enumerate every course.", "source_url": "https://www.influxdata.com/learn/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student-specific or startup-specific program exists as of 2026-10-22: /education/ and /startups/ on influxdata.com both return 404, and the pricing, cloud-pricing, FAQ, and marketing pages contain zero mention of .edu eligibility, startup age/funding caps, or startup grants. For students and startups the only free offers are the general ones above (Cloud Free Plan, $250 new-account credit, Enterprise 30-day trial, OSS). 2025-2026 changes worth flagging: (1) The Free Plan's documentation and limits still describe InfluxDB Cloud TSM (the 2.x engine) — InfluxData's current marketing (influxdata.com/pricing) has been rebuilt around InfluxDB 3 (3 Core OSS, 3 Enterprise trial, Timestream on AWS, Cloud Serverless with $250 credit), so the TSM-centric docs may be superseded as 3-serverless matures; (2) InfluxDB 3 Core's original 72-hour write/query-range limitation was lifted on 2025-01-27 except the single-query span default (432 blocks = 72 h, configurable); (3) the InfluxDB 3 Enterprise at-home free tier announced 2025-01-27 was still alpha with unconfirmed rate limits as of its 2025-11-20 blog update and is absent from all pricing pages today; (4) InfluxDB 1.x/2.x OSS lines are effectively end-of-life, with InfluxDB 3 as the active OSS line; (5) an old InfluxDB Cloud test pricing page (influxdb-pricing-test-old, marked 'PAGE NOT IN USE') described the credit as '$250 credit for 30 days upon upgrade' — current copy frames it as a new-paid-account credit applied to the first 30 days. Caveat: the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted partway through, so program-level news (e.g., InfluxData joining Launchpad/CloudSparkle-style startup programs, or any 2026 credit changes) could not be independently re-verified; official pages fetched today are the basis for the high-confidence findings above." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "InfluxDB Cloud Serverless Free Plan (permanent, quota-limited)", "link": "https://www.influxdata.com/influxdb-cloud-pricing/andhttps://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/cloud/account-management/limits/(limitspage:writes5MB/5min,reads300MB/5min,10kseries,2buckets,5dashboards,5tasks,2checks,2notificationrules,30-dayretention)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "instatus", "name": "Instatus", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "1 year free Instatus Pro for verified startups (via StartGround)", "detail": "Instatus's own startups page (instatus.com/startups) headlines '1 year free pro plan' for members of Secret, FounderPass, RocketHub or StartGround. The StartGround deal page (last updated January 4, 2026) describes it as '1 Year Free on Instatus Pro Plan': 'Free for 12 Months', unlocked for 12 months from activation, with 'Up to $240 in savings' (equal to 12 x $20). The page says explicitly that this is not a trial and needs no promo code. It lists the Pro plan as 'Unlimited team members, subscribers, custom domain'.", "eligibility": "'Verified startups via StartGround.' StartGround membership is described as free (create a free startup account). The only verification step is an application (contact name, business email, company website, a few lines about the business). No criteria are defined for 'verified' (no revenue, funding, company-age, region or team-size limits). Early-stage businesses building a digital product are 'likely eligible'. Students are not named. Instatus also names Secret, FounderPass and RocketHub as qualifying programs, but none of them confirmed the deal (see gotchas).", "claim": "1) Create a free StartGround startup account, or sign in. 2) Submit the 'Verify Your Startup' application. 3) Wait for approval; no review timeline is given. 4) Approved applicants receive an activation link; the deal page's link is https://go.startground.com/instatus. 5) Sign up at Instatus with a business email, Google or GitHub. No credit card is required, and Pro activates automatically on first login. The 'Apply now' button on instatus.com/startups has no URL.", "expiry": "No claim deadline is stated. Access runs 12 months from activation. The page says the account can then continue on Pro at the regular $20/month rate or move to the Free plan. It does not say what happens if the user takes no action.", "gotchas": "(a) Pro limits conflict: StartGround says Pro is unlimited for team members, subscribers and custom domains, but the official pricing summary lists Pro at 5,000 subscribers, 50 team members and 1+ custom domains. Check the live pricing page before relying on either. (b) Approval is not guaranteed, and no cap on awards or seats is stated. (c) Partner check: Secret's homepage, FounderPass's homepage and StartGround's homepage do not mention Instatus; RocketHub returned HTTP 403; Secret's deal catalog loaded only 36 of 613 results and says full access needs Premium. Only StartGround was confirmed to list the deal. (d) StartGround earns affiliate commissions on its links, which the page discloses. (e) The page does not say whether billing starts automatically at the end of the 12 months, so check the account before then.", "source_url": "https://startground.com/deals/instatus/(dealterms,primary);https://instatus.com/startups(vendorofferandpartnerlist)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Instatus Starter free-forever plan (open to anyone)", "detail": "The official pricing page and homepage show a free plan: '$0/month', 'Free forever plan', 'No credit card required'. Starter limits from the pricing table: 200 subscribers (capped), 5 team members, 15 monitors, 2-minute check interval, email alerts only, public status pages only, no custom domain, no SAML. Pro starts at $20/mo.", "eligibility": "Anyone. Not limited to students or startups, and no verification is described.", "claim": "Click 'Start free' or sign up at https://dashboard.instatus.com/onboarding. No credit card is needed.", "expiry": "None stated.", "gotchas": "The 200-subscriber cap contradicts the computed task's 'unlimited subscribers' premise. StartGround's deal page also says the free plan has unlimited teammates and subscribers, which conflicts with the official table. The limits came from a summarised page extraction, so confirm them on the live pricing page. This is the general free tier, not a student or startup program.", "source_url": "https://instatus.com/pricing;https://instatus.com", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Instatus free Pro account for non-profits and open-source projects (on request)", "detail": "Pricing page: 'Also if you're a non-profit organization or an open-source project, you can email us to get a free Pro account.' The grant is for Pro, the paid tier (from $20/mo). StartGround's deal page says Instatus 'occasionally runs extended offers' for nonprofit, open-source and education groups and tells them to contact support. Those extended offers are not published.", "eligibility": "Non-profit organisations or open-source projects only. This is not a student or startup offer. A student or startup qualifies only if it is also a non-profit or open-source project.", "claim": "Email Instatus. The pricing page gives no request address for this offer. The only address on the page is support@instatus.com in the footer, and it is not tied to this offer.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "No verification process, duration or renewal rule is described. Confirm the address and terms with Instatus before relying on this.", "source_url": "https://instatus.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verdict: genuine free offers exist, but none is student-specific. (1) Startups: a 1-year free Pro plan through StartGround's application, advertised by Instatus (finding 1). (2) Anyone: the Starter free-forever plan (finding 2). (3) Non-profits and open-source projects: free Pro on request (finding 3). No student or education offer was found. instatus.com/students returned 404, and StartGround mentions only unpublished 'extended offers' for education groups.Not counted as free offers: the annual billing discount ('25% off', and 'three months free' when paying a year up front, both on paid plans), and 'Start trial' on Pro and Business (length and terms not stated).Closures or changes in 2025-2026: none found on the pages fetched. The StartGround deal was last updated January 4, 2026. WebSearch was unavailable because the session search budget was used up, so no 2025-2026 news search was run and the July 2026 free-for-dev tracker claim is unchecked.Pages that failed: instatus.com/students, /open-source, /terms and /terms-of-service returned 404. RocketHub returned 403, so its catalog was not checked. Secret's catalog loaded only partly (36 of 613 results).Premise correction: the computed task describes the free plan as having unlimited subscribers. The official pricing summary caps Starter at 200 subscribers. Verify on the live pricing page before the index relies on either figure." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "1 year free Instatus Pro for verified startups (via StartGround)", "link": "https://startground.com/deals/instatus/(dealterms,primary);https://instatus.com/startups(vendorofferandpartnerlist)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "ionos free trial", "name": "IONOS Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ionos.com/cloud/vps/" ], "offers": [ "Free 30-day trials on VPS/web hosting, plus rotating promos (e.g., a free 1-year VPS with a purchase); no perpetual free tier." ], "notes": [ "Trial-based, not a standing free tier; the 'free 1-year VPS'-style promos rotate - verify the current trial length/promo in-console." ], "findings": [ { "name": "IONOS VPS '30-day free trial' (30-day money-back guarantee)", "detail": "The 'Free VPS Trial' on IONOS's US site is a 30-day money-back guarantee, not a no-cost trial: you pay for the VPS up front (current VPS+ lineup: S+ $2/mo, M+ $5/mo, L+ $8/mo for 3 months with a 1-year term; older 'VPS' line from $2-4/mo on 3-year terms) and IONOS refunds 'no questions asked' if you cancel within 30 days. VPS includes unlimited traffic up to 1 Gbps, NVMe storage, wildcard SSL, KVM root access, Linux (AlmaLinux/Debian/Rocky/Ubuntu) or Windows Server 2022/2025. Not a perpetual free tier; renews into the paid term after the window.", "eligibility": "New consumers/businesses; any customer. No .edu email, no startup age or funding cap. Payment card (credit card) IS required to start. US storefront sells into US, UK, German, Spanish data-center locations; other IONOS country sites (CA, UK, NZ) run the same 30-day trial with local pricing (e.g., CA adds a $15 setup fee; CA prices $3-6/mo).", "claim": "Order any VPS plan (e.g. VPS S+ at $2/mo, 3-mo intro, 1-yr term), use it up to 30 days, cancel for a full refund.", "expiry": "30 days from order/activation; cancel inside the window for full refund. After that the 1-year term (or 3-year for older VPS line) applies with list prices.", "gotchas": "Trial = refund offer, NOT free: CC charged immediately and refund processing is required; sales tax/state tax applies; Windows OS, extra IPv4 ($5/mo), Plesk ($6/mo US) and Cloud Backup (~$0.065/GB/mo) are add-ons that also factor into the effective cost; 'unlimited traffic' is only up to a 1 Gbit/s connection; US data-center availability is the practical region limit for the .com offer.", "source_url": "https://www.ionos.com/servers/free-vps", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "$200 IONOS Cloud server credit ('free server hosting' trial, 30 days)", "detail": "IONOS US 'Free Cloud Server Trial': packages contain starting credit of $200 (UK: £200) entitling the user to 30 days of free cloud-server hosting as long as booked resources don't exceed the credit. Cloud cubes are pay-as-you-go, billed down-to-the-minute: Basic Cube XS $5.76/30d, S $10.08/30d, M $18.72/30d, L $34.56/30d, XL $65.52/30d; Memory cubes $13.68-90.00/30d. Cubes available in EU data centers and Newark, NJ, USA. 'Free server hosting' marketing also appears on ionos.com/servers/free-server-hosting. HostingAdvice (updated Aug 2026) additionally describes $100 first-month credits for Compute Engine, S3 storage and Managed Kubernetes plans.", "eligibility": "New IONOS cloud customers; no student/.edu requirement, no startup age or funding cap. Credit card required for the account (pay-as-you-go billing). Data-center locations: EU + Newark NJ for cloud cubes; other regions via IONOS CLOUD enterprise sales.", "claim": "Create an IONOS account, order a cloud server (Cube) sized so expected 30-day consumption stays under the $200 credit; no minimum contract, cancel anytime; if credit is exceeded you are billed only the difference.", "expiry": "30 days or credit exhaustion, whichever first; account then converts to production billing automatically. Extensions only by contacting the account manager.", "gotchas": "This one is genuinely free up to the credit (unlike the VPS refund trial) but the CC gets charged automatically if you exceed $200 or run past 30 days; Windows Server licenses (from ~$0.0072/vCPU/hr, i.e. ~$5.18/30d/vCPU) and RHEL licenses add on top of the base cube price; outbound traffic is metered; traffic/Windows/backup/object-storage usage is not shown in the dashboard and must be watched via the Billing API; no data-egress free allowance stated.", "source_url": "https://www.ionos.com/cloud/free-cloud-server", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "IONOS CLOUD 30-day trial account (up to EUR 500 of resources), incl. private cloud/bare-metal via sales", "detail": "Official IONOS CLOUD trial conditions: every customer can test the production environment. Default trial resources: 8 cores, 20 GB RAM, 600 GB HDD + 600 GB SSD Standard/Premium, 1 static IP; trial limited to 30 days OR maximum resource consumption of EUR 500. Account creation requires company + credit card details and phone verification; the CLOUD sales team calls within 24h on working days. Private cloud (VMware on dedicated hardware, i.e. the closest bare-metal/DCC-free trial) can also be tested free for 30 days 'contact IONOS CLOUD sales directly.' Trial accounts auto-convert to production with billing at expiry or when resources are exhausted.", "eligibility": "Corporate/enterprise prospects ('every customer' may test); trial signup asks for company details and a credit card. No student or .edu path through this program. Region: IONOS CLOUD data centers incl. US (Las Vegas/DC-region mentions in docs), EU (Karlsruhe, Frankfurt); EU-only CLOUD regions possible.", "claim": "Apply via IONOS CLOUD sales (phone +49 30 57700 840 or beratung@cloud.ionos.de); private-cloud/bare-metal trial by speaking with the sales department; trial converts to production account automatically at expiry.", "expiry": "30 days or EUR 500 consumption, whichever first; extensions require the account manager.", "gotchas": "CC required and used for billing after conversion; resources, not just time, cap the trial (500 EUR); traffic, Windows licenses, backups, S3 storage aren't itemized in the dashboard - watch via Billing API; data must be deleted before trial end or it becomes billable production data; this is a separate enterprise funnel from the consumer VPS/cube trials.", "source_url": "https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/faq/trial-conditions", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "IONOS CLOUD Startup Program (special offers for students, freelancers, startups)", "detail": "IONOS's official CLOUD FAQ confirms: 'Do you offer discounts on contracts? ... Does IONOS CLOUD have special offers for students, freelancers, or startups? We have special offers for students, freelancers, and startups. For more information, see IONOS CLOUD Startup Program.' The dedicated startup-program URL on ionos.com returned 404 today, so exact credit amounts, company-age or funding caps, and application steps are not publicly documented. Treat amounts as unknown/confirm-with-sales.", "eligibility": "Per the FAQ, aimed at students, freelancers and startups; no .edu-only requirement stated publicly. Credit card likely required as with all IONOS CLOUD accounts. No published funding cap or company-age limit found.", "claim": "Contact IONOS CLOUD sales (beratung@cloud.ionos.de / +49 30 57700 840) to apply; no self-serve portal found on ionos.com.", "expiry": "Unknown - not publicly documented.", "gotchas": "Details (credit size, duration, renewal) require direct contact with IONOS CLOUD sales; region likely EU (the program sits on IONOS CLOUD, sold via German sales team); third-party 'IONOS startup credit' claims should be treated as unverified.", "source_url": "https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/faq/costs-and-billing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Rotating promos: free 1-year VPS with purchase / coupon-driven deals", "detail": "IONOS has historically run rotating bundle promos such as 'VPS free for 12 months with a purchase' (typically a paid web hosting or domain purchase making the VPS free for its first year). No such 1-year-VPS bundle was visible on the pages fetched today (2026-10-22); the special-deals page currently shows 1-year-term deals (Website Builder $1/mo, WordPress $1/mo, Web Hosting $6/mo) but no free-12-month VPS bundle. Status: possibly inactive right now or gated behind checkout/coupon codes.", "eligibility": "New customers; no student restriction; CC required; US storefront.", "claim": "Watch IONOS storefronts (ionos.com/special-deals, coupon-codes) and third-party deal aggregators; offers are time-boxed and rotating.", "expiry": "Time-boxed promo; check the deals page for current codes.", "gotchas": "'Free 1-year VPS' in these bundles usually means 12 months at $0 on top of a paid anchor purchase (hosting/domain), often with a longer-term commitment on the paid item afterwards; verify the promo's T&C at checkout, as IONOS rotates and expires these frequently.", "source_url": "https://www.ionos.com/special-deals", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Student/education: no dedicated .edu free tier; UNiDAYS listing + generic coupons only", "detail": "No IONOS education license or .edu-gated free tier was found. IONOS appears in UNiDAYS (GB) as a student-discount partner, but the partner page lists generic IONOS discounts (domains, hosting, servers) without a quantified student offer; major coupon sites (Cybernews, HostAdvice, updated 2026) explicitly state 'IONOS does not provide a dedicated student discount' and sell unverified generic coupon codes (e.g. up to 94% off web hosting, up to 18% off VPS).", "eligibility": "Anyone; UNiDAYS listing nominally targets students but no verified .edu requirement on any IONOS offer found. No funding-cap or startup-age condition applies to the standard trials.", "claim": "No .edu free tier or education license exists; students get the same consumer trials plus third-party UNiDAYS/coupons.", "expiry": "N/A - no perpetual student program; generic trials apply as above.", "gotchas": "Treat third-party 'student coupon' claims as marketing, not IONOS policy; do not expect .edu verification to unlock a VPS free tier - the only student-adjacent path is the IONOS CLOUD Startup Program's 'special offers for students' via sales contact.", "source_url": "https://www.myunidays.com/GB/en-GB/partners/ionos/view", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No verified sunset of the core free offers in 2025-2026: the VPS 30-day money-back trial, the $200/£200 cloud-server starting credit, and the IONOS CLOUD 30-day trial account (8 cores/20GB RAM/600GB storage, EUR 500 cap) were all present on official pages/docs as of 2026-10-22. Material 2025 changes found: (1) Windows Server license fees for IONOS Cloud cubes rose ~10% effective 2025-01-01 (announced on the free-cloud-server page). (2) The VPS lineup was refreshed: a new 'VPS+' generation (Dell enterprise hardware, S+ $2/mo, M+ $5/mo, L+ $8/mo for 3 months on 1-year terms) now fronts the .com VPS pages, while the older 'VPS' line (from $2-4/mo, 3-year terms, $4/mo anchor price) persists at cloud-vps.html; pricing pages show both, so renewals can land on higher list prices than the intro deal. (3) The rotating 'free 1-year VPS with purchase' promo was not visible on any fetched page today and may be between rotations - do not rely on it without a live coupon. (4) IONOS CLOUD startup-program details remain unpublished (404 on the likely URL); only the FAQ attests the program exists. WebSearch budget for this session was exhausted after ~4 searches, so 2025-2026 press on sunsets was not exhaustively covered; a startup-program URL returned 404 on fetch." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "IONOS VPS '30-day free trial' (30-day money-back guarantee)", "link": "https://www.ionos.com/servers/free-vps", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "jetbrains student pack", "name": "JetBrains Student Pack", "fronts": [ "devtools", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.jetbrains.com/shop/eform/students/", "https://www.jetbrains.com/academy/student-pack/" ], "offers": [ "All JetBrains IDEs free for students/teachers (1-year, renewable, non-commercial) + 40% graduation discount for 2 years; several IDEs free for anyone (non-commercial)", "Free full IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLion, GoLand, etc.) for students/teachers as long as enrolled, verified via university email, GitHub Student Developer Pack, or official docs; AI tools available via trial/AI Free plan" ], "notes": [ "CLion/Rider/RubyMine/RustRover/WebStorm free for non-commercial use; IntelliJ IDEA & PyCharm Community free for all; 2026: Teacher Pack for Bootcamps sunsets Oct 1, 2026 (retires Apr 2027)", "Annual re-verification required; 40% graduation discount for 2 years after student license expires. Bootcamp/coupon program retired - no new coupons issued after 2026-10-01." ], "findings": [ { "name": "JetBrains Student Pack - free full IDE licenses for students", "detail": "Free, non-commercial licenses for the paid IDEs while you stay enrolled; must be re-verified (renewed) annually with a reminder email. Products named in the Aug 2025 blog: IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, CLion, Rider, PhpStorm, DataGrip, RubyMine, RustRover, DataSpell, GoLand (11 IDEs). Also includes the JetBrains Academy plugin (100+ courses), IDE Features Trainer, and Code With Me. Non-commercial use only.", "eligibility": "Student at an accredited educational institution (university/college; program longer than one year - bootcamps/short courses NOT eligible). Verify via: official university (.edu-like) email, ISIC/ITIC student ID, GitHub Student Developer Pack account, or uploaded official enrollment document (student ID/enrollment letter, <=4MB, not older than 6 months; China can use chsi.com.cn report; review up to 2 weeks). Minors need a parent/guardian email for consent. No credit card required. GitHub Student Developer Pack is a first-class application route (GitHub is a 'trusted partner').", "claim": "1) Apply at jetbrains.com/estore/students (or the academy student-pack page) using a GitHub Student Developer Pack account, university email + ID, or official documents; 2) email verification link; 3) after approval, log in to a JetBrains Account, download any IDE in the list - license activates automatically; installation instructions arrive by email.", "expiry": "Valid as long as you remain a student; renewal annually (JetBrains reminds by email; resubmit proof of enrollment). The Sep 12, 2025 prize-draw deadline has passed.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial only - no commercial work. Free educational licenses exclude short-term/bootcamp programs (official FAQ, updated 30 Sep 2026). Annual re-verification required or access lapses. The 11 IDEs are individual products; the All Products Pack-style full bundle is what the pack effectively grants across them. AI tools are NOT included free - see separate finding.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/academy/student-pack/;https://www.jetbrains.com/estore/students/;https://blog.jetbrains.com/education/2025/08/12/jetbrains-student-pack/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "JetBrains Teacher Pack - free IDEs for teachers/educators", "detail": "Free access to 10 JetBrains IDEs - 'the full versions of IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm, plus GoLand, PhpStorm, and others' - plus course creation (JetBrains Academy) and 'classroom-wide AI control, deployed and managed from one place'. Licenses are valid one year with an automatic email reminder before expiry to renew/re-apply. No percentage discount tier is shown on the page; the pack is free, and institutional projects beyond classroom use go to commercial licensing.", "eligibility": "Two tracks: (a) classroom track - representatives of accredited schools/colleges/universities, verified by 'a letter from school officials or a copy of your staff ID'; (b) individual track - teachers and IT staff at accredited institutions with programs longer than one year, verified by a university email address or valid ISIC card. No credit card required. Apply through the JetBrains shop e-form.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Apply' link on the Teacher Pack page (JetBrains shop e-form), pick classroom or individual track, submit verification document or ISIC/university email, license arrives in the JetBrains account after review.", "expiry": "Licenses valid 1 year; automatic email reminder before expiration to renew or re-apply (renewable while still teaching).", "gotchas": "Classroom use is the intended scope; internal/institutional commercial projects must use commercial licenses. 'Full versions' means paid-tier IDEs, not just Community features.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/academy/teacher-pack/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "JetBrains for Startups - 50% Startup Discount Plan", "detail": "50% off JetBrains developer, team and learning tools plus AI, for up to 10 IDE subscriptions, 10 paid team/learning tool subscriptions, and 10 JetBrains AI subscriptions (AI Pro/AI Ultimate, which include Junie) over a five-year window. Plugins: unlimited different plugins, up to 10 licenses each. TeamCity capped at 10 build agents; YouTrack at 250 users/subscription. Licenses can be spread across the 5 years; 50% off applies automatically at checkout; cannot be stacked with other discounts; no team/floating licenses; personal (non-commercial) licenses excluded.", "eligibility": "Company privately owned; established within the last 5 years (provable with a document, <=4MB); has a website or other discoverable online presence. No funding cap, revenue cap, or headcount cap stated (teams of 50+ are redirected to business sales). One application per organization; subsidiaries of an already-approved org are ineligible; discount granted only once. Review takes up to 48 hours.", "claim": "Apply at jetbrains.com/startups (form: jetbrains.com/shop/eform/startup): choose products, submit company info + founding-date proof; if approved you get a quote email and 50% off automatically applies at checkout within the caps for 5 years.", "expiry": "Discount lapses 5 years after the approval confirmation or when the purchase caps (10+10+10 subscriptions) are exhausted, whichever first. Company can receive the discount only once.", "gotchas": "This is a discount program, not free licenses - the older 'up to 12 free startup licenses' model is gone (see sunset notes). No free tier for direct startup applicants; the free-license route now only exists via the partner track: incubators/accelerators/VCs with >=10 portfolio startups get six months of free access to up to 10 licenses, then the standard 50% for the remaining ~4 years; a partner-network startup must use the partner's free period first and cannot hold a direct discount at the same time. Credit card not needed to apply.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/startups/;https://www.jetbrains.com/store/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "JetBrains AI Free access - Junie Lite + AI Free plan (AI tools)", "detail": "Free AI layer for individuals: 'Junie Lite' is a free model, 'always on, in every JetBrains account' - 'a free AI layer, no trial, no card', plus BYOK (bring your own API key, provider-rate pricing, zero markup, supports local models). The Aug 2025 student-pack post says students should 'Test-drive JetBrains AI tools during your trial, and then switch to the AI Free plan or upgrade anytime'. Paid tiers for reference: AI Pro $8.33/user/month (10 AI credits per 30 days + top-ups); AI Ultimate $25/user/month (35 AI credits per 30 days + top-ups, recommended for Junie).", "eligibility": "Any JetBrains account gets Junie Lite free (no card, no trial). AI Free plan available to individual users, including students after their trial. Paid tiers need a subscription. No region limits stated.", "claim": "Sign in to any JetBrains account / open Junie in terminal or IDE -> free model is available immediately. For AI Assistant: click the AI icon in the IDE top-right, complete trial, then select the AI Free plan; upgrade to Pro/Ultimate via the JetBrains subscription purchase links.", "expiry": "No expiry stated for the free tier; 'always on, in every JetBrains account'.", "gotchas": "Free tier is model- and rate-limited ('AI usage billed separately' caveat on the page); heavy Junie agent use hits the free-model or credit limits, which is why Ultimate is 'recommended for Junie'. Naming is in flux: product page says 'Junie Lite', student blog says 'AI Free plan' - the free tier's exact credit numbers were not published on the pages fetched. CC NOT required for the free tier.", "source_url": "https://junie.jetbrains.com/;https://blog.jetbrains.com/education/2025/08/12/jetbrains-student-pack/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free IDEs for anyone - non-commercial use & unified IDEA free tier", "detail": "Several JetBrains products are free outside the student program: RustRover is listed on the products page with download only (no Buy CTA); Datalore is 'Get it for free'; YouTrack has a free tier plus paid; dotPeek is a free .NET decompiler; Gateway, Hub and Toolbox are free downloads. Since the July 2025 unified distribution (from 2025.3), IntelliJ IDEA ships as ONE installer: all Ultimate features need a subscription, but without one 'the IDE will remain fully functional, free to use for both commercial and non-commercial projects, and will include more features than the current Community Edition ever had'.", "eligibility": "Nobody in particular - free for anyone: RustRover, Datalore, YouTrack (free tier), dotPeek, Gateway, Hub, Toolbox; IDEA's free feature set is usable even for commercial projects. Community Edition as a separate product no longer exists.", "claim": "Download directly from jetbrains.com/products (or the per-product pages); for IDEA, install the single unified IDE and use the free feature set without any license.", "expiry": "No expiry; ongoing. (Per-product 'free for non-commercial use' tiers for WebStorm/GoLand-class IDEs are commonly cited but were not re-verified on today's pages - unconfirmed here.)", "gotchas": "Unified IDEA still gates the full Ultimate feature set behind a subscription; when a paid IDEA subscription lapses, the IDE degrades to the free feature set instead of locking out; a perpetual fallback license (last major version from your uninterrupted-subscription year) still applies. Don't confuse free personal use of these IDEs with the student pack, which grants full paid IDEs to students.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/products/;https://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2025/07/intellij-idea-unified-distribution-plan/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trials for paid JetBrains products", "detail": "All paid products (IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate features, WebStorm, CLion, DataGrip, Rider, TeamCity, etc.) offer a 30-day free trial, and the student-pack post explicitly points students to 'test-drive JetBrains AI tools during your trial' before moving to the AI Free plan.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a JetBrains account; no eligibility beyond creating an account.", "claim": "Download a paid product from its product page, start the IDE, choose the 30-day trial when prompted at license selection.", "expiry": "30 days per product (longer combined window when products are downloaded together).", "gotchas": "Trial is not free-forever; CC not required for the trial itself. Do not mistake trials for the free student/teacher licenses.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/products/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "40% graduation discount for 2 years (unverified today)", "detail": "The task's known-baseline says '40% graduation discount for 2 years' - graduated students can keep cheap licenses for their first two years after finishing studies. This could NOT be re-verified today: jetbrains.com/estore pages are behind a Cloudflare check to this fetcher, and /shop/eform/students, /estore/graduates, /shop/eform/graduates, /for-startups all returned 404/403. No official page read today contains the figure.", "eligibility": "Per the old program: recent graduates who held a student license; claimed through the students e-store with proof of graduation/completion.", "claim": "Unconfirmed today - check jetbrains.com/estore/students or the JetBrains sales FAQ directly for the live terms.", "expiry": "Believed to apply for up to 2 years after graduation; unconfirmed.", "gotchas": "May have been folded into the Student Pack / estore flow after the Aug 2025 relaunch; do not quote the 40%/2-years figures without re-checking the official page.", "source_url": "https://www.jetbrains.com/estore/students/(pagenotfullyrenderedthissession)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) Aug 12, 2025 - JetBrains rebranded/relaunched the student program as the \"JetBrains Student Pack\" (blog.jetbrains.com post); license duration wording is now \"completely free and remain valid as long as you're a student, but must be renewed annually\" (replaces the old \"1-year, renewable\" framing). Promo: verify by Sep 12, 2025 to enter a prize draw (MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, reMarkable Paper Pro) - now expired. (2) Bootcamp student-coupon program is being retired: official sales FAQ (updated 30 Sep 2026) states \"no new coupons are being issued after October 1, 2026\"; short-term/bootcamp students were never eligible for free educational licenses (only long-term programs >1 year qualify). (3) Jul 18, 2025 - IntelliJ IDEA moved to a unified distribution starting with 2025.3: the separate Community Edition installer is gone; the single IDE keeps more free features than old Community for everyone, and an expired subscription degrades gracefully to the free feature set instead of locking out. Perpetual fallback license (last major version after a year of uninterrupted subscription) still applies. (4) The startup offer is now a 50% discount plan (caps over 5 years), not the older \"up to 12 free licenses for 1 year\" program that ran for years - free startup licenses survive only in the incubator/accelerator/VC partner track (6 months, up to 10 licenses). The 40% / 2-year graduation discount listed in the task's \"known so far\" could not be re-verified today: jetbrains.com student/estore pages are Cloudflare-gated to this fetcher and /shop/eform/students, /estore/graduates, /for-startups, /startup all 404'd; treat it as likely still real but unconfirmed (no official page read today)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "JetBrains Student Pack - free full IDE licenses for students", "link": "https://www.jetbrains.com/academy/student-pack/;https://www.jetbrains.com/estore/students/;https://blog.jetbrains.com/education/2025/08/12/jetbrains-student-pack/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "kaggle notebooks", "name": "Kaggle Notebooks", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/efficient-gpu-usage" ], "offers": [ "Free weekly quota ~30 GPU hours/week (P100 or 2xT4) + 20 TPU v3-8 hours/week, sessions max 12h GPU / 9h TPU, no credit card" ], "notes": [ "Quota published by Kaggle docs ('30 hours or sometimes higher depending on demand'). GPU/internet access requires one-time phone verification. P100 reportedly being retired in 2026, accelerator menu changes over time." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Kaggle Notebooks free GPU weekly quota (30 h/week, P100 or T4)", "detail": "Official docs state Kaggle 'provides free access to NVIDIA TESLA P100 GPUs' and that the GPU quota 'resets weekly and is 30 hours or sometimes higher depending on demand and resources'. T4s (16 GB) were added as a GPU option alongside P100 in the 2023 notebooks update ('New GPU (T4s) options & more CPU RAM'). V100/A100 are not in the free pool. No credit card required; a free account suffices. Quota resets weekly (community tracking: Friday/Saturday midnight CET); the float above 30 h is not predictable. Interactive sessions have a 60-minute idle timeout (confirmed on the official GPU-usage tips page); batch (commit) sessions may run longer.", "eligibility": "Any free Kaggle account (email/Google/Facebook sign-up). No .edu requirement, no CC. Phone verification (one-time SMS/voice call) gates accelerator access per secondary sources (medium confidence). Some regions have historically had restricted/intermittent accelerator availability (e.g., prior EU/UK data-sovereignty restrictions; exact 2026 state unverified — low confidence).", "claim": "Sign up at kaggle.com -> create/open a notebook -> Settings tab -> Accelerator dropdown -> select 'GPU' (or 'GPU T4') -> session runs against the 30 h/week pool; remaining hours shown in notebook sidebar / kaggle.com/notebooks / settings. No claim steps needed — quota is automatic on every account.", "expiry": "Quota never expires; resets weekly (historically Sat 00:00 UTC / Fri midnight CET). Per-session: 60 min idle timeout for interactive sessions.", "gotchas": "Quota counts session wall-time with accelerator attached, not actual GPU utilization — a T4 session parked open burns hours. Quota 'sometimes higher' is not in advance and can differ by region/demand. Phone verification required to enable accelerator. Free storage: ~20 GB notebook temp + 200 GB user datasets (secondary source, medium confidence).", "source_url": "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/efficient-gpu-usage", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Kaggle Notebooks free TPU weekly quota (~20 h/week, v2/v3 8-core)", "detail": "Kaggle offers free 8-core TPU access (TPU v2/v3 '8' nodes; v5e/v5lite available on request but intermittent). Widely documented quota is 20 TPU hours/week for TPUs, with a 9-hour max per session (task's known-so-far figure matches this). The TPU docs page at kaggle.com/docs/tpus 404'd during this check, so the 20 h figure is from pre-2026 documentation/secondary sources rather than a re-verified official page — treat as medium confidence and re-verify in-browser.", "eligibility": "Any free Kaggle account; TPU access (especially v5e/v5lite) may need an email request to Kaggle support; availability is intermittent and region-dependent. No credit card.", "claim": "Notebook -> Settings -> Accelerator dropdown -> 'TPU v2/v3 8-core' (or request v5e/v5lite). 20 h/week pool shared across notebook sessions; check remaining hours in settings/usage panel.", "expiry": "Resets weekly with GPU quota; 9 h max per TPU session.", "gotchas": "Quota is shared per-week with no carryover; 9 h session cap is shorter than some GPU batch sessions; TPU pool availability fluctuates — your run can be queued or no-accelerator if pool is full; idle timeout still applies to interactive sessions.", "source_url": "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/notebooks(TPUlimitssection;/docs/tpusreturned404on2026-10-22)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Kaggle free CPU notebook time (~60 h/week)", "detail": "Notebooks also give a free weekly CPU allowance, commonly documented at 60 hours/week for 2-core / 13 GB RAM / 20 GB temp storage runs (secondary figure, not re-verified on an official page today — medium confidence). No CC required.", "eligibility": "All free accounts; no phone verification typically needed for CPU-only sessions.", "claim": "Automatic on any account; select 'None' accelerator in notebook Settings.", "expiry": "Resets weekly with the other pools.", "gotchas": "CPU hours are tracked separately from GPU/TPU; 60 h figure has varied historically — verify in the in-app usage panel.", "source_url": "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/notebooks", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No separate Kaggle student or startup free-offer", "detail": "Kaggle does not run a distinct free student program, .edu-verified education license, or startup credit program for notebooks compute. Students and startups get the identical free Notebook quotas described above by virtue of a free account; Kaggle's education offering (courses, micro-credentials) is a separate thing and does not change compute quotas. If a startup-program search intended 'Kaggle startup credits', no such official program was found as of this check.", "eligibility": "n/a — no distinct offer to claim.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; sign up free and use the general free quotas.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Do not confuse Kaggle with GitHub Student Pack-style programs; Kaggle has no age/funding-cap or .edu-gating for compute access.", "source_url": "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/efficient-gpu-usage(nostudent/startupofferlisted)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Kaggle Notebooks free GPU weekly quota (30 h/week, P100 or T4)", "link": "https://www.kaggle.com/docs/efficient-gpu-usage", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "kamatera free trial", "name": "Kamatera Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.kamatera.com/free-trial/" ], "offers": [ "$100 free VPS trial (30 days), fully custom-configurable (CPU/RAM/storage); card required." ], "notes": [ "Customizable cloud VPS; 30-day $100 trial. 2026 trackers list 'Kamatera $100 Free Credit for 30 Days'." ], "findings": [ { "name": "30-day $100 Free Trial (VPS)", "detail": "Free 30-day trial with cloud services worth up to $100: 1 cloud server (custom CPU/RAM/storage config) valued up to $100/month, plus 1 TB cloud block storage, 1 TB traffic (inbound+outbound), full platform access, scaling within the $100 config, technical consultation and 24/7 support. Trial clock does NOT start at signup - it starts when the first server is created; account stays on hold until then. Trial ends after 30 days, then standard billing begins; account may be placed in 'deposit mode' requiring a minimum deposit to stay active. Overages during the trial (beyond 1 server/$100 config or 1 TB traffic) trigger an email alert; unadjusted overage is charged pro-rata to the card and credited against the first monthly invoice. A small validation charge (~$1-2) may be taken on card; a fully-refundable deposit (e.g., $10) can be requested when unusual billing activity is detected.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone - no .edu email, region limit, or user-type restriction stated. Credit card NOT optional: a valid credit/debit card is required to activate the trial; if the card is not accepted, a pre-paid refundable deposit via PayPal is allowed instead. One account and one 30-day free trial per customer - multiple trials via multiple accounts is explicitly prohibited. Password must be 8+ chars with lowercase, uppercase and number.", "claim": "1) Sign up at kamatera.com/free-trial with email + compliant password; 2) verify email; 3) complete Billing profile in console (personal info, phone verification, card entry); 4) card validation charge may occur; 5) create first server - trial starts; 6) within limits no charge; to exit, terminate servers - no charge.", "expiry": "30 days from creation of first server; no renewals - after 30 days it converts to a paid account (deposit mode applies if no valid payment). No sunset date published; page carries (c) 2026.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free: this is a limited trial, not a perpetual free tier. CC (or PayPal deposit) is required even though nothing is charged within limits. 1 TB traffic includes BOTH directions. Server with 'powered off' state still incurs small hourly storage/IP charges. First invoice after trial generated on 1st of the month cycle. 1-server cap.", "source_url": "https://www.kamatera.com/free-trial/(terms:https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/what-are-the-terms-of-the-free-trial/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/can-i-sign-up-for-the-free-trial-without-a-credit-card/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/why-was-i-charged-during-my-30-day-free-trial-period/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/what-if-i-signed-up-but-im-not-ready-to-start-my-free-trial-yet/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "RiseUP Cloud Start-Up Program - up to 24 months of infrastructure credit", "detail": "Startup program at startup.kamatera.com: 'Twenty-four months of runway, on us.' Up to 24 months of infrastructure services credit (dollar cap per month NOT disclosed on the page) plus, all 24 months: a personal account manager, a dedicated cloud consultant, a business consultant on request (Tech/Sales/Marketing/Finance/HR), and marketing & PR access through Kamatera's partner network. Available across Kamatera's 25 datacentres / 21 locations / 4 continents. Applying is free and non-binding; the team reviews and contacts applicants to 'discuss your options.' Page is live with (c) 2026.", "eligibility": "All five required: (1) within the first 5 years of the company's funding, (2) a company website - live or in development, (3) an active LinkedIn page - live or in development, (4) 'the intention to become a unicorn', (5) a signed Start-Up Program agreement. If close on one criterion, the page invites applying anyway and explaining in the message. No .edu/student path; no funding cap amount stated beyond the 5-year-from-funding window.", "claim": "Fill the application form at startup.kamatera.com (name, email, phone with 8+ digits, company name, company website, optional free-text), submit; Kamatera's team reviews and follows up. Corporate office phone listed: 074-70-50-340.", "expiry": "Credit runs from month 0 to month 24 ('first 24 months of credit'). No renewal/extension terms disclosed on the page.", "gotchas": "No dollar figure or per-month cap published - 'credit' is opaque; program terms are set via a signed agreement and individual review, so actual allocation is discretionary. No CC/billing mechanics disclosed on the page. Program is targeted at startups (companies), not individual students/hobbyists. Program appears newly launched in the 2025-2026 period (could not independently date the launch - see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://startup.kamatera.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated student/education program, no perpetual free tier (students use the generic trial)", "detail": "Kamatera publishes no .edu-verified student program, no education license, and no perpetual 'free tier' for VPS. Students are served by the same $100/30-day trial, which third-party student-hosting roundups (ProBlogGuru, HostAdvice, LinuxBuz 2026 lists) recommend to students precisely because no student ID is required. Kamatera is a VPS/IaaS-only provider - it has no bare-metal/dedicated-physical-server line, so its offers cover virtual servers only (dedicated vCPU configs available inside the trial).", "eligibility": "Students: same as generic trial (anyone with a credit card). No .edu email, no student verification, no regional restriction stated.", "claim": "Same claim path as the $100 trial; no separate student application exists.", "expiry": "n/a - absence of an offer; generic trial remains live as of 2026-10 (page (c) 2026).", "gotchas": "Third-party 'Kamatera student' content is repackaged trial marketing, not a distinct product. Do not treat any '1MONTH300'-style promo codes quoted in blogs as current without verifying in the console.", "source_url": "https://www.kamatera.com/free-trial/;third-party:https://problogguru.com/kamatera-vps-free-trial-student/,https://hostadvice.com/vps/students/free/,https://linuxbuz.com/best-resources/best-free-vps-hosting-for-students", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Kamatera free offer found closed or materially changed in 2025-2026. The $100/30-day trial has been continuous: Kamatera's own Jan 2025 YouTube ad and the 2026 official page both carry the identical $100/30-day/1TB terms, and third-party 2026 roundups still list it. The RiseUP startup program (24 months of infrastructure credit, startup.kamatera.com, page copyright 2026) appears to be a NEW 2025-2026 program; the older generic 'Cloud Solutions for Tech Startups' marketing page (kamatera.com/solutions/use-cases/startups, last seen 2023) contained no concrete free credit. Could not independently date the RiseUP launch: the session's shared WebSearch budget was exhausted before verifying launch history." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "30-day $100 Free Trial (VPS)", "link": "https://www.kamatera.com/free-trial/(terms:https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/what-are-the-terms-of-the-free-trial/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/can-i-sign-up-for-the-free-trial-without-a-credit-card/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/why-was-i-charged-during-my-30-day-free-trial-period/,https://www.kamatera.com/faq/answer/what-if-i-signed-up-but-im-not-ready-to-start-my-free-trial-yet/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "keycloak", "name": "Keycloak", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.keycloak.org" ], "offers": [ "Open-source Apache-2.0 identity provider: free to self-host, no MAU/feature limits; enterprise features paid via Red Hat" ], "notes": [ "The standard self-hosted answer for SSO/OIDC/SAML when you outgrow free cloud tiers (Auth0's 25K MAU, etc.). No per-user licensing, but you own the ops. (WebSearch budget exhausted this session; entry based on well-known licensing, not re-verified today.)" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted Keycloak Community (free tier equivalent)", "detail": "Latest server release 26.8.1 (as of 2026-10-22) plus JS adapter 26.2.4 / Node adapter 26.1.1 / client libs 26.0.12 are free downloads from GitHub releases, no paywall, no MAU/user-count limits, no feature gating. License verified today: single unmodified Apache-2.0 (no dual license, no enterprise addendum). Project is a CNCF incubation project (accepted 2023-04-10, Incubating maturity; ~12,699 contributors per CNCF/LFX). keycloak.org is now Linux Foundation-branded (© The Linux Foundation 2026) with zero mention of Red Hat or any commercial SKU. The offer is perpetual open source, not a time-boxed trial.", "eligibility": "Anyone, anywhere — no .edu email, no credit card, no account, no region limits, no funding-cap rules. Only requirement is your own infrastructure: a server/container/DB to host it (you pay for compute/storage, not for Keycloak).", "claim": "1) Go to https://www.keycloak.org/downloads and pick the ZIP or TAR.GZ of the 26.x server (links straight to GitHub releases); 2) run it bare-metal, via Docker/Kubernetes, or with the official container image; 3) no signup, no license key, no billing. For clients, use the JS adapter 26.2.4 or client libraries 26.0.12.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal — perpetual Apache-2.0 license with ongoing releases. Watch out: Node.js client adapter is explicitly tagged DEPRECATED on the download page, and older releases are moved to 'Archived releases' (EOL, security unbacked).", "gotchas": "Cost shifts to infrastructure (VM/container, Postgres/DB, load balancers for HA) — no egress fees from Keycloak itself but your cloud bill applies. No support/SLA. Enterprise-grade features/support are sold separately by Red Hat as a commercial offering, which keycloak.org no longer surfaces at all (no trial, no free credits, no free tier of the commercial product). Trial-vs-free: this is genuinely free, not a trial.", "source_url": "https://www.keycloak.org/downloads", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Absence of trial-credit / startup / education offers", "detail": "Verified today against the official site: keycloak.org has no pricing page, no trial, no startup program, no education license, no student credits, and no free-tier of a commercial offering anywhere in its navigation (only Guides, Docs, Downloads, Community, Blog). The CNCF project page likewise lists no credits or sponsored tiers. So there is nothing to claim besides self-hosting the community edition; there is no paid 'commercial Keycloak' free trial discoverable from official channels.", "eligibility": "N/A — documents that no eligibility criteria exist because no program exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. The only free path is self-hosting the Apache-2.0 community edition (see finding 1).", "expiry": "Not applicable.", "gotchas": "Absence verified from official keycloak.org + CNCF pages only; this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so a Red Hat commercial trial offered purely on redhat.com cannot be positively ruled out — but no such offer appears on any official Keycloak channel today.", "source_url": "https://www.keycloak.org/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/trial/startup program was ever found to have been sunset — Keycloak has had no such programs; the only free offer is self-hosting the Apache-2.0 community edition. Material 2025–2026 changes: (1) keycloak.org is now fully CNCF/Linux Foundation-branded (\"Keycloak is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation incubation project,\" © The Linux Foundation 2026) — Red Hat branding and any enterprise/commercial offering have disappeared from the official site; CNCF lists Keycloak as Incubating (accepted 2023-04-10). (2) License is still single Apache-2.0 with no dual/enterprise clause (verified in the repo today), so the \"enterprise features paid via Red Hat\" framing from the snapshot now applies only to Red Hat's own commercial channels, not keycloak.org. (3) Node.js client adapter is deprecated; older server releases are archived/EOL. (4) Verification caveat: WebSearch budget exhausted mid-task, so these are from WebFetch of keycloak.org, GitHub raw LICENSE.txt, and the CNCF project page only." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted Keycloak Community (free tier equivalent)", "link": "https://www.keycloak.org/downloads", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "keystone", "name": "Keystone", "fronts": [ "apis-data", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://keystonejs.com", "https://keystonejs.com/" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) headless CMS and API builder: free self-hosting, unlimited content/models", "Free self-hosted headless CMS framework (MIT) with GraphQL + React admin; no paid cloud tier" ], "notes": [ "Node.js/GraphQL based; license stable, not re-verified this session.", "Active project (~10k stars, pushed 2026-10). Node.js/TypeScript; bring your own hosting." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free self-hosted open-source use (Keystone 6, MIT license) — the only free offer; no cloud tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license exists", "detail": "$0, perpetual, no feature gating. As of 2026-10-22 the official site states 'Free forever' and 'Batteries included. No limitations' (all field types, access control, session management, custom schema, Prisma DB migrations, TypeScript, automated CRUD, event hooks). The GitHub repo keystonejs/keystone ships an MIT LICENSE ('Copyright (c) 2024 Thinkmill Labs Pty Ltd'). Current line is Keystone 6, published on npm as @keystone-6/* (@keystone-6/core@8.x); active maintenance confirmed by releases through 2026-08-31 (a 8.0.0 major shipped Jul 28, 2026). Unlimited lists/content models, unlimited editors, unlimited API calls — you only pay your own hosting. Verified today: https://keystonejs.com/ , https://github.com/keystonejs/keystone (LICENSE), https://keystonejs.com/roadmap. No official pricing/startup/education pages exist on keystonejs.com — the only paid upsell is Thinkmill's enterprise support/consulting (services page, custom quotes; aggregators like apis.io list paid 'Enterprise Capacity/Capability/Advisory' service plans, all unverified generated content, none free).", "eligibility": "Everyone, no conditions: no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no registration, no credit card, no region limits. Commercial use allowed under MIT.", "claim": "Nothing to claim or apply for: run `npm create keystone-app` (or clone keystonejs/keystone from GitHub), define your schema in TypeScript, run Prisma migrations, deploy to any Node.js host of your choice (DigitalOcean, Heroku, Render, Vercel, self-managed infra per the official site). MIT license is granted automatically by using the code.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal — MIT license is perpetual; project is actively maintained (releases ongoing as of 2026-08-31). Free-forever, not a trial.", "gotchas": "(1) No managed/hosted Keystone cloud exists, so you own hosting, backups, scaling, and security — third-party reviews peg small-project infra at ~$6–20/mo VPS; that cost is the real price. (2) Old Keystone 5 (keystonejs/keystone-5, Express/Mongoose/MongoDB) has been in maintenance mode since 2021 — 'keystone' and '@keystone-6' on npm are different packages. (3) GraphQL-first API (REST not provided out of the box) and it is a framework you deploy, not a managed SaaS with autoscale/SSO/audit. (4) Beware third-party plan listings (apis.io, hostiso etc.) describing Keystone 'plans' — those are unverified generated catalogs or generic shared hosting, not offers from the KeystoneJS project. (5) A session web-search budget cap blocked one dedicated 2025–26 startup/education-offer search, but the official site + roadmap + GitHub show no such programs exist or were ever announced.", "source_url": "https://keystonejs.com/,https://github.com/keystonejs/keystone,https://keystonejs.com/roadmap", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No free offer was sunset or materially changed in 2025–2026. License has remained MIT (no shift to BSL/EE gating unlike some peers). Historical changes still relevant: Keystone 5 entered active maintenance mode in 2021 (repo moved to keystonejs/keystone-5, feature-frozen; security fixes only) and Keystone 6 reached GA Dec 2021 and now ships under the @keystone-6 npm namespace with an 8.x core (2026 major release Jul 28, 2026). There is no official paid cloud tier, no trial-credit program, no startup program, and no education license to sunset — Thinkmill's enterprise support services are the sole paid (custom-quote) offering." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free self-hosted open-source use (Keystone 6, MIT license) — the only free offer; no cloud tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license exists", "link": "https://keystonejs.com/,https://github.com/keystonejs/keystone,https://keystonejs.com/roadmap", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "kinto", "name": "Kinto", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/Kinto/kinto" ], "offers": [ "AMBIGUOUS SEED — no verifiable active offer found for the To-Do app interpretation" ], "notes": [ "kinto.app (To-Do app) has lapsed and is parked for sale; no active Kinto to-do repo found. Active candidates: Mozilla Kinto — self-hostable JSON document store with sync (~4.4k stars, pushed 2026-10, free to self-host) — or rbreaves/kinto, a Mac-style keyboard-shortcuts app (GPL-2.0). Clarify which product the seed meant." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "No standing free offer for students or startups was found under the name Kinto, so findings is empty. Checked 2026-10-22 against official pages only. The WebSearch budget was exhausted, so no 2025-2026 news or secondary search was possible.Three products share the name:1. Kinto HTTP storage API (open source, self-hosted JSON storage server; https://kinto-storage.org/, https://docs.kinto-storage.org/en/stable/, https://github.com/Kinto/kinto). None of these pages mention a hosted service, free tier, student program, or startup credits. The example curl host kinto.dev.mozaws.net is a dev endpoint, not an offer.2. KINTO (Toyota car subscription service, Japan; https://kinto-jp.com/). The fetched homepage shows only corporate-contract and consultation links, with no student, startup, free, or trial terms. The seed called it car rental, but it is a subscription service.3. Kintone (Cybozu; https://www.kintone.com/pricing/, https://www.kintone.com/). The only free item is a 30-day free trial with all features, open to anyone and not student- or startup-specific. The trial data is erased 30 days after expiry. The single paid plan is $24/user/month with a 5-user minimum ($120/month). Education and nonprofit \"special pricing\" is discounted, not free, has no amount listed, and requires contacting the company. No free credits and no student or startup program appear. No pricing effective date is shown on the page. If generic trials are wanted in the index, the Kintone 30-day trial could be added with eligibility \"anyone,\" expiry 30 days, and claim via the \"Get a Free Trial\" button on kintone.com. It was excluded here because it is not a student or startup offer.Unverified: https://www.kintone.com/education/ and https://www.kintone.com/templates/ returned HTTP 500, so the seed's claim that the To Do app template is free with a kintone account could not be checked. Even if true, it is not a student or startup offer.Confidence in the negative result is medium. Official pages were checked, but WebFetch summaries come from a small model, and 2025-2026 status checks through search were not possible." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "no real free offer: ambiguous seed; no verifiable offer for the To-Do app reading", "text": "Drop the entry or define the product being listed. Not re-checked in this pass because the search budget ran out.", "url": "" } ], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "AMBIGUOUS SEED — no verifiable active offer found for the To-Do app interpretation", "link": "https://github.com/Kinto/kinto", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "kit", "name": "Kit", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://kit.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free Creator plan: 10,000 subscribers, 1,000 emails/mo, 1 user" ], "notes": [ "Creator/brand-oriented marketing email; automation included on free. Rebranded ConvertKit→Kit (2023)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Kit Free plan (standing free tier, Email)", "detail": "$0/mo permanent free tier: up to 10,000 email subscribers; 'unlimited email broadcasts' and 'unlimited landing pages & forms' per the live pricing page (no monthly email cap is stated on any official page — the '1,000 emails/mo' figure from known-so-far is not confirmed on current official pages); 1 user seat; audience tagging/segmentation; 2-subject-line A/B; digital products & subscriptions with 3.5% + 30c transaction fee; Creator Network with 5 Smart Recommendation slots; 'API access' and free Kit App Store apps (paid apps excluded). Excluded: visual automations, email sequences, rules & RSS campaigns, AI connectors, SMS marketing, Paid Recommendations (23.5% fee), Kit MCP, subscriber engagement scoring, deliverability reporting, custom tracking domain, 24/7 support. Support answered within 24h in receive order.", "eligibility": "Anyone with an email address — no .edu required, no region limit stated. No credit card required (signup button is 'Try Kit for free'; the pricing page's no-CC language applies to the trial, and the free tier is the default account state). Free 'for as long as you stay under 10,000 subscribers'; crossing 10,000 forces upgrade to a paid plan to keep sending. No expiry date.", "claim": "1) Go to kit.com and click 'Try Kit for free' / 'Get started'. 2) Complete signup — new accounts start on the Free plan. 3) Optionally verify via Dashboard > Billing to confirm plan type. No application, referral, or code needed.", "expiry": "Permanent; no renewal date. Exits only when user exceeds 10,000 subscribers (upgrade required) or cancels the account.", "gotchas": "(1) Pricing page says 'unlimited email broadcasts' on Free but the help article says cancel/downgrade 'moves your account... to our free plan, which has fewer features and a lower sending limit' — treat Free as a reduced-cap plan; verify the live cap in-app for your account. (2) 'Unlimited' broadcasts come with a 3.5%+30c fee on commerce (incl. Kit's 0.6% of fees). (3) Downgrading a paid account stops automations/sequences from running until re-upgrade. (4) API/email-stats retention is now clamped to 5 years (API change 2026-10-15). (5) Features like 'apps/integrations' presence varies: Free gets API access + free apps but NOT paid App Store apps, paid Recommendations, or SMS.", "source_url": "https://kit.com/pricing/;https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16627071-the-kit-free-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial of paid plans (Creator & Pro)", "detail": "14-day free trial of Creator and Pro plans with full paid features (Creator: unlimited subscribers, unlimited visual automations/sequences/RSS, 2 users; Pro: everything + unlimited users, 5-subject-line A/B + content A/B, SMS marketing, Kit MCP, Subscriber Signals, Growth Concierge). Post-trial pricing: Creator '$33/mo' billed yearly at '$390 billed yearly — Save $78 per year' (monthly tier $39/mo at 1,000-subscriber tier per billing help article; $59/mo at 3,000-subscriber tier); Pro '$66' listed with 'EXTRA 25% OFF FIRST YEAR' promo at '$50/mo — $593 billed first year, Save $355 first year; footnote: discount applies only to first year, plan renews at standard rate. Free migrations offered alongside the trial.", "eligibility": "New accounts (trial users); no .edu, no startup age/funding cap, no region restriction stated. Credit card NOT required to start ('No credit card required. Cancel anytime').", "claim": "1) On kit.com/pricing click 'Start 14-day free trial' under Creator or Pro. 2) Sign up without a card. 3) To stay paid after 14 days, add a payment method (Stripe runs a $1 verification charge that reverses in ~7 days when a card is added/changed); otherwise the account falls back to the Free plan with reduced limits.", "expiry": "Trial lasts 14 days from signup; the Pro 25% discount lasts only the first year of Pro. API exposes trial state (on_trial, trial_lapse_date, renews_at) since 2026-07-09, confirming trial lapse is date-based.", "gotchas": "(1) This is a trial, not a free tier — after 14 days you are billed at the chosen (yearly/monthly) rate unless you cancel or lack a saved payment method. (2) Trial price is quoted at the 1,000-subscriber tier; price scales as your list grows. (3) Annual billing = '12 months for the price of 10', no refunds beyond standard 30-day policy. (4) 'Discount applies only to your first year of Pro' — renews at standard $66 rate. (5) Pro trial is where SMS/Push/Chat features unlock — there is no standalone free SMS/Push/Chat trial separate from the plan trial.", "source_url": "https://kit.com/pricing/;https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502679-billing-at-kit", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Developer / API access on Free plan (Email API v4, webhooks, App Store)", "detail": "The Free plan help article lists 'API access' as an included extra, alongside free (non-paid) Kit App Store apps. Kit's developer platform (developers.kit.com) provides V4 REST API (api.kit.com/v4: broadcasts, subscribers, sequences CRUD, forms, webhooks 2.0, OAuth for apps, MCP docs server, V4 sandbox added June 2025) plus App Store publishing and OAuth (/v4/oauth, DCR RFC 7591 since 2026-05-20). API keys are test-only; OAuth is required to go live. No per-plan rate limits or quota tables are published. SMS, Push, and Chat: no SMS/push/chat API docs exist in the developer index (llms.txt) — the SMS marketing feature itself is paid-only (excluded from Free), so 'free SMS/Push/Chat API' does not exist as an offer.", "eligibility": "Any plan is 'eligible for use with the API, apps and legacy integrations' per the API overview (it defers specifics to the pricing page); Free-plan help docs explicitly include 'API access', so Email-API usage is available on Free. No card, no .edu. No region limit. Gating detail (which endpoints differ by plan) is not publicly documented — free plan cannot install PAID Kit App Store apps.", "claim": "1) Create a Kit account on Free plan. 2) Generate an API key (test) or register an app via OAuth to access api.kit.com/v4 endpoints for free. 3) To ship an app, follow developers.kit.com/kit-app-store (OAuth required to go live). No separate signup or application for API access.", "expiry": "Ongoing while account exists; Free API access ends if the account is cancelled. No stated sunset.", "gotchas": "(1) 'API access' on Free is asserted by the help article but the developer docs only say the plan must be 'eligible' — plan-tier endpoint differences and rate limits are undocumented; verify empirically. (2) Paid App Store apps are not available on Free. (3) Email-stats retention is clamped to 5 years as of 2026-10-15 (older requests return 400). (4) Legacy v3/v4 webhooks are kept but Webhooks 2.0 (endpoint-based, signed, batched) shipped 2026-08-27 — plan code around the legacy format accordingly.", "source_url": "https://developers.kit.com/api-reference/overview;https://developers.kit.com/kit-app-store/overview;https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16627071-the-kit-free-plan", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education license and no startup program exist for Kit as of 2026-10-22: kit.com/education and kit.com/startups return 404, the pricing page has no student/startup offer, and the help center's 14 collections (incl. 'Getting Started', 'Managing Your Account', 'Creator Network', 'Kit Studios') contain no education/students or startup-discount items. Kit's actual programs — Kit Expert program, Creator Network (5 free Smart Recommendation slots on every plan incl. Free), and Kit Studios (paid session-booking service) — are creator/consultant programs, not free student/startup offers. 2025-2026 material changes: (1) Kit executed its 'first price increase in 12 years' in 2025, effective after Oct 15, 2025, with 30-day notice (per help billing article) — paid plans became more expensive (Creator $39/mo monthly at the 1k tier; the Free plan's core offer — 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, no card — was not changed by this). (2) The '1,000 emails/mo' free-plan cap circulating in prior notes is NOT confirmed on any official page fetched today; the live pricing page says 'unlimited email broadcasts' for Free — treat 1,000/mo as unverified/outdated. (3) API/data policy: email-stats retention clamped to 5 years (2026-10-15); Webhooks 2.0 launched 2026-08-27 with legacy webhooks retained. (4) Historical: ConvertKit rebranded to Kit (2023) — older 'ConvertKit free plan' sources (300-subscriber cap era) do not apply to current offers." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Free Creator plan: 10,000 subscribers, 1,000 emails/mo, 1 user", "text": "The free plan is the Newsletter Plan: up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email sends. Creator is a paid plan starting at $39/month for up to 1,000 subscribers. The 1,000 emails/month cap is not supported.", "url": "https://help.kit.com/en/articles/9053602-the-kit-newsletter-plan" } ], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Kit Free plan (standing free tier, Email)", "link": "https://kit.com/pricing/;https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16627071-the-kit-free-plan", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "kitem", "name": "Kitem", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://kitem.io/" ], "offers": [ "UNVERIFIED — could not confirm a currently active offer as of 2026-10-22" ], "notes": [ "kitem.io, kitem.app and kitem.dev all unresolvable from this environment and no Kitem GitHub repo was found in GitHub search. Likely discontinued, renamed, or private. Re-check manually before keeping this seed in the index." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "No verifiable free offer for students or startups was found for Kitem as of 2026-10-22, so findings is empty. Kitem's current status could not be confirmed.What was checked:1. https://kitem.io/ and https://kitem.io/pricing failed DNS resolution in the fetch tool (getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND). https://www.kitem.io/ failed the same way. No pricing, education or startup page could be read. Confidence the domain is not resolvable from this environment today: high. Confidence the product is inactive: low, because a transient or environment DNS failure is possible.2. https://kitem.com/ is a parked domain marked \"This website is for sale!\" (Sedo). It has no product content.3. https://kitem.app/ and https://kitem.ai/ also failed DNS resolution (ENOTFOUND).4. The session WebSearch budget (200 calls shared across agents) was exhausted before the 2025-2026 change search could run. No search results were obtained for Kitem, so changes or sunsets in 2025-2026 are unchecked. Searches were not worked around through other tools.5. A GitHub repository search for \"kitem\" found no Kitem project-management product and no self-hosted Kitem repository. The hits were unrelated (for example docker-archive-public/docker.kitematic, archived, and KDE/kitemmodels).Name-confusion risk: Kitemaker (https://kitemaker.co/pricing) is a different Linear-alternative project tool. A search snippet from that page (not fetched directly) states it was acquired by ClickUp and the service was discontinued on 2025-09-01. Its listed plans, a free plan with 100 active work items and a Standard tier at $8 per user per month, must not be attributed to Kitem.Recommended next steps: re-run the kitem.io DNS check later, or confirm the correct product name and domain with the requester. Then run the WebSearch 2025-2026 pass in a session with search budget. Do not treat Kitem as offering free student or startup access until an official page confirms it.", "No free student or startup offer from a provider named Kitem could be verified as of 2026-10-22, so findings is empty. Checks run: (1) One WebSearch for \"Kitem free program students startups\" returned nothing naming Kitem or any Kitem offer. The results were unrelated: KTH Innovation, KITI (Kenya), STARTERminsk, EIT Jumpstarter 2026, Boeing BUILD 2026 via KIIT, and Kiro student credits. (2) Official-domain fetches found no Kitem product. https://kitem.com resolves only to a parked for-sale page (\"This website is for sale!\", sedoparking). kitem.io, kitem.ai, kitem.dev and kitem.app do not resolve (DNS ENOTFOUND). Limitation: the session's WebSearch budget (200 calls shared by all agents) ran out after the first query, so the planned follow-ups (2026 startup credits; student discount or free plan) were not run. The limit was not worked around. Confidence that no genuine Kitem offer exists: medium. A Kitem offer under another domain, or only in a non-English market, could still exist and was not checked. Adjacent offers that are NOT Kitem and are not added as findings: Kiro student credits (https://kiro.dev/students/; search snippet only, not fetched: 1,000 credits per month free for one year for eligible university students) and EIT Jumpstarter 2026 (https://pioneerplus.eu/launch-your-startup-journey-with-eit-jumpstarter-2026/; application deadline 17 May 2026, closed before 2026-10-22)." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "no real free offer: entry self-flagged UNVERIFIED; no active offer confirmed", "text": "Remove the entry or verify it. Not re-checked in this pass because the search budget ran out.", "url": "" } ], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "UNVERIFIED — could not confirm a currently active offer as of 2026-10-22", "link": "https://kitem.io/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "koyeb", "name": "Koyeb", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.koyeb.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Startup program: up to $30,000 in credits for early-stage companies; free Starter (1x 512 MB service) grandfathered to existing orgs only" ], "notes": [ "Feb 17, 2026: Koyeb joined Mistral AI; free Starter closed to new users (Feb 2026). New signups default to Pro $29/mo (+$10 compute) with a required card ($29 pre-auth hold). Roadmap now AI/inference-focused." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Koyeb Startup Program — up to $30,000 in free compute credits", "detail": "Up to $30,000 in free credits usable on Standard CPU and GPU instances (the application form also mentions Postgres databases per third-party trackers). Extras: solutions-engineer onboarding, dedicated Slack channel for priority support, white-glove migration, early access to new features, and extra resources/features/regions for startup accounts; the 2024 launch post also listed exclusive swag. Launched 2024-06-21 (Day 5 of Koyeb Launch Week). Still advertised on the official pricing page as of 2026-10-22 ('Early stage startup: Get up to $30k in credits...').", "eligibility": "Seed-stage companies. Prioritized: (a) part of a Koyeb partner accelerator (new cohorts onboarded regularly) or (b) raised $1M-$5M from VCs. Bootstrapped / just-started companies are encouraged to apply and are reviewed case-by-case. No .edu requirement, no age cap, no stated region limit (global). No credit card required to apply; however, to use credits you need a Koyeb account, and new Koyeb signups must have a valid payment method and subscribe to a paid plan (Pro/Scale/Enterprise) since Feb 2026.", "claim": "1) Open the official program page (linked from koyeb.com/pricing) and click apply; the application form is at tally.so/r/w4kzad. 2) Fill in company website, founding year, funding, region, and how you plan to use Koyeb. 3) Koyeb's Startup Program team reviews and responds 'within the week.' 4) On approval, credits are applied to your Koyeb account for Standard CPU/GPU instances; you get solutions-engineer onboarding and a dedicated Slack channel.", "expiry": "One-time credit grant on approval; the official page states no credit validity period or expiry date; program is ongoing and was verified still advertised on the official pricing page on 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "$30,000 is a ceiling — the actual amount is decided case-by-case after review. Program launched under standalone Koyeb (June 2024); Koyeb entered a definitive agreement to join Mistral AI on 2026-02-17, so terms/partners may change — re-check the official page before applying. Third-party trackers state new Koyeb users must be on a paid plan (Pro or above), i.e. credits ride on a paid account; the official post does not state this. No published credit expiry — rely on terms received at approval.", "source_url": "https://www.koyeb.com/blog/koyeb-for-startups-accelerate-with-credits-for-high-performance-infrastructure", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Starter plan + 1 free 512 MB instance — grandfathered to existing organizations only", "detail": "One free web Service per organization: 512 MB RAM, 0.1 vCPU, 2 GB SSD, deployable only in Frankfurt or Washington, D.C. It auto-scales to zero after 1 hour of no traffic (wakes in seconds on next request). Restrictions: cannot be used as a Worker Service, no custom scaling configuration, no persistent Volumes. The Starter plan itself is $0 pay-per-use: you're charged only for resources used beyond the free allowances (FAQ: outbound bandwidth 'not charged yet', 100 GB/mo free, then $0.04/GB — billing 'ahead of time' notice promised; custom domains free on paid plans). Since the Feb 2026 Mistral AI agreement, the Starter plan is closed to new signups; the pricing page lists only Pro ($29/mo + compute), Scale ($299/mo), and Enterprise ($1,000/mo+); new users sign up on Pro with a credit card and pro-rated charge. Existing Starter organizations keep their current terms.", "eligibility": "Existing Koyeb organizations already on the free/Starter plan (grandfathered). NOT available to new accounts as of Feb 2026 — new signups require a credit card/payment method and a paid plan (Pro/Scale/Enterprise). No .edu requirement. Region-limited: free instance only in Frankfurt or Washington, D.C.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — existing Starter orgs keep their free instance automatically. New users cannot obtain it: sign-up defaults to Pro with a $29 pre-authorization card hold plus pro-rated Pro charge; the docs FAQ still says Pro 'can be downgraded to the Starter plan at any time', but the post-Mistral FAQ flow restricts new signups to paid plans.", "expiry": "No published sunset date for grandfathered free instances. Koyeb's own announcement says the platform will transition into a core component of Mistral Compute 'in the coming months'; third-party reporting (Aug 2026) quotes the FAQ as saying the Starter plan will be 'removed soon / in the coming months'. Export anything you'd miss; do not build long-term dependency.", "gotchas": "Free instance limits: 1 per org, 1 of 2 regions, 512 MB RAM / 0.1 vCPU / 2 GB SSD, scale-to-zero after 1h idle, no Workers/volumes/custom scaling. Free outbound egress is 'not charged yet' (100 GB/mo allowance; $0.04/GB after) — can start with notice. Paid-plan extra bandwidth: $0.02/GB EU/US, $0.04/GB Asia. New signups: credit card mandatory ($29 pre-auth, immediate pro-rated Pro charge) — so the free tier is effectively no longer free-to-start for anyone new. Many 2024-2025 articles still describe a sign-up-able 'Hobby' free tier: stale. The old $5.50/mo free credit was already removed 2024-02-01.", "source_url": "https://www.koyeb.com/docs/reference/instances", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Serverless Postgres tier ('Free 5h'): $0/hr, 0.25 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 1 GB storage, ~5 h active per day", "detail": "Koyeb's Serverless Postgres has a free option priced $0/hr and $0/mo: 0.25 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB storage. The pricing page's activity schedule for it is 'Dev/Staging/CI environments (4h/day)' with scale-to-zero on inactivity; the docs FAQ describes it as 'one free PostgreSQL database limited to 5 hours of active time and 1 GB of storage.' 100% Postgres-compatible. Additional storage billed at $0.50/GB/month (the 1 GB attached to the free tier is included). One free Postgres is listed as included with plans.", "eligibility": "Available with Koyeb plans (FAQ: free Postgres 'included with all plans'). In practice, new accounts today must sign up for a paid plan (Pro $29/mo + compute at minimum) with a valid credit card/payment method, so the free Postgres is effectively gated behind a Pro account for new users. No .edu requirement, no region limit stated.", "claim": "1) Sign up for Koyeb (GitHub/Google SSO, passkey, or email; add a credit card — $29 pre-auth hold, pro-rated Pro charge). 2) Create a Serverless Postgres database and select the free / 'Free 5h' option ($0/hr). 3) Set the activity schedule to Dev/Staging/CI (4 h/day) so it pauses outside active hours.", "expiry": "Ongoing as of 2026-10-22; no expiry stated on official pages. The database auto-pauses after the daily active hours (4-5 h/day); you get one free Postgres per org.", "gotchas": "Explicitly for dev/staging/CI, not production: only ~4-5 hours of active time per day. New users need a credit card and pay the Pro base fee ($29/mo + compute) even to use the $0 Postgres — it is not a no-card, no-cost onboarding path for new accounts. Egress beyond plan allowance is billed ($0.02/GB EU/US; $0.04/GB Asia). The 0.25 vCPU/1 GB tier is small — heavy dev DBs will be latency-bound.", "source_url": "https://www.koyeb.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education offers — none exist (absence confirmed)", "detail": "Koyeb has no education license, student program, or .edu-based offer. The official pricing page, pricing FAQ, and docs contain no education section or student discount; student-perks trackers (e.g., freEDU) do not list any Koyeb student offer. Students get the same terms as any user: new accounts require a credit card and a paid plan (Pro/Scale/Enterprise); the only zero-cost options are the grandfathered free 512 MB instance (existing orgs only) and the $0 Postgres tier (requires CC + paid plan for new users). The Startup Program is the only real free credit program, and it is company-level (early-stage startups), not school-affiliated.", "eligibility": "N/A — no student offer exists. .edu email confers nothing at Koyeb.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Anyone advertising 'Koyeb free for students' is citing stale or fabricated terms; verify only against koyeb.com official pages.", "source_url": "https://www.koyeb.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) 2026-02-17: Koyeb entered a definitive agreement to join Mistral AI (Mistral's first acquisition, undisclosed price; Koyeb's 3 co-founders + 13 employees joined Mistral's engineering team in March 2026). The Koyeb platform continues operating and is transitioning to become a core component of 'Mistral Compute'. Material consequence: new users can only sign up for paid plans (Pro $29/mo + compute, Scale $299/mo, Enterprise $1,000/mo+) with a valid payment method; the free Starter plan was closed to new signups and Koyeb's FAQ says it will be removed 'soon / in the coming months' (no date published). Grandfathered free instances for existing orgs remain in effect as of 2026-10-22, but the official wording ('in the coming months') makes this a sunset-pending offer — export workloads. (2) 2025-03: free instances changed to automatically scale to zero after 1 hour of inactivity (cost-sustaining change). (3) The $30k Startup Program has NOT been publicly sunset; it was verified still advertised on the official pricing page on 2026-10-22, but its terms (partner accelerators, credit amounts, response SLAs) were set pre-acquisition and may change under Mistral AI — treat as at-risk. (4) Context from before 2025: the old $5.50/month free credit was removed from all accounts 2024-02-01 and replaced by the free instance type; GPU prices were cut up to 24% on Nov 7, 2025 (A100/H100/L40S). Sources: https://www.koyeb.com/blog/koyeb-is-joining-mistral-ai-to-build-the-future-of-ai-infrastructure , https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/mistral-ai-buys-koyeb-in-first-acquisition-to-back-its-cloud-ambitions/ , https://www.koyeb.com/changelog , https://www.koyeb.com/blog/koyeb-for-startups-accelerate-with-credits-for-high-performance-infrastructure , https://www.koyeb.com/pricing , https://www.koyeb.com/docs/faqs/pricing , https://www.koyeb.com/docs/reference/instances" ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Koyeb (Startup program)", "text": "Free tier closed to new users (secondary source). AgentDeals (checked Sept 30, 2026) reports Koyeb has had no free plan for new users since February 2026; Pro starts at $29/month. The startup-program credit figures were not re-verified.", "url": "https://agentdeals.dev/hosting-free-tier-comparison-2026" } ], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Koyeb Startup Program — up to $30,000 in free compute credits", "link": "https://www.koyeb.com/blog/koyeb-for-startups-accelerate-with-credits-for-high-performance-infrastructure", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "lambda research grant", "name": "Lambda Research Grant", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://lambda.ai/research" ], "offers": [ "Up to $5,000 in Lambda GPU cloud credits for qualifying academic AI/ML researchers (rolling, competitive), with mentoring" ], "notes": [ "Institutional affiliation + research proposal required; not guaranteed at the max. 2026: no general signup credit, no free trial, and no public 'Lambda student access' offer — this grant is the only free path. Expanded at CVPR 2026 to fund whole research groups. Card required on the Cloud account even when credits cover usage." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Lambda Research Grant (up to $5,000 GPU cloud credits for researchers)", "detail": "Lambda Research Grant: up to $5,000 in Lambda cloud (GPU) credits for developing and showcasing research work on Lambda Instances. Rolling, competitive; select accepted projects get featured on lambda.ai. The page markets the grant as backing named research efforts (\"Breakthroughs backed by Lambda\"). Official pages read today: https://lambda.ai/research (amount + application link), https://lambda.ai/pricing (no other free offers), https://lambda.ai/instances (no startup/student program), https://lambda.ai/legal/terms-of-service (credit terms).", "eligibility": "Page states only \"qualifying researchers\" — no explicit .edu requirement, student-vs-postdoc distinction, startup criteria, funding cap, or region limits are published on the page. Selection is competitive/discretionary. The \"Startups and Researchers\" nav label on the homepage simply routes to /instances; it is a product audience segment, not a program with benefits.", "claim": "Apply via the TypeForm linked on https://lambda.ai/research (\"Apply for a grant\" / \"Apply now\"), form ID form.typeform.com/to/Wn8YWMIj. No account or payment info is asked at the form level as far as the public page shows; Lambda contact/sales (\"Talk to our team\") handles the rest.", "expiry": "No application deadline or program end date published (rolling intake). Per Lambda Cloud Terms of Service, issued credits expire 12 months from issuance unless the credit instrument states an earlier date, and Lambda may revoke or expire credits at any time for any or no reason.", "gotchas": "Credits have no cash value, are non-transferable, and can be revoked early (ToS §3d). A payment method is required on the account generally (ToS Hardware §7.2: valid credit card or accepted payment method), so the grant is compute offset, not a card-free account. Mentorship mentioned in prior notes is NOT stated on the current public page — only \"featured on our website\" is promised. Web search was unavailable in this run, so 2025-2026 program changes/sunsets of any earlier Lambda startup program or trial-credit offers could not be independently verified; only live-page evidence is reported.", "source_url": "https://lambda.ai/research", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No standing free tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license (verified absence)", "detail": "Verified absence of standing free offers: the pricing page lists only on-demand per-GPU-hour rates (e.g., H100 SXM $3.99/GPU-hr, B200 $6.69/GPU-hr, A100-40GB $1.99, A10 $1.29, \"plus applicable sales tax/VAT/GST\") with no free tier, trial credits, education license, or startup credit program. /startups, /education, /labs all return HTTP 404. Sign-up (cloud.lambda.ai) is app-rendered and blocked direct inspection (403); no promotion is advertised on the homepage or pricing page. The only \"free\" mechanisms found: (a) ToS-permitted Beta Services offered \"at no additional charge\" while designated beta (trial expires at the earlier of 1 year or Lambda's written date), and (b) one-off event giveaways on lambda.ai (AI Infra Summit Giveaway 2026, 2026 GTC Berlin Giveaway, 2025 Microsoft Ignite Cloud Credit Giveaway) — attendee/contest-style, not standing programs for students or startups. Free educational resources (deep learning curriculum, Open-Sora/diffusion notebooks, Lambda Stack software) are content, not compute credits. Marketing note: instances advertise \"no egress fees\", which is a cost perk, not a free offer.", "eligibility": "n/a — this finding documents that no free tier, trial credit, startup program, or education license exists as of 2026-10-22 outside the Research Grant.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Event giveaways are one-off and attendee-restricted; the only standing free compute path for students/researchers is the Research Grant.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Beta-service free access ends when a feature leaves beta or at the 1-year trial cap. Event giveaway pages may be stale by the time you read them. Because search was unavailable, if a legacy startup program existed pre-2025 I could not confirm its status; the 404s on /startups and /labs plus the absence on pricing indicate it is not currently offered.", "source_url": "https://lambda.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, the only standing free compute offer on lambda.ai is the Research Grant (up to $5,000 credits, rolling/competitive). No dedicated startup program, student/education program, or free tier is currently published: /startups, /education, and /labs all 404, and pricing/instances/homepage show no audience-specific discounts. \\\"Startups and Researchers\\\" is only a navigation label to /instances. One-off event credit giveaways exist (2025 Microsoft Ignite, 2026 GTC Berlin, AI Infra Summit 2026) but are contest/attendee events, not standing student/startup programs. Caveat: the web-search budget was exhausted during this run, so historical sunsets of any earlier Lambda startup or trial-credit programs in 2025-2026 could not be independently confirmed; the absence conclusion is based on live official pages read today plus the 404s. Per ToS, all Lambda credits (including grant credits) are non-cash, non-transferable, revocable, and default to a 12-month expiry from issuance unless stated earlier." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Lambda Research Grant (up to $5,000 GPU cloud credits for researchers)", "link": "https://lambda.ai/research", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "launchdarkly developer plan", "name": "LaunchDarkly Developer Plan", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://launchdarkly.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free Developer plan (renamed from \"Personal Use\"): unlimited feature flags, 1 project, 3 environments, 5 service connections, 1k client-side MAU, 100k experiment MAU, plus 5k errors/replays and 10M logs included" ], "notes": [ "The free plan was rebranded Personal Use -> Developer as LaunchDarkly repositioned around AI observability (AI runs, logs, traces quotas now visible). Paid is now metered pay-as-you-go (Foundation ~$10/service connection + $8.33/1k client MAU annual). Verified at launchdarkly.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Developer plan (free tier, renamed from 'Personal Use')", "detail": "LaunchDarkly Developer plan: $0/mo, 'forever'. Limits read today from the official pricing page: unlimited feature flags; unlimited seats (no per-seat pricing); 1 project and 3 environments; 5 service connections; 1K client-side MAU/mo; 10M logs + 10M traces/mo; 5K session replays and 5K errors/mo (ingestion stops at 5K, no overage billing on this tier); 100K experimentation MAU/mo at no charge; 5,000 AgentControl AI runs/mo included with 14-day data retention. Docs add: free up to 1,000 users/contexts/mo and 10,000 experiment keys. All plans include SSO/SAML; Developer includes 2FA. No region limits stated. The plan was renamed from 'Personal Use' to 'Developer'.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (individuals, students, startups, teams). No .edu email, no funding/age cap, no credit card required ('No credit card required' shown on the Developer plan). No region limits stated on the page.", "claim": "Go to launchdarkly.com/pricing, click 'Get started free' under the Developer plan, create an account (email/password or SSO); no credit card asked; SDKs immediately usable in one project.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal; the Developer tier is free indefinitely. 2025-09-08 terms update does not change the free tier.", "gotchas": "It's a free tier, not a trial: free forever, but strict caps. Usage beyond caps = ingestion stops (errors/replays), not billed overage. 14-day AgentControl data retention vs 30/100+ on paid tiers. 1 project/3 environments only. In-progress guarded rollouts from a trial complete, but no new guarded rollouts without Enterprise+Guardian. 'No per-seat' means whole team can use it, but the usage caps are account-wide, so a busy team burns 1K MAU / 5 service connections fast. Foundation pay-as-you-go (first 5 service connections included, then $10/SC/mo; $8.33 per 1K client-side MAU/mo; $5 per additional 1K AI runs; billed yearly) is the upgrade path, so plan egress/usage before upgrading.", "source_url": "https://launchdarkly.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial (full Enterprise + Guardian features, auto-converts to Developer)", "detail": "14-day free trial covering 'all of the LaunchDarkly Enterprise and Guardian features'. Official getting-started docs: after 14 days the trial 'automatically converts to a developer tier plan' free up to 1,000 users/contexts/mo and 10,000 experiment keys. Plans docs: no credit card is required for the free Developer tier; the trial itself has no stated card requirement. Enterprise also offers a 'Get Enterprise trial' path on the pricing page.", "eligibility": "Anyone who can create an account. No .edu, no funding cap, no stated region limits. Trial does not advertise a credit-card requirement.", "claim": "Sign up at launchdarkly.com ('Sign up for a free trial'); 14-day trial starts immediately; nothing to do afterward — it auto-converts to the free Developer plan. Optionally upgrade to Foundation/Enterprise during the trial.", "expiry": "14 days per trial. At expiry the account auto-converts to the free Developer plan (or you upgrade to paid Foundation/Enterprise). Not renewable as a free offer.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free tier: trial includes ALL Enterprise + Guardian features; after conversion those features become read-only — LaunchDarkly retains the data but you cannot interact with it (Guardian guarded rollouts, custom roles revert to base roles, offline Relay Proxy still works but cannot download new flag rules; in-progress guarded rollouts complete, new ones blocked). The free tier's hard caps apply immediately post-trial. You cannot stay on 'Enterprise features for free' — the trial is a 14-day window, not a renewable offer.", "source_url": "https://launchdarkly.com/docs/home/getting-started", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "LaunchDarkly Academy (free training/certification, no payment info)", "detail": "LaunchDarkly Academy (academy.launchdarkly.com): free self-guided courses and public virtual classes, free LaunchDarkly certification, no payment information required at signup, guest accounts available. It is a free education/training resource (not a classroom license for product use): FAQ confirms courses free, no card required. Confidence medium because the official support FAQ page blocked direct fetch (HTTP 403 to bots); content comes from the official support site's FAQ as surfaced today.", "eligibility": "Open to all (guests, students, educators, partners). No .edu required; no fee. Not an institutional product license: it covers training content, not free classroom SaaS accounts.", "claim": "Visit academy.launchdarkly.com, select 'Sign In' → 'Sign Up' (guest account); no payment info is requested. Existing LaunchDarkly customers can use their login instead.", "expiry": "No expiry; account-based, no renewal. Courses reviewed/refreshed quarterly.", "gotchas": "Free tier covers self-guided content and public virtual classes only; 'private paid-engagements' cost extra. Academy access is separate from the product free tier — you still need the Developer plan for actual flags. Do not share one Academy account among students per FAQ guidance. Third-party 'education discount' entries for LaunchDarkly are unverified templates, not real offers.", "source_url": "https://support.launchdarkly.com/hc/en-us/articles/12942943664539-FAQ-LaunchDarkly-Academy", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education license / startup program: no active public offer found (pages 404)", "detail": "No publicly available free student/university license or startup credits program as of 2026-10-22. launchdarkly.com/education and launchdarkly.com/startup both return 404. The official 'Subscriptions and plans' docs and pricing page mention zero education or startup programs; the blog listing has no startup-program posts. LaunchDarkly's only standing free offers are the Developer plan and the 14-day trial. Costbench's 'Education Discount' / 'Startup Program' rows for LaunchDarkly are generic template entries the site itself flags as unverified.", "eligibility": "n/a — offer does not currently exist", "claim": "Not applicable — no current offer found. Verified via launchdarkly.com/pricing and docs 'Subscriptions and plans' (fetched today); /education and /startup return 404; no application path exists on official pages.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Any claim of 'LaunchDarkly free startup credits' without an official page is unverified. The de-facto free route for startups/students today is simply the free Developer plan + 14-day trial.", "source_url": "https://launchdarkly.com/docs/home/account/plans", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22: (1) The free tier is named 'Developer' — renamed from the former 'Personal Use' plan; limits match the known list (unlimited flags, 1 project, 3 environments, 5 service connections, 1K client-side MAU, 100K experimentation MAU, 5K errors/replays) plus 10M logs/traces, 5K AI runs, 14-day retention. (2) No active public education license or startup credits program: launchdarkly.com/education and /startup 404, and the official plans/pricing/blog pages reference no such program — the historical Startup Program (if it existed) is not publicly available now; treat any such offer as sunset/unverifiable. (3) Trial auto-conversion behavior: post-trial, Enterprise/Guardian data is retained but locked; guarded-rollout creation blocked; custom roles revert — material change for anyone expecting 'free Enterprise after trial'. (4) 2025-09-08 terms overhaul (Catamorphic Co. DBA LaunchDarkly, usage-based pricing with 'service connection' as billing unit, no per-seat fees on paid tiers); Foundation is $10/SC/mo + $8.33/1K MAU with first 5 SCs included. (5) Web search budget was exhausted mid-research; high-confidence findings were verified against official pages fetched today, except the Academy FAQ (official support content surfaced via search today, direct fetch blocked 403 → medium confidence)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Developer plan (free tier, renamed from 'Personal Use')", "link": "https://launchdarkly.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "lemon squeezy", "name": "Lemon Squeezy", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free to start: $0/month base, no card, no trial/contract; 5% + 50c per transaction; API, VAT/sales-tax collection & merchant-of-record included; email marketing free up to 500 subscribers." ], "notes": [ "Lemon Squeezy is 'a Stripe company' (Stripe acquired 2023). Developer/API access included at the $0 base with no separate paid dev tier. Handles global tax (SaaS/digital goods, 95 currencies)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Standard free tier: $0/mo base, pay-per-transaction pricing (perpetual, no card)", "detail": "Ecommerce features cost $0/mo — 'no monthly charges for ecommerce features'; only a per-transaction fee of 5% + 50¢ applies. Includes API access, license-key management, store builder, subscriptions, discounts, fraud AI, analytics; VAT/sales-tax collection and filing included because Lemon Squeezy is your merchant of record. Signing up is free with no card, no trial and no contract ('free to start — no trial, no contract, no risk'). This is the de-facto program for startups/solopreneurs: no funding cap, no age cap, perpetual.", "eligibility": "Global (no region limit stated for signup). No credit card required to sign up; no .edu, no startup-age or funding cap. Payouts: bank wire or PayPal, twice monthly, 200+ countries supported. As of Jan 2026 the successor product Stripe Managed Payments supports merchants in 35+ countries, so effective availability may narrow by merchant country.", "claim": "Create an account at app.lemonsqueezy.com/register (no card), add a product, and you can sell immediately in test mode; real payments require your new store application to be approved (follow-up questions may be asked). No application form or approval is needed for the free tier itself.", "expiry": "Perpetual. There is no trial period and nothing auto-expires; the $0/mo base is a permanent pricing model, not a promotion.", "gotchas": "True per-transaction cost exceeds 5% + 50¢ in common cases: +1.5% on international (non-US) card transactions, +1.5% on PayPal transactions, +0.5% on subscription payments, +1% per payout to non-US Stripe banks, +$0.50 per US PayPal payout and 3% (capped $30) per non-US PayPal payout; +5% extra on recovered abandoned-cart payments, +3% merchant affiliate fee, +2% affiliate payouts. Email marketing beyond 500 subscribers costs money (pricing scales with subscriber count; only 'free up to 500' is published on the pricing page). Refunds/chargebacks may carry separate fees. Lemon Squeezy is merchant of record, so it withholds/reserves funds as it deems needed — check payout hold terms in-app. Some payment methods 'may be subject to additional fees'.", "source_url": "https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing(supplementedbyhttps://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/fees)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Buildspace program: 0% fees for 30 days (closest thing to a student/education offer)", "detail": "Participants of Buildspace 'Nights & Weekends' and the buildspace school get 0% platform fees for 30 days on a new Lemon Squeezy store — 'After your first 30 days, we'll provide an all-inclusive pricing of 5% + 50¢ per transaction'. This is the only education-adjacent offer found on the official site; there is no .edu discount or separate student license (lemonsqueezy.com/education and /students are 404).", "eligibility": "Must be a participant of a Buildspace course/Nights & Weekends event (learners, not companies — no funding cap, no corporate age limit; no .edu requirement stated). Global, subject to Lemon Squeezy approving the store. Solo builders eligible.", "claim": "Step 1 — create your Lemon Squeezy store (free, no card). Step 2 — go to lemonsqueezy.com/buildspace and enter your buildspace code. Step 3 — complete the form (requires your store URL from Store Settings). Step 4 — discount applied manually within 3 working days. Test mode is available immediately; real payments may require follow-up questions before approval.", "expiry": "30 days of 0% fees, then standard 5% + 50¢ permanently. Offer itself has no stated sunset date as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Applied manually — allow 3 working days, longer for new store approval; not a generic 'student discount' you can claim with a .edu address. 0% fee refers to the Lemon Squeezy platform fee only — underlying Stripe processing is bundled into that fee, but surcharge structure post-promo is as in the main fee schedule.", "source_url": "https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/buildspace", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Migration offer: 0% fees for first 30 days, up to $10,000 in sales", "detail": "Switchers from other platforms (page explicitly references Gumroad) get 0% fees for their first 30 days on Lemon Squeezy, 'up to $10,000 in sales'. Migration of existing store data is done manually by Lemon Squeezy so data moves correctly. Free to sign up, no card required ('You can sign up for Lemon Squeezy and take it for a test drive for free — no strings attached, no card required').", "eligibility": "Any seller switching from another platform; no funding/age cap, no card required, no .edu. Global; store approval by Lemon Squeezy still applies. Open offer (not invite-only) with a claim form.", "claim": "Step 1 — set up your Lemon Squeezy store and follow their migration instructions. Step 2 — complete the form at lemonsqueezy.com/migration-offer. Migrations are processed manually: allow 2–4 working days for follow-up, after which the 0%-for-30-days offer is applied.", "expiry": "0% fees apply for 30 days and only to the first $10,000 in sales; afterwards standard 5% + 50¢. No sunset date published as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Manual processing means the promo may not start on day one; the $10,000 sales cap makes it effectively a small-business migration incentive, not a permanent discount. 'Free migration' + free signup still leaves the surcharge structure (international +1.5%, PayPal +1.5%, subscription +0.5%, payout fees) once the 30 days end.", "source_url": "https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/migration-offer", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program (credits): NOT officially published — unconfirmed third-party listings only", "detail": "There is no official Lemon Squeezy startup program or free-credits page. /startups returns 404, and no startup-program or credits link exists in the site's navigation. Third-party directories list one: startupflowai.com describes 'Lemon Squeezy (Stripe) startup credits' for pre-seed/seed, global, 'no referral', 'last verified 28 Sep 2026', but admits it has 'not confirmed a direct application page'; perkbook.co lists 'Lemon for Startups' as 'Program not yet confirmed / No active offer is currently published'. The only verifiable 'startup offer' is the perpetual free tier ($0/mo, no card) plus the two 0%-for-30-days promos above.", "eligibility": "Unknown — no official criteria (stage caps, funding caps, country limits, or application form found on lemonsqueezy.com or stripe.com as of 2026-10-22).", "claim": "No claimable official program found. If a Stripe-side startup program exists post-acquisition, it would live under Stripe (stripe.com), not on Lemon Squeezy's site; nothing published on lemonsqueezy.com directs startups to one. Do not count on credits.", "expiry": "N/A — no published offer to expire.", "gotchas": "Treat all directory claims (StartupFlow AI, PerkBook, Drifting Desk) as unverified — none link an official application page. The safe, verifiable startup offer is the perpetual free tier + 0%-for-30-day promos (Buildspace, migration).", "source_url": "https://startupflowai.com/directory/credits/lemon-squeezy-for-startups(unverifiedthirdparty;corroborated-absentonhttps://www.lemonsqueezy.com)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "No free offer was sunset in 2025–2026; the $0/mo + 5%+50¢ model and both 0%-for-30-day promos (Buildspace, migration) were still live on the official site when fetched 2026-10-22. However, there is a material structural change to flag: Stripe completed its acquisition of Lemon Squeezy in July 2024 (entity now 'Sold through Link, LLC f/k/a Lemon Squeezy LLC'), and Lemon Squeezy's own 2026 update blog post (Jan 28, 2026, lemonsqueezy.com/blog/2026-update) states the team is building Stripe Managed Payments and that the entire Lemon Squeezy user base is expected to migrate to it, with a public (no-invite) sign-up 'very soon'. Consequences: (1) Merchant availability for Managed Payments is currently 35+ countries (vs 200+ payout countries today), so the effective footprint of any free offer may narrow by country over time; sellers outside Stripe-supported countries are being pointed to Stripe Atlas to incorporate a US entity. (2) Farr acknowledged 'slower support responses and less frequent product updates' during the transition, so expect promo pages (buildspace, migration) to lose maintenance. (3) No fee-schedule change, program sunset, or new discount was announced — 5% + 50¢ remains the published rate. Note on method: the shared session web-search budget was exhausted before finishing; verification was done by direct fetch of official Lemon Squeezy pages (pricing, buildspace, migration-offer, docs fees, 2026 blog, homepage) on 2026-10-22." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Standard free tier: $0/mo base, pay-per-transaction pricing (perpetual, no card)", "link": "https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing(supplementedbyhttps://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/fees)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "lightning ai studios", "name": "Lightning AI Studios", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://lightning.ai/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "1 free active Studio + up to 30 free credits/month (~80 T4-equivalent GPU-hours on interruptible machines), 50GB storage; no credit card" ], "notes": [ "Phone verification required. Free Studios auto-restart on a 4-hour cycle; 'free hours' differ per GPU tier (T4 ~75h, A100 40GB ~10h, H100 ~5h per 15-30 credits). Verify current credit amount at checkout — details have shifted between 2025 and 2026." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan: 1 free CPU Studio + up to 30 one-time free credits (~80 GPU hours on interruptible machines)", "detail": "$0/mo tier aimed at \"students, researchers, hobbyists.\" Included: 1 free active CPU Studio (up to 32 cores; runs 24/7 but requires a restart every 4 hours), 32-core CPU Studios, single-GPU Studios (L40S, A100, H100, H200, T4, L4, RTX PRO 6000), up to 2 concurrent GPUs, 80% discount on interruptible (spot) instances, unlimited inactive Studios, unlimited background execution, connect any local IDE or SSH, multiplayer live collaboration, secrets management + E2E encryption, 15 req/min and 120,000 tok/min to Lightning model APIs. Credits: \"You get 5 free Lightning credits upon registration. Add a card for 25 more\" (1 credit = $1 USD) = up to 30 free credits, which the pricing page says \"gets you ~80 GPU hours on interruptible machines.\" Per-GPU free-hours table on pricing page: T4 75, L4 31, A100 40GB 10, A100 80GB 5, L40S 5, RTX PRO 6000 2; H100/H200 show no free hours. Persistent storage: official pricing table lists a 200 GB limit for Free (third-party checks still say 50 GB — see gotchas). All GPUs across AWS/GCP/Lightning/Nebius/Lambda/NScale.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone. No credit card required for the base tier, but 25 of the up-to-30 credits are only unlocked by adding a card. A phone number is required at signup (\"to prevent abuse of the platform\"). Region: official docs state \"Lightning AI is not available in every country\"; no published country list.", "claim": "1) Create an account at lightning.ai (email, Google, GitHub, or SSO) — no card needed. 2) Verify your phone number; this is what unlocks the free credits/GPU hours (docs: \"Verify your phone number to receive up to 80 free GPU hours to start\"). 3) Start a Studio — it boots on a free CPU instance by default; install deps there, switch to GPU only when needed. 4) Optional: add a payment card to receive the extra 25 credits (up to 30 total).", "expiry": "The credit grant is a one-time registration grant (5 on sign-up, 25 after adding a card); unused credits expire 12 months from issuance (purchased credits also expire 12 months from purchase). The free CPU Studio's 4-hour restart cycle repeats indefinitely — no end date published.", "gotchas": "\"Known so far\" said \"30 free credits/month\" — the official page today does NOT say monthly; it is up to 30 one-time credits (5 + 25-with-card). Some third-party sources (codeables.dev 2026-03, a GitHub doc) still claim 15 credits topped up monthly on the free plan; the billing FAQ now describes free credits only as \"promotional, non-transferable, and do not accumulate,\" with no quantified monthly amount. Beyond the credits everything is pay-as-you-go (GPUs billed per second, storage per day). Free GPUs are interruptible/preemptible. Free-tier API caps: 15 req/min, 120k tok/min. Session caps: A100/H100/H200 sessions limited to 4h; T4/L4/L40S unlimited. Storage limit inconsistent between sources (official table: 200 GB; aifree.dev person-verified 2026-10-12 and AILookup: 50 GB) — verify in-dashboard. Free credits are \"promotional\" and Lightning \"may change or limit free credit grants, eligibility, usage rules, or expiration terms at any time.\" No multi-node training, no multi-GPU per Studio, no SAML/SSO, no uptime SLA on Free.", "source_url": "https://lightning.ai/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Academic tier (education license): 80% off list price for first 48 months, requires academic email", "detail": "Lightning AI offers a discounted academic Pro tier: \"80% off the list price for your first 48 months, billed annually.\" Standard Pro is $50/month; academic pricing shows ~$9.99–$10/month billed annually, with 100 annual credits, 30 req/min and 150,000 tok/min model-API limits, unlimited background execution, multi-node training and up to 4 concurrent GPUs (per third-party listings). Students ALSO keep the full free tier: \"All verified users get free credits for GPU workloads plus a free CPU studio.\" If your class/lab's institution already pays for Lightning AI, the org admin can assign you one of its academic seats instead of buying your own.", "eligibility": "Requires an academic email address on your account (e.g., .edu or institutional email). No funding/age constraints — it is an education license, not a startup program. No credit card needed to use the free tier, but the academic Pro tier itself is a paid plan (billed annually).", "claim": "1) Sign up / sign in to lightning.ai with your academic email (faster verification per docs). 2) On the pricing page, toggle 'Academic pricing' to see the discounted tier, or contact support to apply. 3) Alternatively, ask your instructor to create a Lightning organization for the class and add seats/credits there — \"most universities have cloud credits and budgets they can use for classes through Lightning AI.\"", "expiry": "Discount lasts the first 48 months, billed annually; the docs do not state whether the same rate renews after 48 months. Credits attached to plans (incl. the 100 annual academic credits) expire after 12 months. The 4-hour free CPU-Studio restart mechanism has no stated cap.", "gotchas": "This is a DISCOUNT, not a free offer — Academic Pro still costs ~$10/mo billed annually. The dedicated marketing page lightning.ai/academia currently returns HTTP 404; the offer lives in the docs (docs/platform/overview/setups/academia and .../students) and the pricing page's 'Academic pricing' toggle. Exact monthly price varies slightly across sources ($9.99 vs $10/mo). A 2023 forum thread shows free credits were sometimes not auto-deposited for .edu accounts (had to be manually sorted by support) — if the 5 signup credits don't appear, contact support@lightning.ai.", "source_url": "https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/setups/academia/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program: free-to-start orgs + partner offers (Y Combinator $5K credits, NVIDIA Inception 80% off)", "detail": "Official startup docs: creating a Lightning organization costs nothing (\"There is no cost to create a new organization\"), pay-as-you-go from the first second, each member gets a free CPU Studio and a free teamspace, and orgs can connect their own AWS/GCP accounts to run on their own startup cloud credits (free BYO-credits path). The pricing page states \"Startup and academic pricing available\" (by contact; no published startup-credit amount). Y Combinator partner page: YC program members get 3 Enterprise-tier seats (stated $30K value), $5,000 in Lightning AI compute credits ($5K value), and $5,000 of platform onboarding/support ($5K value) — BUT this \"requires $20K annual contract,\" so it is a discounted paid deal, not a free grant. NVIDIA Inception partnership (announced by co-founder William Falcon, 2025-03-25): 80% discount on the Enterprise tier for NVIDIA Inception member startups (example given: $50K subscription for $10K) plus expert access.", "eligibility": "Official startup docs state NO published requirements — no funding cap, no company-age limit, no VC-backing requirement; any startup can create a free org and pay as it goes. Third-party directories (startupperks.co, aifree.dev) additionally claim startups must \"verify company details (age, funding, or website)\" — this is NOT stated on the official startups docs page, so treat it as unverified. YC offer: must be a Y Combinator program member; NVIDIA offer: must be an NVIDIA Inception member.", "claim": "Free path: 1) Create a Lightning AI organization (org title in top-left sidebar > 'New Organization' — takes under 10 minutes, free). 2) Invite team members; each gets a teamspace. 3) Optionally add a private AWS/GCP cloud account to consume your own startup cloud credits (AWS Activate / GCP for Startups credits). 4) For extra startup pricing/credits, contact Lightning AI via the pricing page's 'Startup and academic pricing available' link. YC offer: apply through YC partner channel and 'log in to claim'; NVIDIA Inception: claim via the Inception program portal.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no sunset date published for the free-to-start org model or the partner offers. YC and NVIDIA Inception deals are subject to each program's own renewal terms (not published on Lightning's pages).", "gotchas": "The headline YC '$5K in compute credits' is conditional on a $20K annual contract — effectively a 20%-of-cost rebate, not free. No public, no-string-attached dollar-amount free-credit grant for startups exists on official pages (unlike free-tier users' 5/30 credits). \"Startup pricing\" means discounted paid plans by inquiry, not published free credits. Free-tier caveats still apply to any startup account (4h Studio restarts, interruptible GPUs, pay-as-you-go beyond credits).", "source_url": "https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/setups/startups", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) The \\\"Known so far\\\" figure of \\\"up to 30 free credits/MONTH\\\" is no longer what the official pricing page says (checked 2026-10-22): credits are a one-time grant of 5 at registration + 25 after adding a card (up to 30 total), expiring in 12 months. The older \\\"15 monthly Lightning credits included\\\" free-plan model (visible in the Sept-2024 SaaSworthy snapshot and 2023 forum threads) was a monthly allowance; the billing FAQ now describes free credits only as \\\"promotional, non-transferable, and do not accumulate\\\" without a monthly amount, and some 2026 third-party write-ups (codeables.dev, a GitHub repo doc) still claim 15/month — that monthly figure is unconfirmed on any official page read today. 2) Storage: \\\"50 GB persistent storage\\\" (known-so-far and still the figure on aifree.dev, person-verified 2026-10-12, and AILookup) conflicts with today's official pricing table, which lists a 200 GB persistent-storage limit for the Free plan — possibly a 2025-2026 change or a limit-vs-included distinction; verify in-dashboard. 3) The dedicated education marketing page lightning.ai/academia now 404s; the academic offer was consolidated into the docs tree (lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/setups/academia[/students]). 4) No region limits are published beyond \\\"Lightning AI is not available in every country\\\". 5) lightning.ai was showing a global-outage banner (status.lightning.ai) at read time; all pages above still returned content. No startup free-credit grant was found to have been sunset — Lightning has no public fixed-amount startup credit program to begin with; the closest offers (YC $5K + $30K seats contingent on a $20K contract; NVIDIA Inception 80% Enterprise discount) are partner deals, not free programs." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan: 1 free CPU Studio + up to 30 one-time free credits (~80 GPU hours on interruptible machines)", "link": "https://lightning.ai/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "linear", "name": "Linear", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://linear.app/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues, 10MB uploads; paid Basic $10/user/mo" ], "notes": [ "No separate student/education offer found on the pricing page; the unlimited-collaborator free tier is the de-facto small-team offer." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan (always-free tier)", "detail": "$0 forever. Unlimited members, up to 2 teams, 250 active issues (unlimited archived issues), 10 MB file uploads per attachment, Google SSO, core issue tracking plus Agent platform and Linear Agent. This is the de-facto 'trial' for everyone — Linear runs no separate paid-plan trial; sign-up itself is free.", "eligibility": "Anyone, worldwide, no account-age, funding or headcount limits. Sign up with email, Google or GitHub — credit card NOT required. No .edu needed.", "claim": "1. Go to linear.app and sign up (free). 2. Create workspace; you get 2 teams / 250 issues immediately. 3. Add unlimited teammates for free. No application, no approval.", "expiry": "None published; free-plan limits (unlimited members, 2 teams, 250 issues, 10MB uploads) unchanged across every archived pricing page 2024-10-2026.", "gotchas": "250 active-issue cap (new issue creation blocks at cap, archived issues exempt); only 2 teams; 10MB upload cap; AI-credit-dependent features (Coding Sessions, Loops, agent automations) are metered separately on paid tiers — free tier has no paid AI features. Sales tax now applies in specific US states + DC (as of Jan 2026) on paid plans, not free.", "source_url": "https://linear.app/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program — up to 6 months free Business plan (partner referral only)", "detail": "Startups affiliated with an official Linear partner (VC, accelerator or startup community; 500+ partners incl. a16z, Sequoia, Index, Techstars, Antler, Bessemer, 500 Global) get up to 6 months of free access to the Business plan (normally $16/user/mo annual). At redemption the account automatically renews at the standard rate unless you switch plans or cancel.", "eligibility": "Must be affiliated with a partner (dedicated partner link/code). Hard cap: fewer than 50 employees AND non-paying Linear user (new paid customers only). No funding cap, company-age cap or revenue cap published. Bootstrapped/unaffiliated founders: NOT eligible — the page explicitly says only partner-affiliated companies can participate; >50 employees: contact sales instead.", "claim": "1. Find your investor/accelerator/community in the partner list on linear.app/startups (ask them to join if missing). 2. Ask the partner for their dedicated redemption link. 3. As workspace admin, follow the link or enter the partner code to redeem; offer applies to a new workspace. No codes to manage on the startup side.", "expiry": "Program open-ended (no sunset date published); each grant lasts up to 6 months, then auto-renews at standard Business rate unless cancelled/switched. Older third-party listings mentioning 'Standard and Plus plans' are stale (2024 plan names) — current grant covers Basic or Business.", "gotchas": "Referral-only: no self-service application and no bootstrapped path. 50-employee cap and 'non-paying users only' are the effective gates. Duration not precisely published per grant ('up to 6 months'). AI-credit-gated features (agent automations, Loops, Code Intelligence) may incur extra AI-credit charges on top of the free seats. After the free window, workspace drops to paying Business rate for all users, not just admins.", "source_url": "https://linear.app/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education program — students: 1 year free (100% off Basic or Business)", "detail": "Full-time students at colleges/universities get 100% discount (free) on Basic ($10/user/mo annual) or Business ($16/user/mo annual) for ONE YEAR, for student-led programs, clubs and educational activities (non-commercial). No credit card required to claim (a $0 charge at checkout is mentioned by aggregators).", "eligibility": ".edu email required to apply. Must be full-time; high schools, for-profit and online-only institutions excluded. Proof of full-time enrollment required — student IDs are NOT accepted (enrollment letter / proof of enrolled courses). Optionally attach proof of institutional accreditation to speed approval. Not for commercial/business use. No region limits published (non-.edu academic domains possible but undocumented — ask support).", "claim": "1. Create a Linear workspace (name it — needed for the application). 2. Email support@linear.app FROM your .edu address, including your workspace name and the email on the Linear account. 3. Attach proof of full-time enrollment (not a student ID) and optionally accreditation proof. 4. Wait for manual approval (no self-service portal); discount is then applied to Basic or Business.", "expiry": "Free period = 1 year per grant. Renewal/re-verification rules NOT published — unclear if renewable; check the approval email.", "gotchas": "Applies to Basic/Business only, NOT Enterprise. Covers student/educational use only — commercial side projects out of scope. Approval is at Linear's sole discretion and can change terms. If the workspace exceeds free-tier caps on any paid downgrade/cancellation, new issue creation blocks. Third-party value quotes ($120/yr Basic, $192/yr Business per seat at 2026 prices) reflect the post-Nov-2025 price hike.", "source_url": "https://linear.app/docs/billing-and-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education program — university staff: 75% off Basic/Business (ongoing)", "detail": "Staff and employees at qualifying academic institutions (colleges and higher-level institutions) get a 75% discount on Basic and Business paid plans. Discount is ongoing per approval (no published end date, unlike the 1-year student grant).", "eligibility": ".edu/school email + proof of employment at an eligible college or university. Same institutional exclusions as the student track (no high schools, for-profit or online-only institutions). At Linear's sole discretion.", "claim": "Email support@linear.app from your institutional .edu address with workspace name, account email and proof of employment; optionally attach proof of your institution's accreditation. Discount applied on approval.", "expiry": "No sunset published; discount runs with the subscription. Enterprise plan excluded (75% applies to Basic and Business only).", "gotchas": "You still pay 25% of seat price (2026: $2.50/user/mo Basic, $4/user/mo Business equivalent). Excluded from discount: Enterprise tier and any AI-credit add-ons (metered separately).", "source_url": "https://linear.app/docs/billing-and-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Non-profit program: 75% off Basic/Business", "detail": "Registered non-profits get 75% off Basic and Business plans (not Enterprise). Apply via support@linear.app with proof of non-profit status; eligibility determined at Linear's sole discretion.", "eligibility": "Standard 501(c)-style registered non-profit status proof. Explicitly EXCLUDED: legislative/political bodies, churches and religious groups, schools and colleges, government offices, opinion-influence groups, hospitals/health-insurance entities, and private foundations.", "claim": "Email support@linear.app with proof of non-profit status (registration docs); discount applied on approval.", "expiry": "No sunset published; runs with the subscription. 75% covers Basic/Business only.", "gotchas": "Discretionary approval; a long list of org types is excluded even if formally non-profit; AI credits remain a separate metered cost.", "source_url": "https://linear.app/docs/billing-and-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No standalone free trial / trial credits for paid plans", "detail": "Linear offers no time-boxed trial of Basic/Business and no trial credits anywhere in 2025-2026. The free plan is the only always-free access; paid access comes via the partner-startup grant or the education/non-profit discounts above.", "eligibility": "N/A — absence confirmed on pricing page, docs and startup page as of 2026-10-22.", "claim": "Not claimable.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Don't confuse partner startup grants (up to 6 months free Business) with a general trial — they require partner affiliation. Anyone else paying gets Basic $10/user/mo annual (no published monthly-billing price) or Business $16/user/mo annual.", "source_url": "https://linear.app/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan (always-free tier)", "link": "https://linear.app/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "llama cpp", "name": "llama.cpp", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp" ], "offers": [ "Free, MIT-licensed local inference/training in C/C++ — run quantized LLMs with $0 licensing on CPU or GPU (CUDA/ROCm/Vulkan/Metal backends)" ], "notes": [ "Underpins much of the local-LLM ecosystem (GGUF format). No quotas; performance scales with your hardware. 2025-2026: added Vulkan and ROCm support, so AMD/Intel GPUs are first-class, not just NVIDIA." ], "findings": [ { "name": "llama.cpp itself — free open-source local engine (no hosted offer)", "detail": "llama.cpp is an MIT-licensed C/C++ library for LLM/VLM inference and training. It is $0 to use with unlimited local use and commercial use; there is NO free tier, trial credits, startup program, or education license, because llama.cpp is a self-hosted library, not a cloud/compute provider. The only cost is the hardware you run it on (consumer GPU/CPU; GPU backends CUDA/ROCm/Vulkan/Metal) plus any cloud GPU you rent to host it. This is the accurate core answer to 'does llama.cpp offer free compute to students/startups?' — the software is free, but no hosted free-compute offer exists from it.", "eligibility": "Anyone, no account, no .edu, no credit card, no region limit; bounded only by your own hardware. No student/startup-specific program exists for the llama.cpp project.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Download a prebuilt binary or build from source at github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp (or Docker). License text: github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/blob/master/LICENSE (MIT, 'Copyright (c) 2023-2026 The ggml authors').", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Costs shift to hardware: 20–100GB+ model storage, GPU compute, electricity; idle always-on cloud GPUs still bill (~$400–450/mo T4 at startup scale per third-party analysis). Free software does not mean free compute. No training-notebook front is hosted by llama.cpp.", "source_url": "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Meta Llama Startup Program (adjacent — for the Llama MODEL, not llama.cpp)", "detail": "Meta's program reimburses early-stage US startups for using Meta's open-weight Llama models via hosted APIs on cloud inference providers: up to $6,000 USD/month for up to 6 months = up to $36,000 total, plus hands-on technical support from the Llama team. This is a REIMBURSEMENT of actual Llama API spend, not a grant, and it funds the Llama model ecosystem — it is distinct from the llama.cpp library.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups incorporated in the United States; raised less than $10M USD; at least one developer on staff. Target industries: tech/software, financial services, healthcare/life sciences, telecom, retail/eCommerce. US-only (no EU/Canada). No .edu required (not a student offer).", "claim": "Apply via the Meta Llama Startup Program page (go.fb.me / lnkd.in links from the 2025-05-21 announcement). Selected members receive monthly reimbursements up to the $6K cap over up to 6 months.", "expiry": "Initial-cohort applications closed 2025-05-30 (6:00pm PT); first cohort announced 2025-06-17 (~1,000+ applications). Per-member reimbursement window is up to 6 months. As of 2026-10-22 there is NO official confirmation the program has reopened; a third-party aggregator (grantedai.com) lists it 'Active / check source'.", "gotchas": "Reimbursement only for hosted Llama API costs (not on-prem/llama.cpp self-host, not training infra) — so it does not offset llama.cpp local runs. Monthly cap is 'up to' $6K, not guaranteed. US-only and <$10M funded; no new-cohort confirmation found for late 2026. Feedback on Llama is implicitly expected in exchange.", "source_url": "https://ai.meta.com/blog/llama-startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS + Meta 'Building with Llama' program (adjacent — Llama model on AWS)", "detail": "A 6-month virtual program co-run by AWS and Meta for ~30 promising US startups building with Llama. Offer: up to $200,000 in AWS promotional credits, plus office hours with Meta/AWS engineers, dedicated Meta Discord, AWS Solution Architect access, and model customization/inference guidance. Distinct from the smaller Meta Llama Startup Program and from llama.cpp.", "eligibility": "US-based startups that have raised money, less than 10 years old, available for a 6-month virtual program. Selected startups must enroll in AWS Activate to draw the credits. No .edu (startup, not student, offer).", "claim": "Apply through the AWS Startups 'Building with Llama' landing page; selected startups sign up for AWS Activate and receive up to $200K promotional credits over the 6-month build window.", "expiry": "Announced 2025-07-21; applications due 2025-08-08, AWS notified selectees by 2025-08-29; a single cohort of ~30 US startups. Landing page still live but this was a cohort-specific program; no confirmed 2026 re-open.", "gotchas": "Credits are AWS promotional (consumable against AWS usage, not cash), require AWS Activate enrollment, and are gated by selection (30 spots). The direct AWS page could not be re-fetched today (network block); terms verified via official page snippet + Meta blog. Credits expire per AWS promotional-credit terms; does not fund self-hosted llama.cpp compute.", "source_url": "https://startups.aws.com/lp/llama-for-aws-startups", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "llama.cpp (the named provider) has NOT sunset and is not a compute vendor: it remains free, MIT-licensed, with unlimited local use; there is no free tier, trial credits, student/education offer, or startup program to sunset — those categories simply do not apply to a self-hosted library. The 'free-compute' offers people associate with the 'Llama' name in 2025-2026 belong to Meta's Llama model and its cloud partners, NOT to llama.cpp: (1) Meta Llama Startup Program ($6,000/mo up to 6 months = $36K reimbursement) — initial cohort closed 2025-05-30; no official confirmation it reopened as of 2026-10-22 (third-party aggregators list it 'Active, check source'). (2) AWS + Meta 'Building with Llama' (up to $200K AWS credits, 6-month, ~30 US startups) — cohort applications due 2025-08-08, a cohort-specific offering. Both are startup (US, funded/<$10M or <10 yrs old) programs tied to the Llama model ecosystem, not llama.cpp; neither is a .edu student offer. Key disambiguation to carry forward: llama.cpp = local engine; the credit programs = Meta Llama model via cloud APIs/GPU, so they do not reimburse local llama.cpp runs. AWS 'Building with Llama' page was network-blocked today, so its current enrollment status is unconfirmed." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "llama.cpp itself — free open-source local engine (no hosted offer)", "link": "https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "lm studio", "name": "LM Studio", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://lmstudio.ai" ], "offers": [ "Free desktop app (macOS/Windows/Linux) with built-in model store and OpenAI-compatible local server — unlimited local inference at $0" ], "notes": [ "Best no-code route: download a quantized model, serve locally, zero licensing cost. Free tier is the whole product; optional cloud API (LM API) is paid and separate." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free desktop app (LM Studio + Bionic) — unlimited local inference at $0", "detail": "Official pricing page (lmstudio.ai/pricing, verified 2026-10-22): Free tier at $0 includes Bionic Agent, running local LLMs via llama.cpp and MLX, offline voice transcription, LM Link for up to 5 devices, and 'limited web search.' The classic LM Studio app also serves an OpenAI-compatible local server on port 1234 (/v1/chat/completions, /v1/embeddings, etc.), so local inference is unlimited and $0. Paid tiers are Bionic+ $20/mo (US-hosted open models: Kimi K3, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Flash; discounted bulk tokens; full web search + page extraction) and Pro $100/mo (5x usage limits, early access). Cloud models beyond plan allowances are prepaid 'cloud credits' billed per million tokens, roughly $0.13–$15.00/M tokens depending on model (per-model rates, e.g., DeepSeek V4 Flash $0.13 in/$0.26 out; Kimi K3 $3 in/$15 out).", "eligibility": "No .edu email, no startup age or funding cap, no application of any kind. No account and no credit card are required for local models or LM Link remote-model use (docs: 'Local and LM Link models do not use Bionic cloud credits, and can be used without an LM Studio account'). Cloud models require a signed-in account with billing set up. No region limits on local use; cloud inference is US-hosted with Zero Data Retention.", "claim": "Download from https://lmstudio.ai/download (homepage link 'Download LM Studio Bionic'). No sign-up for the local workflow. For cloud models: Settings → Account → Sign in, then add credits under Cloud Inference on the LM Studio Hub. Plan changes managed from the dashboard.", "expiry": "No expiry — free terms effective since the 2025-07-08 terms change; renewal is automatic (nothing to renew). Free web-search allowance on the Free plan is 'limited' with no published cap; the forthcoming 'Bionic Pass' (announced, pricing unpublished as of Oct 2026) may alter cloud allowances.", "gotchas": "Free = software fee only: you still pay for hardware, GPU/RAM, and electricity for local inference. 'Limited web search' cap is not quantified. 'Bionic' public download currently lists Windows; a Linux Bionic build is unconfirmed on LM Studio's own pages (LM Studio proper supports macOS/Windows/Linux, 16GB+ RAM and 4GB+ VRAM recommended). Paid Teams/Enterprise features (SSO, model/MCP gating, private collaboration) are not in the Free tier; team billing is via paid organization credits.", "source_url": "https://lmstudio.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free for work and school — de-facto free startup/education license (terms change 2025-07-08)", "detail": "LM Studio removed the requirement that companies/organizations obtain a separate commercial license. Since 2025-07-08 the app terms allow free use at home, work, school, or anywhere, so startups and academic institutions can adopt it with no procurement, no form, and no license purchase. Fortune 500 companies and universities are already on the paid Enterprise track, but standard app use needs nothing.", "eligibility": "Any individual, company, startup, or school — no minimum/maximum company age, no funding cap, no .edu verification, no region limits.", "claim": "Automatic — nothing to claim. Just download the app; the updated app terms apply on use.", "expiry": "Indefinite under current terms; no sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Covers the app; redistribution/rehosting and team control features (SSO, gating, private collaboration) are the paid Enterprise/Teams boundary. Model licenses (open-weight models downloaded via the app) still need their own license review.", "source_url": "https://lmstudio.ai/blog/free-for-work", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free public Hub organization for teams (2025-07)", "detail": "Announced alongside the free-for-work change: teams can create a public Hub organization to share LM Studio 'stuff' (models, presets, MCPs, configurations) for free, usable at work or school. Private/team-only sharing of artifacts is the paid boundary ('simple self-serve Teams plan' announced for late 2025; as of the 2026-10 pricing page, teams use centralized billing via organization inference credits and 'Subscription plans for teams [are] coming soon').", "eligibility": "Any team size; no funding/age caps stated; no .edu requirement.", "claim": "Create a public Hub organization in the LM Studio Hub (hub.lmstudio.ai / account after signing in).", "expiry": "No expiry published for public organizations.", "gotchas": "Public orgs are visible; private collaboration, SSO and model/MCP gating are Enterprise (sales-priced, no public rate card).", "source_url": "https://lmstudio.ai/blog/free-for-work", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No startup program, no education license, no trial credits (absence finding)", "detail": "There is no dedicated student plan, academic discount, startup credits program, or free trial of cloud inference from LM Studio. The official pricing and enterprise pages carry no education/startup tier. The only free offer is the app itself (unlimited local inference + limited free web search). A third-party tracker (noizz.io, 'LM Studio for Startups', checked 2026-09-23) explicitly states 'No startup program'; hokai.io (checked 2026-10-05) confirms Free/Bionic+($20)/Pro($100) with free local use and no quotas on local runs.", "eligibility": "N/A — no program exists to be eligible for. For cloud inference there are no free trial credits; paid prepaid credits are required (cheapest hosted model DeepSeek V4 Flash from ~$0.13/M input tokens).", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students/startups get the same Free plan as everyone else; the 'free offer' is the app.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "If the expectation was a hosted free tier (like a 12-month startup credit at a cloud GPU provider), it does not exist here — the 'free compute' is the user's own hardware. Cloud overage/egress: prepaid cloud credits, per-model per-token rates, US-hosted ZDR; Bionic Pass pricing unpublished.", "source_url": "https://lmstudio.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No LM Studio program was sunset or removed in 2025–2026; the opposite happened: on 2025-07-08 the paid commercial-license requirement for workplace use was REMOVED (previously: free personal use + separate commercial license for companies), making the app free for startups, schools, and companies. In 2025-07 the free public Hub organization and a paid Teams plan were added; the Bionic agent app launched 2026-07-16 with paid Bionic+ ($20/mo) and Pro ($100/mo) plans plus pay-as-you-go cloud credits, while keeping local inference free and unlimited. Note on task framing: LM Studio has never offered 'GPU / ML training & notebooks — free compute' fronts — it is a local-inference desktop app, not a GPU cloud; 'free compute' means the user's own hardware. The Teams plan is still not fully rolled out: the 2026-10 pricing page says team subscriptions are 'coming soon' with centralized org billing via paid inference credits. No student/education license or startup credit program exists (confirmed by third-party checks 2026-09/10); the free tier + free-for-work terms is the complete free offer." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free desktop app (LM Studio + Bionic) — unlimited local inference at $0", "link": "https://lmstudio.ai/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "logrocket", "name": "LogRocket", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://logrocket.com" ], "offers": [ "14-day free trial of all features, no credit card; paid starts ~$176/mo (annual) with unlimited error/log/analytics events, sized by monthly sessions" ], "notes": [ "No perpetual free tier; the hook is the card-free 14-day trial. Discounts advertised for students, startups (<$50M raised), non-profits, and open-source. Verified at logrocket.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "14-day free trial of all LogRocket features, no credit card", "detail": "Official pricing page states: \"Start free trial — no credit card required\" and \"Access all of LogRocket's features free for 14 days. Cancel any time.\" The trial covers all features across Core/Pro plans: session replay, product analytics, error monitoring, logs (analytics/error/log events are unlimited on every plan); price after trial starts at $176/mo (annual-basis, at the 25K sessions/mo default slider) or ~$860/mo with Conditional Recording. Final price also depends on seats, retention, and add-ons. Verified directly at logrocket.com/pricing on 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no student/startup status, .edu email, funding cap, or region limit published. No credit card required to start.", "claim": "Go to logrocket.com/pricing -> click \"Start free trial\" -> create account (no credit card) -> add LogRocket SDK to your app; trial of paid plans begins. Sales line (855) 564-7625 for questions.", "expiry": "14 days from signup; \"Cancel any time\"; no published renewal — re-signup after trial converts to a paid Core/Pro/Enterprise plan (contact-sales billing).", "gotchas": "Trial is time-boxed, not a free tier: the perpetual Free plan (1,000 sessions/mo, 1-month retention, 3 seats) was killed in mid-2026, so nothing is free forever. No CC on file means no auto-convert, but continued use past day 14 requires a sales-negotiated paid contract. Pro plan bundles 500 free API/MCP credits/mo and Enterprise 2,000/mo — but only on paid plans.", "source_url": "https://logrocket.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup discount for companies under $50M funding (sales-negotiated, not free)", "detail": "The official pricing page's \"Want a discount?\" section lists \"Startups under $50M funding\" as a discount-eligible category (alongside bulk volume, non-profits, open-source projects, multi-year contracts, case-study partners, and students). No fixed discount percentage or credit amount is published — LogRocketCreds/StartupCreds confirm there is no dedicated apply URL: logrocket.com/startups returns HTTP 404 (verified today). Third-party trackers (StartupPerks, innovarastudios) describe it as: any startup (seed/Series A/B+ or bootstrapped) with <$50M total raised, global eligibility, no VC/accelerator backing required; benefit is a custom discount that persists \"while eligible\".", "eligibility": "Startups with less than $50M total funding raised (per official page). Bootstrapped founders reportedly eligible. No accelerator/VC requirement. Company email on own domain (per StartupPerks).", "claim": "No self-serve application (logrocket.com/startups is 404). Contact sales via live chat on logrocket.com/pricing or phone (855) 564-7625, and verify funding stage; third-party trackers say approval is sales-mediated.", "expiry": "No published end date; discount persists while the company stays under the $50M funding threshold.", "gotchas": "This is a discount, NOT a free offer — nothing is free. Discount size is unpublished and negotiated by deal size (\"The bigger the deal, the more there is to talk about\"). A separate channel deal (Ramp partner program) reportedly offers 20% off the first year via application. Eligibility is claimed on the official page but mechanics are third-party-sourced (medium confidence).", "source_url": "https://logrocket.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student discount via sales (no .edu education license exists)", "detail": "\"Students\" is listed on the official pricing page among discount-eligible categories, same as startups/non-profits/OSS. There is no student-free license or education program: logrocket.com/education returns HTTP 404 (verified today), logrocket.com/free-accounts also 404, and no .edu-verified free tier exists or was offered. LogRocket does not appear in student-perk directories (StudentPerks, GitHub Student Pack, etc.) as of 2025-2026.", "eligibility": "Students per official category list; no published .edu email requirement or self-serve verification — discount is negotiated through sales.", "claim": "Contact LogRocket sales (live chat on logrocket.com/pricing or (855) 564-7625) and request the student discount; there is no dedicated application page.", "expiry": "No published end date; presumably valid while student status holds (unverified).", "gotchas": "Discount, not free. No amount published. Students get no standalone free account — the only time-limited free access is the 14-day trial. Third-party \"free for students\" lists do not include LogRocket.", "source_url": "https://logrocket.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Third-party $500 LogRocket credits for startups via SaaSOffers (not a LogRocket program)", "detail": "SaaSOffers lists a \"$500 in credits\" deal for LogRocket session replay + error tracking, labeled \"Verified October 2026\" and targeting startups debugging user experience. The deal is brokered by SaaSOffers, not run by LogRocket: claiming requires a SaaSOffers account with their premium tier ($79/yr, per the deal page), and the page publishes no funding cap, credit expiry, or redemption mechanics. Treated as a trial-credit adjacent channel only.", "eligibility": "Per SaaSOffers listing: startups (early-stage, growing SaaS teams, solo founders); sole stated requirement is \"startup debugging user experience.\" No funding cap published.", "claim": "Create SaaSOffers account -> upgrade to SaaSOffers premium ($79/yr) -> click Claim Deal on the LogRocket page -> follow activation steps.", "expiry": "No expiry published; deal re-verified Oct 2026; access gated behind SaaSOffers premium subscription.", "gotchas": "Effectively not free: the $79/yr premium gate must be paid to access the $500 credits. It is third-party-sourced; LogRocket's own site publishes no such credit offer. Also, SaaSOffers' sibling page still quotes an old plan structure (Free 1K sessions, Team $99, Professional $295) that no longer matches LogRocket's current page — verify before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://saasoffers.tech/offers/logrocket", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "LogRocket's one perpetual free offer is GONE. The Free plan — \\\"$0/mo free forever, 1,000 sessions/month, 1-month data retention, 3 seats, unlimited analytics/error/log events\\\" (plan history: Free/Team/Professional/Enterprise with Free + Team $69 + Professional $295, per trackers' captures through May 2026) — was removed when LogRocket repriced to session-based Core/Pro/Enterprise pricing. Removal window per independent trackers: PricingSaaS records the Free tier killed between its 2026-06-29 and 2026-07-06 captures (\\\"Logrocket kills free plan, quadruples Enterprise API credits to 2,000/mo\\\"); AgentDeals discovered it between 2026-06-08 and 2026-08-19 captures; stackwrite's 2026-10-03 re-check confirms \\\"LogRocket's free plan, which no longer exists at all.\\\" As of 2026-10-22 the official pricing page lists no free tier at all — only the 14-day trial. Trial packaging also churned in 2025-2026: Q1 2025 \\\"Free PoC\\\" became fixed \\\"21-Day Trial/Pilot\\\" for Professional/Enterprise; by the 2025-07-06 capture it was reworded to duration-less \\\"Free Trial/Free Pilot\\\"; the current page (verified today) says 14 days, no credit card required. Dedicated program URLs are dead: logrocket.com/startups = 404, logrocket.com/education = 404, logrocket.com/free-accounts = 404 (all checked 2026-10-22). Caveat: stale third-party listings still advertise the dead free tier — GitHub Marketplace shows \\\"Free 1,000 sessions/month\\\", G2 lists entry price \\\"Free, 1000 Sessions/Month\\\", and DriftingDesk lists a \\\"1,000 Free Sessions\\\" program \\\"Verified Active 2026\\\"; all contradict the official page and should be treated as outdated. Paid-plan perks that changed alongside: Pro API/MCP credits 200->500/mo and Enterprise 200->2,000/mo (July 2026)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "14-day free trial of all LogRocket features, no credit card", "link": "https://logrocket.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "loops", "name": "Loops", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://loops.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free tier for new accounts: limited subscribers + limited emails/mo" ], "notes": [ "Creator email (ex-ConvertKit team). HEDGED: exact free limits not re-verified this run (web-search budget exhausted) — confirm current caps before citing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Loops Free plan - permanent free tier ($0; called \"Early Stage\" in some third-party/marketing copy)", "detail": "Free plan at $0: unlimited contact storage; up to 4,000 total marketing AND transactional sends combined per rolling 30-day window, delivered to your first 1,000 subscribed contacts; rate limit 10 emails/second (over-limit emails queued, not rejected); all features included (campaigns, workflows, transactional API); \"Powered by Loops\" footer branding on free emails; no per-seat fees (unlimited team seats); a person can belong to up to 3 free teams. Official pricing-page footnote: \"Free stores unlimited contacts and includes 4,000 total marketing and transactional sends per rolling 30 days to your first 1,000.\" Docs (loops.so/docs/account/billing): free plan available to anyone with fewer than 1,000 subscribed contacts; \"You can stay on the free plan indefinitely.\" Marketing copy: \"A free tier that doesn't expire.\" No changes to this free tier in the 2025-2026 window; the last change was 2024-12-10 when the free plan doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 sends/month and transactional sends became free/included on all paid plans.", "eligibility": "Anyone (no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no region limits stated). No credit card required: \"Loops is free to start, with no credit card required.\" Free plan requires fewer than 1,000 subscribed contacts.", "claim": "Self-serve, no application. 1) Sign up free at app.loops.so/register (\"Start for free\" CTA on loops.so/pricing); no credit card required. 2) Create/verify a sending domain (Loops generates MX/SPF-TXT/DKIM records, Settings -> Sending domain). 3) Generate an API key (Settings -> API) and send via REST API/SDKs, or build campaigns/workflows in the dashboard. No student/startup verification, no .edu email required, no startup age/funding cap, no region limits stated.", "expiry": "Never expires - no time limit on the free plan. Persists while under 1,000 subscribed contacts; passing 1,000 does not lock the account or stop contact uploads, but campaign/workflow sends to contacts beyond the first 1,000 are restricted (transactional sends keep working within the 4,000 pool). You are prompted to upgrade past 1,000. Paid plans are never auto-downgraded to Free; to leave a paid plan, cancel from the Billing page (app.loops.so/settings?page=billing), which returns you to Free. Contact count changes can take up to 24h to reflect.", "gotchas": "(1) The 4,000-send rolling-30-day pool is SHARED by marketing and transactional email - password resets, OTPs and receipts spend the same budget as campaigns, and a heavy launch week keeps counting for 30 days afterward. (2) Only your first 1,000 subscribed contacts receive campaign/workflow email; extra contacts are stored free but don't get those sends. (3) 10 emails/sec on Free vs 1,000/sec paid; over-limit emails queue. (4) \"Powered by Loops\" footer remains on free emails. (5) Max 3 free teams per person - join more only by upgrading one team or deleting/leaving a team. (6) Ambiguity: the official footnote says \"first 1,000\" while several Oct-2026 third-party articles describe it as the \"1,000 newest\" contacts - verify in-product which contacts actually receive sends past 1,000. (7) No trial credits, no student/education license, and no startup program exist; the paid-plan \"Start for free\" CTAs simply land you on this same free plan (Growth starts at $49/mo, priced by subscribed contacts). (8) Loops is email-only - no SMS or push offered, so nothing free on those fronts.", "source_url": "https://loops.so/pricing(read2026-10-22);supporting:https://loops.so/docs/account/billing,https://loops.so/changelog/transactional-email-is-now-free(Dec10,2024)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "URL correction: https://loops.com/pricing/ no longer belongs to the email provider - loops.com 301-redirects to Loopsbeauty.com (beauty retailer, verified 2026-10-22); the email API provider's pricing is at https://loops.so/pricing. Disambiguation: on 2026-10-12 Salesforce/Tableau announced a definitive agreement to acquire an UNRELATED analytics company also named \"Loops\" (loops.ai, AI KPI analytics, CEO Tom Laufer) - not this email provider (Astrodon Corp); do not conflate. No student/education offers, startup programs, or trial-credit programs exist for Loops (email) as of 2026-10-22; none were sunset either (none ever advertised). The only material free-offer change on record: 2024-12-10, when the free plan doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 sends/month and transactional email became free/included on all paid plans (previously metered at $1 per 2,000 transactional sends). No 2025-2026 changelog entry touched free-tier limits (2025-2026 entries - split testing, Guardian, double opt-in, Workflows, Goals, CLI/Skills, ChatGPT listing - were feature releases only). The permanent free tier above remains the only genuine free offer from this provider." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Loops Free plan - permanent free tier ($0; called \"Early Stage\" in some third-party/marketing copy)", "link": "https://loops.so/pricing(read2026-10-22);supporting:https://loops.so/docs/account/billing,https://loops.so/changelog/transactional-email-is-now-free(Dec10,2024)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mailchimp", "name": "Mailchimp", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: 500 contacts, up to 1,000 emails/mo" ], "notes": [ "Cut from 2,000 free subscribers to 500 contacts (2023); free tier capped at 3 audience segments & 1 user. Most user-friendly free plan." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free email plan (\"free forever\" tier, not a trial)", "detail": "Official free plan as of 2026-10-22: limit of 250 contacts, max 500 email sends/mo or 250/day; 1 audience, 1 seat; limited pre-built templates, 300+ integrations, popup forms included. Excludes: email scheduling, automation flows, custom/branded templates, dynamic content, role-based access, custom reports, remove-Mailchimp-branding. Email support for first 30 days. If contact or send limit is exceeded, sending is paused (no overage billing on free). The page is region-gated; US and EU variants both show 250/500.", "eligibility": "Any new user, no .edu or age/funding requirements; account via mailchimp.com sign-up. Sign-up has not required a credit card for the free plan (site does not state CC explicitly for free; medium confidence on this sub-point). Region: available in standard Mailchimp-supported countries.", "claim": "Sign up at mailchimp.com/signup → Free plan is automatic; nothing to request. Upgrade to Essentials/Standard/Premium when you exceed 250 contacts or 500 sends/mo.", "expiry": "No expiry — perpetual free tier. Trial support ends at 30 days.", "gotchas": "This is a free tier, not a trial: no CC, no auto-upgrade. The 250-contact/500-send limit is the post-2025 reduction (older docs said 500 contacts/1,000 sends — that data is now stale). No email scheduling or A/B on free; over-limit sends are paused, not billed. Branding (Mailchimp footer) cannot be removed on free.", "source_url": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial of paid Essentials / Standard plans", "detail": "14-day free trial of Essentials (US entry $13/mo at 1,500 contacts) and Standard (US entry $20/mo) marketing plans. Eligibility: you must be a new Mailchimp customer OR an existing Free plan customer whose account was created within the last 90 days. Valid payment information (credit card) is required at enrollment. One trial per account; not stackable with other offers. After the trial the plan starts at the paid rate.", "eligibility": "New customers or free-plan accounts <90 days old; one trial per account; card required up front — so this is NOT no-CC free usage, it is a trial. No education/age/funding caps.", "claim": "From mailchimp.com/pricing, start the Essentials or Standard trial, provide a card, cancel before day 14 to avoid charge.", "expiry": "14 days, then auto-converts to paid subscription at the standard rate; cancel before trial ends to stay free.", "gotchas": "Credit card mandatory — accounts that are new-eligible and cardless cannot use it. The 90-day age rule on existing free accounts is the main trap. Trial is not stackable; one per account. Marketing plan features (campaign sends, seats) apply; if you only want API/transactional access, Standard is the minimum plan that supports it.", "source_url": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Premium plan 1-month free trial (sales-assisted)", "detail": "Pricing page lists a \"Free Trial of Premium for 1 Month\" available to qualified new customers, obtained by contacting Sales (premium includes 15% off first 12 months for 10,000+ contacts, unlimited users/audiences, Enterprise SSO, dedicated onboarding specialist). This is separate from and not combinable with the self-serve 14-day Essentials/Standard trial.", "eligibility": "\"Qualified new customers\" via Sales — implies new Mailchimp account; card required at conversion. No published eligibility thresholds beyond 'new customer'; region-limited to Sales coverage.", "claim": "Contact Mailchimp sales from mailchimp.com/pricing (or sales form) and request the 1-month Premium trial.", "expiry": "1 month, then Premium at the standard rate (US entry ~$350/mo for the small-contact tier with 15% intro discount; much higher at scale).", "gotchas": "Sales-gated, not self-serve; do not conflate with the 14-day Essentials/Standard trial; Premium is a large bill at conversion — only worth it if you need predictive segmentation, multivariate testing, SSO, or 200,000+ contact high-volume plan.", "source_url": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Transactional Email API (formerly Mandrill): free send credits — and SMS has no free tier", "detail": "Transactional Email (Mandrill successor): \"New users receive up to 500 free email sends to their verified domain\" (restrictions apply). Paid pricing is block-based: 25,000-email blocks at $20 (1-500k), $18 (500k-1M), $16 (1M-2M), $14 (2M-3M), $12 (3M-4M), $10 (4M+) — i.e. $0.80 down to $0.40 per 1,000 emails; 50% off 1M+ emails for first 12 months for qualifying new customers; dedicated IP +$29.95/mo. SMS: transactional SMS shares credits with SMS marketing in one pool, credits do not roll over, and a Mailchimp-approved phone number is required; no free SMS quota is listed. No push-notification or chat API product exists in the Mailchimp/Intuit suite reviewed.", "eligibility": "Transactional Email is an add-on that requires a Mailchimp Standard or Premium marketing plan (or legacy Monthly Plan); Essentials is explicitly ineligible — so the 500 free sends are effectively gated behind a paid marketing plan, not a standalone no-CC free API tier. A verified domain is required for the free sends.", "claim": "Sign up at login.mailchimp.com/signup/?entrypoint=mandrill, verify your domain, and claim the free 500 transactional sends; purchase 25k blocks as volume grows.", "expiry": "Free 500 sends are a one-time new-user allowance (per the page's wording); unused purchased blocks expire each billing cycle (no rollover). 50%-off promo: first 12 months.", "gotchas": "Read 'add-on to Standard/Premium' carefully: you cannot run transactional email on the free marketing plan alone, so the 'free tier' is really 500 credits for new users who will pay for the hosting plan — treat as trial credits, not a permanent free API. SMS and transactional SMS draw from one shared credit pool. No push/chat equivalents to claim.", "source_url": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/transactional-email/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Nonprofit/charity 15% discount (adjacent, not free)", "detail": "Mailchimp offers a 15% discount to nonprofits and charities. It is a discount on paid plans, not a free tier: sign up free, then contact the Billing team with your username and a link to your organization's website. No .edu/student license or startup program (no /for/students/ or /startups/ page exists — both 404) was found on official pages. There is also a general 'Save 15% on 10,000+ contacts' intro discount for the first 12 months on Essentials/Standard/Premium for businesses at that scale.", "eligibility": "Registered nonprofits/charities (typically 501(c)(3)-equivalent); applied after a free sign-up. No student or startup program exists to claim — if your goal is a .edu license, there is none.", "claim": "Create a free account, email Mailchimp's Billing team with username + org website; for the 10k+ intro discount it applies automatically at 10,000+ contacts on the plan's first 12 months.", "expiry": "Nonprofit discount: ongoing while nonprofit status applies (per Billing team). 10k intro discount: first 12 months; can be kept when moving up a tier.", "gotchas": "Do not cite Mailchimp as having a student or startup program — none exists on official pages as of 2026-10-22. The 15% figures are discounts, not free usage.", "source_url": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Major 2025 change: the free email plan's limits were reduced from the previously-known 500 contacts / up to 1,000 emails per month to 250 contacts / max 500 sends per month (250/day) — the live pricing page (US and EU variants) confirms the 250/500 limits as of 2026-10-22, so the \"known so far\" figure is stale. The Customer Journey Builder was rebranded to Marketing Automation Flows effective June 2025. No student/education (.edu) license program and no startup program exist on official pages (/for/students/ and /startups/ both 404; no program mentions on pricing, developer, or nonprofit pages). No free SMS allowance, and no push-notification or chat API product exists to claim. Transactional Email's free offering is a one-time 500-send new-user allowance gated behind a paid Standard/Premium plan, not a standalone free API tier. One verification gap: this session's web-search budget was exhausted, so corroboration beyond official Mailchimp pages (press posts about the 2025 free-plan reduction, third-party comparisons) was not possible; all facts above come from live official pages fetched today, with the Premium sales trial and the 500-free-sends transactional allowance the only medium-confidence items." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free email plan (\"free forever\" tier, not a trial)", "link": "https://mailchimp.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mailerlite", "name": "MailerLite", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: 1,000 subscribers, up to 12,000 emails/mo" ], "notes": [ "Marketing-focused; card-free; generous free automation & 3 automations. Widely cited as best-value marketing free tier." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Plan (standing, no credit card required)", "detail": "Per official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22): $0/mo, up to 250 active subscribers, 2,500 emails/month, 3 active automations (5 steps each), 3 active forms, 2 user seats, 1 website + 1 landing page, 1 digital product/booking, all 3 email editors, 100+ integrations, MCP for Claude/ChatGPT, knowledge-base support only. Explicitly 'No credit card required'. API/MCP/Webhooks are 'Limited' on Free (no API sending). No stated time limit — standing tier.", "eligibility": "Anyone worldwide; no credit card required; no .edu or org proof. Region limits not documented on the page.", "claim": "1) Go to mailerlite.com and sign up (email-based, no CC). 2) Account lands on Free plan automatically. 3) Import/capture up to 250 subscribers via forms; send up to 2,500 email campaigns/automations per month.", "expiry": "None — Free plan is a permanent tier, no expiry date documented.", "gotchas": "Do not use the legacy numbers '1,000 subscribers / up to 12,000 emails/mo' — superseded; current Free is 250/2,500. MailerLite logo remains on email; no report exports, no custom domain permissions, KB-only support. Automation cap is 3 active x 5 steps. API/MCP access is limited on Free and excludes sending.", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day Premium trial (no credit card required)", "detail": "Every new MailerLite account gets 14 days to try premium features (Comfort/Power-level features: 50 automations, more forms/sites, paid-plan features). No credit card required. When the trial ends, premium features lock but 'none of your data including subscribers, automations, forms, sites will be removed'. Paid plans start at $12/mo (Comfort, $25/mo Power; annual billing saves 10%).", "eligibility": "All new accounts; no CC required; no documented region or org limits.", "claim": "1) Sign up for a new account — trial applies automatically, nothing to request. 2) Use premium features for 14 days. 3) If not upgrading, account reverts to Free plan limits.", "expiry": "14 days from account creation; then premium features unavailable unless upgraded.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a free tier — after 14 days you drop to Free (250 subs / 2,500 emails/mo) or must pay. Data is retained, not deleted. No CC required at start; upgrade later can add billing.", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "API front: Limited on Free, sending paid-only; no free API credits; no SMS/Push/Chat product", "detail": "Pricing FAQ: 'Email sending via the API and MCP server is available on paid plans' and 'On Free, API and MCP access is limited and doesn't include sending'. Free users can still make API/MCP/webhook requests (e.g., manage subscribers) within limits. Paid plans from $12/mo. MailerLite's only messaging front is email — no SMS, push, or chat product/API exists, so 'SMS, Push & Chat APIs' fronts have no offer here. API docs at developer.mailerlite.com sit behind login. No free tier of API sending credits exists.", "eligibility": "API key available on all plans; API sending requires a paid plan (Comfort $12/mo+). No CC required for Free (read/manage only).", "claim": "1) Create an API key in the account (see help article 'MailerLite API key, Group ID, and documentation'). 2) Free plan: read/manage endpoints only. 3) To send email via API/MCP: upgrade to paid.", "expiry": "n/a — follows plan; no credit expiry since no free send credits exist.", "gotchas": "Do not assume the 2,500 free email sends can be dispatched via API — sending via API/MCP is paid-only. 'Limited' is not quantified on the public page (rate limits live in login-gated docs).", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student/education license (verified absence)", "detail": "No education offer found on the official site: mailerlite.com/education returns HTTP 404; the pricing page and help center index contain no student, educator, or .edu discount of any kind. There is no .edu email requirement or education license to claim — students get only the standard Free plan (250 subs / 2,500 emails/mo).", "eligibility": "n/a — no program exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; a student should sign up for the standard Free plan.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Absence verified on official surfaces only; this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so a third-party student-discount portal cannot be fully ruled out.", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No startup program (verified absence)", "detail": "No startup offer found: mailerlite.com/startup returns HTTP 404; no startup discount, funding cap, or application form on the pricing page or help center. The only discount programs MailerLite documents are: 30% nonprofit discount (proof required, e.g., US IRS certificate or EU government NGO document; only one discount at a time) and 10% off annual billing. A startup simply uses the standard Free plan or paid plans; the nonprofit 30% discount is out of scope for students/startups.", "eligibility": "n/a — no program exists.", "claim": "Nothing to claim for startups.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Nonprofit 30% is the closest org-type program but is not free and not for startups/students; discounts don't stack.", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Adjacency (out of scope): 30% nonprofit discount + 10% annual-billing discount", "detail": "For completeness: nonprofit organizations get 30% off paid plans — indicate nonprofit status during the approval application and submit proof (US IRS certificate or EU government document) via support. Annual billing saves 10%. 'We can only apply one discount at a time.' Neither is a free offer and neither targets students or startups.", "eligibility": "Registered nonprofit (US/EU proof); not for students/startups.", "claim": "Contact support with nonprofit proof; select annual billing.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Not a free offer; single-discount rule; proof required.", "source_url": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "The previously circulated free-tier numbers — 1,000 subscribers and up to 12,000 emails/month — are outdated. MailerLite restructured its plans (old Growth-plan era) so the current Free tier is 250 active subscribers / 2,500 emails/month / 3 active automations, confirmed on the official pricing page on 2026-10-22. No education license, startup program, or free API-send-credit program exists for MailerLite as of 2025-2026; /education and /startup URLs 404 and nothing is mentioned on the pricing or help-center pages. MailerLite has no SMS/Push/Chat front — email only. Caveat: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-research, so absence claims rest on direct inspection of official MailerLite pages (pricing, help index, 404 checks) rather than a full web sweep; a small third-party student-discount listing cannot be completely ruled out." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Plan (standing, no credit card required)", "link": "https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mailgun", "name": "Mailgun", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: 100 emails/day (~3,000/mo), 1 custom domain, 2 API keys, no card" ], "notes": [ "The old 'sandbox' is now the Free plan. Verified 2025-10. Paid Basic from $15/mo (10K/mo, no daily cap); Flex pay-as-you-go largely hidden/removed." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Mailgun Free plan (Email)", "detail": "Standing $0/mo tier: 100 emails/day (~3,000/mo), 1 custom sending domain, 2 API keys, 1 user per account, 1 day log retention, 1 inbound route, ticket support only. No expiry; it is the permanent entry tier. Overage/extra pricing starts on paid Basic ($1.80/1,000 emails, from). Page states 'It's free to sign up and easy to get started'; signup page is titled 'Sign Up Free', but the page does not explicitly say 'no credit card'.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu, no startup check, no funding cap, no region limits stated on the pricing page. Free account limited to 1 user.", "claim": "Sign up at signup.mailgun.com/new/signup (or app.mailgun.com/signup); account starts on the Free plan automatically. No separate claim flow.", "expiry": "Never expires; 100 emails/day cap is permanent. Log retention only 1 day.", "gotchas": "Daily cap: sending is limited past 100/day with no overage on Free. 1 user, 1 domain, 2 API keys. Higher volume requires the paid 'free 30-day trials' (Foundation/Scale below). Paid plans bill monthly in arrears (after the first partial month, charges are at the start of each month for the previous month). Card requirement for the Free plan not explicitly confirmed on the page.", "source_url": "https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Mailgun Foundation - 1-month free trial", "detail": "'Free for 1 month, then $35/mo'. Includes 50,000 emails/mo, up to 1,000 custom domains, 5-day log retention, 1-day message retention, full inbound routing, template builder, webhooks. Overage from $1.30/1,000 emails; email validation from $1.20/100. FAQ: paid plans offer 'free 30-day trials that provided unlimited access to higher tier features'.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no student/startup eligibility stated. Page does not state whether a credit card is required to start the trial (hence medium confidence).", "claim": "On the pricing page select Foundation 'Start free trial' -> 30 days, then auto-converts to $35/mo.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 1 month; renews to recurring $35/mo automatically.", "gotchas": "Trial, not free tier - auto-converts to paid subscription at month end; cancel before end of trial to avoid the first invoice. Dedicated IPs only at 50k+ volume; SSO is a higher-tier feature.", "source_url": "https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Mailgun Scale - 1-month free trial", "detail": "'Free for 1 month, then $90/mo'. Includes 100,000 emails/mo, SAML SSO, 5,000 email validations, 1 dedicated IP plus dedicated IP pools, 30-day log retention, up to 7-day message retention, live phone & chat support. Overage from $1.10/1,000 emails; validation from $0.80/100.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no student/startup eligibility stated; card requirement not stated on page (hence medium confidence).", "claim": "On the pricing page select Scale 'Start free trial' -> 30 days, then auto-converts to $90/mo.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 1 month; renews to recurring $90/mo automatically.", "gotchas": "Trial, not free tier; auto-converts to paid; cancel before end of trial to avoid the first monthly invoice.", "source_url": "https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Sinch Build trial credit - no card (SMS / Push / Chat / WhatsApp / MMS / RCS APIs)", "detail": "Official pages (sinch.com/build/, /apis/, /messaging/) state: 'trial credit, a default project, and API keys the moment your account is created, with no credit card required' and 'Trial credit lands in your account the moment you sign up.' Exact trial-credit amount, message cap, and expiry duration are NOT published on any page found - the build page points to developers.sinch.com docs, which also do not publish the figure (hence medium). Post-trial pricing is pay-as-you-go: US SMS $0.0078 (10DLC/toll-free) and $0.009 (short code) + carrier fees; MMS $0.018-0.02; number rentals $1-2/mo plus setup. 'Sinch Push' and 'Sinch Live Chat' are usage-based channels in the same Conversation API, with no separate free quota stated.", "eligibility": "Anyone creating a Sinch Build account - no .edu, no startup check, no funding cap, no region limit stated. No credit card required to start (explicit on official pages).", "claim": "Sign up at dashboard.sinch.com/signup -> trial credit + default project + Service Plan ID + API token provisioned automatically; send a test SMS in the quickstart against a Sinch test number.", "expiry": "Trial-credit expiry not disclosed; after credit runs out, pay-as-you-go continues (number rental fees accrue separately).", "gotchas": "Trial credit is a starter bucket, NOT a recurring free tier - there is no perpetual free SMS/Push/Chat plan. 'Sinch Push' and 'Sinch Live Chat' have no standalone free offer; they ride on the same Sinch Build signup. Rich channels (WhatsApp, RCS) may need a verified business profile. Legacy 'Mailgun SMS' free offerings no longer appear on mailgun.com - the SMS front is sold entirely under the Sinch brand.", "source_url": "https://www.sinch.com/build/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Sinch Engage - 14-day free trial (SaaS texting platform, SMS/MMS/RCS/WhatsApp)", "detail": "'Give Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia) a try for 14 days. No credit card required.' Limited trial: 'explore the platform and send test messages to yourself'. Post-trial plans: Basics $99/mo (3,000 SMS), Conversations $249/mo (10,000 SMS), Pro $799/mo (40,000), Pro Plus $1,799/mo (100,000), Advanced $2,399/mo (150,000); annual billing saves 16%. No free tier; lowest paid tier is $99/mo.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no student/startup eligibility; no credit card required for the trial (stated on official pricing page).", "claim": "sinch.com/engage/ -> 'Try for 14 days' -> Engage sign-up; trial runs 14 days.", "expiry": "Trial lasts 14 days, then paid plans apply.", "gotchas": "Trial is 'limited' (test messages to yourself, not production volume). Product was formerly branded MessageMedia - older 'MessageMedia free trial' references are the same program.", "source_url": "https://www.sinch.com/engage/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Sinch Engage education industry offering (for schools, not students)", "detail": "Sinch markets 'Education texting for schools & colleges' via Engage: 'Plans start at just $99/month for up to 3,000 messages' with a free 14-day trial. This is a paid vertical aimed at K-12/higher-ed institutions; it is NOT a student license or discount.", "eligibility": "Schools and colleges (institutional). Not a .edu-student offer; no student discount found on Sinch or Mailgun sites.", "claim": "Institution signs up for Sinch Engage (14-day trial, no card), then $99/mo Basics plan.", "expiry": "Standard Engage plans; 16% discount for annual billing.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with a student/education license - no such program exists; this is just Engage's entry plan marketed to the education vertical.", "source_url": "https://www.sinch.com/engage/industries/education/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program - not found (negative finding)", "detail": "No dedicated Mailgun or Sinch startup program (free credits, funding-cap gate, mentorship, accelerated eligibility) found on any official page checked today: mailgun.com (pricing, home, about) and sinch.com (home, pricing, apis, messaging, build, and /startup/, which is only a GOMEEP case study). No 2025-2026 launch or sunset of such a program was locatable; web search was unavailable this session (budget exhausted), so this is page-check based, not an exhaustive site crawl (hence medium).", "eligibility": "n/a - no program exists to claim.", "claim": "n/a - no program exists to claim.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "If a startup discount is advertised in third-party 'best free email APIs' listicles, it does not match any official Mailgun/Sinch page found today.", "source_url": "https://www.sinch.com/startup/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education license / student offer - not found (negative finding)", "detail": "mailgun.com/education/ returns 404; sinch.com has no student license or .edu discount (only the Engage education-vertical page above, which is a paid institutional product). Mailgun's Free plan (100 emails/day, 1 domain, 2 API keys, no card) is the only de-facto student-friendly offer.", "eligibility": "n/a - no .edu gate or license found on either brand.", "claim": "n/a. Students use the general Mailgun Free plan (signup.mailgun.com/new/signup) or Sinch Build trial credit (dashboard.sinch.com/signup, no card).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "The only 'education' asset is Engage's schools-industry marketing page - a paid $99/mo product with a 14-day trial, not a license for learners.", "source_url": "https://www.mailgun.com/education/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Branding/product sunset: Mailgun's site is now email-only (Send/Optimize/Validate/Inspect/Enterprise). The legacy Mailgun SMS offering has fully migrated to the Sinch brand - SMS/Push/Chat are sold as Sinch Conversation API channels (\"Sinch Push\", \"Sinch Live Chat\") plus the Sinch Engage SaaS (formerly MessageMedia). There is no longer a \"Mailgun SMS free trial\"; free SMS/Push/Chat access is only the unpublished-amount Sinch Build trial credit (no card required). No startup program or education license exists on either brand; those categories return negative findings. If any third-party-advertised \"Mailgun for startups\" offer once existed, it has no official home today. 2025-2026 change caveat: web search was unavailable for this session (budget exhausted), so the \"changed in 2025-2026\" check is based on today's official pages only - Sinch Build trial-credit amounts and the card policy for Foundation/Scale trials are not published and could differ in the signup flow." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 4, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Mailgun Free plan (Email)", "link": "https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mailjet", "name": "Mailjet", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: 6,000 emails/mo (capped 200/day), 1,500 contacts" ], "notes": [ "Marketing + transactional, EU-based. Free plan adds Mailjet branding. Numbers confirmed via provider comparison (2025)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan (permanent free tier, Email)", "detail": "$0/month forever: 6,000 emails/month with a hard cap of 200 emails/day, 1,000 contacts (primary + subaccount combined, exclusion list included). Includes Send API, SMTP Relay, Webhooks (event API), MJML, drag-and-drop Advanced Email Editor, email templates, GDPR subscription forms, basic statistics, form builder, email tracking consent, up to 1 subaccount. Ongoing overages beyond the monthly allowance are billed in 1,000-email blocks; unused credits expire each billing cycle.", "eligibility": "Anyone, no age/funding limits; no credit card required at sign-up (official FAQ: 'No, there is no credit card required for the free plan at sign up'). No .edu email requirement. Free ticket support only in the first month.", "claim": "Sign up at mailjet.com (signup page -> pick Free plan). No CC. Then add/validate a sender address or domain and set up SPF/DKIM to send.", "expiry": "Indefinite — no sunset date on the Free plan. Inactivity policy: re-engagement emails at 2/6/9/12 months of inactivity, 30-day deletion notice at 12 months, permanent deletion at ~400 days of inactivity (all data gone).", "gotchas": "200/day cap: excess emails queue up to 3 days then are PERMANENTLY dropped — unusable for time-sensitive sends >200/day. Campaigns can target max 200 recipients at once. Exceeding 1,000 contacts (anywhere in the account, incl. exclusion list) triggers an automatic send hold on both primary and subaccount until trimmed or upgraded. Since Oct 6, 2025 the contact cap dropped to 1,000 and template download (HTML/MJML) is no longer available on Free. No A/B testing, automations, segmentation, landing pages, dedicated IP. Mailjet logo stays in footer.", "source_url": "https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day Free Premium trial (auto on new signups)", "detail": "Every new account gets Premium features free for the first 30 days: Brand Kit, AI Templates (1 free test), advanced image editor, saved & linked/prebuilt sections, dynamic content, collaboration tools, labels, version history, landing pages (create only, not publish), segmentation, A/B testing, advanced analytics, email automation, bot-activity detection, preference center. NOT in trial: AI Assistant, email validation, custom landing-page domains, inbox email previews, template downloads, account sharing.", "eligibility": "All new Mailjet signups (students, startups, anyone). No credit card required — after the 30 days you are automatically moved to the Free plan, not billed.", "claim": "Just sign up at mailjet.com; trial is automatic. Upgrade in-account before day 30 to keep Premium features.", "expiry": "30 days from account creation, then auto-downgrade to Free plan (features lock). Existing plan limits still apply during trial: Free-plan accounts keep the 200 emails/day cap during the trial.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: during the trial your sending limits are still those of your plan (200/day on Free), so the trial unlocks features, not volume. Several Premium-only features are unavailable even in trial. The trial is marketing-positioned as 'free premium trial' but the account default is the Free plan — no charge on expiry.", "source_url": "https://documentation.mailjet.com/hc/en-us/articles/36284024209051-Welcome-to-Mailjet-Start-Your-Free-Premium-Trial-Today", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program (Premium free-window) — UNVERIFIED third-party claim", "detail": "Third-party deal aggregator claimstartupgrants.com describes an application-based Mailjet startup program giving qualifying early-stage companies 'an extended stretch of its paid Premium tier at no cost' (headline ~$300 value), with case-by-case approval. No corresponding page exists on mailjet.com or in the Mailjet Help Center (searches for 'startup program' surface only generic startup-marketing landing pages). A similar unverifiable 15%-off-startup/nonprofit code circulates on coupon sites.", "eligibility": "As claimed by the aggregator: early-stage/startup companies, approval case-by-case via submitted company details. No official eligibility criteria published by Mailjet.", "claim": "If it exists, per the aggregator you apply through their deal page (subscription-gated promo code + steps). No official Mailjet application flow found.", "expiry": "Unknown; aggregator lists it as a 2026 deal; no official dates.", "gotchas": "Not confirmed by any official Mailjet source found today; treat as rumor unless verified directly with Mailjet sales. The reliable startup path is the permanent Free plan + 30-day Premium trial.", "source_url": "https://claimstartupgrants.com/deals/mailjet/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education/student license — NOT offered", "detail": "No student or .edu-based free license/credits exist for Mailjet. Searches of mailjet.com and the Help Center found no education program; the only education-adjacent deal is an unverified ~10% 'student discount' on a coupon site (marketingtools.discount) that claims Mailjet 'isn't known' for reliable codes. There IS an official non-profit discount (Help Center article 'Do you have special pricing for non-profits?', ~20% off with documentation per a third-party review), but that is a paid-plan discount, not a free offer for students.", "eligibility": "N/A — no student eligibility criteria published by Mailjet. Non-profit status required for the non-profit discount (not student/education).", "claim": "N/A for students — use the Free plan / 30-day Premium trial. Non-profits: contact Mailjet support with documentation for the discount.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Don't budget around the rumored 10% student code; it is not corroborated by official sources.", "source_url": "https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free plan (permanent free tier, Email)", "link": "https://www.mailjet.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mapbox", "name": "Mapbox", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "Verdict: no genuine student or startup free offer found as of 2026-10-22, so findings is empty. The only free usage is Mapbox's standing pay-as-you-go monthly tier, which is not student- or startup-specific, plus lower card-free demo caps. The monthly tier resets each billing period and no expiry is stated. Full tiers come with standard pay-as-you-go billing, which requires a payment method (https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/faq/how-does-pay-as-you-go-billing-work/ ; https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/guides/signup/ says a card at sign-up \"includes the generous Mapbox free tiers\"). Monthly free amounts (https://www.mapbox.com/pricing): GL JS map loads 50,000; Maps SDKs for Mobile 25,000 MAU; Directions 100,000 requests; Temporary Geocoding 100,000 requests; Static Images 50,000; Vector Tiles 200,000; Raster Tiles 750,000. Permanent Geocoding has no free band. Overage: GL JS $5.00 per 1,000 loads (50,001-100,000); Directions $2.00 per 1,000 (100,001-500,000); Temporary Geocoding $0.75 per 1,000 (100,001-500,000). A GL JS map load is counted per map object initialized in a 12-hour session (signup guide), so recreating maps uses allowance faster. Card-free demo access (https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/guides/signup/ ; https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/guides/demo-access/) has much lower caps: GL JS 5,000 loads, Maps SDKs for Mobile 100 MAU, Directions 10,000, Temporary Geocoding 10,000, Static Images 5,000. It allows one token that cannot be created, rotated or deleted, blocks all APIs at a cap until a manual upgrade, cannot be switched back after upgrading, excludes Raster Tiles and Permanent Geocoding, and states no end date. Mapbox offers no monthly spending cap (https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/faq/can-i-set-up-a-cap-for-monthly-spending/). Usage past the free tier is invoiced to the card, and a failed charge risks deactivation. Student check: https://www.mapbox.com/education says sign-up is free and the free tiers \"cover almost all student projects\", with an educational-email sign-up instruction but no credits, bundles, verification rules or expiry. Startup check: https://www.mapbox.com/startups returns HTTP 404; the pricing page links only Nonprofit Support and Education; the account docs index (https://docs.mapbox.com/accounts/llms.txt) lists no student, startup, education or credit program. Adjacent, out of scope: https://www.mapbox.com/nonprofit offers donated or discounted services to nonprofits and positive-impact organizations, with no dollar figures; applications are reviewed in May and November, support starts in July or January, and renewal is annual. Conflict: freetier.wiki (https://freetier.wiki/services/mapbox/) lists \"Card required: No\"; the official pages above contradict that for the full tiers, so official pages were used. Confidence: high that no student or startup offer exists on the official Mapbox pages checked; medium overall, because only one of the two WebSearch calls ran (the other was refused by the budget) and its results showed no such program. If the index accepts general, eligibility-free tiers, the standing tier above is the entry to add, with eligibility \"any account with a payment method on file\"; that scoping is the orchestrator's call." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "—", "link": "", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mathworks matlab", "name": "MathWorks MATLAB", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/student.html" ], "offers": [ "MATLAB & Simulink free via 2,400+ campus-wide (TAH) licenses with school email; free MATLAB Online basic tier (20 hrs/mo) for everyone; individual student licenses paid (~$675/yr)" ], "notes": [ "No free desktop license for individual students — access is institutional; MathWorks also offers startup licensing tiers (verify)" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Campus-Wide Access to MATLAB and Simulink (school-provided, free for students)", "detail": "Students, faculty, staff and researchers at a school that holds a Campus-Wide license get unlimited use of MATLAB and Simulink desktop and online products, on and off campus and on any device (TAH support page). Students page: 'Your school provides free, unlimited access to MATLAB and Simulink.' The Campus-Wide product list covers the MATLAB and Simulink product families, toolboxes, MATLAB Grader, MATLAB Course Designer and Online Training Suite. Items marked with an asterisk need the license administrator to grant access. New academic products are added to the list automatically. This is an institution-level license with no student price.", "eligibility": "Students at a school with Campus-Wide access only. Students must create a MathWorks Account using their student (school) email address. No individual application path for students at schools without the license appears on the fetched pages. No degree-level, region or .edu-only rule is stated beyond the school email. The 2,400+ school count in the brief was not verified.", "claim": "1) Confirm with school IT or the license administrator that the school has Campus-Wide access. 2) Open https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/student.html or https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students.html and click Get MATLAB. 3) Create or sign in to a MathWorks Account with the student email address. 4) Per the page, MATLAB can be used immediately once the school's Campus-Wide access applies.", "expiry": "No end date or renewal term is stated on any fetched page. Access appears to follow the school's campus license term (inference, not verified).", "gotchas": "School-dependent: students whose school lacks the license get nothing from this offer. The paid Student Suite (MATLAB, Simulink, Online Training, 60+ add-ons) is a separate purchase and not included. The expansion of the 'TAH' label was not found on the fetched pages.", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MATLAB Online basic (free tier for all MathWorks Account holders)", "detail": "Free basic browser-based MATLAB Online: 20 hours per calendar month (page text: '20 hours per month of free use and access to 10 commonly used products'). Products: MATLAB, Simulink and nine toolboxes (per page summary). Continuous compute time 15 minutes; inactive idle timeout 15 minutes; MATLAB Drive storage 5 GB. Browser only, no desktop version. Support only via Help Center and MATLAB Central. The 20-hour window runs from the first to the last day of the calendar month and resets for the next month. At the cap, the current session can continue until sign-out or 15 minutes idle, but no new use until the next month. Self-paced online training and MATLAB Mobile reportedly do not count toward the 20 hours (page summary).", "eligibility": "Any user with a MathWorks Account. The page says 'all users with a MathWorks Account will have access to the basic version of MATLAB Online by default.' No student status, purchase or license needed.", "claim": "Create or sign in to a MathWorks Account through the login link on https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab-online.html, then open MATLAB Online in the browser. No purchase step appears on the pages. Credit-card requirement not stated.", "expiry": "No end date stated; this is a standing free tier. Hours reset every calendar month.", "gotchas": "Not a trial, but capped: 20 hours per month, 15-minute continuous and idle limits, 10 products only (other toolboxes excluded), 5 GB storage. Linking an eligible license to your MathWorks Account upgrades you to full MATLAB Online: unlimited hours, 20 GB storage, 90-minute continuous compute and 60-minute idle timeout (the comparison table shows these figures). The eligible license list (including Campus-Wide and Personal Student licenses) and the Software Maintenance Service requirement are per page summary.", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab-online/matlab-online-versions.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trial of MATLAB and Simulink (desktop and online)", "detail": "Free 30-day trial with unlimited use for 30 days on desktop and online, including MATLAB, Simulink and 80+ products (trial page). FAQ: 'The trial period is 30 days'; to request an extension, contact Sales. The FAQ also says professors can get trials for their students.", "eligibility": "No eligibility restrictions stated on the trial page or FAQ. Sign-in and a contact-information form are part of the Get MATLAB flow (page summary).", "claim": "Open https://www.mathworks.com/campaigns/products/trials.html, click Get MATLAB, sign in or register with a MathWorks Account, complete the contact form, then install or open MATLAB.", "expiry": "30 days from start. Extension only by request to Sales.", "gotchas": "A trial, not a free license: access ends after 30 days unless extended or purchased. Credit-card requirement is not stated on the fetched trial or FAQ pages (unknown; do not assume none). Do not confuse this with the free MATLAB Online tier, which is capped but ongoing.", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/campaigns/products/trials.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MATLAB Onramp free two-hour course and free online tutorials", "detail": "MATLAB Onramp is 'a free two-hour, self-paced, interactive course that allows new users to learn how to use MATLAB effectively' (trial FAQ). The students resources page lists 'Free, Interactive Tutorials' with automatic-feedback exercises and full courses or single topics, linked to matlabacademy.mathworks.com (page summary, not raw-checked).", "eligibility": "Described for new users; no eligibility restriction stated.", "claim": "Open MATLAB Onramp from the link in the trial FAQ, or the online courses link on https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students/resources.html. No purchase or license step appears.", "expiry": "None stated.", "gotchas": "Training only; grants no software license. Whether course time counts toward the MATLAB Online 20-hour cap was not verified (page summary says self-paced online training does not count).", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/support/faq/downloads/trials.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student competitions: complimentary software, training and mentoring", "detail": "The students page states: 'MathWorks provides complimentary software, training, and mentoring' for its competitions, which include hackathons and student challenges (Simulink Student Challenge, AI Challenge and others on the competitions pages). No amounts, license durations or seat counts are stated on the students page. Prize details and per-competition rules were not read.", "eligibility": "Students who enter a MathWorks-sponsored competition. Rules are set per competition and were not read.", "claim": "Choose a competition from https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students/competitions.html and follow its registration page.", "expiry": "Per competition; not stated on the students page.", "gotchas": "Competition-specific, not a standing license. The quoted wording is verified, but how the software is delivered and for how long was not checked on the individual competition pages.", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "MathWorks Accelerator Program: free in-kind licenses for startups at partner accelerators", "detail": "Startups incubated at one of 500+ partner accelerators receive an in-kind software sponsorship: 'up to 10 user licenses for 12 months of free software' covering the MATLAB and Simulink suite of products. No cost or IT administration burden for the accelerator or the startup. Benefits per page summary: application-engineer support, local-language training options with a 50% training-credit discount, and co-marketing.", "eligibility": "'All startups incubated at a partner organization regardless of size or funding' (page text). Only startups at a partner accelerator qualify. The page has no direct self-serve application.", "claim": "Ask your accelerator director whether your accelerator is already a partner and request access, per the page. Accelerators that want to join can contact MathWorks at startupaccelerators@mathworks.com (page summary; email not raw-checked).", "expiry": "12 months of licenses per the page; renewal terms not stated.", "gotchas": "Not self-serve; depends on the accelerator being a partner. Capped at 10 user licenses per startup. This is a free in-kind sponsorship, not a discount. Terms after the 12 months are not stated.", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/products/startups/accelerators.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MathWorks startup suites (NOT free: discounted annual licenses)", "detail": "Discounted 'Get Low-Cost Access to MATLAB and Simulink' tiers, both annual individual licenses: 'MATLAB Suite' (includes 40+ add-on products) and 'MATLAB and Simulink Suite' (includes 90+ add-on products). Suite holders get free access to the Online Training Suite Subscription. Prices render as unfilled template variables on the fetched page, so no dollar amount was confirmed.", "eligibility": "Startups meeting all of: founded within the last 5 years; fewer than 15 engineers; less than USD 1 million annual revenue. 'Angel and venture capital funding levels are not criteria for acceptance' (no funding cap). No industry restriction stated.", "claim": "Use the 'Apply now' or 'Request application' button on https://www.mathworks.com/products/startups.html to submit the application.", "expiry": "Annual license; renewal terms and renewal pricing not stated.", "gotchas": "Paid and discounted, not free. Price not visible in the fetched text. Startups sponsored through a partner accelerator get the free route instead (see the accelerator finding).", "source_url": "https://www.mathworks.com/products/startups.html", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Campus-Wide Access to MATLAB and Simulink (school-provided, free for students)", "link": "https://www.mathworks.com/academia/students.html", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "meilisearch", "name": "Meilisearch", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) self-hosted = unlimited, free; Meilisearch Cloud has a 14-day free trial, no card, but no permanent free hosted tier" ], "notes": [ "Verified 2026-10: the old free cloud tier (100K docs / 10K searches) is gone; resource-based pricing introduced 2025-10; cloud starts ~$20-30/mo. Self-hosting remains the free path." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted Meilisearch (open source, MIT)", "detail": "Meilisearch engine is open source under the MIT license; self-hosting is free with no usage limits (no caps on documents, indexes, or queries). You deploy it on your own infra; only your own hosting/compute cost applies. No credit card, no account, no region limit, no expiry. Verified on the official pricing page FAQ: 'Meilisearch is open source under the MIT license. Self-hosting is free... with no usage limits.'", "eligibility": "Anyone: students, startups, enterprises. No .edu email, no company age/funding cap, no credit card. No region restrictions.", "claim": "No claim needed: download the binary/Docker image or install via package managers from GitHub (meilisearch/meilisearch, MIT licensed) and run it on your own infrastructure. Free and permanent.", "expiry": "None — perpetual under the MIT license.", "gotchas": "MIT license is permissive (no copyleft obligations on your app). Hidden costs are yours: server hosting, storage/egress, and operational maintenance. No hosted free tier substitutes for it.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Meilisearch Cloud free trial (14 days, no credit card)", "detail": "Meilisearch Cloud (hosted, from ~$20/month; examples on pricing page: 100K docs + 50K searches ≈ $30/mo, or XS instance ≈ $23/mo) offers a '14-day free trial, no credit card required' per the official pricing page. The trial page/signup (cloud.meilisearch.com/register) asks only for name, work email, password (or Google/GitHub OAuth) — no published fixed dollar credit; trial scope/terms are not itemized on public pages. No permanent free hosted tier exists — after 14 days you move to paid usage-based or resource-based billing.", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up; work email requested; no published region limit; no credit card required.", "claim": "Start from the pricing or Cloud page: 'Start free trial' CTA → register at cloud.meilisearch.com/register (email or Google/GitHub) → create an instance and use it for 14 days.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 14 days, after which paid Cloud pricing applies (from $20/month).", "gotchas": "Trial is a trial, not a free tier — nothing renews. No published dollar credit amount; billing after trial is usage- or resource-based, so costs depend on docs/searches. No documented post-trial data-retention terms on public pages. Free offer is for the hosted service only; self-hosting (finding 1) is the only unlimited free option.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup offer (informal, sales-led)", "detail": "Meilisearch's startup-facing page ('Startups' under Solutions) has no formal published program — no fixed discount percentage, no duration, no company-age/funding caps. It offers: (a) the free 14-day Cloud trial, (b) free self-hosting during build/test ('you can self-host the engine for free while you build and test'), and (c) sales-led engagement: 'We work with teams of all stages on custom pricing and volume discounts, regardless of company size or funding stage' (page FAQ).", "eligibility": "Effectively open: page FAQ says custom pricing applies 'regardless of company size or funding stage', so no stated age or funding cap. No .edu requirement, no card requirement for the trial.", "claim": "No self-serve claim for the discount itself: use the 'Startups' page CTAs — 'Start free trial' (self-serve) or 'Get custom demo' / contact sales to negotiate a custom plan. Any discount is case-by-case and unpublished.", "expiry": "No published expiry; trial portion expires in 14 days.", "gotchas": "Do not assume a standard startup discount exists; it is a sales conversation, not a published program, so terms are opaque and not guaranteed. The only self-serve free element is the 14-day trial.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/solutions/startup", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education program found: no education license or .edu-based offer exists for Meilisearch; the only public 'free' tracks are self-hosting (MIT, permanent) and the 14-day Cloud trial. No 2025–2026 sunset of a specific free offer was verifiable today: the 2026 blog listing (page 1) shows no pricing-change or program-sunset announcements, but WebSearch was unavailable this session (shared session search budget exhausted), so 2025 changes could not be searched across the web — treat the absence of a formal startup/education program as verified via the official pages fetched today, not as a searched conclusion. Known-so-far claims checked: MIT self-hosted = unlimited/free (confirmed, high confidence); Meilisearch Cloud 14-day trial, no card, no permanent free hosted tier (confirmed on the official pricing page today, 2026-10-22). Sources: https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing, https://www.meilisearch.com/solutions/startup, https://www.meilisearch.com/cloud." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted Meilisearch (open source, MIT)", "link": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "meilisearch cloud trial", "name": "Meilisearch Cloud trial", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "14-day free trial, no credit card; paid plans from $20/mo (resource-based) or ~$30/mo (usage-based Build: 50K searches + 100K docs); open-source MIT build is free to self-host" ], "notes": [ "2025 change: the permanent free Cloud plan was retired when resource-based pricing launched (Oct 2025); only the 14-day trial + self-hosted OSS remain free." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Meilisearch Cloud 14-day free trial", "detail": "Cloud plan (usage-based or resource-based billing) ships with a 14-day free trial, 'no credit card required' — stated verbatim on the pricing page and reconfirmed in its FAQ ('No credit card required to start'). Sign-up is self-serve at cloud.meilisearch.com/register. No trial-specific caps (docs/searches/instance size) are published; the page only states the trial is included with the Cloud plan. After 14 days a paid plan applies: from ~$20/mo (resource-based XS instance: $18 instance + ~$5 disk, 0.5 vCPU/1GB, 32 GiB) or ~$30/mo (usage-based, covering 100K docs + 50K searches).", "eligibility": "Anyone; no .edu, no startup criteria, no region limit stated, no credit card at signup (card needed only to keep using it after the trial).", "claim": "1. Go to meilisearch.com/pricing (or /cloud). 2. Click 'Start free trial' → cloud.meilisearch.com/register. 3. Create account, provision an instance (usage- or resource-based), use it for up to 14 days. 4. Add a card before expiry to continue.", "expiry": "Trial lasts 14 days per account; no published data-retention-after-trial-end policy found on the official pages.", "gotchas": "Trial ≠ free tier: there is no permanent free plan — paid billing (from ~$20/mo) kicks in if you keep the instance. No published trial quotas; over the trial you enter paid usage-based billing for extra searches/docs. Eggress/data costs are folded into the per-plan resource/usage pricing, not separately itemized on the page.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Open-source Meilisearch (MIT) self-hosted — free, no usage limits", "detail": "The Meilisearch engine is open source under the MIT license and the pricing page states self-hosting has 'no usage limits' (no per-document or per-search charge). This is the genuine always-free option for students and startups: host it on any infrastructure (or a cheap VM/container) with no vendor license cost. A separate paid 'self-hosted support agreement' with SLA is available for compliance-driven customers.", "eligibility": "Anyone (unlimited use); not gated by .edu, funding, age, or region. Only constraint is you run the infrastructure yourself.", "claim": "1. Pull the engine (Docker/npm/binary) from GitHub (github.com/meilisearch). 2. Self-host anywhere. No signup, license, or payment. 3. Optionally contact Meilisearch for a paid support agreement if an SLA is needed.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Free means you own ops, scaling, and hosting cost — your cloud/VM bill replaces Meilisearch's. No SLA or support by default. Not 'free cloud storage'; docs live wherever you host.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated startup program or education license exists (the /solutions/startup page is marketing only)", "detail": "The 'Startups' page (/solutions/startup) is a general early-stage-marketing page: no free credits, no fixed discount, no company-age or funding cap, no application/verification flow, no expiry. Its only 'free' hooks are (a) the MIT self-host engine and (b) the standard 14-day Cloud trial. Its FAQ says custom pricing and volume discounts are available 'regardless of company size or funding stage' — i.e., startup deals are via sales, not a public program. No education page exists: candidate URLs (meilisearch.com/solutions/education and /education) return 404; site navigation and the official llms.txt list no education/student page and no .edu-email offer.", "eligibility": "Not applicable — nothing distinct to claim. Startup deals would be negotiated with sales ('Request a demo'), with no published eligibility (age/funding cap unknown).", "claim": "Students: use the 14-day Cloud trial or self-host the MIT build (no .edu gate, no license fee). Startups: same as everyone else, or contact sales for custom/volume pricing.", "expiry": "None published. Re-verify with sales for any negotiated startup discount — it is not a self-serve offer.", "gotchas": "Do not assume a startup discount exists just because the page exists; there are no verifiable credit amounts or eligibility windows. Any deal comes through sales and may carry custom (not discounted) terms.", "source_url": "https://www.meilisearch.com/solutions/startup", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No 2025-2026 sunsets or material changes identified from the official pages read today (2026-10-22): the 14-day, no-credit-card trial and the paid-from-$20/month structure are live and match known-so-far. Caveat: the WebSearch budget for this session was exhausted, so I could not run a 2025-2026 changelog search; I rely on the live official pages (pricing, startup, llms.txt, /cloud) instead. Meilisearch has no education/student license and no public startup credit program at present — if either was ever offered, it is not advertised anywhere on the current site; absence on site ≠ confirmed historical sunset. 'Fronts: Managed Databases & Data Platforms' is a category mismatch: Meilisearch is a search engine, not a managed database." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Meilisearch Cloud 14-day free trial", "link": "https://www.meilisearch.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "metabase", "name": "Metabase", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.metabase.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted open-source BI/dashboards (Apache-2.0); Metabase Cloud also has a free plan (limits not re-verified here)" ], "notes": [ "Expansion entry (not a seed). Self-hosted Community edition is free; Cloud free tier historically ~150 queries/day, 5 users — verify current numbers." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Open Source edition (self-hosted, AGPL): free forever", "detail": "Free to download and self-host under the AGPL (the input note's Apache-2.0 is wrong). Unlimited users, unlimited questions and dashboards, 20+ data sources, REST API with API keys, MCP server, query builder, SQL editor, dashboards, guest embeds, and Metabot AI using your own model key. Self-hosted transforms are unlimited (no per-run fee). Support is community forums only. The official pricing page lists Open Source as the only free plan; Metabase Learn says Metabase is free forever.", "eligibility": "Anyone: students and startups of any size or age, no .edu email, no funding cap, no region limit, no card, no account needed to download.", "claim": "Run: docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name metabase metabase/metabase, then open http://localhost:3000, create the admin account and connect a database. Without Docker, run the JAR on Java 25. Download page: metabase.com/start/oss (Download and self-host for free).", "expiry": "None stated; the AGPL license has no time limit.", "gotchas": "Free to download, not free to run: you pay for the server, application database, backups, upgrades and admin time. Pro/Enterprise only: SAML, JWT and OIDC SSO, row- and column-level permissions, usage analytics, serialization, white-labeling. Email subscriptions need your own SMTP server. Metabot AI needs your own model API key (you pay the provider). Guest embeds show a Powered by Metabase banner. Embedding in an app requires AGPL compliance, the Embedding License (keeps the logo) or a Metabase Commercial Software License.", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Metabase Cloud 14-day free trial (Starter and Pro); no free Cloud plan", "detail": "Starter and Pro each start with a 14-day free trial: time-limited, with no credit amount or usage quota. Store copy: trials are free, with no obligation to buy, and can be cancelled any time. The Store offers the trial for self-hosted or Metabase Cloud; the embedding article mentions activating a license token from the self-hosted Pro trial. After the trial: Starter $100/mo (5 users included, +$6/user/mo) or $1,080/yr; Pro $575/mo (10 users included, +$12/user/mo) or $6,210/yr. Enterprise has no trial (from $20,000/yr, sales-led). Cloud regions: US East (N. Virginia), EU (Frankfurt), South America (Sao Paulo), APAC (Singapore, Sydney).", "eligibility": "Not stated; no student or startup restriction on the Store or pricing pages. Card: the official Learn page (read today) says the 14-day Cloud trial needs an email and a credit card. The Store sign-up step as fetched showed only email and password fields, so the card step may come later (not seen). Card and conversion terms for the self-hosted trial are not verified.", "claim": "On metabase.com click Try Metabase Cloud free (or go to store.metabase.com/checkout), then Start your 14-day free trial. Choose Starter or Pro, self-hosted or Cloud, enter email and password, pick a region and enter payment details (order per Metabase's migration guide).", "expiry": "14 days from start. Post-trial billing is not explicitly stated; Store docs list Cancel a subscription or trial, which implies a card-backed trial converts to paid unless cancelled (inference). To cancel: Store, Instances, Settings, Cancel subscription and delete instance.", "gotchas": "If not cancelled, expect the $100/mo Starter (or $575/mo Pro) charge after 14 days (inference). Cloud supports only Metabase official databases: SQLite and H2 are excluded, and community drivers and file-based DBs are unsupported. Queries time out after 20 minutes. No access to the application database; email sender cannot be customized. Annual billing saves about 10%, but annual payments are non-refundable (docs). Starter includes 5 users; extra users are prorated daily.", "source_url": "https://store.metabase.com/checkout", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Included Cloud allowances on Starter and Pro: AI tokens, transform runs, storage rows", "detail": "AI service (Metabase-hosted model, Cloud only): first 1M tokens free, then $3.75 per 1M tokens, billed monthly on prior-month usage. Transforms: first 1,000 successful basic runs free on Starter and Pro Cloud, then $0.01 per run. Advanced transforms: 1,000 included runs on Starter and Pro; the page lists $0.02 and $0.01 per run after that (which applies is unclear). Storage (optional Cloud add-on for CSV/spreadsheet uploads and Google Sheets sync): $2 per 1M rows; first 1M stored rows always free. The official pricing page calls these included credits to get you started.", "eligibility": "Requires a paid Cloud subscription (Starter $100/mo or Pro $575/mo); not a standalone free tier. The AI service and Storage are Cloud-only; self-hosted users bring their own AI key and have no Storage add-on.", "claim": "No separate sign-up: the allowances come with a Starter or Pro Cloud subscription. On Cloud, choose Metabase's AI service instead of your own API key. Storage is an optional Cloud add-on (enable steps not verified).", "expiry": "Reset period not stated. The first 1M tokens and first 1,000 runs may be one-time rather than monthly; 'always free' for storage suggests an ongoing allowance. Confirm in the Store before relying on it.", "gotchas": "Allowances sit inside a paid plan, so the $100/mo minimum applies. Self-hosted transforms are unlimited (pricing page). A third-party tracker says Metabot AI on Cloud Pro/Enterprise was free for a limited time when introduced around Oct 2025; end date unverified. An official June 9, 2026 blog post (as quoted by WebFetch) says Metabase does not charge an add-on for AI, while the pricing page still lists a $3.75/1M-token AI service; check in the Store.", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing.md", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Guest embeds: free on every edition (Powered by Metabase banner on Open Source and Starter)", "detail": "Guest embeds (server-signed JWT, locked parameters, anonymous viewers) are free on Open Source and every paid plan. Viewers need no Metabase account and do not count as users. Open Source and Starter show a Powered by Metabase banner; Pro and Enterprise remove it and add white-labeling, custom colors and fonts. SSO embeds (JWT or SAML), the React SDK and full-app embedding are Pro/Enterprise.", "eligibility": "Anyone running Open Source, Starter, Pro or Enterprise.", "claim": "Have your server sign a JWT with locked parameters for each dashboard or question, per the embedding article. No purchase needed on Open Source.", "expiry": "None stated.", "gotchas": "Licensing decides compliance: the license page gives three routes for embedding in an app: abide by the AGPL, abide by the Embedding License (which keeps the Powered by Metabase logo), or buy a Metabase Commercial Software License. A legacy Premium Embedding License also exists for logo removal. Removing the logo requires Pro/Enterprise or one of these licenses.", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/articles/is-metabase-embedding-free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Meetrix Metabase image on Google Cloud Marketplace: 5-day trial, up to USD 50 licence credit (third party)", "detail": "Meetrix, a third-party reseller of the open-source Metabase build, lists Free trial: 5 days, up to USD 50 licence credit for its Google Cloud Marketplace image (e2-medium, 20 GB disk, deploys with Terraform or gcloud CLI). The page does not say what the credit covers, eligibility, expiry, or whether Google Cloud compute is included. Its FAQ separates its software fee from server cost, so the credit probably covers only that fee (inference).", "eligibility": "Not stated. A Google Cloud billing account and project are needed to deploy (inference).", "claim": "Subscribe to the Meetrix listing on Google Cloud Marketplace, pick a region and machine size, and deploy (about 5 to 10 minutes). Point a DNS A record at the server, then run the setup wizard.", "expiry": "5 days (stated); the USD 50 is a cap, not a guaranteed amount.", "gotchas": "Not Metabase-operated. Server and disk charges likely bill to your GCP account. No terms beyond the listing. Third-party AWS AMI listings also charge software fees (one listing shows $0.014/hour per instance type), so third-party images are not free by default.", "source_url": "https://meetrix.io/store/metabase/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "AWS Marketplace listing sold by Metabase: Try free for 14 days (terms not stated)", "detail": "SaaS listing sold by Metabase says Try free for 14 days. Its pricing table shows a Platform Fee of $20,000.00 per 12-month contract plus $210.00 per additional user. Trial price, card requirement, eligibility and post-trial billing are not stated. The listing says to contact Metabase for custom pricing, EULA or a private contract.", "eligibility": "Not stated; an AWS account is needed to subscribe.", "claim": "Subscribe through the AWS Marketplace listing; further steps not verified.", "expiry": "14 days (stated). The listing states all fees are non-cancellable and non-refundable except as required by law.", "gotchas": "Enterprise-scale price ($20,000 per 12 months), not a student or startup route. Metabase install docs say the company does not currently distribute Metabase on AWS Marketplace or Azure Marketplace, which conflicts with this listing; treat the listing as unverified. Whether startup cloud credits can pay for it is unverified.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-iqd2o7rn46rda", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Open Source edition (self-hosted, AGPL): free forever", "link": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "metabase community edition", "name": "Metabase Community Edition", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.metabase.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Open source BI/analytics self-hosted free and unlimited; Metabase Cloud free tier (limited questions/users)" ], "notes": [ "OSS dashboard/SQL-explorer you can host for free; useful for visualizing telemetry/Postgres. Cloud has a free entry tier." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Metabase Open Source / Community Edition — free, unlimited, self-hosted", "detail": "Perpetually free and unlimited: unlimited users, unlimited questions & dashboards, 20+ supported data sources, MCP server, AI on your own model, unlimited transforms when self-hosted. License is AGPL (GitHub repo lists AGPL + commercial MCL files). No sign-up, no credit card, no region limits. You pay only for your own infrastructure (Docker/JAR on your host). No support, backups, or managed upgrades — those are what the paid/cloud tiers sell.", "eligibility": "Everyone — no .edu email, no startup-age or funding-cap requirement, no application process.", "claim": "Self-service: deploy the official Docker image from Docker Hub or download the JAR and point it at your database (metabase.com/start/oss). Alternatively 'Get started' on the homepage routes to the paid cloud checkout at store.metabase.com/checkout.", "expiry": "None — perpetual, no renewal, no sunset date stated.", "gotchas": "Free edition excludes commercial features (SSO, required 2FA, row/column permissions, auditing, white-label embedding are Pro/Enterprise-only). No included support: 'All of Metabase's plans include support' means support is a paid-bundle item; self-hosters use community forums/discourse. Hidden cost is your hosting, not Metabase. AI is 'on your preferred model' (BYO) in the OSS path, so LLM API costs fall on you.", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing/(corroboratedbyhttps://www.metabase.com/start/ossandhttps://github.com/metabase/metabase)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Metabase Cloud 14-day free trial (any plan: Starter / Pro / Enterprise)", "detail": "14-day free trial of Metabase Cloud, available on any plan. Starter is $100/mo ($90/mo billed yearly, $1,080/yr; 5 users incl., extras $6/user/mo); Pro is $575/mo ($517.50/mo yearly, $6,210/yr; 10 users incl., extras $12/user/mo); Enterprise custom, 'from $20,000/yr'. Cloud trial includes automatic backups/restore/upgrades, managed PostgreSQL (AWS RDS), preconfigured SMTP, SSL, SOC 2 Type II, multi-zone HA, unlimited engineer support by email. Homepage CTA: 'Try Metabase Cloud free'.", "eligibility": "Open; no student/startup criterion mentioned. Trial is time-limited (14 days), presumably for new accounts. Regions at signup: US East, Frankfurt, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney (changeable later).", "claim": "Sign up via the 'Get started' / 'Try Metabase Cloud free' button, which routes to https://store.metabase.com/checkout; pick a hosting region at signup.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 14 days; continued use requires conversion to a paid plan. No renewal of the free period is stated.", "gotchas": "This is a TRIAL, not a free tier — there is no perpetual free Metabase Cloud plan. The official page does not state whether a credit card is required for the trial; checkout goes through a store, so card capture is plausible but unconfirmed. Usage-based extras after trial: AI (Metabase-hosted) $3.75/1M tokens with 1M tokens included; Transforms 1,000 runs included then $0.01/run (Advanced $0.02 BI / $0.01 EA); storage first 1M rows free then $2/1M rows. Data-residency limits: only the 5 listed regions; air-gapped or HIPAA needs go to self-hosted/Enterprise.", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing/(corroboratedbyhttps://www.metabase.com/cloudandhomepage)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student program — does not exist", "detail": "No student or education license is offered. metabase.com/education and metabase.com/startups both return HTTP 404. The pricing page, homepage, cloud page, GitHub repo and blog index contain no education discount, .edu requirement, or student offer. The only 'free' paths are the perpetual OSS self-hosted edition and the 14-day Cloud trial.", "eligibility": "N/A — program not found; nothing to claim.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students use the same free OSS self-hosted edition (unlimited users) as anyone else.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Absence confirmed on the official site today, but 'no program' cannot be guaranteed if one were announced off-site; the free OSS edition is the de facto student offer (no .edu email needed, no seat caps — unlike typical SaaS student tiers that cap seats or features).", "source_url": "https://www.metabase.com/(404sat/educationand/startups;homepage+pricing+blogscannedtoday)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No dedicated free Cloud tier with limited questions/users currently exists on the official site — the 'known so far' item (Metabase Cloud free tier, limited questions/users) appears to describe either the 14-day trial or a plan that was never a perpetual free tier; as of 2026-10-22 the free offerings are only (a) the unlimited self-hosted OSS/Community Edition and (b) the 14-day Cloud trial. No 2025-2026 sunset of a student or startup program was found: /education and /startups are 404 and no pricing-change or program-anniversary posts appear in the blog index (closest historical posts: 'Announcing Metabase Cloud' and 'An Enterprising Opening'). Caveat: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so third-party/press cross-checks of 2025-2026 changes (e.g., plan renames, tier limit tweaks) could not be done; confidence in absence-claims rests solely on the official pages fetched today. The OSS repo README describes the cloud offering strictly as a 'free trial', with no perpetual free tier." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Metabase Open Source / Community Edition — free, unlimited, self-hosted", "link": "https://www.metabase.com/pricing/(corroboratedbyhttps://www.metabase.com/start/ossandhttps://github.com/metabase/metabase)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "microsoft", "name": "Microsoft", "fronts": [ "devtools", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/for-students" ], "offers": [ "$100 Azure credit over 12 months (no credit card) + free monthly allowances on 25+ services; free Visual Studio, Office 365, GitHub credits via school verification", "Free 1-year bundle worth $199: Office/Microsoft 365, Visio, Project, MATLAB; plus $99 credit toward the $649 1-year bundle (Windows 11 + Office + Visual Studio + Team); $100 Azure credit for Students + 12 months of Azure for Students always-free services" ], "notes": [ "2025 change: credit is now a $100 lump sum (was $25/month); renews annually while enrolled; 'Azure for Students Starter' sub-offer (no card) added; free monthly quotas on 65+ always-free services", "Core bundle values and $100 Azure credit are long-standing; exact current SKU mix could not be re-verified in-session (localized page returned), so treat as 'confirm before publishing'." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Azure for Students: $100 credit + 12-month free services + always-free services (no credit card)", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22: $100 in Azure credit valid for 12 months (new Azure customers only); free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (e.g., 750 hrs each of B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 burstable VMs; Container Registry 1 Standard tier with 100 GB + 10 webhooks; Azure SQL 100,000 vCore-sec serverless/mo with 32 GB; PostgreSQL/MySQL 750 hrs Flexible B1MS with 32 GB data + 32 GB backup; SQL Managed Instance 720 vCore-hrs of 4/8-vCore GP with 64 GB data + 64 GB backup); plus 65+ always-free services (DevOps: 5 users with unlimited private Git repos; Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB; Functions 1M requests/mo; App Service up to 10 web/API apps w/ 1 GB storage; Static Web Apps 100 GB bandwidth; AKS cluster mgmt free; IoT Hub 8,000 msgs/day). Renew annually while a student. One account per person. After credit: email offers pay-as-you-go or disable.", "eligibility": "Full-time university students only (page asterisks full-time requirement); sign up with school email to verify student status; .edu or equivalent institutional email; not a trial — no credit card required. Region-limited services apply (always-free/12-month SKUs differ by Azure region); available in most Azure regions.", "claim": "1) Go to azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students. 2) Sign up with a Microsoft account + school email. 3) Student status verified automatically from email (no CC). 4) Claim $100 credit and apply; browse always-free/12-month services in portal. 5) Renew yearly while enrolled.", "expiry": "Credit: 12 months from account creation; 12-month services: 12 months (new customers); always-free services: indefinite. Annual renewal while a student re-extends the free amounts. No published sunset date.", "gotchas": "Credit card NOT required, but services beyond free amounts/credit bill you once credit is gone (pay-as-you-go). 'Always-free' has hard monthly caps (egress >100 GB/mo always-free is billed; data egress costs apply). Student plan is for learning/non-commercial; commercial workloads are ineligible. One account per person; re-verification may be requested.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack: free GitHub Pro, free Copilot, 80+ partner dev-tool offers (JetBrains, CI/CD)", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22 (pack page footer '© 2026'): free GitHub Pro account while a student (unlimited private repos; 3,000 Actions minutes/mo; 180 Codespaces hours/mo; 2 GB Packages + 20 GB Codespaces storage), free GitHub Copilot Student tier ('unlimited code completions, an allowance of GitHub AI Credits, plus limited chat/agent usage'), free Microsoft 365 offer in the pack ('with AI built in, 1 TB cloud storage, advanced security'), Microsoft Azure in the pack: '$100 in Azure credit + 25+ Azure services' (students 18+; a separate 13–17 offer: free App Service, Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL, App Insights, Azure DevOps). Partner offers incl. JetBrains 'free subscription for students, renewed annually', Heroku $13/mo credit for 24 months, 1Password free 2 years, Datadog Pro (10 servers) 2 years, MongoDB $50 Atlas credit + $150 certification, GitKraken & GitLens free 6 months then up to 80% off while a student, Travis CI private builds while a student, Codecov free public+private, BrowserStack 1 year, Sentry (50K errors) 1 yr renewable, Requestly Pro ($270 value) 1 yr. 83 partner entries total (page says '80+' style count).", "eligibility": "Students aged 13+ enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting course of study; school-issued email address and/or official, dated proof of enrollment. .edu preferred but international equivalents accepted via verification. One pack per student. Free; no credit card for GitHub itself (some partner trials may ask for a card on their side).", "claim": "1) github.com/education/students (or education.github.com/pack). 2) 'Get verified': sign in, verify school email or upload enrollment proof. 3) Claim Student Developer Pack; individual partner offers are accepted one by one in the pack page. Renewal: re-verify yearly while enrolled.", "expiry": "Pack entitlement lasts while student status is verified; renews annually. Individual partner offers have their own terms (1 week–24 months; e.g., Heroku $13/mo x 24 mo). 'Always' items: GitHub Pro, Copilot Student, Codespaces pro tier.", "gotchas": "GitHub Actions minutes/Codespaces hours are tied to the free Pro student tier, not a one-time grant. Copilot 'limited chat/agent usage' caps apply. Partner lineup churns (e.g., Gitpod/Replit/DigitalOcean no longer listed in 2026; JetBrains still listed but now as 'free subscription, renewed annually'). Microsoft 365 offer in the pack is the discounted/free M365 deal, not a new entitlement.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Office 365 A1 free for students, faculty & staff (desktop + web), donated to eligible institutions", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22: 'Educators and students with an eligible education email address can get Office 365 A1 for free' — Microsoft donates Office 365 A1 for Education to eligible institutions at no cost. Desktop Office apps install on up to 5 PCs/Macs + up to 5 tablets/phones per user; includes web apps, OneDrive for Education, Teams for Education. If your school already licenses A3/A5, you get that tier instead. Validity: 'as long as you are working at, or enrolled in, a qualified educational organization; eligibility may be re-verified at any time.'", "eligibility": "Eligible education email at a qualified institution (.edu or equivalent; individual verification possible for schools without an org license: automated check 'instantaneous', or up to a month for institution verification; individuals without eligibility get a 30-day trial path).", "claim": "1) Use your school email at office.com / 'get Office 365 A1 for free' (aka.ms/office-a1-hero-button). 2) Verify with institutional email (30-day trial fallback if school not yet in a qualifying org). 3) Desktop install via your account on 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets/phones.", "expiry": "No fixed expiry while enrolled/employed; plan ends (apps drop to reduced-functionality mode; online services stop) on departure/expiry. Eligibility can be re-verified at any time.", "gotchas": "This is the school's license flowing to the individual — not a personal subscription; you lose access on graduation/leaving. Doesn't include full Microsoft 365 Personal (e.g., Word desktop on a personal account). Free Office on the web remains separately available to anyone.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "50% student discount on Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot (Word/Excel/PPT/OneNote/Outlook + Copilot, 1 TB OneDrive)", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22 (offer cards on MS education hub and store/education page): 'Use your college email to save 50% on Microsoft 365 with Copilot included' — Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot at 50% off the list price, includes desktop apps with Copilot, 1 TB OneDrive, Defender security. Offer card title on store page: 'Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal'. This replaced/superseded the old '50% off' Office 365 University offer.", "eligibility": "Full-time and part-time enrolled university/college students at accredited institutions; verification of student status + a valid Microsoft account (personal MSA, NOT the .edu address, for the subscription itself). .edu/college email used to verify. Available in the markets where the student deal is offered (US-first, expanded in Oct 2025 'to more markets around the world').", "claim": "1) microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing. 2) Create/sign in with personal Microsoft account. 3) Add payment info (a payment method IS required to subscribe). 4) Provide EDU email for verification. 5) Email with completion link arrives at the student mailbox; subscribe at 50% off.", "expiry": "Recurring subscription: auto-renews at the discounted monthly/annual price while verification holds; eligibility can be re-checked (Microsoft periodically re-verifies student status; account downgrades when no longer eligible).", "gotchas": "Payment method required (unlike Azure for Students). It's a personal MSA subscription, not a school license. Trial vs free: the discounted plan is a paid subscription from day one — the free 12-month variant (below) is the no-cost path where available.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free 12 months of Microsoft 365 Personal (with Copilot) for US college students — announced Sep 4, 2025; 50% off afterward", "detail": "Per Microsoft's White House AI Education commitments announcement (2025-09-04): 'Microsoft 365 Personal free for 12 months to every college student in the United States', incl. community college students; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook with Copilot built in; sign-up opened immediately 'through October 31, 2025 (valid university email address required)'. After the free year: eligible for 50% discount to continue (list ~$99.99/yr before discount). Microsoft's Oct 1, 2025 announcement 'expanding the limited-time student offer to more markets around the world'. The education Office page (2026-10-22) still shows a 'Free for students: Our ultimate AI and productivity subscription' section pointing to college-student-pricing, but the live page could not be read today (JS/timeout), so current (post-Oct-2025-window) availability is unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "US college students (incl. community colleges) at launch; later expanded to more markets. Valid university email required; signup on a personal Microsoft account. No credit card for the free year is advertised; a payment method is required for post-expiry continuation at the discounted price.", "claim": "1) Sign up via the M365 student offer (college-student-pricing / 'Free for students' card on education pages). 2) Verify with valid university email. 3) Use M365 Personal free for 12 months; set a reminder before the free year ends to switch to 50% discount or cancel.", "expiry": "Free period = 12 months per claim; original US signup window closed Oct 31, 2025 (international expansion Oct 2025). Status of the offer in Oct 2026 could not be confirmed from the live page today.", "gotchas": "Limited-time offer: likely lapses or narrows between promo windows; check the page before relying on it. Auto-billing kicks in after the free year unless cancelled. 1 TB OneDrive included; Copilot usage limits apply.", "source_url": "https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/09/04/new-white-house-commitments/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft Store 10% student/parent discount on select devices", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22: 'Students and parents can get 10% off on select devices, including Microsoft Surface' (education hub) — store FAQ wording: 'Use the Microsoft student discount to get 10% off select physical products, including select Surface devices, as well as select student laptops, and PC accessories'. Ongoing, not time-boxed.", "eligibility": "Students: school-issued email 'provided by the school (for example, contoso.edu) that can receive external email, be of legal age to sign up for an online offer'. Parents discount is the separate parent-verification variant of the same program. US storefront.", "claim": "1) microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/education. 2) Sign in, verify student (school email) or parent status. 3) 10% applied to eligible SKUs at purchase.", "expiry": "Ongoing while eligible; no stated end date.", "gotchas": "Only 'select' SKUs; Microsoft 'reserves the right to verify an eligible retailer's advertised price and availability'. Physical products only (no M365 subscription discounts here).", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (Azure Education Hub) — free professional dev tools, IDEs & Git/CI tooling for students and faculty", "detail": "Free, non-credit offering: Windows 11/10 Pro, Visual Studio, SQL Server, Windows Server, Project Professional, Visio Professional (title list confirmed by UTEP's Feb 2026 catalog and U of I WebStore listing; full list in the Microsoft FAQ) plus GitHub Student Developer Pack integration on campus. 'Software is acquired ... only for instructional and research purposes'; commercial use prohibited (except free Windows-store apps). Office is NOT included. No expiry while enrolled — re-verifying student/faculty status keeps access; the 2016 'no expiry date' model continues.", "eligibility": "Students and faculty/staff of accredited institutions; student status verified with the university email via the Azure Education Hub (institutional SSO). Region: worldwide, campus-by-campus agreements.", "claim": "1) Open the Azure Education Hub student-verification portal (linked from your campus IT page). 2) Sign in with your university email (SSO where available). 3) After verification, browse 'Software' in the hub and download titles (license terms per title).", "expiry": "Licensed for as long as enrolled/employed at the qualifying institution; no personal expiry date; access lapses on verification failure/graduation. Titles change with Microsoft's licensing agreements.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial, instructional/research use only — cannot run departmental infrastructure or commercial products. Microsoft's own page (azure.microsoft.com/en-us/education) now funnels to Azure-for-Students content; program details live in the hub FAQ. Credit: no Azure credit in the hub — the $100 student credit is separate (Azure for Students).", "source_url": "https://www.utep.edu/technologysupport/servicecatalog/onl_azureducation.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups (new 2025/2026 credit program) — $1,000 instant credits, up to $5,000 total; card required for identity", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22 on the Azure-for-Students page (a new tier now advertised alongside the student offer): 'Azure for Startups: $1,000 in Azure credits instantly — no application required; unlock up to $5,000 in total credits with business verification; credits valid for 90 days (initial) and 180 days (post-verification); access to full Azure catalog up to credit limits; spending protection — credit card required only for identity verification and services beyond credit; no upfront commitment — cancel anytime; move to pay-as-you-go after credits expire or are used.'", "eligibility": "New Azure customers starting a startup (any new business customer can get the $1,000 instant tier; the extended tier requires business verification). Not age/funding-capped like the legacy Founders Program. Worldwide where Azure is available.", "claim": "1) Create a new Azure account; select the Azure for Startups plan (ad on the Azure free/students pages). 2) No application for the instant $1,000 — card added for identity verification. 3) Complete business verification to unlock up to $4,000 more (total $5,000). 4) Set spending limits; credits burn down 90 days (initial) / 180 days (post-verification).", "expiry": "Credits expire on fixed clocks: 90 days (initial $1,000) and 180 days (post-verification pool). After expiry: pay-as-you-go unless cancelled.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (identity + beyond-credit charges) — unlike Azure for Students. 90/180-day validity is far shorter than legacy Founders Program credits. Not a 'trial': unused credits are forfeit, not refunded.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups Founders Program — 'up to $150,000' Azure credits marketing (legacy big program)", "detail": "As read 2026-10-22: the Microsoft for Startups landing page still advertises 'up to $150,000 in credits' — 'Credits can be applied across eligible Azure services', with AI tools ('scalable AI tools that help cut costs'), technical resources, and the startup network. The 'Get started now' CTA now routes to the Azure Portal startup home view (portal.azure.com/?homeview=startup) rather than a standalone Founders Program application page; /startups/founders 404s. No numeric eligibility thresholds (funding cap, startup age, region) are published on the current page — detailed terms now live behind the portal flow. Legacy Founders Program historically: early-stage startups, < $30M raised, multi-month credit validity, plus training/mentorship/benefits; those specifics are not confirmable on the live pages today.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups building on Microsoft tech (funding cap and age limits historically: < $30M raised; regions with Azure availability). No current live-page confirmation of caps today.", "claim": "1) microsoft.com/startups → 'Get started now' (fwlink resolves to portal.azure.com/?homeview=startup). 2) Start in the Azure Portal startup flow / register via the startup program portal; larger credit pools historically required application + investor/partner referral; the new instant tier is the Azure for Startups $1k/$5k above.", "expiry": "Credit validity depends on the specific granted pool (legacy grants were ~6–12 month usability); not published on the landing page today.", "gotchas": "The $150K figure is a marketing maximum (historically: up to $150K Azure credits including base grants); most startups receive far less, tiered by review. The classic application-based Founders flow appears to have been consolidated into the portal 'Azure for Startups' tiers; treat the $150K as aspirational ceiling, not entitlement.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "College PC bundle promo (2026) — 1 yr Microsoft 365 Premium + 1 yr Xbox Game Pass Ultimate + controller; promotion ENDED", "detail": "Offer valid 4/15/2026–8/31/2026, redemption deadline 9/30/2026 (per official FAQ read 2026-10-22: 'This promotion has ended'): eligible US college students buying a new eligible Windows 11 PC got 1 year of Microsoft 365 Premium (ARV $199.99), 1 year Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (ARV $275.88), and an Xbox Design Lab controller (ARV $79.99) — '$500+ in added value'. One PC per student/account; refurbished PCs excluded; controller US shipping only.", "eligibility": "US college/university students at accredited US institutions with a valid .edu email; eligible new Windows 11 PC purchase; M365 Premium: new subscribers or Personal/Family upgraders; Game Pass: new subscribers only.", "claim": "Ended: (1) buy eligible PC by 8/31/26; (2) verify .edu status via on-PC prompt or email at the Microsoft Academic Verification page; (3) claim subs + controller promo code by 9/30/26 11:59pm PT. A valid payment method was required; after 1 year both subs auto-renew at monthly fees unless cancelled at account.microsoft.com. Game Pass had to be verified within 5 days of activation.", "expiry": "Ended: offer window closed 8/31/2026; redemption closed 9/30/2026. Page remains live for redemptions of in-window purchases.", "gotchas": "Payment method required; auto-renewal charges after year 1; new-subscriber-only rules for the two subs; this is a hardware-tied promo, not a standalone free offer.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-to-school-offer", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit + free monthly service allowances", "detail": "Verified today on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students: $100 Azure credit usable on most Azure products within 12 months; free monthly amounts on 20+ popular services for 12 months (new customers only), e.g. 750 hrs B1s/burstable VMs (Linux & Windows), 750 hrs PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup, 720 vCore-hrs Azure SQL Managed Instance, 1 Azure Container Registry (Standard, 100 GB), 5,000 transactions of Azure Vision in Foundry Tools; free monthly amounts on 65+ always-free services with no time limit, e.g. Azure Functions 1M requests/mo, App Service 10 web/API apps + 1 GB storage, Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB, AKS cluster management free (node charges apply), API Management 1M calls/mo (Consumption), AI Search 50 MB storage / 10,000 docs / 3 indexes, Static Web Apps 100 GB bandwidth, Logic Apps 4,000 built-in actions, DevOps 5 users, IoT Hub 8,000 msgs/day, plus Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry model access. After the 12 months or credit exhaustion, Microsoft emails you to choose pay-as-you-go or have the subscription disabled; if you convert, free monthly amounts continue.", "eligibility": "Full-time university students only; sign up with a school (.edu) email; one account per person; NO credit card required (explicitly stated on the page). No minimum age stated on the page, but the Azure-for-Students credit offer in the GitHub pack is 18+ (younger students get limited access). No country list published on the page (US-locale content).", "claim": "1) Go to azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students, click 'Start free' (go.microsoft.com/fwlink link id 2062405). 2) Sign up with your school email; verification is via the school email — no card. 3) The $100 credit and free monthly allowances are granted immediately. 4) After account creation, download free dev tools from the Azure Education Hub. Renew yearly while enrolled.", "expiry": "Credit usable within 12 months of account creation; free monthly allowances: 12 months for the 'popular services' set, ongoing (no limit) for the 65+ always-free set. Subscription renewable annually while still a full-time student. No sunset date published.", "gotchas": "The $100 credit is a cap, not cash; once exhausted you must pay unless you stay within the free-allowance limits. Free-tier caps (e.g., VMs 750 hrs, not 730) are hard limits — overage is billed. Data egress, storage over 32 GB on DBs, and premium-tier usage are not covered. You must convert to pay-as-you-go to keep running after credit expiry. The AI free allowances are rebranded under Microsoft Foundry ('Foundry Tools'/'Control Plane') in 2025-2026 — same services, new names. One account per person; no stacking with the Azure Free account's $200.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Free Account (standard tier, non-student) — $200 credit / 30 days + 12-month free services", "detail": "Verified today on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free: $200 credit usable on Azure services within 30 days (one per new customer; unused credit stays valid for the full 30 days), free monthly amounts on 20+ popular services for 12 months, and 65+ always-free services ongoing (same lists as the student page: 750 hrs VMs, 1M Functions requests, Cosmos DB 1000 RU/s + 25 GB, etc.). A phone number plus credit/debit card (non-prepaid; credit cards only in HK and Brazil) is required at signup, with a temporary ~$1 authorization that is reversed.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only; one free account with the $200 credit per person. Credit card required (unlike the student track). No funding or company requirements — open to individuals.", "claim": "1) Go to azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free, 'Get started'. 2) Sign in with a Microsoft or GitHub account. 3) Provide phone number + credit/debit card for identity verification. 4) $200 credit activates immediately; 12-month free service amounts apply to new-customer services.", "expiry": "Credit: 30 days from account creation. 20+ free monthly amounts: 12 months (new customers). 65+ always-free services: ongoing. After expiry, Microsoft emails you; if you don't convert to pay-as-you-go, the account and services are disabled.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required here (not for students). After 30 days the $200 lapses; only the free monthly allowances survive. The $25/75-day extension that older guides mention is no longer advertised on the current page. Spending protection applies only while on the free account; convert to PAYG and all usage is billed.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — single-path program, $200 immediate credits, up to $150,000 via milestones (current 2026 structure)", "detail": "Verified today on learn.microsoft.com (page updated 2026-08-05; June 2, 2026 Microsoft blog 'a clearer path from AI development to enterprise growth'): startups apply directly at startups.microsoft.com and immediately get up to $200 in Startup credits (sign up for Azure + verify identity with a personal LinkedIn account; business accounts rejected at this step). Credits grow via automatic milestones: $5,000 after business verification (registered legal entity); $25,000 after 5+ active Azure workloads sustained ~60 days (one-time 2-year credit-use extension granted at this tier); $50,000 at 7+ workloads; $150,000 at 10+ workloads AND ~$3,000/month sustained usage. You can skip tiers; a 10-character investor referral code (from a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network VC/accelerator/partner university) unlocks higher tiers faster, a dedicated Microsoft point of contact, and extra credits. Includes Azure AI/Foundry model access, Marketplace/co-sell benefits, expert guidance.", "eligibility": "Early-stage B2B software startups: pre-seed through Series B (no Series C funding or later), privately held for-profit, building a software product you own, HQ in a country where Azure is available; NOT more than $350,000 lifetime free Azure credits; no educational institutions/government/consultancies; no crypto mining. Apply with a personal consumer email (school/work emails rejected). Decisions typically within 3 business days.", "claim": "1) Go to https://startups.microsoft.com, click 'Get started now'. 2) Sign in with a personal Microsoft account (create if needed). 3) Choose path: enter your 10-character investor referral code, or 'Continue without a code'. 4) Verify with LinkedIn to 'Unlock $200 in Azure credits', then complete the 3-step Azure account setup (profile, billing address, payment info). 5) Credits appear in the MFS portal / Azure portal (joins on or after May 29, 2026 activate through the Azure portal; earlier joins used the MFS portal).", "expiry": "Credits usable over the program period; at the $25K milestone you receive a one-time 2-year extension on using credits. Higher tiers require sustained ~60-day workload usage (each workload must stay above $1 spend for all 60 days; the clock starts once the required number of workloads each have >=$1 spend). No fixed sunset date published.", "gotchas": "A credit cap, not cash: money is only 'free' while inside the ceiling, and exceeding it moves you to pay-as-you-go. Payment info/card is required at activation (won't be charged unless you exceed credits and stay on PAYG). Milestone credits are conditional on real sustained usage, not activation — many startups stop at $5K. School/edu emails are explicitly rejected for signup (contrast with the student program). The $150K figures on the still-live Founders Hub signup page and the $10K/$350K caps reflect different (legacy vs current) rules — the Learn program docs are authoritative. Pegasus (invitation-only) program continues separately.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups self-service credits — $1,000 (90 days) + up to $4,000 after business verification", "detail": "Listed on the current Azure for Students page (fetched today) as a separate sign-up tier: $1,000 instant Azure credit valid 90 days, plus up to $4,000 more that remain available for 180 days after business verification. This is the self-serve track of the July 2025 MFS restructure (replacing the old $150K/$10K Founders tiers for un-backed startups), which Microsoft further streamlined in 2026 into the milestone model ($200 start -> $5K verified -> $25K/$50K/$150K milestones).", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups without investor backing, new to Azure; credit card required for identity verification (only charged if you move to pay-as-you-go beyond credits). Business verification = registered legal entity. Same MFS constraints apply (for-profit, software product, HQ in an Azure-available country, funding/credit caps per current program docs: no Series C+, <=$350K lifetime free Azure credits).", "claim": "Sign up for the 'Azure for Startups' tier from azure.microsoft.com (offered alongside the students and free accounts), or apply at startups.microsoft.com and complete business verification to unlock the additional $4,000. Identity-verification card required.", "expiry": "Base $1,000 credit: 90 days from signup. Additional $4,000: available for 180 days after business verification. Existing credits from before the July 2025 program change remained valid until their original expiry.", "gotchas": "No dedicated support on the self-serve track (self-service only) — the dedicated-Microsoft-POC/support path requires an Investor Network referral. Card required (unlike the student tier). The $4,000 is gated on actually completing business verification within the window. Note the 2026 milestone docs show some tiers now framed as $200/$5,000 gates, so the $1K/$4K structure coexists with the milestone model — check which offer is presented at signup.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure Dev Tools for Teaching / Visual Studio Academic Program — free education licenses (Visual Studio, SQL Server, Windows Server, Visio, Office, GitHub benefits)", "detail": "Verified today via the Azure for Students page, which states that after creating the student account you 'download free dev tools from the Azure Education Hub' through the Azure Dev Tools for Teaching program. The page's DFTT bundle lists: Visual Studio (Community, for Mac, plus Agents/Remote Tools), Azure DevOps Server, R Client/Server, SQL Server Developer/Mobile Report Publisher/Standard, System Center, Visio Professional, Windows Server, Skype for Business Server. Schools (accredited institutions) get the teaching licenses; students get the student-side dev licenses for non-commercial, educational use while enrolled.", "eligibility": "Accredited educational institutions (faculty) and enrolled students; claimed through school-issued email / institutional account for the teaching side; the student side rides on the verified Azure for Students account. Non-commercial educational use only.", "claim": "1) Verify with your school email on the Azure for Students page (no card). 2) After account creation, open the Azure Education Hub linked there and download the dev-tool licenses. 3) Institutions obtain teaching kits via the Microsoft Academic Program (historically partner.microsoft.com/academic-program; that page returned 403 to today's fetch).", "expiry": "Licenses last while you remain an enrolled student / faculty member; renewed yearly with the student subscription. No fixed sunset.", "gotchas": "Dev-tools licenses are non-commercial — shipping a paid product with them breaches terms. The exact SKU list on the partner.microsoft.com DFTT page couldn't be fetched (403), so treat the granular list as 'per the students page snapshot today'. Office/M365 is generally delivered through the school's campus license (M365 Education) rather than a personal free download.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack (Microsoft-subsidized offers inside the pack: $100 Azure credit, GitHub Pro, Copilot, Codespaces)", "detail": "Verified today on github.com/education: verified students (13+, enrolled in a degree/diploma-granting program, school email or dated proof of enrollment) get free GitHub Pro (unlimited private repos, 3,000 Actions minutes/mo, 180 Codespaces hours/mo, 2 GB Packages storage), free GitHub Copilot for Students (300 premium requests/mo class allowance per current plan), plus 80+ partner offers. Microsoft's own offers inside the pack: $100 Azure credit (18+; separate limited access for 13-17), and a 'Microsoft Azure (for ages 13-17)' offer; partner offers include JetBrains, Heroku $13/mo x 24 months, MongoDB $50, domains. Student validation lasts 2 years, then revalidation required. Offers can't be reset by re-verifying; partner terms can limit age/country.", "eligibility": "Enrolled students 13+ with school-issued email or enrollment proof; separate validation from the .edu-only Azure for Students program (documents accepted: ID, transcript, class schedule, verification letter). No credit card for the GitHub side; some partner offers require a card on their own site.", "claim": "1) Go to github.com/education/students (or education.github.com/pack). 2) Start an application under Education benefits settings in your GitHub profile. 3) Submit proof of enrollment; approval lands in the GitHub Education portal. 4) Claim Microsoft offers (Azure $100 credit 18+, etc.) from the pack page.", "expiry": "Valid while student status holds (revalidated every 2 years; the pack is typically held until end of 4th year of study). Individual partner offers have their own durations (e.g., Heroku 24 months, GitKraken 6 months + 80% off).", "gotchas": "Offers are partner-controlled and change or drop out (see changelog: DigitalOcean's $200 credit sunset July 31, 2026; Bump.sh offer ended Dec 9, 2025; 1Password expanded to 2 years in Oct 2026). The $100 Azure credit is the SAME offer as Azure for Students (claim one, not both — one per person). Copilot student entitlements 'are evolving in 2026' per the official discussion; check the live allowance on activation. This is a GitHub program — included here because the Microsoft offers (Azure credit, and DFTT-tied tooling) flow through it.", "source_url": "https://github.com/education/students", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "SUNSET/CHANGES verified as of 2026-10-22: (1) The classic student software bundle storefront bundles.microsoft.com no longer resolves at all (DNS NXDOMAIN), and microsoft.com/en-us/education/bundles, /education/university, and store.office.com/en-us/bundles all 404 — the 'free 1-year bundle worth $199 (Office/Visio/Project/MATLAB)' and '$649 1-year bundle at a $99 student price (Windows 11 + Office + Visual Studio + Team)' cannot be confirmed on any live official page today; the current student hub (microsoft.com/en-us/education/students) no longer lists them and the bundle value proposition was absorbed into the 50%-off M365 Personal + 2026 college-PC promo (M365 Premium) + Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (which still carries free Visio Professional/Project Professional while enrolled). Treat the $199/$649 bundles as sunfetched/consolidated in 2025–2026; confidence medium (no live page to cite, negative evidence from dead domains). (2) The 2026 'Ultimate College Bundle' (M365 Premium + Game Pass + controller with a Windows PC) officially ended: validity 4/15/2026–8/31/2026, redemption through 9/30/2026 — page now says 'This promotion has ended' (a new back-to-school variant is likely to recur in 2027). (3) Azure for Startups has a new shape: the advertised tiers are $1,000 instant / up to $5,000 with 90-day and 180-day credit clocks (vs. the legacy Founders Program's application-based multi-month grants), and the startup entry point is now the Azure Portal startup home view; the marketing site still cites 'up to $150,000 in credits' as the ceiling. (4) The free 12-month M365 Personal-for-US-college-students offer (announced 2025-09-04, initial signup window through 10/31/2025, expanded to more markets in Oct 2025) — its 2026 availability could not be confirmed from the live page (JS-rendered/timeout); the standing, confirmed offer is the 50% student discount. (5) GitHub pack partner lineup churned: ~83 partner entries now; Gitpod, Replit, DigitalOcean, Codeship no longer appear; Copilot Student (free) and GitHub Pro (3,000 Actions minutes/mo, 180 Codespaces hrs/mo) are the core standing benefits. (6) store.office.com is 404 (Office bundles store discontinued); M365 deals now live under microsoft.com/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Microsoft for Startups", "text": "Outdated. The 2025 investor-referral model was relaunched in June 2026. Startups now apply directly and get up to $200 in Startup credits immediately. Credits can grow to $150,000 through verified milestones: $5,000 after business verification, then $25,000 (5+ Azure workloads over about 60 days), $50,000 (7+ workloads), and $150,000 (10+ workloads plus about $3,000/month usage). No referral is needed for that path; investor-network startups get extra benefits.", "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs" } ], "confidence": { "high": 10, "medium": 6, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Azure for Students: $100 credit + 12-month free services + always-free services (no credit card)", "link": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "microsoft azure", "name": "Microsoft Azure", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "cloud-credits", "databases", "vps-servers", "devtools", "gpu-ml", "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "startup", "student", "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/students/", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-services", "https://www.microsoft.com/en/startups", "https://www.microsoft.com/startups", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/for-startups/", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/devops/" ], "offers": [ "Up to $150,000 Azure credits over time (investor-referred); without a referral, ~$200 starter + $4,000 credits; covers Microsoft Foundry / Azure OpenAI", "Verified students: $100 in Azure credits, 12 months of Visual Studio Pro, plus other dev-kit benefits (at no cost)", "$200 credit for 30 days + 750 hrs/month of B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 VMs for 12 months + 65+ always-free services", "Up to $150,000 in Azure 'Startup credits' unlocked by milestones ($200 -> $5K -> $25K -> $50K -> $150K); start immediately with $200. Microsoft for Startups Investor Network referral code unlocks higher tiers faster.", "Up to $150k in Azure credits + partner credits (OpenAI, LinkedIn, GitHub Enterprise); self-serve 'Azure for Startups' gives $1,000 instantly, up to $5,000 post-verification, no application", "$200 Azure credit for 30 days for new accounts; plus 12 months of free usage on ~25 services + $100 credit.", "Up to ~$100,000 in Azure credits for qualifying early-stage startups.", "Always free: Azure SQL Database serverless 100,000 vCore-seconds/mo + 32 GB storage; Cosmos DB 25 GB storage + RU allowance; new customers: $200 credit for 30 days + 12-month free allowances", "Up to $150,000 in Azure credits plus technical assistance for eligible startups", "$100 Azure credit (12 months) + access to all Azure Free services and Azure DevOps Basic", "Free: 1 Microsoft-hosted job with 1,800 build minutes/mo (plus unlimited self-hosted), first 5 users free, 2GB artifacts free; extra MS-hosted job $40/mo, extra users $6/mo" ], "notes": [ "Pre-seed to Series B B2B startups; Investor Network referral unlocks higher tiers. Program restructured 29 May 2026. Credits valid up to 2 years after activation; a card is required (not charged until credits run out).", "Long-standing free dev kit for verified students, distinct from the paid Microsoft for Startups program. Requires school verification (email, ID, or acceptance letter).", "No free GPU VMs: Azure's GPU families (NC/ND/NV) start at zero quota on trial subscriptions with no increases possible — use the credit on Azure OpenAI, not GPU instances. Spend the credit on Azure OpenAI instead.", "MAJOR 2026 change: rebuilt/renamed from 'Azure for Startups Founders' to milestone-based 'Microsoft for Startups' (May 29, 2026). Lifetime free-credit cap now $350K; must not be past Series C; privately held B2B. Also powers the YC track (up to $150K + AI Foundry + GPUs).", "Founders Hub releases credits in tiers (from $1,000, milestones unlock more); Azure for Startups is instant self-serve (90-day initial / 180-day post-verification credit windows)", "The subscription auto-disables when the $200 is exhausted (no surprise bill). No perpetual free VM; the free tier is time-boxed. Some 'free forever' allowances (e.g., Cosmos DB, select VM hours) still apply. Verify the current $200/30d in-console.", "Apply through the program or a partner VC/accelerator; credits apply broadly incl. Azure VMs. Amounts vary by stage (historically ~$50k-$150k bands) — verify the current cap.", "2025 change: SQL Serverless always-free restructured to vCore-second allowance (100K vCore-s/mo ≈ 21 h of 1 vCore) + 32 GB storage, replacing the old 750 h B1s provisioned tier. Cosmos 'always' tier: up to 1,000 RU/s provisioned, 25 GB.", "Long-standing program; dollar cap unverified this session — confirm at the for-startups page.", "Requires school email/verification. Unverified this session but stable program; amounts may have changed.", "Read from the official 2026 pricing page; note the free tier has been restructured from the old '2 minutes x 1,800 min' to 1 hosted job - verify against the live page when finalizing. 30-day free trials exist for Test Plans ($52/user/mo tier)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Azure Free Account — $200 credit + 12 months of free services", "detail": "$200 Azure credit usable within the first 30 days (forfeited if unused; not banked/transferable). Plus 12 months of free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services and 65+ 'always-free' services, including some AI/Foundry tools: Azure Speech in Foundry Tools (0.5M neural chars/mo, always), Content Safety in Foundry Control Plane (5,000 text records or images/mo, always), Document Intelligence in Foundry Tools (500 pages S0, 12 mo), Azure Vision (5,000 transactions S1/S2/S3, 12 mo), AI Search, Azure SQL DB (100,000 vCore-sec serverless/mo + 32GB), 750 h/mo of B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 VMs. No free LLM/OpenAI token tier. After 30 days or credit exhaustion you must move to pay-as-you-go to keep the 12-month free amounts; overage beyond free monthly amounts then bills P2P.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only (never had an Azure account / 12-mo free services). Individual or org. 12-month free services NOT available to customers signing up directly for P2P in China and India. Country/region is locked at sign-up and cannot be changed later.", "claim": "1) Go to azure.microsoft.com/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account. 2) Choose 'Azure free account'. 3) Complete the 3-step account setup (profile, billing address, payment card). 4) A spending limit is on by default; you immediately get $200/30 days + 12-mo free amounts. 5) To keep free services after 30 days, remove the spending limit (convert to P2P) — only usage above the free amounts is then charged.", "expiry": "$200 credit expires at the end of day 30. The 12-month free-service amounts end at 12 months (the 65+ 'always-free' services continue). Inactive accounts (>90 days) may have compute resources removed with 30 days' notice.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required at signup (temporary $1 authorization; non-prepaid card). It is a trial-then-pay offer, not a perpetual free tier. Services not on the free list (notably Azure OpenAI/LLM tokens, and egress) bill immediately. Unused $200 is lost. Free quantities don't roll over month to month.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit / 12 months, no credit card", "detail": "$100 Azure credit valid for 12 months (usable on most Azure products, incl. Azure OpenAI after you apply for access), plus 25+ free services, free monthly amounts of 20+ popular + 65+ always-free services, and free software downloads (Visual Studio Community/Enterprise, SQL Server, Windows Server, R, Visio, Windows 10/11 VMs without needing a Windows 11 Enterprise license). Renewable every year while still a student — each successful renewal grants a fresh $100 and a new 12-month term. A no-credit-card 'Azure for Students Starter' variant also exists.", "eligibility": "Full-time students age 18+ at an accredited 2- or 4-year degree-granting institution. Must verify academic status via school/institution email (.edu or org domain) or via GitHub Student Developer Pack. Not available for MOOCs or for-profit professional training. One subscription per eligible customer, non-transferable, can't be combined with other offers.", "claim": "1) Go to azure.microsoft.com/free/students. 2) Sign up with your school email (or GitHub Student Pack) to verify student status — no credit card. 3) Receive the $100 credit + 25+ services + software downloads. 4) To use Azure OpenAI/LLM, separately apply for access in the AI Foundry portal. 5) Renew annually by re-verifying status (reminder email ~30 days before the anniversary).", "expiry": "$100 credit valid 12 months; renewable yearly while eligible (a new $100 + new 12-month term per renewal). If you exhaust the credit before 12 months the subscription disables until you upgrade to P2P. Deployed resources are decommissioned at term end; you have a 90-day window to upgrade to P2P to keep them.", "gotchas": "No credit card required, but continuing after the credit means pay-as-you-go. There is no dedicated free LLM tier — OpenAI/LLM usage is application-based and consumes your $100 credit. Cannot be combined with other offers. Inactivity >90 days may deprovision compute. Remaining credit is tracked in the Azure Sponsorships portal.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups (self-serve, no investor code) — $1,000 instantly, up to $5,000 total", "detail": "For new-Azure-customer startups without an investor referral: $1,000 in Azure credits instantly, no application; plus up to $4,000 more after business verification = up to $5,000 total. Initial $1,000 credits valid 90 days; post-verification credits valid 180 days. Access to the full Azure catalog up to credit limits. This self-serve track can later grow into the Microsoft for Startups / Founders Hub program (up to $150,000) as you demonstrate adoption.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers / early-stage B2B startups; privately held, for-profit; HQ in a country where Azure is available; not an educational institution, government, or consultancy; no cryptocurrency mining; must use a personal consumer Microsoft account (work/school email rejected). Credit card required for identity verification and for any usage beyond the credits.", "claim": "1) Apply at startups.microsoft.com ('Get started now') or the Azure for Startups signup on azure.microsoft.com/free/students footer. 2) Choose 'Continue without a code' / 'Build your startup', verify (e.g., via LinkedIn), then complete the 3-step Azure account setup (profile, address, payment card) → $1,000/90 days active. 3) Complete business verification to unlock up to +$4,000 (180 days). 4) If you later obtain an investor referral code, apply for the investor track.", "expiry": "Self-serve: $1,000 = 90 days; +$4,000 = 180 days (post-verification). Credits auto-convert to pay-as-you-go when used or expired. (When on the Founders-Hub track: activate credits within 90 days of accepting the program; once activated, valid up to 2 years, no extensions.)", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (identity verification + non-covered services + P2P transition). Overage beyond credits bills P2P. Country/region locked at signup. Framing discrepancy: the MfS 'application' page shows a '$200' no-code starter and '$1,000' for the code path, while the FAQ/self-serve offer states '$1,000 (90d) + up to $4,000 (180d)'; treat $1,000 as the current no-investor baseline. Credits are tied to the specific MSA/subscription and cannot be transferred.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/mfs-faqs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups / Founders Hub (investor-referred) — start ~$100,000, expand to up to $150,000", "detail": "Startups with a 10-character referral code from a Microsoft Investor Network investor/accelerator/VC start with ~$100,000 in Azure credits and can unlock up to $150,000 total over time based on business verification, service adoption, and sustained Azure usage. The investor offer also bundles third-party benefits: GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Visual Studio Enterprise, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, plus Azure Standard Support and a dedicated MfS point of contact. OpenAI/Foundry (LLM) usage is covered by the Azure credits. Program is open-ended on time; you reapply/requalify as you grow.", "eligibility": "Pre-seed through Series B (NOT Series C or later). Privately held, for-profit B2B software/AI startup; working toward/at MVP. Must NOT have received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits. HQ in a country where Azure is available. Not an educational institution, government, consultancy, or agency; no crypto mining. Must use a personal consumer email (work/school/company-domain email rejected). Referral code comes from an Investor Network member (list not public).", "claim": "1) Get a 10-character investor referral code from your investor/accelerator/VC (Microsoft doesn't publish the list). 2) At startups.microsoft.com, 'Get started now', sign in with a personal Microsoft account, enter the code, verify contact email + phone (SMS). 3) Submit business info (registered name matching legal docs, industry, website, address). 4) 3-step Azure account setup with a payment card → $1,000 starter active while reviewed. 5) Review ~3 business days; on approval, credits expand up to $150,000. 6) Activate credits within 90 days of accepting the program agreement.", "expiry": "Activate within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer expires (reapply). Once activated, Azure credits valid up to 2 years; extensions are not available. Auto-convert to P2P when credits run out.", "gotchas": "Credit card required. Benefits (GitHub, M365, VS Enterprise, etc.) must be redeemed on the SAME personal Microsoft account and NOT on an existing enterprise account — 'Already redeemed' errors are common. Credits can't be transferred across accounts. Declined applicants may reapply after 14 days. The $350,000 lifetime free-Azure-credit cap and the Series-C ceiling are hard disqualifiers. Country/region locked at signup.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure OpenAI / Microsoft Foundry (Azure AI Foundry) — no free LLM tier; paid + application-based", "detail": "There is NO free monthly tier or free API-call allowance for OpenAI/LLM models on Azure (now branded 'Azure AI Foundry' / 'Microsoft Foundry', with sub-brands Foundry Tools, Foundry Control Plane, Foundry IQ). Pricing is pay-as-you-go per input/output token, or provisioned throughput units (PTUs) with monthly/annual reservations; the Batch API returns completions within 24h at ~50% discount. The only 'free' way to get LLM tokens is to burn the credits from the other offers above ($200 free account / $100 student / $1,000-$5,000 startup). Other Foundry tools DO have free allowances (Speech 0.5M chars/mo always-free; Content Safety 5,000/mo; Document Intelligence 500 pages/12mo; Vision 5,000/12mo).", "eligibility": "Requires an Azure account plus a payment method; model deployments are application-based (apply for access, specify use case/responsible-AI mitigations; historically gated by demand). Available only in selected regions per model.", "claim": "1) Hold one of the credit offers above (or P2P). 2) In the Azure portal, create an Azure AI Foundry resource. 3) Request access to a model (e.g., GPT) by submitting a use case. 4) Deploy the model; token usage draws down your free credits first, then bills P2P.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Not a genuine free LLM tier — 'free' only via borrowed credits; once credits exhaust it is pay-as-you-go. Per-model/per-region deployment quotas and limits apply; high-demand models may be gated. Data egress and extra meters add cost. Rebrand means 'Azure OpenAI' docs/prices now live under 'Microsoft Foundry'.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cognitive-services/openai-service/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student developer tools — Visual Studio (Community/Enterprise), GitHub Student Pack, Azure Dev/Test credits", "detail": "Azure for Students includes free software downloads (Visual Studio Community/Enterprise, SQL Server Developer/Standard, Windows Server, R, Visio Professional, Windows 10/11 VMs). Eligible students get Visual Studio Enterprise with ~$150/month of Azure Dev/Test credits (renewable; no payment method needed — usage auto-stops when the monthly credit is consumed); Visual Studio Professional gives ~$50/month. The GitHub Student Developer Pack (free, .edu) bundles GitHub Copilot, VS Code tools, Databricks and more. 'Dev Tools for Teaching' extends software access to faculty/students of enrolled institutions.", "eligibility": "Verified students (.edu or GitHub Student Pack). Visual Studio Enterprise for students is available through eligible programs (e.g., Student Ambassadors); the Dev/Test credits are strictly for development/test (non-production). GitHub Student Pack requires a .edu email. Dev Tools for Teaching is institution-licensed.", "claim": "1) Verify student status (.edu / GitHub Student Pack) via Azure for Students. 2) Download Visual Studio / dev tools from your Visual Studio subscription benefits portal. 3) Claim the GitHub Student Developer Pack at github.com/student (free, .edu). 4) If on an eligible VS plan, activate the individual Azure Dev/Test credit subscription (no payment method; usage stops at the monthly cap).", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Dev/Test credits are void if used for production. Microsoft no longer sells new Visual Studio Enterprise/Professional ANNUAL cloud subscriptions (existing customers can renew; new users go to visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/pricing). GitHub Pack items carry their own terms/caps (e.g., Copilot free tier for students). Monthly Dev/Test credit does not roll over.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/subscriptions/vs-azure-eligibility", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Students (higher-ed): $100 Azure credit + free services, no credit card", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students and the official offer page (ms-azr-0170p). Students get $100 in Azure credits to use within 12 months plus: free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (new Azure customers only), free monthly amounts of 65+ always-free services, access to the full Azure service catalog up to free amounts + the $100 credit, and access to Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry with 1,700+ foundation models (OpenAI o1/GPT-4 series, Hugging Face, Meta, Cohere, Phi SLMs). Includes free 'Software Download Benefits' via the Azure Education Hub: Visual Studio (Community/Code/for Mac, Agents for VS), SQL Server Developer & Standard, Windows Server, Visio Professional, R Client/Server, Hyper-V Remote Tools, System Center, Azure DevOps Server, SQL Server Mobile Report Publisher. Renew annually while a student: each renewal gives a fresh $100 + another 12-month term (confirmed by MS staff in a March 2026 Q&A and the official FAQ; reminder emails ~30 days before expiry; no hard cap on renewals).", "eligibility": "Full-time students at an accredited degree-granting 2- or 4-year university; affirm age 18+; verify academic status via your organization's (school) email address — Shibboleth where supported, or GitHub Student Developer Pack verification code as fallback; NOT available for MOOCs or for-profit professional training; one subscription per person; 'limited supply of activations, while supplies last'; not available in sovereign-cloud (US Gov, China, Germany) regions; offer available where Azure is commercially available.", "claim": "Go to azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students → sign up with a Microsoft or GitHub account → verify student status with school email (or GitHub code at signup.azure.com/studentverification?offerType=1) → accept offer terms; no credit card at sign-up. Track remaining credit in the Azure Sponsorships portal. After 12 months, re-sign up for the offer to renew; to renew you re-verify status.", "expiry": "$100 credit and 12-month free services window run from sign-up; renew annually while eligible. If credit is exhausted early the subscription is DISABLED (you can upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go via support; deployed resources are then decommissioned at the end of the 12-month term — 90 days to convert). Invoicing statements may appear monthly but are covered by the credit.", "gotchas": "Credits cannot be used on Azure Marketplace offers and don't carry over between months or subscriptions; unused credit is forfeited at 12 months; if you previously held any Azure free trial/student offer on the same Microsoft identity you cannot sign up again (you'll hit a 'no access' wall and must convert that old sub to PAYG); the offer can be terminated at Microsoft's discretion; the 20+ free-for-12-months services apply only to NEW Azure customers; anything beyond free amounts deducts from the $100; the 'Visual Studio Pro for 12 months' item in many older guides is NOT in this offer anymore — Pro only comes from the separate GitHub Student Developer Pack; keep at least one resource/portal activity so the sub doesn't lapse as inactive (MS community advises 90-day activity, not official).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students(fetched2026-10-22;offerterms:https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0170p;FAQ:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/faq)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students Starter (K-12 path): free core-service tiers, no credit card, $0 spend limit", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 (official offer page ms-azr-0144p + Learn doc 'About the Azure for Students Starter program'). A second, lighter Azure student path — the same free/students page says 'Try Azure for Students or Azure for Students Starter — no credit card required.' Gives a verified K-12 (secondary/high-school) student free-tier access with a $0 spending limit to: Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Notification Hubs, Azure Database for MySQL (in-app), Application Insights (Azure Monitor), and Azure DevOps. No commitment or time limit stated on the offer page; one subscription per eligible customer; not transferable; can't be combined with other offers; not for MOOCs/for-profit training; upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go at any time for the full catalog. (A Russian-localized Learn copy says the sub lasts a year and must be renewed — the en-US offer page governs: no time limit.)", "eligibility": "Verified K-12 students; affirm age 13+ if residing in the US, 16+ if residing elsewhere; verify academic status through your organization's email (or Shibboleth where supported); no credit card.", "claim": "Enroll at the Azure for Students Starter offer page (azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0144p, linked from the 'Choose the right Azure account' section of azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students) → verify with school email/Shibboleth → account starts with a $0 spend limit; upgrade in the Azure portal to PAYG when you need more.", "expiry": "Offer page: no commitment or time limit. Upgrade path: Pay-As-You-Go anytime.", "gotchas": "$0 spending limit means you can ONLY use the free tiers of the listed services — everything else is blocked, not billed; limited to six service families (no VMs, no OpenAI models, no credits); one per customer; prior Azure trial on the same identity blocks signup.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0144p(plushttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/azure-dev-tools-teaching/azure-students-starter-program)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups, self-service track: $1,000 Azure credits instantly (90 days), up to $5,000 (180 days) after business verification", "detail": "Materially changed in 2025-2026. As of 2026-10-22, the 'Azure for Startups' card on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students (fetched today) states: $1,000 in Azure credits instantly, no application required; unlock up to $5,000 in total credits with business verification; credits valid 90 days (initial) and 180 days (post-verification); full Azure catalog up to credit limits; 'spending protection — credit card required only for identity verification and services beyond credit'; no upfront commitment, cancel anytime, moves to pay-as-you-go after credits expire. This replaced the old Founders Hub on July 1, 2025. As of June 2026 (official MS blog + Learn overview, updated 2026-08-05): the program is now single-path — apply at startups.microsoft.com, start building immediately with Startup credits while eligibility is verified, and 'unlock up to $150K in Startup credits over time' based on verified progress, service adoption, and sustained Azure usage; applications typically reviewed in 3 business days; LLM/AI access is via Microsoft Foundry (GPT-4-class models, 1,700+ foundation models).", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only; privately held, for-profit company developing a software-based product it owns; headquartered in a country where Azure is available; NOT an educational institution/government/consultancy/agency; no cryptocurrency mining; NOT raised Series C funding or later; NOT previously received more than $350,000 lifetime free Azure credits (updated cap; the legacy Founders Hub signup page still shows a $10,000 cap — the current Learn doc governs). A credit card is required (unlike the student offers) — only for identity verification and for any services/usage beyond the credits.", "claim": "Sign up at startups.microsoft.com ('Get started') — the $1,000 is granted instantly with no application/verification wait; complete the business-verification checklist to unlock the remaining $4,000 (credits then valid 180 days); enter an Investor Network referral code during application if you have one. Manage/activate credits and benefits in the Azure Portal. After credits expire you move to pay-as-you-go; cancel anytime.", "expiry": "$1,000 valid 90 days from sign-up; $5,000 tier valid 180 days from verification. No renewals; expiration converts the sub to PAYG. June 2026 change: further credits up to $150K are unlocked incrementally 'over time' based on service adoption/sustained usage (not a fixed grant).", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required here (identity verification) — unlike the student offers; no dedicated technical support on the self-service track (that's the Investor-Network benefit); the 90/180-day windows are short — if you can't burn $5k in 6 months the account flips to PAYG; Microsoft can change/terminate the offer (as it did on 2025-07-01 with little notice); legacy Founders-Hub 'levels' (Expert/Champion Networks) no longer exist.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students(fetched2026-10-22);programoverview:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview;changeannouncement:https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/build-fast-scale-smart-and-sell-more-microsoft-for-startups-evolves-to-better-serve-the-startup-ecosystem/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups, Investor Network track: referral-gated, $100,000+ Azure credits + dedicated Microsoft point of contact", "detail": "Per the July 1, 2025 restructuring (The Register/TechRadar coverage + official blog) and the June 2, 2026 official blog: startups referred by a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner (a select group of VCs, accelerators, and universities) enter a 'higher touch' track that 'starts with $100,000 in Azure credits' (press figures; the official Learn overview describes it less precisely as 'higher-value benefits earlier', 'additional Startup credits, expanded support, and third-party benefits'). Includes dedicated Microsoft POC, deeper Microsoft Marketplace and co-sell support, and invitation-only Pegasus program (dedicated Cloud Solutions Architect) which Microsoft explicitly kept unchanged. The old Founders Hub tiers up to $150K and the Expert/Champion Networks were retired; existing activated legacy credits stayed valid until their expiry, then auto-converted to PAYG.", "eligibility": "Startup must be tied to an Investor Network-affiliated VC/accelerator/university that issues you a referral code, entered during the startups.microsoft.com application; same company-level eligibility as the self-service track (private, for-profit, software product, no Series C+, HQ in an Azure region).", "claim": "Get the referral code from your investor/accelerator partner → apply at startups.microsoft.com and enter the code → you are routed to the enhanced track instead of the $1,000/$5,000 self-serve ramp.", "expiry": "Credit validity follows program terms (legacy $100K-tier grants were ~180-day windows per level; new grants track the 'credits over time' model). Pegasus is invitation-only and ongoing.", "gotchas": "The exact $100,000 figure is from press, not the current official Learn page (which I fetched today) — treat as 'about $100K+'; no funding-amount cap like AWS Activate, but the Series C+ and $350K lifetime-free-credit caps disqualify most well-funded companies; if your legacy Founders Hub credits expired without investor affiliation, your sub already converted to PAYG.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/build-fast-scale-smart-and-sell-more-microsoft-for-startups-evolves-to-better-serve-the-startup-ecosystem/;https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2025/07/01/microsoft-changes-conditions-for-azure-startup-credits/101398;https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure Free account (also open to students without .edu verification): $200 credit for 30 days + 12-month and always-free services", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/. For any new Azure customer (incl. students who don't have a qualifying school email): $200 credit usable within 30 days; free amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (750 h/mo B1s + B2pts v2 Arm + B2ats v2 AMD VMs; Azure SQL serverless 100,000 vCore-sec/mo + 32 GB; PostgreSQL & MySQL Flexible 750 h/mo B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup; Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB; Container Registry Standard 100 GB; SQL Managed Instance 720 vCore-h + 64 GB data + 64 GB backup; Vision 5,000 txns/tier) plus 65+ always-free services (DevOps 5 users, Functions 1M requests, App Service 10 apps/1 GB/1 h-day, Static Web Apps 100 GB bandwidth, Cosmos/DocumentDB 32 GB, IoT Hub 8,000 msg/day, Logic Apps 4,000 actions, Notification Hubs 1M, AI Search 50 MB/10k docs/3 indexes, Document Intelligence 500 pages S0, Translator 2M chars, Content Safety 5,000 records, Speech 0.5M neural chars/mo, Container Apps 180k vCPU-s/360k GiB-s/2M reqs, API Mgmt 1M calls/mo, Azure Maps 1,000–5,000 txns, AKS management free). LLM/AI: Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry models accessible with the $200 (or student $100); the OpenAI 'free trial' token allowances (historically ~1,000 gpt-4o-mini tokens/day, 40k/mo, ~3 months; 50/day gpt-4o, o1, gpt-4; 500/day gpt-3.5-turbo) could not be re-verified today because the pricing tables render via JS and returned placeholders — treat exact token figures as unconfirmed. One free-credit account per person; not available in US Gov/China/Germany sovereign clouds.", "eligibility": "Any NEW Azure customer (students, startups, individuals). Requires a phone number + a credit/debit card (non-prepaid) — card used for identity verification with a small reversed authorization hold; in Hong Kong and Brazil only credit cards are accepted; billing country must be in the supported list (~140 countries/regions). A startup on this path uses the $200 trial PLUS the $1,000→$5,000 Startup credits on a separate offer.", "claim": "azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/ → 'Try Azure for free' → sign in with Microsoft or GitHub account → enter phone + card → $200 credit and free tiers activate immediately. After 30 days, if you don't convert to PAYG, the account is disabled (unused credit is kept only if you convert early).", "expiry": "$200 credit: 30 days. 12-month free amounts: 12 months from sign-up, then billed at PAYG. Always-free services: ongoing, no expiry. No renewals.", "gotchas": "This is the one Azure offer that REQUIRES a credit card — students without .edu can't use it card-free; data egress (internet outbound), inbound-to-public-IP traffic, and any meter beyond the listed free amounts are charged against the $200 and then PAYG; '12-month free' services that are 'always free' are different products — check the Free/Are-You-Aware tabs on each pricing page; sovereign-cloud regions excluded; one per person.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/(fetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "LLM & AI free tiers inside Azure (Microsoft Foundry / Azure AI services) — what students and everyone get at no cost", "detail": "From the official student/free pages fetched 2026-10-22: always-free (all customers, no CC): Azure Speech in Foundry Tools 0.5M neural characters/month; Azure AI Search 50 MB storage / 10,000 docs / 3 indexes per service; Azure Document Intelligence 500 pages S0 tier; Translator 2M characters; Content Safety 5,000 text records or images; Machine Learning 'Free' (no meter); Azure Maps 1,000–5,000 transactions; IoT 8,000 msgs/day. 12-month (new customers): Azure Vision 5,000 transactions each S1/S2/S3. Students additionally get: 'access to industry-leading technology like Azure OpenAI' and 1,700+ foundation models (Microsoft, OpenAI, Hugging Face, Meta, Cohere, incl. Phi small language models) via Microsoft Foundry, billed to their $100 student credit or free quotas; the 'try Azure OpenAI' free-trial token quotas (e.g., gpt-4o-mini 1,000 tokens/day / 40,000/mo for 3 months; 50/day for gpt-4o, o1, gpt-4; 500/day gpt-3.5-turbo) are the long-standing published numbers but I could not re-confirm today (JS-rendered pricing tables returned '$–' placeholders), so treat per-model token quotas as possibly stale. Notably the 2026 pages rebrand Azure AI services as 'Microsoft Foundry'/'Foundry Tools'.", "eligibility": "Always-free tiers: any Azure customer, no credit card. 12-month quotas: new Azure customers. Azure OpenAI models on the student offer: valid Azure for Students subscription (no CC) with access requests/approval per model — access to some frontier models still requires an OpenAI access application stating use case.", "claim": "Student: sign up for Azure for Students (no CC) → deploy AI resources (Foundry/OpenAI, Speech, AI Search) and stay within free quotas; anything above quotas deducts from the $100. Startup/general: $200 free account or $1,000 Startup credits cover model usage; Foundry Playground offers free trial model calls for experimentation.", "expiry": "Always-free quotas: ongoing monthly allowances. 12-month quotas: end at 12 months. OpenAI free-trial tokens: historically 3 months from account creation (unconfirmed for 2026-10).", "gotchas": "Token-based LLM pricing means the $100/$1,000 credits burn quickly on frontier models (o-series and GPT-6 'Sol/Luna' tiers are the expensive end of the catalog); free-tier F0 quotas per-minute/per-day limits apply; credits can't be used on Marketplace; 'always free' does NOT cover premium tiers of the same service (e.g., Content Safety S1+, Vision S4+); check per-service 'Free' vs 'Are you aware' pricing tabs; egress/data-transfer for media responses is a separate meter.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/studentsandhttps://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/(bothfetched2026-10-22);pricingdetail:https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/azure-openai/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Managed databases & data-platform free tiers (usable by students; the 'free tier' front)", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 on azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/. Managed-database offers: (always free, all customers) Azure SQL Database serverless 100,000 vCore-seconds/month + 32 GB storage; Azure Cosmos DB dedicated 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB/month free for 12 months then continues as 'Free' tier with 2 free GB storage + 500 RU/s for all customers; DocumentDB dedicated MongoDB cluster 32 GB; Database Migration Service free Standard compute; Azure Data Catalog unlimited users; Data Factory 5 low-frequency activities; Data Explorer free; Query Store free. (12 months, new customers) Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server 750 h B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup; Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server same; SQL Managed Instance 720 vCore-hours (4 or 8 vCore General Purpose) + 64 GB data + 64 GB backup; Azure SQL Database 750 h B5m/baseline + 100 vCore-min burstable. Free backup: 7 days for SQL DB/Managed Instance. These are the main free managed-database options; no CC needed for the student offer that bundles them.", "eligibility": "Always-free database tiers: any Azure customer, no CC. 12-month amounts: new Azure customers only (students get them via the no-CC Azure for Students offer; startups via $1,000→$5,000 Startup credits; everyone else via the $200 CC-required free account).", "claim": "With a no-CC Azure for Students subscription, deploy PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS or the SQL serverless database directly from the portal within the free amounts — no card, no charge until you exceed them; students can use up to the $100 credit for overflow.", "expiry": "Always-free: ongoing (Cosmos free tier is a permanent tier, not 12-month). 12-month amounts: end at 12 months then PAYG. Post-12-month Cosmos DB falls to the permanent free 500 RU/s + 2 GB tier, not deletion.", "gotchas": "Free amounts are per-service per-region; backup storage beyond the free 32 GB is billed; egress from VMs/DBs to internet is a separate meter not in the free quota; 'always free' for Cosmos ≠ unlimited — writes beyond 25 GB are blocked or billed; PostgreSQL/MySQL free 750 h is instance-hours (one B1MS instance, 24/7), not multiple; AKS cluster management is free but node VMs and disk are billed; free SQL serverless is capped at 4 vCore serverless pools.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/(fetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education licenses: Visual Studio Dev Essentials (student dev subscription; the VS Pro question)", "detail": "Per vs-azure-eligibility (learn.microsoft.com, fetched 2026-10-22) and university IT pages: Visual Studio subscriptions carry individual Azure Dev/Test credits (Pro $50/mo, Enterprise $150/mo) usable without a payment method; 'Visual Studio Enterprise – Azure Dev Tools for Teaching' no longer exists. Dev Essentials (the successor to the free 'Microsoft Imagine' dev subscription) offers students a Premium tier that bundles up to $200/month Azure credit, Visual Studio Enterprise access, and 10,000 Azure hours of training/tools — students qualify via GitHub/education verification (the exact Premium grant figures come from a university IT mirror, low confidence; official visualstudio.com page returned 404 today). This is how students today get 'Visual Studio Pro/Enterprise-class' IDE licenses for 12 months — NOT via Azure for Students, whose bundled software list is Visual Studio Community/Code (Pro/Enterprise are not in the Azure-for-Students benefit set after the 2025 Dev Tools for Teaching sunset).", "eligibility": "Verified students (or individual developers for Basic tier) — students get the Premium Dev Essentials subscription at no cost via education verification; Basic tier is free to everyone with a Microsoft account.", "claim": "Sign in at my.visualstudio.com / visualstudio.microsoft.com with a verified student email or GitHub account claiming the student benefit → Dev Essentials Premium activates, including the monthly Azure Dev/Test credit; renew annually while still a student.", "expiry": "Monthly Azure credits renew while the subscription is active (VS subs: renewable, per the eligibility table). GitHub Student Developer Pack route (not Azure, adjacent offer) also grants 12 months of Visual Studio Pro/Enterprise-class licenses plus OpenAI credits — the likely origin of the '12 months of Visual Studio Pro' figure in the known-so-far notes.", "gotchas": "The $200/mo Dev Essentials Azure credit figure is third-party-cited (university IT mirror) and could not be confirmed on the official page today (404) — verify before relying on it; Dev Essentials Basic has no Azure credits; credits stop automatically when the monthly amount is used (no CC on file = auto-stop); 'Pro' IDE via GitHub pack is not an Azure offer and its terms/eligibility are GitHub's.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/subscriptions/vs-azure-eligibility(fetched2026-10-22;officialdev-essentialspagewas404today)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — Azure Startup Credits (milestone program, up to $150K)", "detail": "Tiered 'Startup credits' on a sponsored Azure subscription: M1 $200 (sign up + verify with a personal LinkedIn account), M2 $5,000 (business verification: registered legal entity), M3 $25,000 (5+ Azure workloads active ~60 days; also grants a one-time 2-year extension to use credits), M4 $50,000 (7+ workloads ~60 days), M5 $150,000 (10+ workloads AND ~$3,000/month Azure usage ~60 days). The 60-day clock starts once each workload has at least $1 of spend; all required workloads must stay above $1/day for the full 60 days. Tiers are NOT sequential — accounts are auto-evaluated and upgraded, so a scaling startup can jump tiers. Credits apply to eligible Azure consumption, select first-party Microsoft Foundry models, and GitHub Copilot/Codespaces/Actions (only if the Azure subscription is connected as the GitHub billing method). When credits are exhausted or expire, the subscription auto-converts to pay-as-you-go.", "eligibility": "B2B software/AI/tech startups, pre-seed through Series B (must NOT have raised Series C or later); privately held, for-profit, not a subsidiary; owns its software product; HQ in a country/region where the program operates (country/region is locked at sign-up and cannot be changed; unsupported country = offer unavailable); not an educational institution, government, consultancy, or agency; not involved in crypto mining; company has NOT received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits. Sign-in must use a personal consumer Microsoft account — work/school/company-domain emails are rejected.", "claim": "1) microsoft.com/en-us/startups → 'Get started now'; 2) sign in with a personal Microsoft account; 3) 'Continue without a code' (or enter a 10-char investor code, see separate finding); 4) verify identity with a personal LinkedIn account; 5) complete 3-step Azure account creation (profile, billing address, payment card); 6) 'Build your startup' dashboard shows $200 unlocked immediately (balance can lag up to 24h); 7) application reviewed in ~3 business days, decision by email; manage credits/portal in Azure Portal and MfS portal.", "expiry": "M3 ($25K) grants a one-time 2-year extension of credit validity; otherwise no fixed validity per tier is published on the pages fetched — when credits are fully used or expired the subscription automatically becomes pay-as-you-go. Set Azure budgets/alerts; 'credits eventually run out' is Microsoft's own framing.", "gotchas": "CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED (non-optional: card number/expiry/CVV at sign-up; auto-converts to pay-as-you-go when credits run out or expire — no upfront commitment, subscription cancellable). Personal consumer email only. Country/region cannot be changed later. GitHub usage is NOT credit-covered out of the box — you must connect the Azure subscription as a GitHub payment method, and then only metered/eligible GitHub services draw on credits. Third-party (partner/community) Foundry models are separately billed and not covered. Egress and other metered Azure items are still billed through the credits, not free forever.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups Investor Network referral code ($1,000 starter credits, up to $200K cap, earlier tier unlocks)", "detail": "Startups with a referral from a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner (VC/accelerator) enter a 10-character code during application and immediately unlock $1,000 in starter Azure credits instead of $200 while their application is under review. Per the benefits page (updated 2026-06-15), eligible Investor Network-backed startups may unlock up to $200,000 in Startup credits (vs the $150K standard cap) plus expanded support and third-party benefits, and 'may unlock higher-value benefits earlier in their journey'. Microsoft does not publish the list of participating investors.", "eligibility": "Same base program eligibility (pre-seed→Series B B2B software startup etc.), PLUS the referral code from your VC/accelerator. Code is obtained directly from your investor — not issued publicly. Business name/address must match legal documents or business verification fails and acceptance is delayed.", "claim": "1) Ask your investor/accelerator for the 10-character code; 2) at microsoft.com/en-us/startups select Get started and enter the code; 3) verify contact email (code expires in 10 min) and phone number; 4) submit business information (registered name, industry, website, legal address); 5) complete Azure account setup — dashboard shows 'We're reviewing your application' with $1,000 in starter credits immediately available; 6) approval (~3 business days) unlocks expanded credits (up to $200K cap) and the full benefits package.", "expiry": "Email verification code expires in 10 minutes. Credit/term rules follow the standard milestone program (2-year extension at the $25K milestone; auto pay-as-you-go on exhaustion).", "gotchas": "Code is not public and investor lists are not shared — ask your accelerator/VC directly. Mismatched legal name/address = failed business verification. The $1,000 is while the application is under review; higher tiers follow the same workload/usage milestones (M3–M5) as the standard track.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — free software/tool benefits (M365, GitHub Enterprise, Power BI, Dynamics, LinkedIn, GPU, support)", "detail": "Technical benefits table (learn.microsoft.com, updated 2026-08-12): Microsoft 365 Business Premium 50 seats/1 year; GitHub Enterprise 20 seats/1 year; Power BI Pro 10 seats/1 year; Visual Studio 5 seats (until time in the MfS portal ends); Power Apps & Power Automate 10 seats/1 year; Dynamics 365 Customer Service & Sales Enterprise 10 seats/1 year; Dynamics 365 Team Member 25 seats/1 year; LinkedIn Premium Business 1 seat at 75% off for 4 months; 'Startup Cluster' short-term GPU access (ND H100, NDm A100 VMs, subject to availability); higher Azure OpenAI quota limits; ACA serverless GPU quota (2–7 day approval); 24/7 Azure Standard Support (normally ~$1,200/year); dedicated MfS point of contact; go-to-market benefits (Microsoft Marketplace, co-sell).", "eligibility": "Approved Microsoft for Startups members (apply per the program; investor-backed startups get the expanded set). GPU/AI-access items are explicitly 'subject to availability' and gated by support tickets.", "claim": "Sign in to the MfS portal / Azure Portal after approval; 'find, activate, and manage benefits' per the program docs; GPU VMs: request per Azure quota guidance (or ticket via the MfS portal including the Azure request number, 2–7 days); serverless GPUs: Azure Container Apps → Support ticket; AI limited-access features: formal registration then MfS ticket if not auto-approved.", "expiry": "Software seats: 1 year (Visual Studio: until MfS membership ends). LinkedIn discount: 4 months. GPU access: short-term/availability-based.", "gotchas": "GPU and AI quota benefits are availability-based, not guaranteed. Benefits are 1-year seats and must be re-earned/refreshed with program membership. Credits do not cover non-Azure products, Microsoft Support Plans, or Azure Marketplace purchases.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/benefits/technical-benefits/technical-benefits-overview", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure free account — $200 trial credit + 12-month free services + 65+ always-free services", "detail": "Any new customer: $200 credit usable for 30 days; 20+ popular services free for monthly amounts for 12 months (e.g., 750 hrs of B1s/B2s burstable VMs, 750 hrs PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS + 32GB storage, 720 vCore-hrs SQL Managed Instance, Container Registry 100GB/10 webhooks, plus Azure DevOps 5 users, Functions 1M requests, Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25GB, App Service up to 10 web/API apps, Static Web Apps 100GB bandwidth + .5GB storage, AKS management free, AI Search 50MB/10,000 docs, etc.); 65+ 'always-free' services (Speech 0.5M neural chars/mo, Bot Service 10K premium msgs, Notification Hubs 1M pushes, API Management 1M calls, etc.) have no time limit. One $200-credit free offer per new customer.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers in one of 140 commercially available countries/regions. Sign-up requires a phone number and a credit or non-prepaid debit card (a ~$1 verification hold may appear and is reversed; credit cards only in Hong Kong and Brazil). Excludes sovereign clouds: US Government, Azure China, Azure Germany. No .edu, no age cap, no startup restriction.", "claim": "azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free → 'Try Azure for free'; sign up with a Microsoft account (or 'Sign in with GitHub'); if you switch to pay-as-you-go before day 30, remaining credit stays valid for the full 30-day window.", "expiry": "$200 credit: 30 days. Free monthly amounts: 12 months. Always-free tiers: indefinite. Auto-convert/disability to pay-as-you-go after credit expiry.", "gotchas": "CREDIT CARD REQUIRED — the free account is NOT a no-CC offer. After 30 days or credit exhaustion the account is disabled unless converted to pay-as-you-go; the 12-month free service amounts lapse after 12 months (service then bills metered). Data egress and non-free meters are always billed. Trial is 30-day; only the 'always-free' tiers are indefinite.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit + free cloud services, no credit card", "detail": "Students get $100 in Azure service credits plus free access to popular cloud services and developer tools (Visual Studio, VS Code, AI/ML/data learning resources), 12-month-style free service access; via the GitHub Student Developer Pack the Azure offer is '25+ cloud services and $100 in Azure credit' for students 18+ (a separate 13–17 track exists). No credit card required and 'no need to enter a credit card' — eligibility is proven with a school email.", "eligibility": "Current, verified students — sign up with your school/academic email; no CC. The GitHub Pack routes 18+ students to the main Azure offer and 13–17 to a separate offer. Faculty offer ($200 in past pages) could not be verified today (education pricing page now 404).", "claim": "azure.microsoft.com/en-us/education → 'Start free' → verify with school email → $100 credit and free services available; or claim the Azure offer inside the GitHub Student Pack (github.com/settings/education/benefits).", "expiry": "$100 credit: single allotment; free services tied to active student status. No renewal cycle published on the page fetched.", "gotchas": "No CC required (contrast with the $200 free account). Credit is not a subscription; separate from any pay-as-you-go account. Regional availability follows Azure availability.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — free GitHub Pro, Copilot, Codespaces + 100+ partner benefits (incl. Microsoft 365/1TB, Azure $100)", "detail": "For verified students: free GitHub Pro; unlimited GitHub Copilot completions plus an allowance of GitHub AI Credits with limited chat/agent usage; free Pro-level Codespaces; GitHub Pages (1 site + unlimited project sites); Microsoft Azure $100 credit + 25+ services; Microsoft 365 productivity apps with AI + 1TB OneDrive; JetBrains subscription (renewed annually); MongoDB $50 Atlas credits + free certification; Datadog Pro (10 servers, 2 years free); 1Password free 2 years incl. Developer Tools; Heroku $13/mo for 24 months; Notion Education plan; free domains/SSL from Namecheap/Name.com/.TECH; 6–12 month access to Educative, FrontendMasters, Scrimba, DataCamp, Appwrite; learning bundles organized into 'Experiences' tiers.", "eligibility": "Verified students via the GitHub Education portal (school academic email or institutional proof; 18+ main track, 13–17 separate track). No credit card needed for the pack itself.", "claim": "Sign in to GitHub → github.com/settings/education → verify student status → claim offers from the benefits page ('All offers' listing, filterable by category).", "expiry": "Per-benefit: 1–24 months (Heroku 24 mo, Datadog/1Password 2 yr, learning platforms 1–12 mo, JetBrains annual). Pack © 2026; 2025–26 changes: new AI-partner additions (Camber, Boot.dev, ToDiagram) and the 'Experiences' bundle layer; several older standalone offers no longer listed.", "gotchas": "Most benefits end when student status ends ('while you are a student'); specific durations vary (1 month–24 months); JetBrains requires annual renewal; Copilot access is 'limited chat and agent usage' under the student allowance, not full Copilot plans.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft 365 Education — free Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneDrive) with a school email", "detail": "Students and faculty can get free Microsoft 365 with a verified school email: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams and ~100GB OneDrive (desktop + online apps). The microsoft.com/en-us/education landing page (fetched today) confirms 'student offers for Microsoft 365, GitHub, and Azure' are live; the detailed office-online offer page timed out on repeated fetch attempts, so the app list and storage figure are based on the long-standing offer structure rather than a page read today.", "eligibility": "Currently enrolled students or faculty with a valid academic/school email (typically K-12/higher-ed .edu or national equivalents); no credit card, no payment details.", "claim": "1) microsoft.com/microsoft-365/education (or /education/office-online) → 'Get Office online with your school email'; 2) enter the school email; 3) verify; 4) download/sign in to desktop apps — renew annually.", "expiry": "Renewable annually while a student/faculty; benefits end when school-email status lapses.", "gotchas": "Free tier is for personal/educational use — not a license for companies; OneDrive storage is far below the 1TB in the GitHub Student Pack's M365 benefit; page could not be fetched today (timeouts), so treat exact app/storage list as medium-confidence.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/education/office-online", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft 365 / Office Developer Program (Individual) — free development licenses, no credit card", "detail": "For individual developers (not companies) building add-ins/extensions for Microsoft 365: free enrollment in a developer tenant with M365 E5-based developer licenses carrying hard service limits (e.g., ~25GB OneDrive per user; tenant refreshes every 30 days), plus Visual Studio and dev tooling access; no credit card and no cost. Intended for students/bootstrapping founders prototyping on M365. NOTE: today, multiple candidate URLs on developer.microsoft.com for this program returned 404 — the page structure appears to have moved; program terms could not be re-verified on an official page this session.", "eligibility": "Individual developers only — companies/organizations are excluded (they need the paid Partner Developer Program); free Microsoft account; no credit card.", "claim": "Enroll from the M365/Developer hub on developer.microsoft.com (Individual Developer Program); after enrollment the dev tenant (with limited E5 licenses, 30-day refresh) is provisioned; claimable without payment details.", "expiry": "Tenant refreshes every 30 days; benefits continue while enrolled.", "gotchas": "Service quotas/limits apply per license (not full E5); the 30-day refresh resets data/usage limits; dev licenses are for development only, not production use; today's 404s on the program's sub-pages mean the exact quotas may have changed — verify on the live page before relying on specifics.", "source_url": "https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/develop", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Azure Free Account — $200 credit / 30-day trial", "detail": "New Azure customers get $200 credit usable within 30 days across the full catalog (up to free amounts + credit), with spending protection so the card is not charged during the trial. After 30 days or credit exhaustion the account moves to pay-as-you-go (or is disabled). This trial is the only path that makes Azure's dedicated/bare-metal-adjacent SKUs (dedicated hosts, larger VM sizes) reachable at $0, since no dedicated-server free allotment exists.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only. Phone number + non-prepaid credit or debit card REQUIRED (a ~$1 temporary authorization may be placed); Microsoft or GitHub account. Commercially available in ~140 countries; explicitly excludes US Government cloud, Azure China, and Germany sovereign regions.", "claim": "Sign up at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/ → provide phone/card/account → $200 credit is live immediately; no application or approval.", "expiry": "Credit valid for the full 30 days from account creation even if partially unused; then pay-as-you-go or disable.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (not card-free). Free 12-month and always-free services continue after the 30-day trial; unused 12-month services keep running at PAYG billing. Egress/data charges apply above free amounts. No free dedicated-host or bare-metal allotment — dedicated servers are only reachable via this credit or startup credits.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure free services tier — 12-month + 65+ always-free services (VPS & managed-database fronts)", "detail": "On the same free account: free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months, incl. VPS front: 750 hours each/month of B1s, B2pts v2 (ARM) and B2ats v2 (AMD) burstable VMs; managed-DB front: Azure Database for PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible 750 hours B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup; SQL Managed Instance 720 vCore-hours of a 4- or 8-vCore General Purpose instance + 64 GB data + 64 GB backup; Azure Container Registry 1 Standard registry/100 GB; Data Factory 5 low-frequency activities; Vision 5,000 transactions each of S1/S2/S3. Plus 65+ always-free services: Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB; SQL Database serverless 100,000 vCore-seconds/month + 32 GB; Functions 1M requests/month; Container Apps 180,000 vCPU-seconds + 360,000 GiB-seconds + 2M requests; App Service 10 F0 web/API apps (1 GB); Static Web Apps 100 GB bandwidth + 0.5 GB storage; Logic Apps 4,000 executions; AKS control plane; DevOps 5 users; AI Search 50 MB/10K docs/3 indexes; Speech 0.5M neural chars; Translator 2M chars.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers (12-month items); always-free items available to any Azure customer including students (no card needed under Azure for Students).", "claim": "Automatic once the free account or student subscription is created; nothing to redeem separately.", "expiry": "12-month amounts stop at the 12-month anniversary (running services continue, now billed PAYG); always-free services have no expiry.", "gotchas": "Only burstable b1ms-class VMs are free — no guaranteed-performance VMs; no free dedicated/bare-metal capacity; egress above free allowances and any service beyond free amounts bill to the card on file (trial account).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit / 12 months, no credit card, renewable", "detail": "Azure for Students: $100 credit usable within 12 months plus the same 20+ 12-month free services (incl. 750 h VMs, managed-DB free amounts) and 65+ always-free services; full catalog access up to free amounts + $100 credit; includes Azure OpenAI access and software download licenses (Visual Studio, SQL Server Developer/Standard, Windows Server, Hyper-V, R, etc.). Balance visible in the Azure Sponsorships portal. Official offer terms: age 18+, accredited degree-granting 2/4-year institution, full-time student, verified via the organization's email address; one subscription per person, nontransferable, not combinable, limited supply.", "eligibility": "Full-time university/college students (2- or 4-year accredited, degree-granting; 18+). Verified with school/organization email — .edu not required, but MOOC/for-profit trainings excluded. No credit card required.", "claim": "Sign up at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/ with school email → no card → $100 credit available immediately. Also obtainable through the GitHub Student Developer Pack.", "expiry": "12 months; unused credit does not carry over month-to-month and lapses at 12 months. Renewable annually as long as you remain a full-time student (reminder emails before the anniversary). If you exhaust the credit or let the year end without upgrading, the subscription is canceled; you have 90 days to upgrade to pay-as-you-go.", "gotchas": "$100 is small next to the $200 trial credit; after expiry your deployed resources are decommissioned; the offer is while-supplies-last and Microsoft can terminate it at discretion.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students Starter — card-free free-product tier", "detail": "Card-free alternative to Azure for Students: select Azure products (e.g., App Service) free for students, without the $100 credit. Listed in Microsoft's official AcademicContent repo ('Azure for Students Starter | use select Azure products like App Services for free - no credit card required with academic verification'); the /free/students page offers it as 'Try Azure for Students or Azure for Students Starter — no credit card required'.", "eligibility": "Students with academic verification (school email); no credit card.", "claim": "Offered from https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/.", "expiry": "Tied to student status; per-service limits are not itemized on the pages fetched today.", "gotchas": "Exact service list/limits are not documented on the fetched page — verify in-portal before relying on it; WebSearch budget was exhausted before a dedicated offer-detail page could be pulled.", "source_url": "https://github.com/microsoft/AcademicContent/blob/main/offers-programs/README.md", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — Microsoft Azure benefit", "detail": "The GitHub Student Developer Pack (student-verified, via GitHub or school email) includes Microsoft Azure's student offer: $100 Azure credit plus 12-month free amounts of 25+/20+ services, under the Pack's 'Microsoft Azure' offer. It is the alternate redemption route when a school email isn't accepted by the Azure for Students flow.", "eligibility": "Verified students through GitHub Education (school email or enrollment proof); not .edu-only.", "claim": "Sign up at https://education.github.com/pack with student verification → open the Microsoft Azure offer to activate the Azure for Students subscription.", "expiry": "12 months, matching Azure for Students.", "gotchas": "Same $100 credit as Azure for Students; Pack benefits are partner-offered and can change; one Azure student subscription per person.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — 2026 milestone program, up to $150,000 in Azure credits", "detail": "Current model (docs ms.date 2026-05/2026-10, page updated 2026-08/10): every startup enters the same way. Apply without an investor code → $200 starter credits immediately, no application form (identity via personal LinkedIn). With a 10-character investor-network referral code → $1,000 starter credits immediately while the application is reviewed (~3 business days); approval unlocks expanded credits. Credits then auto-progress in tiers — no separate applications: $5,000 after business verification; $25,000 after 5+ distinct Azure workloads in active use for a sustained ~60 days (each workload must spend >$1/month for the whole 60 days; one-time two-year extension of credit validity at this tier); $50,000 at 7+ workloads; $150,000 at 10+ workloads plus ~$3,000/month Azure usage sustained ~60 days. Milestones can be skipped straight if requirements are met. Program support, AI capabilities (Microsoft Foundry models), and go-to-market resources are included.", "eligibility": "Early-stage B2B software/AI/technology startups; funding stage pre-seed through Series B; at or working toward MVP; privately held independent companies (not subsidiaries); headquartered in a region where MfS operates (country choice at signup cannot be changed; if your country is absent, the offer is not available). Sign-in must use a personal consumer email (work/school/company domains rejected); phone number; registered business name matching legal documents; payment card is entered at Azure account creation (spend protection; converts to pay-as-you-go when credits are used up or expired).", "claim": "1) Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups → 'Get started now'. 2) Sign in with a personal Microsoft account. 3) No code: 'Continue without a code' → 'Verify with LinkedIn' → 3-step Azure account setup (profile, billing address, payment card) → '$200 in Azure credits' unlocked. With code: enter the 10-char investor code → verify email + phone → business info form → submit → $1,000 credits immediately, approval within ~3 business days. Credits are managed in the MfS portal (portal.startups.microsoft.com); usage is auto-evaluated monthly.", "expiry": "Per program FAQ guidance: credits must be activated within 90 days of accepting the program agreement; once activated they are valid up to 2 years with no extensions — except the one-time two-year extension awarded at the $25K milestone (per official docs).", "gotchas": "Contrary to 'no card' expectations, the application flow requires a card at account creation (identity verification + billing above credit). 'Up to $150,000' is a ceiling, not a day-one grant — day one is $200 (or $1,000 with an investor code). Marketing pages still show stale 2025-track copy: /free/students advertises 'Azure for Startups: $1,000 instantly, up to $5,000, 90/180-day validity', which is the retired self-service track. The $150K figure in the Azure portal is a generic ceiling indicator, not a grant; additional credits are applied automatically (no 'redeem more' button exists). All activation must use the same personal Microsoft account registered at signup.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — Investor Network (enhanced track)", "detail": "Startups referred by Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partners (VCs, accelerators, incubators, universities; the partner list is not public) get the enhanced experience on top of the base program: dedicated Microsoft point of contact, deeper Microsoft Marketplace and co-sell support, and access to additional Startup credits beyond the standard program (up to the $150,000 ceiling). Under the current docs the investor path starts with $1,000 in credits immediately and unlocks up to $150,000 after application approval. (The interim 2025 track had started at $100,000 for investor-backed startups.)", "eligibility": "Same base MfS eligibility (pre-seed–Series B, B2B, privately held, supported region) plus a 10-character referral code from a participating investor/accelerator/university.", "claim": "Ask your investor/accelerator for the 10-character referral code → apply at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups with the code.", "expiry": "Same activation/validity rules as base MfS (activate within 90 days; valid up to 2 years; 2-year extension at the $25K tier).", "gotchas": "Extra credit amounts above the standard tiers are investor-dependent and not standardized publicly; the partner list is unpublished, so you must get the code from the investor directly.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/microsoft-for-startups-introduces-a-clearer-path-from-ai-development-to-enterprise-growth/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Education — faculty dev-tool licenses (no cloud credits)", "detail": "Education-licensing front: Azure for Education gives teachers/educators free access to Microsoft and Azure development tools and software licenses for teaching (Visual Studio Community, SQL Server Developer/Standard editions, Windows Server, Hyper-V, R Client/Server, VS Code, etc.) — included even inside Azure for Students subscriptions. No cloud credits are part of the education program; faculty who want credits must take the standard $200 free account (card required) or request an academic grant/sponsorship (custom spending-limit Azure Sponsorship subscriptions, e.g. for competitions, via Azure for Education support).", "eligibility": "Educators in K-12 and higher education; verification through school/organization. Not a credit offer.", "claim": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/for-education/ for the dev-tools program; sponsorship/academic grants via Azure for Education support (azureforeducation.microsoft.com contact).", "expiry": "Licenses valid while the account is a qualifying educator/student.", "gotchas": "No credits — if the research question is 'free compute for faculty', the answer is the standard $200 trial card or a bespoke sponsorship request, not an education program. This page was not directly re-fetched today, hence low confidence.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/for-education/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Bare-metal & dedicated servers front — no dedicated free offer", "detail": "Azure publishes no free tier, free trial allotment, or always-free amount for dedicated hosts or bare-metal VM SKUs. The VPS front is covered by the free 750 h/month burstable VMs + $200 trial credit; the managed-database front by the free Flexible Server/Managed Instance/always-free Cosmos and SQL serverless amounts. Dedicated/bare-metal capacity is reachable only by spending trial credits or Microsoft-for-Startups credits on eligible services — i.e., the 'free' path for a dedicated server is a credit, not a free allotment.", "eligibility": "Via the $200 free-account trial (card required) or MfS startup credits (card at account creation).", "claim": "No standalone claim; use a trial or MfS credit in a paid subscription.", "expiry": "As the underlying credit (30-day trial credit; MfS activation + up to 2-year validity).", "gotchas": "Do not plan runways around free dedicated capacity — it does not exist; credit ceilings are hard caps, and beyond them it is straight PAYG.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure SQL Database (serverless) — 'Free forever' tier", "detail": "100,000 vCore-seconds/month of Azure SQL Database serverless compute plus 32 GB storage, at $0 while within the free amounts, with no time limit (monthly recurring allowance). 100,000 vCore-sec ≈ 3.33 vCore-hours/day: a continuously running 1-vCore database ≈ 27.8 hrs/month; a 4-vCore database ≈ 6.9 hrs/month. Verified 2026-10-22 on the official /free/ page and the student-offer page; the dedicated SQL serverless pricing-details URL now 404s (Azure has reorganized pricing URLs).", "eligibility": "All new and existing Azure customers (free account, student account, or pay-as-you-go); no credit card needed to stay inside the free amounts (signing up for an Azure account may still require a payment method unless using the no-CC student route). Not available in sovereign-cloud regions (US Government, Azure China, Azure Germany).", "claim": "1) Create an Azure account (free, student, or PAYG). 2) Deploy an Azure SQL database with serverless compute. 3) Stay within 100,000 vCore-seconds/month and 32 GB storage; compute auto-stops idle. No separate enrollment needed.", "expiry": "No expiry — the free allowance recurs monthly for the life of the account (student accounts renew yearly while enrolled).", "gotchas": "Compute beyond 100,000 vCore-sec/month and storage beyond 32 GB bill at PAYG rates; backups beyond included storage bill; data persists while compute auto-stops, but the DB is not 'free' if you exceed allowances. Not the old provisioned F0 'free' SKU — that SKU was retired in favor of this serverless allowance.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Cosmos DB — 'Free forever' tier", "detail": "1,000 RU/s provisioned throughput plus 25 GB storage per month at $0 while within free amounts, no time limit. Official pricing page (read 2026-10-22): 'New accounts are eligible to receive 1,000 request units per second (RU/s) throughput and 25 GBs storage per month with Azure Cosmos DB free tier.' Applies to the RU-based APIs: NoSQL, MongoDB (RU), Cassandra, Gremlin, and Table. Autoscale minimum is 1,000 RU/s (scales 100–1,000 hourly).", "eligibility": "All Azure customers (listed on the official page as a free-forever service; pricing page phrases it as 'new accounts'); no credit card needed to stay inside the free amounts; sovereign-cloud regions excluded.", "claim": "1) Create an Azure account. 2) Create a Cosmos DB account on an RU-based API (NoSQL/MongoDB/Cassandra/Gremlin/Table). 3) Provision 1,000 RU/s and keep storage ≤ 25 GB.", "expiry": "No expiry — recurring monthly allowance for the life of the account.", "gotchas": "Throughput above 1,000 RU/s, storage above 25 GB, data egress, and overage requests bill at PAYG rates; no separate 12-month Cosmos serverless allowance (400,000 RU + 32 GB) appears on the current pricing page — the live free tier is the provisioned 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB one. Staying on standard provisioned 1,000 RU/s is the safest configuration to remain inside free amounts.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cosmos-db/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure free account — $200 credit (30 days) + 12-month free services", "detail": "$200 credit usable on Azure services within 30 days of account creation, plus 12 months of free allowances on 20+ services (first-usage amounts). 12-month database/data allowances include: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server 750 hrs B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup; MySQL Flexible Server 750 hrs B1MS + 32 GB + 32 GB backup; Azure SQL Managed Instance 720 vCore-hours of a 4- or 8-vCore General Purpose instance incl. 64 GB data + 64 GB backup; Azure Container Registry 1 Standard registry with 100 GB. If you convert to PAYG early, remaining credit stays available for the full 30 days from creation.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only (one free-account offer per new customer). Phone number plus a non-prepaid credit/debit card required at sign-up; only credit cards accepted in Hong Kong and Brazil. Sign-in with Microsoft or GitHub account. Sovereign-cloud products excluded (US Government, China, Germany).", "claim": "1) Sign up at azure.com/free with a Microsoft or GitHub account. 2) Provide phone + non-prepaid card (a temporary ~$1 authorization may be placed and reversed). 3) Choose the 'free account' (not pay-as-you-go) option at sign-up so the $200 + 12-month allowances attach.", "expiry": "Credit expires 30 days from account creation; 12-month allowances end 12 months from creation. Account then automatically converts to pay-as-you-go (card on file), or services are disabled if you don't add payment.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a free tier: after 30 days or when $200 is spent, all usage bills at PAYG. Credit cannot be applied to Azure Marketplace offers, Azure Spot VMs, or combined with Hybrid Benefit. Data/egress beyond free amounts bill even during the 12-month window. 12-month VM allowance: 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (ARM) and B2ats v2 (AMD) burstable VMs.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure managed databases 12-month free quotas (PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server, SQL Managed Instance)", "detail": "The 12-month free quotas, available on both the new-customer free account and the student offer: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server — 750 hours/month of Burstable B1MS instance + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup storage; Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server — identical (750 hrs B1MS + 32 GB + 32 GB backup); Azure SQL Managed Instance — 720 vCore-hours/month of a 4-vCore or 8-vCore General Purpose instance, incl. 64 GB data storage and 64 GB backup storage. 750 hours ≈ one continuously running small server. (Azure SQL serverless 'free forever' is a separate, perpetual allowance — see its own finding.)", "eligibility": "New-customer free accounts and Azure for Students accounts; one account per person for students; sovereign-cloud regions excluded; PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS is only offered in select regions (region availability varies).", "claim": "1) Create an eligible free or student account. 2) Deploy PostgreSQL or MySQL Flexible Server on B1MS (or SQL Managed Instance on 4/8-vCore General Purpose). 3) Monitor meters in the Azure portal so usage stays within 750 hrs / 720 vCore-hours and the included storage each month.", "expiry": "12 months from account creation; student accounts renew annually while still a full-time student; then PAYG pricing applies.", "gotchas": "Monthly quotas do not roll over; any hour/vCore-hour or GB beyond the allowance bills at PAYG rates immediately; backups beyond included 32/64 GB bill; there is no 12-month free allowance for managed instances of MySQL/PostgreSQL (only Flexible Server / the listed SKUs).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit + 12-month free services + always-free (no credit card)", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 on the official student-offer page: $100 credit usable on most Azure products within 12 months (not $200 — the $200 figure is the general new-customer trial) + free monthly amounts on 20+ popular services for 12 months (including the PostgreSQL/MySQL B1MS and SQL Managed Instance quotas above) + always-free services (SQL serverless 100,000 vCore-sec/month + 32 GB; Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB; Azure DevOps 5 users; Functions 1M requests; App Service; AKS management; AI Search 50 MB; and more) + free developer tools via the Azure Education Hub (Visual Studio Community, SQL Server, Windows Server). No credit card required; one account per person.", "eligibility": "Full-time university students only. A school email is the gate: 'Use your school email to sign up and renew yearly while you're a student.' The page documents no alternate Microsoft Learn enrollment route and no credit card required. New Azure customers; accounts are 'new Azure customers only' for the 12-month monthly amounts.", "claim": "1) Sign up at azure.com/free/students using your school email (no payment method). 2) Receive the $100 credit (12-month validity) and the 12-month free monthly amounts. 3) Renew the subscription annually with your school email while enrolled; free-forever items continue without renewal.", "expiry": "Credit: 12 months. 12-month service allowances: 12 months, then annual renewal required while a full-time student (renew by email prompt; otherwise subscription and products are disabled). Always-free services: no expiry. One account per person.", "gotchas": "Credit cannot be applied to Azure Marketplace offers; after the 12-month window or on renewal lapse, moving to PAYG requires adding a payment method or the subscription is disabled; students who graduate or leave full-time status lose renewal eligibility. Note the $100 student credit is distinct from the $200 new-customer trial credit — an existing free-account holder is not a 'new' customer.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — Azure benefits (secondary claim route)", "detail": "Verified 2026-10-22 on the official GitHub Education page: for verified students 18+, the pack includes 'Free access to 25+ Microsoft Azure cloud services plus $100 in Azure credit' (no credit card). For students aged 13–17, a separate 'Microsoft Azure (for ages 13-17)' benefit gives named free services instead of a monetary credit: Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL database (in-app), Application Insights, and Azure DevOps. Claiming the benefit provisions the equivalent of an Azure student account.", "eligibility": "A free GitHub account plus GitHub student verification (18+ tier for the $100 credit; 13–17 tier gets restricted free services, no credit). No credit card required per the GitHub page. GitHub's verification can accept school-issued credentials, so it is a practical route for students whose school lacks a verifiable .edu address.", "claim": "1) Sign up for the GitHub Student Developer Pack at education.github.com/pack. 2) Complete GitHub's student verification. 3) Redeem the Azure benefit, which creates the Azure student account with the $100 credit and 12-month free services.", "expiry": "GitHub's page prints no expiry window; the $100 Azure credit mirrors the Azure for Students offer (usable within 12 months).", "gotchas": "The 13–17 tier has no monetary credit; the $100/25+ services benefit is for 18+. Exact credit expiry and 12-month allowance terms live in the resulting Azure account, not on GitHub's page.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups (Founders Hub) — up to $150,000 Azure credits", "detail": "The official Microsoft for Startups page (read 2026-10-22) states startups get 'up to $150,000 in credits' that 'can be applied across eligible Azure services to support your startup from early development through production workloads,' plus M365 licenses, GitHub Enterprise access, and co-sell support via the Microsoft network. The program now runs through the 'Founders Hub' portal with tiered Azure credits: an entry tier requiring no VC/accelerator referral (historically ~$1,500 Azure credits), intermediate tiers (community reports of ~$25,000), and a 'Scale' level unlocking $150,000, typically investor-referred (investor network: Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Global, MassChallenge, Plug and Play, Seedcamp, Antler, Founder Institute, and others).", "eligibility": "Private, software-based startups in program-available markets. Community/third-party reports (not republished on the pages fetched today) put the classic thresholds at less than 5 years since founding and less than ~$30M raised; entry tiers are open without a VC referral, higher tiers require referral from the investor network. Tiers advance via an automated 'engagement score' (e.g., consuming ~50% of the current tier's credits and using a mix of services).", "claim": "1) Apply at microsoft.com/en-us/startups via 'Get started now' into the Founders Hub portal (sign in with Microsoft account). 2) Complete the application: company name/website, industry, stage (pre-seed/seed/Series A+), product description. 3) Review takes days to weeks; grants appear in the Founders Hub portal, where 'Level Up' requests to the $150k tier are also submitted.", "expiry": "Credits are granted per tier with tier-specific expiry windows (typically 6–12 months per tier; not stated on the official page fetched today). Extensions are generally not granted; the stated path is leveling up to the next tier.", "gotchas": "Headline 'up to $150,000' is from the official page today; the specific tier dollar amounts ($1,500 entry, ~$25,000 mid, $150,000 scale) and the age/funding caps come from third-party/community sources, so treat them as medium/low confidence. Credits do not apply to Azure Marketplace offers; the program is a customer-acquisition channel, so post-credit consumption is what Microsoft monetizes; co-sell/transaction fees (3% new / 1.5% renewal) attach to the co-sell program, not to credits.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure free account: $200 credit, 30 days", "detail": "New Azure customers get $200 credit usable for 30 days (or until credit is exhausted), plus the 12-month free service amounts and 65+ always-free services on top. After 30 days / credit exhaustion the account and services are DISABLED (not auto-converted); you must move to pay-as-you-go to continue. Unused credit stays available for the full 30 days from creation. Credit cannot be applied to Azure Marketplace offers or Azure Spot VMs. Sovereign cloud products in US Government, Azure China, and Azure Germany are excluded. No $100 12-month credit is listed on the current pages — the standard trial is $200/30 days only.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only (one free account per new customer). Requires phone number, a credit or debit card (non-prepaid), and a Microsoft or GitHub account. A temporary ~$1 authorization is placed on the card and reversed on verification; the card is not otherwise charged. Only credit cards accepted in Hong Kong and Brazil. Offer unavailable in countries not on Microsoft's list; 'If your country is not listed, the offer is not available in your region.'", "claim": "Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free → verify phone + card (temporary $1 hold) → $200 credit active for 30 days → within 30 days move to pay-as-you-go (portal: Subscriptions → Upgrade subscription) to keep the 12-month free amounts; otherwise services are disabled at day 30.", "expiry": "Credit: 30 days from account creation (unused credit lost). Free service amounts: 12 months after sign-up for the trial account. Renewal: none — after 12 months, used services bill at PAYG rates.", "gotchas": "VPS angle: the 12-month free VM allowance covers B1s, B2pts v2 (ARM) and B2ats v2 (AMD) burstable VMs only — 750 hours each per month. That is roughly 24h/day for one VM; larger/Standard VMs are NOT covered. Data transfer/egress beyond free allowances and storage beyond free quotas bill at PAYG rates even in the trial. Account is disabled (not billed) if you do nothing — but resources are inaccessible until upgrade.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "12-month free service amounts (new customers)", "detail": "Free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months: VMs 750 hours/month each of B1s, B2pts v2 (ARM-based), B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable VMs; Azure Container Registry: 1 Standard registry, 100 GB storage, 10 webhooks; PostgreSQL Flexible Server: 750 hours Burstable B1MS + 32 GB storage + 32 GB backup; MySQL Flexible Server: same 750 hours B1MS + 32 GB + 32 GB; Azure SQL Managed Instance: 720 vCore hours of 4 or 8 vCore General Purpose (64 GB data + 64 GB backup); Azure Vision (Foundry Tools): 5,000 transactions per S1/S2/S3 tier. Can be consumed in any region where the service is available and split across instances (e.g. 5 VMs × 150 h). Services in use after 12 months continue running and bill at PAYG.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only — 'not previously had an Azure account or received 12 months of free services.' NOT currently available to customers who sign up directly for pay-as-you-go in China and India. Trial signups must move to pay-as-you-go within 30 days to keep receiving them.", "claim": "No separate claim — included automatically when creating any Azure account (free trial or PAYG, new customer). Create resources via the 'Free services' page in the Azure portal with free tiers selected to avoid accidental billing.", "expiry": "12 months from account creation; unused monthly amounts do not roll over; after 12 months everything in use bills at PAYG rates. No renewal.", "gotchas": "For a free VPS: 750 h/month is the total shared across B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 — a single always-on B1s VM works for ~12 months, but nothing above B-series burstable is free. 'Always-free' services (65+) do NOT include VMs, so a pure PAYG account beyond 12 months has no free compute; only the free service tiers listed remain. Egress/storage beyond free quotas bill.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-services", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Always-free services (65+, all accounts)", "detail": "Permanent free monthly amounts for every Azure account: App Service (10 web/API apps, 1 GB storage, 1 hour/day compute), Functions (1 million requests), Container Apps (180,000 vCPU-s, 360,000 GiB-s, 2M requests), Static Web Apps (0.5 GB/app, 100 GB bandwidth/subscription), AKS cluster management (nodes bill), Cosmos DB (1,000 RU/s + 25 GB), Azure SQL serverless (100,000 vCore-s + 32 GB/month), DocumentDB (32 GB cluster), Azure Data Factory (5 low-frequency activities), API Management Consumption (1M calls/month), Logic Apps Consumption (4,000 actions), Notification Hubs (1M pushes), IoT Hub (8,000 msgs/day), AI/Foundry services (Speech 0.5M chars, Translator 2M chars, Document Intelligence 500 pages S0, AI Search 50 MB/10k docs/3 indexes, Vision/Content Safety tiers), Azure DevOps (5 users), Azure Machine Learning (free, egress may apply), plus free/unlimited management services (Monitor control plane, Arc, Advisor, Migrate, Cost Management, Lighthouse, etc.).", "eligibility": "All Azure customers, no verification beyond having an account; no credit card needed if usage stays within free amounts.", "claim": "Automatic with any Azure account; create resources on the free tiers. This is the realistic 'always-free tier' for lightweight workloads (serverless/PaaS) — but NOT for VPS: no free VM tier exists in the always-free set.", "expiry": "No expiry while the account exists; monthly allowances reset each month. Cloud Shell's 5 GB free storage in Azure Files lasts 12 months only.", "gotchas": "App Service '1 hour per day' makes it usable as a very small always-on worker but it's not a VM. Egress, premium storage and anything above free tier limits bill. AKS is 'free' only for cluster management — node VMs bill.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students: $100 credit, 12 months, renewable yearly", "detail": "$100 in Azure credit usable within 12 months, plus 20+ 12-month free service amounts and 65+ always-free services; includes Azure OpenAI/Foundry access and free dev-tool downloads via the Azure Education Hub (Visual Studio, SQL Server, Windows Server, etc.). Unused credit cannot carry over between months/subscriptions. If the $100 runs out early the subscription is disabled; you get a 90-day window after the free period to upgrade to PAYG, otherwise products are decommissioned. One subscription per person, non-transferable, cannot combine with other offers. Not available for MOOCs or for-profit training. Credit cannot be applied to Azure Marketplace offers.", "eligibility": "Full-time students at an accredited, degree-granting two-year or four-year institution; must be 18+; verified through the institution's email (school/.edu address). No credit card required at sign-up. Limited supply — available while supplies last; Microsoft may terminate the offer at its discretion.", "claim": "Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students with your school email (no card) → $100 credit + free tiers active → renew annually while still a student by re-verifying with the school email (reminder emails ~30 days before anniversary). Track remaining credit in the Azure Sponsorships portal.", "expiry": "Credit valid 12 months from sign-up (whichever first, credit or time, disables the subscription). Renewable each year while a student — renewal grants a fresh $100; unused credit does not carry over.", "gotchas": "The 12-month VM allowance here is the same B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 750 h/month — fine for a small always-on VPS, but only burstable tiers. A Microsoft Q&A thread confirms $100 exhaustion disables the subscription (in markets where the credit converts to local-currency spend, e.g. ~₹8,500 in India). Student accounts are for education/non-commercial use; production commercial workloads violate terms. No .edu email → ineligible (use Students Starter or the standard trial instead).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students Starter (no-credit-card, no-$100 tier)", "detail": "A second education offer: 'Azure for Students Starter' — academic email verification, no credit card, access to selected free Azure services (e.g. App Service free tiers) without the $100 credit. It is the fallback for academic users not eligible for the full Azure for Students offer; from a Starter account you can upgrade to an Azure free account (getting $200 credit + 12-month free services) if eligible, or to pay-as-you-go.", "eligibility": "Academic users with a verifiable school email who do not qualify for the full Azure for Students offer (full-time student of an accredited institution); no credit card required. Country coverage follows where Azure is commercially available.", "claim": "Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students (Start free) choosing the Starter variant; verify school email; no card. Upgrade via Azure portal → Subscriptions → Upgrade when ready.", "expiry": "Free service amounts run while the subscription is active (12 months for the new-customer amounts). No stated credit because there is no credit pool.", "gotchas": "Exact per-service Starter allowances are not itemized on the current /free/students page (Microsoft's academic content describes it as 'use select Azure products like App Services for free') — treat specific limits as unconfirmed. Not a substitute for the $100 credit; best used as a path to the standard free account ($200/30 days).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups (self-service credit offer, up to $5,000)", "detail": "The self-service startup credit offer (open track of the two-track system introduced July 1, 2025): $1,000 in Azure credits instantly, no application required, valid 90 days; up to $4,000 more (total $5,000) unlocked after business verification, valid 180 days. Full Azure catalog access up to credit limits; after expiry/usage the account moves to pay-as-you-go. No dedicated support — self-serve.", "eligibility": "Startups that are NEW to Azure (new Azure customers only). Business verification = confirmation the startup is a registered legal entity. A credit card is required only for identity verification and for usage beyond the credits.", "claim": "No application: create an Azure account under the Azure for Startups offer (linked from azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students and microsoft.com/startups) → $1,000 credit active for 90 days → complete business verification → additional up to $4,000 for 180 days.", "expiry": "Initial $1,000: 90 days. Post-verification $4,000: 180 days. Then PAYG. No renewal; cannot combine with other offers unless Microsoft permits.", "gotchas": "This is the post-July-2025 self-service track — it replaced the old unfunded-startup tiers (former L1-L4 up to $150k). Note the marketing card says $1,000 instant, while the Microsoft for Startups program application (separate, see other finding) starts at $200 — they are different entry points.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups program: milestone credits up to $150,000 (2026 structure)", "detail": "Current (2026) milestone structure from the official getting-started doc (updated 2026-08-05): apply at startups.microsoft.com → M1 $200 (sign up + personal-LINKEDIN identity verification, no business accounts), M2 $5,000 (business verification — registered legal entity), M3 $25,000 (5+ Azure workloads active ~60 days), M4 $50,000 (7+ workloads ~60 days), M5 $150,000 (10+ workloads + ~$3,000/month Azure usage sustained ~60 days). Milestones can be skipped; at $25K you get a one-time two-year credit-use extension. Workload = a distinct actively-used Azure service (VMs, AI models, databases, hosting). Investor-network track (introduced July 2025): startups referred by an affiliated investor/accelerator/university start at $100,000 with dedicated support. Pegasus (invitation-only CSM support) continues unchanged.", "eligibility": "Startups applying through the program; no publicly stated startup-age or funding cap in the current 2026 docs (the older program required companies founded <2 years — that explicit criterion is not on the current page). Personal LinkedIn at M1; registered legal entity for M2.", "claim": "Go to startups.microsoft.com (or microsoft.com/startups) → Get started → submit application → starter credits available during review (~3 business days) → business verification → grow workloads to unlock higher tiers; credits managed in the Microsoft for Startups portal in the Azure portal (primary experience for those who joined after May 29, 2026).", "expiry": "2-year use window at the $25K milestone (one-time extension). Higher-tier availability requires sustained ~$3,000/month usage for 60 days — credits subsidize, not replace, that spend. No stated hard expiry for the top tier.", "gotchas": "Every workload must stay above $1 spend for the full 60-day window or the count resets. 'Up to $150k' effectively requires ~$3k/month real spend across 10+ services — it is not free infrastructure for a small VPS. GPU availability has been reported as chronically constrained by participants. Program rules have changed 3 times since 2025 (see sunset notes) — re-verify before planning.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Nonprofits: $2,000 grant annually", "detail": "Registered nonprofits receive a $2,000 Azure grant annually, plus broader Dynamics 365 / Microsoft 365 grants and discounts. Amount confirmed on the Azure offers page and the Azure free account offer-terms page read today ('a $2,000 Azure grant annually'); deeper eligibility is mediated through Microsoft's tech-for-social-impact program (TechSoup partnership).", "eligibility": "501(c)(3)-equivalent registered nonprofit organizations; individuals not eligible; organizational verification required.", "claim": "Apply through Microsoft's nonprofit program (microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits / Tech for Social Impact portal); upon approval the $2,000 Azure grant is credited and can renew each year while the organization stays eligible.", "expiry": "Annual grant; renews yearly. Not a trial — it is a recurring sponsorship.", "gotchas": "Not relevant for personal VPS use; listed because it is a distinct standing free/low-cost offer on the Azure side. Grant mechanics (channel, exact process) are confirmed at headline level only.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure Accelerate (free migration credits for existing customers)", "detail": "Azure Accelerate offers free Azure credits 'to help offset migration costs and fuel your cloud transformation and AI journey,' with expert access. It is a program for existing/migrating customers rather than a sign-up free offer for new accounts; the offers page does not publish a fixed credit amount today.", "eligibility": "Organizations migrating to Azure; qualification-based (no published dollar figure on the offers page read today).", "claim": "Contact Microsoft / apply via the Azure Accelerate page; credits allocated case-by-case.", "expiry": "Not stated on the offers page.", "gotchas": "Treat as supplementary/uncertain — no concrete amount verified today; useful only for migration scenarios, not for a free VPS.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Azure DevOps Basic plan (free tier, perpetual)", "detail": "All facts read from https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/devops/ today. 'Stakeholders (Free)' tier: free read-only participants. 'Basic' plan: first 5 users free, then $6/user/month; 1 Microsoft-hosted CI/CD parallel job with 1,800 build minutes/month; 1 self-hosted parallel job with unlimited minutes; extra Microsoft-hosted parallel job $40/month; extra self-hosted parallel job $15/month (unlimited minutes); Azure Artifacts 2 GiB free per org, then $2/GiB (2-10), $1/GiB (10-100), $0.50/GiB (100-1k), $0.25/GiB (1k+); unlimited private Git repos; Azure Boards work-item tracking and Kanban included. 'Basic + Test plans' is $52/user/month with a 30-day free trial (adds test planning/tracking/execution, browser tests, UAT, centralized reporting). Visual Studio subscribers get free Azure DevOps access and don't count against the 5 free users; Azure DevOps Basic is included in GitHub Enterprise; 'Basic' also carries a 'free offer' from Individual Services.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card required for the Basic plan; per-org free allowance. Region: no restriction stated on the pricing page.", "claim": "Create an Azure/Microsoft account, go to dev.azure.com, create an organization: first 5 users + 1 MS-hosted job (1,800 min/mo) + 2GB artifacts activate automatically; buy extra users/jobs as needed. For Test plans, start the 30-day trial then $52/user/mo.", "expiry": "No expiry; the Basic free allowance is perpetual and build minutes reset monthly. Paid Test-plan trial expires after 30 days.", "gotchas": "1,800 MS-hosted minutes do not roll over monthly; the free 2GB artifact cap is per organization; extra MS-hosted parallel jobs are $40/month (big jump); Basic + Test plans is $52/user/month after the 30-day trial; as of 2025-2026 the page adds GitHub-hosted Mac agents (per-minute, no parallel job) and 'GitHub AI Credits for Azure DevOps' (Copilot autofix, code review) billed per credit; 99.9% SLA applies to paid users only.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/devops/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Free Account trial (new-customer credits + 12-month free services)", "detail": "Read from https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/ today: $200 credit usable within 30 days for new customers, PLUS free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (e.g., 750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm) and B2ats v2 (AMD) VMs; 750 hours PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS with 32 GB storage; Standard Container Registry 100 GB + 10 webhooks; 720 vCore-hours SQL Managed Instance), PLUS 65+ always-free services (Azure Functions 1M requests/mo; Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s provisioned + 25 GB; AKS cluster management free; Azure SQL 100,000 vCore-seconds + 32 GB serverless). This credit/always-free coverage spans Azure consumption services including Azure Pipelines/DevOps compute beyond the free 1,800-min Basic allowance.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only; limit of one free-services+$200-credit account per customer. Requires a phone number and a credit or non-prepaid debit card plus a Microsoft or GitHub account. Not available for sovereign clouds (US Government, Azure China, Azure Germany).", "claim": "Sign up at azure.com/free with a Microsoft/GitHub account, pass phone verification, add a card (a temporary $1 authorization may appear and is reversed), then the $200 credit and free monthly service amounts are active; spend the credit on any eligible Azure service.", "expiry": "$200 credit expires 30 days after signup; 12-month free amounts end after 12 months; then pay-as-you-go (no fee to keep the account; cancel anytime).", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (contrast with the student offer); account auto-converts to pay-as-you-go after credit expiry — any unused credit is lost; 65+ always-free services have per-service monthly caps (excess is billed); sovereign-cloud regions excluded; this is a trial-credit offer, not a perpetual free tier.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit + education dev-tools licenses (Azure Dev Tools for Teaching)", "detail": "Read from https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/ today: $100 Azure credit usable within 12 months for new Azure customers, plus 12 months of free monthly amounts of 20+ services and 65+ always-free services (free Azure DevOps for 5 users with unlimited private Git repos is in the always-free list). Bundled education licenses via the Azure Dev Tools for Teaching program, downloaded from the 'Azure Education Hub': Visual Studio (Agents, Code, Community, for Mac), SQL Server Developer and Standard, Windows Server, Visio Professional, Azure DevOps Server, R Client/R Server, Remote Tools for VS, System Center, Skype for Business Server. Also free student access to Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, AI Search, Content Safety, and 1,700+ foundation models.", "eligibility": "Full-time university students only. Verification is via your school email (no separate .edu gate stated — school email is the eligibility check; out-of-school users are not covered). No credit card required. One account per person.", "claim": "Sign up at azure.com/free/students using your school email (no card), verify, then the $100 credit + 12-month free amounts activate; download the dev-tools bundle from the Azure Education Hub in the portal.", "expiry": "$100 credit valid 12 months; 12-month free amounts end at 12 months. Students can 'renew your subscription annually and continue to get free access to Azure as long as you're a student' (credit/renewal via school email while enrolled). After credit exhaustion, email notice and choice of pay-as-you-go (keeping free monthly tiers) or disable.", "gotchas": "The $100 credit CANNOT be applied to Azure Marketplace offers; dev-tools bundle licenses are NFR (no redistribution); per the VS credit-eligibility doc, the 'Visual Studio Enterprise - Azure Dev Tools for Teaching' license does NOT carry a monthly Azure credit ($150/mo credits are for paid VS Enterprise; VS Community and VS Code are free to everyone anyway); some services/regions may still be unavailable depending on where Azure offers are commercial.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — up to $150,000 startup credits (single-entry, milestone-based, as of 2026)", "detail": "Read from current official Learn docs (updated 2026-08-05 and 2026-10-09): single entry point at startups.microsoft.com. On signup you get $200 in 'Startup credits' immediately (investor-referral path: $1,000 immediately); then automatic milestone unlocks up to $150,000: Milestone 1 $200 = Azure signup + personal-Linkekin identity verify; M2 $5,000 = business verification (registered legal entity); M3 $25,000 = 5+ distinct Azure workloads in active use over ~60 days; M4 $50,000 = 7+ workloads ~60 days; M5 $150,000 = 10+ workloads plus ~$3,000/month Azure usage sustained ~60 days. The 60-day clock requires every counted workload to stay above $1 spend for all 60 days; milestones can be skipped (qualify directly for higher tiers). At the $25K milestone you get a one-time two-year extension to use your credits. Investor Network (VC/accelerator/university) 10-character referral codes unlock higher-tier benefits earlier and expanded/third-party perks. Credits cover eligible Azure consumption (incl. AKS and eligible Microsoft Foundry model usage); GitHub usage not covered out of the box. Other benefits: Azure AI/Foundry access, Microsoft Marketplace co-sell, dedicated program support; review within ~3 business days.", "eligibility": "Early-stage B2B software/AI/tech startups: pre-seed through Series B funding; NOT Series C or later; privately held, for-profit; own your software (not licensed-in); HQ in a country/region where the program operates; fewer than $350,000 lifetime free Azure credits received; excluded: educational institutions, government, consultancies/agencies/dev shops, crypto mining. Applicant needs a personal consumer Microsoft account with no prior Azure account, personal (non-school/work-domain) email, phone, LinkedIn (personal account, identity verify), and payment/credit card info at Azure account creation (credit card IS required for the sponsored subscription).", "claim": "Go to startups.microsoft.com (or the www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups landing 'Get started now'); sign in with a personal MS account; optionally enter your investor's 10-character referral code; complete the 3-step Azure account creation (profile/address/payment) to unlock $200 (or $1,000 on the investor path); application review ~3 business days; credits activate in the portal.", "expiry": "Credits have program-defined durations (one-time 2-year extension at the $25K milestone); the sponsored subscription auto-converts to pay-as-you-go when credits are exhausted or expire. Existing activated credits from the old 2025 programs remained valid until they expired after the 2025-07-01 change.", "gotchas": "Workload-count trap: any of the 5/7/10 workloads dropping below $1/month spend during the 60-day window resets that milestone; $150K requires ~$3K/month real spend anyway; lifetime $350K free-credit cap blocks repeat users; credits don't cover Marketplace, support plans, or GitHub (needs Azure linked as GitHub payment method); country/region chosen at signup can't be changed later and some countries are ineligible; personal email only — school/company domains rejected; LinkedIn personal account required (no business accounts).", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview(milestones:.../getting-started-mfs;applicationsteps:.../application)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Free Account — $200 credit for 30 days + 12-month free services (B1S / B2pts v2 / B2ats v2, 750 hrs/month)", "detail": "Confirmed today on official pages: $200 credit (in your billing currency) usable for 30 days on any Azure service except third-party Marketplace purchases. From signup up to 12 months: free monthly amounts of ~25+ services, including 750 hours/month EACH of the three free burstable VM SKUs — B1S, B2pts v2 (ARM-based), B2ats v2 (AMD-based), Linux or Windows. 750 hours can be split across instances (e.g. 5 VMs x 150h) and created in any region where B-series is available. After day 30 only the free-limited services remain free; unused $200 credit is lost at day 30 unless you upgrade to pay-as-you-go before 30 days (then credit stays usable for the full 30-day window). Must move to pay-as-you-go within 30 days or account/services are disabled. 12-month offer is new-customers-only (never had an Azure account / 12-month benefits before) and NOT available to customers who sign up directly for pay-as-you-go in China and India.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers. Credit card or debit card (non-prepaid) + phone number REQUIRED at signup ($1 temporary auth hold, reversed; credit cards only in HK and Brazil). No .edu needed. Not available to existing PAYG signups in China/India for the 12-month benefit.", "claim": "1) Sign up at azure.microsoft.com for 'Azure Free Account' with phone + card. 2) In portal, use the 'Free services' page (go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=859151) so free tiers are preselected. 3) Create resources within 750h/month VM limits; convert to pay-as-you-go before day 30 to keep the 12-month free tier.", "expiry": "Credit: 30 days from account creation (lost if unused unless early PAYG upgrade). Free services: 12 months from account creation, then services decommission/subscription disabled; no renewal of the trial itself.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (unlike student offers). Free VM hours exclude egress over free bandwidth, public IP and disk charges — classic surprise-bill source. Don't create resources outside the 'Free services' page: free tiers are not default-selected elsewhere, you get billed. After day 30 without PAYG upgrade the whole account is disabled; resuming requires PAYG. HK/Brazil prepaid cards rejected.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/create-free-services(alsohttps://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "65+ always-free Azure services (incl. notebook/ML-adjacent: Synapse Spark, Databricks, AI/ML categories)", "detail": "The free-services overview page (read today) states '65+ always-free services with an Azure account' with 'free monthly amounts... for as long as you have an Azure account', spanning AI/ML, compute, databases, IoT, management. The per-service limit tables on that page are JS-rendered and could not be extracted today, so the specific figures below are the long-standing published limits, unconfirmed in today's fetch: Azure Synapse Spark SQL pool DW1000c 250 hrs/month, Azure Databricks 32 SQL DBU/month, Data Factory 5,000 slicing units/month, App Service 1 shared instance + 60k req/day, Functions 1M req + 400k GB-s, Storage 5 GB LRS + 5 GB premium, Cosmos DB 500 RU/s + 400 GB, 100 GB egress/month, App Insights 5 MB ingest/day. Always-free is available with ANY account, including pay-as-you-go accounts — you do not need the trial.", "eligibility": "Any Azure account (free or paid); no card required to exist, but creating resources needs a valid billing profile. No student/startup status needed.", "claim": "Sign up for any Azure account; create services via the 'Free services' page in portal selecting the free tier. No separate application.", "expiry": "Indefinite — free monthly amounts continue for life of account; amounts reset monthly; exceeding limits triggers PAYG billing.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free confusion: the 12-month tier is a separate, larger allotment that expires at 12 months; the always-free tier persists. Free Spark/Databricks limits are small — fine for notebook experiments, not sustained GPU/ML training. Outbound data and data at rest beyond free storage bill separately. Per-service figures above were not re-verifiable today (JS-rendered table), treat exact numbers as medium-confidence until checked at azure.microsoft.com/pricing/free-services in a browser.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-services", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free GPU / ML-training & notebooks compute: what actually exists", "detail": "Azure has NO free-tier GPU VMs and no free Azure Machine Learning compute in the free account. The only free paths for GPU/ML work: (1) the $200 trial credit (30 days) can buy any compute incl. GPU VMs (e.g. NC/NV/A-series) — a few hours of a mid GPU VM is typical of what $200 buys, exact durations vary by SKU/region; (2) always-free notebooks/data engines: Synapse Spark SQL DW1000c 250 hrs/month and Databricks 32 SQL DBU/month (medium confidence, see above) — CPU-based, not GPU; (3) 750 hrs/month B-series burstable VMs for light CPU training/inference. For sustained GPU/ML training the realistic free routes are the startup credits (up to $150K, finding 8) or Azure Spot/standard pricing — there is no recurring free GPU offering at Azure as of 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Same as each underlying offer: new customers for the $200 credit; any account for always-free Spark/Databricks.", "claim": "Use the $200 credit within 30 days on GPU VMs; enable always-free Spark/Databricks via the 'Free services' page in the portal.", "expiry": "Credit: 30 days. Spark/Databricks free amounts: monthly, indefinite.", "gotchas": "GPU hours under the credit are finite and CPU-free tiers can't replace them; egress and managed-disk I/O billed; Databricks free DBUs cover SQL warehouse only, not full DBU workspace runs; don't confuse trial (30d) with always-free.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/create-free-services", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit for 12 months, no credit card required", "detail": "Confirmed today: $100 in Azure credits usable within the first 12 months (non-rollover), plus 'select free services' (FAQ states the offer includes 25+ free services incl. compute/network/storage/databases). Applies to most Azure products; NOT usable for: Azure support plans, Azure DevOps, Visual Studio subscriptions, App Center, Express Route, Marketplace items, separately licensed products (e.g. Entra ID Premium). No credit card at signup; subscription disabled if $100 exhausted (then upgrade to PAYG via support). One subscription per person, non-transferable, cannot combine offers. Renewable annually (Microsoft emails near the anniversary; re-signup). 140+ countries where Azure is commercially available; excludes US Government sovereign cloud and Azure Germany regions. Inactive >90 days: Microsoft may remove compute resources (with notice).", "eligibility": "Age 18+, FULL-TIME student at an accredited degree-granting 2- or 4-year institution; verify via your organization's (school) email address — not strictly '.edu'; MOOCs and for-profit professional training excluded. (Faculty/teachers: not on this offer; see Dev Tools for Teaching instead.)", "claim": "1) Go to the 'Apply now' link on the offer page (go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2244463). 2) Register with school email to verify academic status. 3) No card needed. 4) Track remaining $100 in the Azure Sponsorships portal (microsoftazuresponsorships.com).", "expiry": "Credit and free-service window: 12 months from signup; renew once more by re-signup if still a student. 90 days after free-subscription end to upgrade before products decommission.", "gotchas": "If credit runs out, subscription disables — nothing kept running for free; you must upgrade to PAYG (which requires a payment method). Credits cannot buy Marketplace/DevOps/support. One sub per person — a second school email won't work around it. Not valid in US Gov/Germany regions.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/students(FAQ:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/azure-dev-tools-teaching/program-faq)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students Starter — free-tier services, no credit card, no time limit", "detail": "Confirmed today (Learn FAQ, updated 2026-08-03): free tier of Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Notification Hubs, Azure Database for MySQL, Application Insights, and Azure DevOps Services — no cost, no commitment, no time limit, and no credit card required. Upgrade to PAYG at any time to unlock all services.", "eligibility": "Verified students: 13+ in the US, 16+ elsewhere; verify academic status via organization email or Shibboleth. MOOCs/for-profit training excluded. One subscription per person, non-transferable, no offer stacking.", "claim": "Sign up via the Azure Education Hub in the portal (aka.ms/azure4students / Education Hub > offers) with school email; no card.", "expiry": "Indefinite while account exists; services capped at free-tier levels forever.", "gotchas": "Very small service set (no VMs, no databases beyond MySQL free tier, no GPU/ML) — useful for always-on web/hosting, not training workloads. Free-tier tiers are the cheapest paid tiers, not full service; upgrading is required for real workloads.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/azure-dev-tools-teaching/program-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Academic Grant / Azure Sponsorship (course credits) — 100% discount for approved-course students", "detail": "Confirmed today (Learn FAQ): students enrolled in approved courses (e.g. via training partners) get 'Azure course credits' as a 100%-discount 'Azure Sponsorship' subscription: portal shows $0.00 charged, balance tracked in the Azure Sponsorships portal (microsoftazuresponsorships.com/balance). Credits cover usage only from activation; cannot pay prior balances; cannot cover Marketplace items; cannot attach to Enterprise Agreement or CSP subscriptions (creating association early terminates sponsorship funds). Course credits can be moved between accounts via support.", "eligibility": "Students of approved courses/partners; verify with the sponsoring program; one activated 'Azure Sponsorship' offer (ms-azr-0143p) subscription.", "claim": "Activate the 100% discount button in the sponsorship approval email, or have support convert an existing subscription; associate course credits to the entitled account.", "expiry": "Set by the course sponsorship period (varies by partner; not stated on the FAQ page).", "gotchas": "Sponsorship + EA/CSP association kills the funds; Marketplace purchases still hit the card; $0 balance display is a discount, not a stored dollar balance.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/azure-dev-tools-teaching/program-faq", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure Dev Tools for Teaching — education license: free dev software, NO cloud credits", "detail": "Confirmed today: academic institutions with a Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement (Education Solutions/Open Value/School Agreement) enroll via a promo code from the license welcome email and get free, unlimited (noncommercial) access to dev tools: Visual Studio Enterprise/Code/Community, SQL Server Developer & Standard, Windows Server, Windows 10/11 for Education, SharePoint/R Server, System Center, Visio Professional, Hyper-V, Azure DevOps Server; students download via the Education Hub Store with school credentials; faculty install on personal PCs. Explicitly does NOT include Azure credit (FAQ points students to Azure for Students for $100). Renewal: email reminders start 60 days before expiry; does not auto-renew; non-VL existing customers may still renew.", "eligibility": "K-12/academic institutions under a Volume Licensing agreement; 140+ countries where Azure is commercially available; noncommercial educational use; students may not commercially sell products built with the tools (Windows Store apps excepted).", "claim": "Institution admin enrolls with the promo code from the VL welcome email at azureforeducation.microsoft.com; students/faculty then download via Education Hub Store or the VS portal.", "expiry": "Subscription term per institution license; renews manually via admin.", "gotchas": "Zero cloud/ML value — it's an on-prem/dev-tools license bundle; don't count it as free compute; no Office included.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/azure-dev-tools-teaching/program-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — base $1,000 (90 days) + $4,000 (180 days) Azure credits; up to $150,000 via investor referrals", "detail": "Confirmed today on Learn (page dated 2026-05-21/22) and the marketing landing page: single-entry program at startups.microsoft.com. (a) No-referral 'Azure startup credit offer': $1,000 for 90 days, then an additional $4,000 for 180 days after business verification. (b) Investor offer (referral code from a partner in the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network — investor, accelerator, incubator, angel network, or similar): most startups begin with $100,000 in Azure credits with the opportunity to earn more; program 'unlocks up to $150K in Startup credits over time' as verified progress/adoption/sustained usage; landing page advertises 'up to $150,000 in credits'. Credits apply across eligible Azure services; NOT usable for support plans, Marketplace, or non-covered services; when exhausted, subscription auto-transitions to pay-as-you-go. Activation: must activate within 90 days of accepting the program agreement, or reapply; once activated, credits valid up to 2 years, no extensions; tied to one MSA + subscription (non-transferable). Dedicated MFS point of contact available for eligible startups; go-to-market/discounts on GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, M365 Business Premium, VS Enterprise, Dynamics 365, Power Platform included in the investor offer. Applications reviewed in ~3 business days; declined applicants may reapply after 14 days.", "eligibility": "Company: develops a software-based product/service it owns; privately held, for-profit; HQ in a country where Azure is available; NOT an educational institution/government/consultancy/agency; no cryptocurrency mining; has not raised Series C or later; has not received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits. No explicit company-age cap in the current criteria (the old 5-year age limit is gone from the current overview page). CC is required for credit activation (identity verification + transition to PAYG).", "claim": "1) Apply at startups.microsoft.com ('Get started'). 2) Optionally enter an Investor Network referral code for the $100K+ tier. 3) Wait ~3 business days for approval email. 4) Activate credits on the MSA used to apply (within 90 days) via the Azure portal; check under Cost Management + Billing > Payment methods.", "expiry": "Base credits: $1,000 for 90 days, $4,000 for 180 days. Investor credits: up to 2 years from activation, no extensions. Program benefits scale/unlock over time.", "gotchas": "Credit card required. Credits not transferable between MSAs/subscriptions. 'Already redeemed' conflicts with other Microsoft programs' credits. Billing profile country/region can't be changed later — use the right region before activation. Auto-transition to PAYG when credits run out = unexpected bills. Base no-referral offer is only $5K total, so most 'up to $150K' value depends on getting an Investor Network referral.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview(+https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/mfs-faqs,https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — Startup credits, milestone-based (the current Founders Hub program)", "detail": "Read today (ms.date 2026-05-27): a single program now replaces the old Founders Hub tier system. You enter at Milestone 1 = up to $200 in Startup credits immediately after signing up for Azure + identity verification via a PERSONAL LinkedIn account. Milestone 2 = $5,000 after business verification (registered legal entity). Milestone 3 = $25,000 (5+ distinct Azure workloads each >= $1 spend, held ~60 continuous days; one-time 2-year credit-usage extension granted at this milestone). Milestone 4 = $50,000 (7 workloads, ~60 days). Milestone 5 = $150,000 (10+ workloads AND ~$3,000/month Azure spend sustained ~60 days). Upgrades are automatic — no separate applications; you can skip tiers if you meet higher requirements directly. The marketing page still advertises 'up to $150,000 in credits'.", "eligibility": "Privately held, for-profit; software-based product owned by the company; HQ in a country where Azure is available; no more than $350,000 lifetime free Azure credits; NOT Series C funding or later (tightened from Series D in 2025); not an educational institution, government org, consultancy or agency; no crypto mining. A company that already burned >$350k in free Azure credits (or reached Series C) is ineligible. No .edu requirement; 'open to anyone with an idea' per the signup page.", "claim": "1) Go to startups.microsoft.com (Founders Hub) > Get started. 2) Submit application (personal LinkedIn at identity step). 3) Decision ~3 business days by email; reapply allowed 14 days after a rejection. 4) In the Azure Portal, activate credits (cost management > payment methods). 5) Credits accrue automatically as your workloads/usage hit each milestone — no separate applications.", "expiry": "Activated credits are valid for up to 2 years from activation (per FAQ); no extensions except the one-time 2-year extension at the $25K milestone. You must activate within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer lapses.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required to activate credits (identity verification + pay-as-you-go fallback). Credits are permanently tied to one MSA/subscription — no transfer between accounts. Pay-as-you-go kicks in automatically when credits run out. The $150K is not guaranteed: it requires ~$3k/month sustained Azure spend on 10+ services for 60 days. Discrepancy: this page says Milestone 1 is '$200', while the FAQ and Azure's own page say self-serve starts at $1,000 (see separate finding) — Microsoft's pages are out of sync. Existing participants from the 2025 two-track system keep old credits until expiry, then convert to pay-as-you-go.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Startups self-serve credits ($1,000 instant, up to $5,000) — no application", "detail": "Confirmed on two pages read today: 'Up to $5,000 in Azure credits: $1,000 available immediately, plus up to $4,000 more after verification'. Initial $1,000 is valid 90 days; the post-verification $4,000 is valid 180 days. No application required — just signup. This matches the pre-known 'self-serve Azure for Startups' offer. If you later get an investor/accelerator/university referral code you can switch to the investor offer instead.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers only. .edu not required. The FAQ says 'open' to teams without investor backing; it coexists with the milestone program — same signup flow.", "claim": "1) Sign up at startups.microsoft.com or Azure's 'Azure for Startups' offer (link from azure.microsoft.com/free/students or the MFS portal). 2) $1,000 credits apply instantly to your new Azure subscription. 3) Complete business verification to unlock the additional $4,000. No application, no review queue for the self-serve tier.", "expiry": "$1,000 valid 90 days from activation; $4,000 valid 180 days from business verification. After expiry: automatic conversion to pay-as-you-go.", "gotchas": "Credit card required for identity verification and for spend beyond credits ('spending protection' only covers the card from unauthorized billing). Directly contradicts the Learn milestone page's '$200 immediate' Milestone 1 — treat $1,000/90d as the self-serve floor and $200 as possibly the current live figure; verify in-portal at claim time. One startup account per person effectively; existing enterprise accounts can't redeem.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups Investor Network track (~$100,000+ Azure credits, referral-gated)", "detail": "From the MFS FAQ read today: investor-backed startups enter with 'most startups begin with $100,000 [in Azure credits], with the opportunity to earn more' plus Azure Standard Support, technical experts, go-to-market support, and free/discounted third-party benefits: GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Visual Studio Enterprise, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform. Referral codes come from affiliated investors, accelerators, incubators, angel networks, or universities in the Investor Network. This track started at $100,000 when the 2025 two-track system launched; amounts can vary by referral source and engagement.", "eligibility": "Startup must be affiliated with a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner AND hold that partner's referral code. Company must otherwise meet MFS eligibility (for-profit, privately held, not Series C or later, < $350k lifetime free Azure credits). Universities now also count as referral sources, so a university-backed startup can use this path.", "claim": "1) Get a referral code from your affiliated investor/accelator/incubator/university. 2) Enter the code during the startups.microsoft.com application. 3) Upon approval, activate credits and redeem third-party benefits in the MFS portal (Azure Portal > Get started/benefits).", "expiry": "Same rules as Startup credits: activate within 90 days of agreement; valid up to 2 years once activated. Third-party benefits (GitHub Enterprise etc.) have their own redemption windows.", "gotchas": "Without a referral code you cap out at the self-serve/milestone path. Benefits can't be redeemed on accounts that already redeemed the same benefit or on existing enterprise accounts. Pegasus (dedicated architect/sales program) continued after the 2025 changes but is invitation-only and no longer referenced in current FAQ — do not plan around it.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/mfs-faqs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure Free Account (open to everyone, incl. students) — $200 trial + 12-month free services", "detail": "Read today at azure.microsoft.com/free: $200 credit usable within 30 days; free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months (e.g., 750 hrs each of B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 VMs, 32 GB PostgreSQL/MySQL storage, 720 vCore-hrs SQL Managed Instance, 100 GB Container Registry, 5 GB Cloud Shell/Storage); plus 65+ always-free services (e.g., 0.5M Speech chars/mo, 500 pages/mo Document Intelligence, 50 MB AI Search, 5,000 Vision transactions/mo). One free account per person. Spending protection: card won't be billed while covered; $1 temporary authorization possible.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers, worldwide (card policy varies: HK and Brazil accept only credit cards). Students can claim this too, but if you're a student the Azure for Students offer below is better (no card, annual renewal). Not for people who already have a paid Azure account.", "claim": "1) Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/free with Microsoft account. 2) Add a phone number and a credit/debit card (non-prepaid). 3) $200 credit applies immediately; free monthly amounts auto-attach. 4) After 30 days you're notified to convert to pay-as-you-go or the account is disabled.", "expiry": "$200 credit: 30 days (unused credit does not extend, even if you convert early). Free monthly service amounts: 12 months, then pay-as-you-go rates apply. Always-free tiers have no time limit but usage is capped.", "gotchas": "Trial, not free: card required, and pay-as-you-go starts the moment the credit or the 12-month window ends. Free credit cannot be applied to Azure Marketplace offers, Spot VMs, or Hybrid Benefit. 6-month AI-services window previously advertised is no longer on the page — only the 12-month/always-free tiers are.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure for Students — $100 credit for 12 months, no credit card (school email required)", "detail": "Read today at azure.microsoft.com/free/students: $100 in Azure credit usable within 12 months, NO credit card required; free monthly amounts of 20+ popular services for 12 months plus 65+ always-free services; full service catalog up to free amounts; 'renew your subscription annually and continue to get free access to Azure as long as you're a student'. A 'Starter' tier for younger users gives free service access only (no credit). The GitHub Student Developer Pack also routes 18+ students to this $100 offer (ages 13–17 get a reduced service set instead: App Service, Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL for apps, App Insights, DevOps).", "eligibility": "Full-time university students; sign up with a school (.edu/institutional) email for verification. No card needed. One account per person. Age: the pack routes 13–17 to Starter; the $100 credit is for 18+. Third-party trackers (checked Oct 2026) list country restrictions — some regions only allow Starter; check the signup flow.", "claim": "1) Sign up at azure.microsoft.com/free/students using your school email (or via the 'Microsoft Azure' offer in the GitHub Student Developer Pack after verification). 2) Confirm student status. 3) $100 credit activates immediately; free service amounts attach. 4) Renew annually while enrolled.", "expiry": "$100 credit valid 12 months from signup; annual renewal keeps the free services going while you remain a full-time student. 12-month free-service amounts reset with the renewal.", "gotchas": "The $100 credit is the same offer the GitHub Pack grants — don't claim it twice (one Azure account per person; a second claim fails or voids the benefit). No card = no pay-as-you-go fallback: when the credit or free amounts run out, resources stop rather than bill you. Students who need more than free amounts should use the MFS self-serve $1,000 offer instead (which does need a card).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — free Microsoft/educator stack (GitHub + M365 + Azure + tools)", "detail": "Verified today on education.github.com/pack: while verified as a student you get free GitHub Pro, free GitHub Copilot 'Student' plan (unlimited completions + monthly GitHub AI credits, limited chat/agent on auto-selected models), 3-month Microsoft 365 Education (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Teams/1TB OneDrive — duration on the current page says 'free or discounted', historically 3 months), $100 Azure credit (18+), Namecheap free .me domain (1 year) + free SSL, Heroku $13/month for 24 months, free annual-renewable JetBrains licenses, and a GitHub Foundations/Copilot certification voucher via Microsoft Learn (resumed Sept 2025). Enrollment requires being 13+, in a degree/diploma program; under-18s get a reduced offer set.", "eligibility": "Enrolled students: verify via school (.edu) email OR student ID + one proof-of-enrollment document (or a .edu email alone in some regions); 13+; some individual offers (Azure $100, Heroku) require 18+. No country limit stated for the pack itself.", "claim": "1) Apply at education.github.com/pack (or github.com/education) with school email or student ID. 2) Approval unlocks the pack page at github.com/features/benefits/students. 3) Redeem each partner offer individually (Azure, M365, Heroku, domain, etc.).", "expiry": "Benefits last while you remain a verified student (GitHub Pro, M365, JetBrains renew annually/on graduation). Heroku credit: fixed 24 months. Domain/SSL: 1 year. Once you graduate, the pack stops renewing.", "gotchas": "Partners churn: DigitalOcean ($200 credit) and Canva left the pack (DigitalOcean credits expire 2026-08-01), Bump.sh ended Dec 2025, Appwrite offer restructured to 6 months in Oct 2026. The Azure $100 in the pack IS the Azure for Students offer — one per person. 13–17-year-olds get no $100 credit, only a reduced service list.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft 365 Education trial (30 days, schools) + free M365A license for institutions", "detail": "Microsoft offers schools a free 30-day Microsoft 365 Education trial (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OneDrive, Class Notebook/whiteboard, Copilot in education apps, no credit card) claimable by an institution admin, and a free Microsoft 365 A1 (M365A) license for eligible K-12 schools and universities — through which most university students already get M365A at no personal cost via their school. Individual students at non-licensed institutions can use the free Office web apps/Word/Excel at no charge. (Official Microsoft page served localized/JS content and timed out, so the trial details are from the well-known program terms rather than a page read today — hence medium confidence.)", "eligibility": "Trial: K-12 and higher-ed institutions (admin-managed). Free M365A: eligible institutions (K-12 schools and universities in supported countries); individual students get it only through an institutional license. No .edu email needed to sign the school up for the trial.", "claim": "1) School: admin claims the 30-day trial from the M365 Education 'try it free' link on microsoft.com/en-us/education. 2) K-12: apply for the free M365A K-12 license via the Microsoft Education Store/partner flow. 3) Students: ask IT for the school's M365A license, or use free Office web apps with any email.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "The trial is school-scoped, not individual: a 'free M365 for me' student offer does not exist standalone — students ride on institutional licenses or free web apps. Teams Education and Power Platform for Education trial similarly (30 days, institution-scoped).", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure AI / Microsoft Foundry always-free tiers (available to students and startups alike)", "detail": "From the Azure Free and Azure for Students pages read today: monthly always-free AI service amounts included with any free/12-month account: Azure Speech in Foundry Tools 0.5M neural characters/month; Document Intelligence 500 pages/month (S0); AI Search 50 MB storage (10k docs, 3 indexes); Vision in Foundry Tools 5,000 transactions/month per S1-S3 tier; Content Safety 5,000 text records or images/month; Azure DevOps free for 5 users; PostgreSQL/MySQL serverless free tiers. These stack on top of credit programs — useful for AI workloads while credits burn out.", "eligibility": "Any Azure account; free monthly amounts are new-customer 12 months (VMs/databases) or perpetual (always-free services). Students with no card still get these via Azure for Students.", "claim": "No separate claim — free amounts auto-attach to eligible Azure services; monitor usage in Cost Management to stay under caps.", "expiry": "Always-free: perpetual. 12-month amounts: until 12 months from account creation, then standard pricing.", "gotchas": "Usage above the free amounts bills at normal rates (with no card, it just throttles/stops). Large AI inference (e.g., LLM tokens) is NOT in the always-free list — paid per token even in Foundry; budget accordingly.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes vs 'known so far': (1) The Founders Hub is now a single-entry 'Microsoft for Startups' program (apply at startups.microsoft.com). The no-investor baseline is the self-serve Azure startup offer — $1,000 for 90 days, then up to $4,000 more (180 days) after business verification (= up to $5,000); the older '~$200 starter + $4,000' framing now appears only as the no-code 'Build your startup' entry in the application flow. Investor-referred startups now START at ~$100,000 and grow to up to $150,000 (previously 'up to $150k' was the headline). (2) 2025-2026 rebrand: 'Azure OpenAI' and 'Azure AI Services' are now 'Azure AI Foundry' / 'Microsoft Foundry' (sub-brands Foundry Tools / Foundry Control Plane / Foundry IQ); the Azure free-services list was refreshed to these names. (3) LLM frontier: there is NO free OpenAI/LLM tier — access is paid/application-based and is only covered 'free' via the $200/$100/$1,000-$5,000 credits. (4) Several Azure AI services' older 'Free (F0) resource tiers' were replaced by the current 'always-free' monthly allowances on the free-services page (e.g., Content Safety 5,000/mo, Speech 0.5M chars/mo); exact F0-retirement dates were NOT re-verified this session because the session's web-search budget was exhausted mid-task. Everything else above is confirmed from the official Microsoft pages read today (overview/application/FAQ dated 2026-05 to 2026-10; pricing + free-services + Azure for Students pages current as of 2026-10-22). No major offer has been fully sunset; the main shifts are the rebrand and the consolidation of the startup credit tiers into one program.", "2025-2026 program changes (verified via press + official MS pages): (1) July 1, 2025 — Microsoft for Startups restructure: the Founders Hub four-tier model (up to $150,000 in Azure credits, applied for with a validated business plan) was RETIRED, as were the 'Founders Hub' label, the Expert Network, and the Champion Network. It was replaced by a two-track system: a self-service track ($1,000 instantly for 90 days → up to $5,000 total for 180 days after business verification, for new Azure customers, credit card required for identity verification only) and an Investor Network track (VC/accelerator/university referral code; press-stated $100,000+ Azure credits, dedicated Microsoft POC, co-sell/Marketplace support). Pegasus (invitation-only dedicated Cloud Solutions Architect) was explicitly unchanged. Existing activated legacy credits stayed valid until their expiry, then auto-converted to pay-as-you-go; a Microsoft Q&A answer (July 2025) confirms non-investor applicants apply via the new 'Microsoft for Startups Credit Portal.' (2) June 2, 2026 — second update (official blog 'Microsoft for Startups: Apply and get credits to grow on Azure'): single entry point at startups.microsoft.com; startups 'start building immediately with Startup credits'; the up-to-$150,000 ceiling was RESTORED but now unlocked incrementally 'over time based on service adoption and sustained Azure usage and verified progress' rather than as a one-time grant; Investor Network partners unlock 'additional Startup credits, expanded support, and third-party benefits' earlier; current eligibility caps: not more than $350,000 lifetime free Azure credits, no Series C funding or later, private for-profit, HQ in an Azure region, no crypto mining; applications reviewed in ~3 business days (learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/overview, page updated 2026-08-05). (3) August 2025 — Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (successor to Microsoft Imagine) was DISCONTINUED: access disabled effective ~Aug 7-15, 2025; no new administrator signups after Aug 15, 2025; Microsoft provided NO direct replacement for educators — students' dev-tool benefits (incl. previously-bundled Visual Studio Pro) moved into the Azure for Students software-download list (now VS Community/Code-centric). Already-installed software keeps working. This is why the '12 months of Visual Studio Pro' line from the known-so-far notes no longer maps to any current Azure student offer (Pro/Enterprise IDE now comes via GitHub Student Developer Pack or Visual Studio Dev Essentials Premium). (4) The old 'Azure for College Students' offer ID (ms-azr-0170p) is still the legal offer terms page and matches today's $100/12-month/no-CC offer; no amount change in 2025-2026. (5) Not confirmed (could not re-verify today; pricing tables are JS-rendered and returned placeholders): exact Azure OpenAI free-trial token quotas and durations, and the Dev Essentials Premium $200/mo Azure-credit figure.", "Verified structural changes as of 2026-10-22 (from pages fetched today): (1) The legacy 'Azure for Startups' program/pricing URLs are dead — azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/startup/ and /en-us/pricing/education now 404; the program is consolidated under 'Microsoft for Startups' at microsoft.com/en-us/startups with docs on learn.microsoft.com/startups (doc dates May–Oct 2026). (2) The milestone ladder from 'known so far' ($200 → $5K → $25K → $50K → $150K) is confirmed current, with details: $5K after business verification, $25K at 5+ workloads (~60 days) plus a one-time 2-year credit-use extension, $50K at 7+ workloads, $150K at 10+ workloads AND ~$3,000/month usage; tiers can be skipped (auto-evaluated, not sequential). (3) New/increased caps: standard member cap remains $150K, but Investor Network-backed startups can now unlock up to $200K in credits with expanded support (benefits page updated 2026-06-15); with an investor code the immediate starter credit is $1,000 (vs $200 without) per the application doc updated 2026-10-08. (4) Program is now explicitly limited to B2B software startups pre-seed→Series B (no Series C+), ≤$350K lifetime free Azure credits, HQ-country locked at sign-up, and personal-consumer Microsoft account (no work/school email). (5) GitHub Student Developer Pack (page © 2026): older standalone partner deals (e.g., multiple TLD domain offers) no longer listed; new AI-oriented partners (Camber, Boot.dev, ToDiagram) added; Copilot student tier now framed around 'GitHub AI Credits' with limited agent/chat. (6) Azure free account page shows no 2025/2026 policy changes — $200/30-day + 12-month free + always-free structure unchanged on the page fetched today. (7) Azure-for-faculty details and the M365 Education office-online page could not be re-fetched today (404s/timeouts), so no faculty-credit or free-Office change is asserted. Method note: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so all verification is via direct WebFetch of official pages listed per finding.", "TWO program sunsets in 2025-2026: (1) Effective ~June 27/July 1, 2025, the pre-2025 multi-tier Microsoft for Startups program — 'up to $150,000 in Azure credits' via L1 $1,000 / L2 $5,000 / L3 $25,000 / L4 $150,000 tiers, open to non-investor startups with a validated business plan — was retired and replaced by a two-track system: Investor Network track (~$100,000 start + additional awards, by investor referral) and a self-service track capped at $5,000 ($1,000 valid 90 days + $4,000 valid 180 days after business verification). Existing activated credits remained valid until expiry; no notice window, per The Register/TechRadar (July 1-2, 2025). The invitation-only Pegasus Program (dedicated Cloud Solutions Architect + Microsoft sales linkage) was reported unchanged in July 2025 but is not advertised anywhere in the 2026 MfS docs — likely quietly discontinued; confirm with MfS program support. (2) As of ~June 2, 2026, Microsoft replaced the two-track system with the current unified milestone model (see findings): anyone applies; $200 starter credits immediately (no investor code) or $1,000 (with investor code); up to $150,000 unlocked through business verification + sustained usage milestones (5/7/10 workloads, ~$3K/month). So the task's 'known so far' both figures are historical states: '$150,000' matches the pre-2025 program AND is the 2026 milestone ceiling; '~$100,000' matches the 2025 Investor-track start, not the current model. Marketing pages are lagging the docs: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students still advertises the retired 2025 self-service track ('$1,000 instantly, up to $5,000, 90/180-day validity'), and the Founders Hub sign-up page still cites the legacy '$150,000 + $2,500 OpenAI credits' pitch; the official Learn docs (application page ms.date 2026-10-08) are the authoritative current state. Stale-URL note: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/for-startups/ 404s today; the program now lives at microsoft.com/startups with docs under learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/. Note: the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so a few secondary items (MfS FAQ's exact URL, Azure for Students Starter per-service limits, Azure for Education page) were verified only indirectly and are marked medium/low confidence accordingly. Sources: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application , https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/getting-started-mfs , https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/microsoft-for-startups-introduces-a-clearer-path-from-ai-development-to-enterprise-growth/ , https://www.theregister.com/off-prem/2025/07/01/microsoft-changes-conditions-for-azure-startup-credits/101398 , https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-pulls-program-that-gave-generous-azure-boost-to-ai-startups , https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/ , https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/ , https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/ms-azr-0170p , https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/faq , https://education.github.com/pack , https://github.com/microsoft/AcademicContent/blob/main/offers-programs/README.md , https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups", "No free offer for this front was sunset as of 2026-10-22, but several were materially changed in 2025-2026: (1) Microsoft for Startups was restructured into the tiered 'Founders Hub' model; the current headline is 'up to $150,000 in credits' (replacing the older 'up to $300,000 in total benefits' framing), with level-ups gated by an automated engagement score. (2) The live Cosmos DB 'free tier' is now the provisioned 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB allowance (confirmed on the current pricing page today); the previously documented separate 12-month serverless allowance (400,000 RU + 32 GB) does not appear on the current page, so plan against 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB. (3) The legacy Azure SQL Database 'free' provisioned F0 SKU has been retired/replaced by the perpetual serverless allowance (100,000 vCore-seconds/month + 32 GB storage) — if any docs still reference F0, they are stale. (4) Azure free account ($200 credit / 30 days + 12-month allowances) and Azure for Students ($100 credit / 12 months, no credit card) were unchanged in 2025-2026; note the student credit is $100, not $200 — $200 is the general new-customer trial. (5) Housekeeping: the dedicated SQL Database serverless pricing-details URL (azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/sql-database/serverless/) now returns 404 as of today; the free allowances are instead confirmed on the /free/ and /free/students pages, and Azure has rebranded much of its AI surface to 'Microsoft Foundry' (product-name changes only, no free-allowance changes observed).", "2025–2026 changes to be aware of: (1) The legacy '12-month free services + $100 credit' structure in the STANDARD free account no longer appears on the current official pages — the trial is now $200 for 30 days plus 12-month free amounts; the '$100 12-month credit' noted in 'known so far' appears outdated (medium confidence on the removal; not visible on /free or /pricing/free-services read today). (2) Microsoft for Startups was restructured on July 1, 2025 (memo June 27, 2025): the old tiered program letting UNFUNDED startups reach $150,000 (L1 $1,000 / L2 $5,000 / L3 $25,000 / L4 $150,000) was pulled; replaced by a two-track system — Investor Network track (referral from affiliated VC/accelerator/university, credits starting at $100,000) and a self-service track capped at $5,000 ($1,000/90 days + $4,000/180 days post-verification). Activated legacy credits remained valid until expiry. (3) The program changed again: for anyone who joined Microsoft for Startups after May 29, 2026, the Azure Portal becomes the primary experience and credits are milestone-based ($200 → $5k → $25k → $50k → $150k based on workload count and ~$3,000/month usage over 60 days; docs updated 2026-08-05), effectively re-opening the $150k ceiling via usage milestones rather than investor referral. (4) 'Azure for Teachers' ($1,000 credit for educators) has no current offer page — it was sunset years ago; faculty now use the standard $200/30-day free account (card required) or institution-level Microsoft Learn for Educators (MSLE, which channels the $100 student credit). (5) The 'Azure 6 months free for Visual Studio subscribers' developer offer page (azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/visual-studio) returns 404 — that offer appears discontinued as of today. (6) Azure Dev Tools for Teaching stopped accepting new administrator signups after August 15, 2025 (existing admins retain access). (7) Pegasus (invitation-only startup support) was explicitly unchanged by the 2025 restructure. (8) Many 'Foundry Tools' lines reflect the 2025–2026 Azure AI rebrand (Azure AI Services → Azure AI Foundry); amounts themselves are unchanged.", "1) Microsoft Education Portal (education.microsoft.com/portal — formerly the K-12 teacher/student portal that listed Microsoft 365 and Azure credit allowances) now 301-redirects (observed today) to the Microsoft Learn Educator Center, which lists no Azure/M365 credits; educator value has shifted to the Microsoft Elevate Educator/School programs and Microsoft Learn for Educators (year-round, tiered 'Explorer'/'Pathfinder' entry). The old portal's specific credit figures could not be verified today (page gone), so treat any pre-2025 \"$25,000 M365 + $500 Azure credits\" numbers as retired/low-confidence. 2) Startup program consolidation: the legacy Azure Startups Program (historically up to $300K credits with a 5-year company-age and $30M funding cap) and the 'Microsoft for Startups Founders' tier structure are replaced by the current single-entry Microsoft for Startups — cap expressed as 'up to $150K unlocked over time', eligibility now framed as 'no Series C or later' + '<$350K lifetime free Azure credits' rather than age/funding caps. 3) The 12-month free VM list now documents B1S + B2pts v2 (ARM) + B2ats v2 (AMD) burstable VMs at 750 hrs/month each; older doc generations listed B1s/B1ms/B2s — the ARM/AMD v2 SKUs are the current official set (confirmed on the Learn page dated 2026-03-03). 4) The student offer page no longer advertises a fixed '12 months of 25 services' list — it now says '$100 credit + select free services, subject to change' (Microsoft may end/alter it at discretion). 5) Method note: WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so all verification used WebFetch of official pages; per-service always-free limit figures (Synapse 250h, Databricks 32 DBU, 100 GB egress) live in a JS-rendered table on the free-services page that could not be extracted and are marked medium confidence.", "1) July 1, 2025 (announced June 27, 2025): the classic Founders Hub multi-tier program (apply-then-upgrade to $100 → $5,000 → $25,000 → $150,000 with business-plan validation) was RETIRED and replaced by a two-track system: Investor Network track ($100,000+ starting credits, referral from affiliated investors/accelerators) and a self-serve track ($1,000 for 90 days + $4,000 for 180 days after business verification, cap $5,000 without investor affiliation). Existing activated credits of old participants stayed valid until expiry; unfunded participants' accounts converted to pay-as-you-go after expiry. Pegasus (invitation-only, dedicated Cloud Solutions Architect) continued but out of the new funnel. 2) 2026 restructure (MFS 2.0, docs dated May 2026): the program was rebranded 'Microsoft for Startups' with a single entry and automatic milestone upgrades: $200 immediate → $5,000 → $25,000 → $50,000 → $150,000, with the $150K tier gated on 10+ concurrent workloads and ~$3,000/month sustained Azure spend. Eligibility also tightened: funding cap moved from 'not Series D or later' to 'not Series C or later', and a $350,000 lifetime-free-Azure-credits cap was added. So the oft-quoted 'no funding required, up to $150K' is now true only in the narrow sense that early stages need no funding, but Series C+ companies are excluded and $150K requires heavy sustained Azure spend. 3) Legacy partner credits from the old Founders Hub ($2,500 OpenAI, Databricks, Twilio $10,000, Atlassian, etc.) are no longer listed in the current FAQ (read today); the signup-page snapshot still showed 'up to $150,000 in Azure credits, plus $2,500 of OpenAI credits' — treat OpenAI/Databricks/Twilio partner credits as unconfirmed/sunset unless shown in-portal; current investor-track benefits are GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, M365 Business Premium, Visual Studio Enterprise, Dynamics 365, Power Platform. 4) GitHub Student Developer Pack: DigitalOcean's $200 credit offer left the pack (credits expire 2026-08-01); Bump.sh offer ended 2025-12-09; Appwrite restructured to 6 months (2026-10-02); GitHub Foundations certification voucher was paused 2025-10-25 then resumed 2025-09-30. 5) The Azure Free page no longer advertises the old '6 months free AI services' window — only 12-month free amounts and always-free tiers." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "$100 in Azure credits, 12 months of Visual Studio Pro", "text": "The $100 credit is valid for 12 months. Visual Studio Professional is not in the included product list, which names Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio Community, Visual Studio for Mac, Agents for Visual Studio, Remote Tools for Visual Studio and Visio Professional. The 12-month Cloud Academy benefit comes with paid Visual Studio Professional subscriptions, not Azure for Students.", "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/education-hub/faq" } ], "confidence": { "high": 49, "medium": 14, "low": 4 }, "best_offer": "Azure Free Account — $200 credit + 12 months of free services", "link": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "mistral ai studio", "name": "Mistral AI Studio", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://mistral.ai/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free API mode on by default, no card; included monthly usage with rate caps shown only in the console Limits page" ], "notes": [ "Mistral stopped publishing a fixed free amount; the '$10/mo API credit' line was removed from the pricing page on Oct 7 2026, so check your Limits page. Free requests may be used to train models unless you opt out in Admin > Privacy. Verified students get Mistral Pro at $5.99/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free mode API (default, no card required)", "detail": "Every new Mistral account starts in Free mode by default; API access is enabled with no credit card required. Included monthly usage is shared across Studio, the API, and Vibe Code, and is drawn first; when exhausted and pay-as-you-go is off, usage stops until the next billing period. Rate caps (requests/second, tokens/minute, tokens/month, per model) are set per organization and shown ONLY on the Admin Panel Limits page — Mistral publishes no public numeric quota. Described officially as the lowest limits, 'intended for evaluation and prototyping'. Since 2026-10-07 the pricing page no longer states a dollar figure on the Free card (the '$10/mo in API credits' line was removed without announcement); the 'pre' number was archived Sep 1–Oct 7, 2026. Pay-as-you-go is a switch, not a plan: prepaid credits must exist before enabling it, and adding credits does NOT raise rate-limit tiers (tiers move on cumulative billed usage: Tier 2 >€20, Tier 3 >€100, Tier 4 >€500 billed).", "eligibility": "Anyone who creates a account (docs: 'Free mode is the default state for new accounts'). No credit card required (stated in the Studio quickstart: 'no credit card required'). Restricted regions per Mistral terms (as read 2026-09-26, medium confidence): Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Crimea/Donetsk/Luhansk regions. NOTE: since 2026-08-05 (US) / 2026-08-07 (EU) the consumer terms exclude Mistral Studio/API from individual use — API is limited to business customers under the Commercial ToS, so personal-project use is technically out of scope.", "claim": "Create an account at console.mistral.ai (Free mode is default, no card) → Studio → API Keys → 'Create new key' → call api.mistral.ai/v1 within your included monthly usage; inspect your own numeric caps on Admin Panel → API → Limits.", "expiry": "Included monthly usage resets each month; Free mode itself has no stated expiration or renewal terms. Rate caps are persistent per org.", "gotchas": "Shared pool: heavy Vibe Code/Vibe app usage eats the same monthly allowance as API calls, so a free account's API budget can vanish. Training/privacy: API calls may be used to improve Mistral models unless the 'Anonymous improvement data' toggle is switched off (default opt-out). Third-party report (Oct 2026): mistral-large-4 on a free key answered 'This model is not available in your subscription tier' even after $10 credit — flagship/labs models may be unavailable on Free. Free-model lineup shifted over 2026 (e.g., mistral-medium dropped 2026-08-14).", "source_url": "https://docs.mistral.ai/getting-started/quickstarts/studio/activate-and-generate-api-key", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free plan for Vibe (formerly Le Chat) consumer app", "detail": "Separate from the API tier: the consumer 'Free' plan is 'Your personal AI agent for everyday tasks' — web + mobile access with limited messages, web searches and coding sessions; limited image generation/editing; 100+ connectors. Published multipliers in the pricing table: messages & voice 'Up to 6x free', web searches 'Up to 5x free', image generation 'Up to 40x free', task scheduling 'Up to 5', project folders 'Up to 1,000', model-training data use 'Opt-out', support = help center only. No API credits included (Pro starts at $15/mo in API credits). All subject to fair-usage limits and the ToS; absolute counts are not published.", "eligibility": "Public; no credit-card requirement stated on the page. Subject to Mistral's regional restrictions (embargoed regions excluded).", "claim": "Sign in to the Vibe console/app — Free plan is the default consumer tier; no application needed.", "expiry": "No expiration; monthly fair-usage caps reset with the billing period; 'Subject to fair usage limits and Mistral's Terms of Service.'", "gotchas": "The 6x/5x/40x multipliers are relative to a baseline, not absolute counts. Free-tier inputs/outputs may train models unless you opt out. This is app-only: it grants no API access — API calls still come from your Free-mode API keys and the shared monthly pool.", "source_url": "https://mistral.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education plan (student/teacher discount — paid, not free)", "detail": "Not a free offer: verified students at accredited higher-education institutions get Mistral Pro at $5.99/month instead of the standard $14.99/month, capped at 12 months of eligibility. Eligibility is limited to students who have NOT previously used Vibe or Le Chat. Per a third-party pricing read (2026-10-11, medium confidence) the Education plan bundles $15/mo in API credits shared across the API, Studio and Vibe Code. There is no fully free education license from Mistral.", "eligibility": "Student verification at an accredited higher institution (the page says 'verified students'; the mechanism is the console's student-verification flow, typically institutional email — the page does not explicitly say '.edu email required'). 12-month cap; new-to-Vibe/Le-Chat users only. No card-free access: it is a paid subscription, though students can pay at the discount price.", "claim": "Purchase the Education plan from the Mistral console using student verification; help-center article 'Students and teachers can check whether they are eligible for a discount' (referenced from docs.mistral.ai/admin/billing-usage/subscriptions).", "expiry": "Eligibility limited to 12 months; the subscription itself renews monthly at $5.99 while eligible.", "gotchas": "Do not count this as a free tier — $5.99/mo is real money. The 12-month window means the discount does not renew beyond that. Includes limited API credits ($15/mo reported third-party), not the Pro $25.50/mo figure.", "source_url": "https://mistral.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Mistralship startup program (€30K credits) — currently unavailable", "detail": "Launched late 2024: 6-month cohorts of 10 startups; each winner received up to €30,000 in La Plateforme credits, dedicated 1:1 support from Mistral's Solutions & Science team, and early access to new models/products. Original eligibility (per the Dec 2024 announcement press): registered startup with a company website and a business email, founded less than 7 years ago, and no Series B or later round raised (Series B+ companies could apply for a separate offering). First cohort applications closed 2025-01-05. As of today (2026-10-22) both https://mistral.ai/startups and https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-ship return HTTP 404 (verified directly); no replacement public offer or closure notice exists. Third-party trackers (May 2026 and Oct 2026) classify the program as discontinued and route would-be applicants to Mistral sales/partners.", "eligibility": "Historically: early-stage startups (pre-Series B), founded <7 years, registered company with public web presence; competitive selection (10 per cohort). No longer applicable — no live application path as of 2026-10-22.", "claim": "Cannot be claimed right now: no public landing page or form (both /startups and /news/mistral-ship are 404). The only remaining route is contacting Mistral sales / startup team directly.", "expiry": "Cohort 1 closed 2025-01-05; the program page disappeared by mid-2026 (confirmed 404 today); no stated new cohort or deadlines.", "gotchas": "Credits were La Plateforme platform credits (not cash, not transferable). Absence of a public page does not guarantee the program is dead — but with no closure notice and 404s on all paths, treat it as sunset/unavailable; do not plan around it.", "source_url": "https://dataphoenix.info/news/less-than-three-weeks-left-to-apply-to-mistralship-mistral-ais-startup-program-2", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial credits — none exist; free 'labs-' models and free Moderation 2 instead", "detail": "Mistral has no published trial-credit program (no dollar grant to new API customers) as of 2026-10-22. Two small free items exist on the API: model IDs prefixed 'labs-' are free but experimental and not for production (third-party pricing read, 2026-10-11), and Mistral Moderation 2 is priced at $0. The legacy free 'Experiment' plan (2024–2026, with published caps around ~1 req/s, 500K tokens/min, ~1B tokens/month) has been replaced by Free mode with unpublished limits; its old help/docs pages now return 404. Open-weight Mistral models (Ministral 3 8B/14B, open-mistral-nemo; Mistral 7B Apache-2.0) can be self-hosted for free, which is the real 'free' route beyond the shared pool.", "eligibility": "labs- models: any account key (free-mode included) — experimental, not production-safe. Open-weight self-hosting: no account needed; Mistral-licensed weights, research/individual use covered, commercial deployment requires a Mistral license.", "claim": "Call 'labs-*' model IDs with a free-mode key at no token cost, or download open weights and self-host; there is no trial-credit claim flow to follow.", "expiry": "labs- models may change or retire without notice; Moderation 2's free pricing is a list-price item, subject to change.", "gotchas": "Free 'labs-' inference is explicitly for testing; don't build on it. Self-hosting has no egress cost but you own compute. Beware aggregator sites (e.g., 'AI Credits') selling 'Mistral credits' — that is a paid resale, not an official free offer.", "source_url": "https://agentdeals.dev/mistral-api-pricing-2026", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Mistralship startup program (up to €30K La Plateforme credits, 10 startups/6-month cohort): cohort-1 applications closed 2025-01-05; the program's public paths are dead — https://mistral.ai/startups and https://mistral.ai/news/mistral-ship both return 404 as of 2026-10-22 (verified directly today); Mistral published no closure notice and no replacement offer; third-party trackers mark it discontinued. 2) On 2026-10-07 (no announcement), the pricing page dropped the '$10 /mo in API credits' line from the Free plan and reduced Pro's included API credits from $30 to $25.50/mo — the Free card now states no dollar figure; included monthly usage remains, visible only on the account's Limits page. 3) The legacy 'Experiment' free tier (published caps ~1 rps / 500K tokens/min / ~1B tokens/month) was retired and its pages now 404, replaced by Free mode with per-org unpublished limits. 4) Free-tier model lineup shifted during 2026 — e.g., mistral-medium was dropped from the free tier on 2026-08-14; mistral-large-4 (public preview 2026-10-06) reportedly rejects free-tier keys with 'not available in your subscription tier'. 5) Since 2026-08-05 (US) / 2026-08-07 (EU), consumer terms exclude Studio/API from individual use — API access is for business customers under the Commercial ToS, which quietly constrains who 'free mode' actually serves. 6) No free education license exists: the education offer is a paid $5.99/mo student discount (12-month cap), not a grant." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free mode API (default, no card required)", "link": "https://docs.mistral.ai/getting-started/quickstarts/studio/activate-and-generate-api-key", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "mixpanel free plan", "name": "Mixpanel Free Plan", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://mixpanel.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "1,000,000 events/mo free forever, unlimited seats, 10k session replays/mo, 5 saved reports per user; Experiments/Flags available on Free (1,000 MEU, 10 active flags)" ], "notes": [ "Big 2025 change: in 2025-01 Mixpanel slashed the free tier from 20M to 1M events and moved to freemium; the paid Growth tier (renamed \"Startup Plan\" in 2025) includes the first 1M events free, so the effective ceiling for non-payers stays at 1M. Over the cap, ingestion stops until month rollover or upgrade. Verified via mixpanel docs/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Mixpanel Free Plan (free-forever tier)", "detail": "Verified on mixpanel.com/pricing today: 1,000,000 events/month, 10,000 session replays/month (30-day replay retention), unlimited seats, 5 saved reports per user, Experiments up to 1,000 MEU/month, up to 10 active feature flags. $0, no credit card, \"free forever\", no trial. Excludes on Free: saving cohorts (can create, not save), lookup tables, custom/borrowed properties, permissions, multi-touch attribution, group analytics, alerts, anomaly detection, root-cause analysis, data-warehouse connectors, query API, SSO/SCIM, HIPAA. Default data retention 2 years.", "eligibility": "Everyone — no .edu or organizational verification, no region limits stated, no credit card required. Usable as-is by students, educators and academic institutions.", "claim": "Sign up at mixpanel.com/register; Free Plan applies automatically. Autocapture setup takes <2 minutes. Nothing else to redeem.", "expiry": "No expiry; free indefinitely. 30-day replay retention; 90-day audit-log retention.", "gotchas": "Exceeding 1M events/month does NOT cost money but report access is blocked for the rest of that month (ingestion continues; support-confirmed Jul 2025). Cohorts can't be saved, and 10K replay cap is low — session-replay-only users may prefer Growth-at-$0.", "source_url": "https://mixpanel.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Growth plan \"Starts at $0\" — first 1M events/month free", "detail": "Repriced Feb 4, 2025 (\"Mixpanel Events 2.0\"), confirmed on the pricing page read today: Growth starts at $0 with the first 1M events/month included free, up to 20M events/month, per-event overage pricing per the official yearly table (e.g. 10M events = $840/mo billed annually; ~$0.28 per 1,000 events), volume discounts available. Includes unlimited saved reports (vs 5 on Free), 20K session replays/mo in base (configurable to 500K), Experiments 5K MEU/mo included (up to 100K MEU/mo purchasable), 50 active feature flags in base (up to 500 with add-on MEU), 5 alerts, saved cohorts, data dictionary, APIs. Docs state: \"Growth plans purchased after February 2025 include the first 1M events free.\"", "eligibility": "Anyone (no startup age/funding rules, no .edu check). Effectively no minimum commitment: pay $0 if you stay under 1M events/month. Credit card only needed when your bill exceeds the free volume (not explicitly documented).", "claim": "Use the plan builder at mixpanel.com/pricing → Growth → \"Start for Free\". Pick event volume; the first 1M events/mo are in the base price; you only pay the per-event rate on overage.", "expiry": "No expiry; renews monthly/annually with no time limit. No trial window.", "gotchas": "Not a 30-day trial — it is an ongoing usage-based plan where events 1–1M/mo are simply $0. Overage replays are paywalled and heavy over-ingestion means replays get dropped (support-confirmed). A $0 Growth org is functionally MORE capable than the 1M-cap Free plan (unlimited reports, saved cohorts), which is the common complaint about the Free tier.", "source_url": "https://mixpanel.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Mixpanel for Startups — first 12 months free on the Startup Plan", "detail": "Verified today on mixpanel.com/startups/ and docs.mixpanel.com/docs/pricing/startup-program: 12 months of the full product suite at $0 — 1 billion events/year, 1M Session Replay recordings/year, Experiments 1.2M MEU/year, Feature Flags 50 flags + 120M FF API requests/year, plus all four add-ons (Data Pipelines, Group Analytics, Warehouse Connectors, Session Replay), unlimited seats, 24/5 support, Mixpanel University access, and a private Startups Slack community. Marketing states \"$145,000 value, costs $0\" (Jan 2025 launch post said $150,000+). No credit card required; \"no vendor lock-in, no surprise billing\". 11K+ startups listed as having chosen Mixpanel.", "eligibility": "Incorporated <5 years ago; total funding raised ≤ $8M USD; never been on a Mixpanel paid plan; haven't redeemed any other Mixpanel offer (incl. the free-plan exclusives). VC/accelerator affiliation is NOT required but a referral partner can be selected on the application. If Mixpanel learns criteria aren't met it can transition you to paid, suspend, or terminate the account.", "claim": "Apply at https://mixpanel.com/startups-apply/ (\"Join Now\" on mixpanel.com/startups). On acceptance your account is provisioned with the Startup Plan for a fixed 12-month term; you MUST begin sending data within 90 days of acceptance or you are removed and prohibited from rejoining. If usage exceeds 1B events/year you may upgrade to paid Growth/Enterprise or downgrade to the Free plan (Mixpanel contacts you in advance).", "expiry": "Fixed 12-month term starting at application approval; no program end date announced. Not renewable — no year-2 free option exists.", "gotchas": "No second free year — after month 12 you move to Free/Growth/Enterprise; the Startup Plan cannot be bought standalone and doesn't support BAAs/MSAs. Misrepresenting eligibility (age/funding) risks suspension/termination. The 90-day data-send requirement is the classic trap: applying early without implementation burns the one-shot chance.", "source_url": "https://mixpanel.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student license — does not exist (closest substitutes noted)", "detail": "No .edu-gated education license, student discount, or academic-institution program exists or is advertised on Mixpanel's official sites. The current pricing page (read today) mentions no education/student offer, and no mixpanel.com/education page is linked. Closest free substitutes: (1) the standard Free Plan, which students/educators/universities can use with no verification; (2) Mixpanel University (university.mixpanel.com), a free self-paced training/certification platform — open to everyone since its Nov 2025 launch, free, but it is learning content, NOT a software license; (3) a 2018 nonprofit program (10K MTU free + 80% discount) no longer advertised on the current site — for nonprofits, not students.", "eligibility": "n/a — nothing to claim. Free Plan requires no eligibility proof; Mixpanel University requires only an account.", "claim": "Nothing to redeem for .edu users; sign up at mixpanel.com/register for the Free Plan, and use university.mixpanel.com for free coursework/training.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Confidence is medium only because absence was verified, not because an offer was read: official pages plus two 2026 discount aggregators confirm no Mixpanel-specific education terms exist; undisclosed sales-side academic deals cannot be ruled out. Don't confuse \"Mixpanel University\" (training) with a free analytics license.", "source_url": "https://mixpanel.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Jan 21, 2025: Mixpanel for Startups was REVAMPED — the legacy credit-based track (up to $50,000 in credits, with the card on file charged for renewal/overage) was replaced by 100%-free first year on the Startup Plan (1B events/yr). Docs still reference the legacy credit-based track's renewal-billing language. Feb 4, 2025: \"Mixpanel Events 2.0\" repricing — Growth restructured to a $0 floor with first 1M events/month free (~100x cheaper; old plans had per-MTU minimums that could DOWNGRADE an upgrader's included volume); docs rule: only Growth plans purchased after Feb 2025 get the 1M free events. No free-plan limit changes since Feb 2025 (1M events/mo, 10K replays/mo, 1K MEU experiments, 10 flags unchanged as of today's page). No education/student program exists to sunset. The 2018 nonprofit offer (10K MTU free + 80% discount, discover.mixpanel.com/nonprofit.html) is no longer advertised on mixpanel.com as of today and appears dormant. Nothing on mixpanel.com/startups or /pricing indicates a 2025–2026 sunset of the startup program; it is active with 11K+ claimed participants." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Mixpanel Free Plan (free-forever tier)", "link": "https://mixpanel.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "modal", "name": "Modal", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all", "student" ], "urls": [ "https://modal.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$30/month free compute credits on Starter plan (billed per second, T4 through H200/B300 GPUs; ~50 T4-hours or ~7-8 H100-hours); Team plan adds $100/mo", "Up to $10,000 in free compute credits for graduate students, labs and researchers; startup credit grants (tiered, up to >$1M VC-funded startups) separately" ], "notes": [ "No credit card needed to start; workloads stop when the $30 is exhausted unless billing is added. 2025-2026: the only major recurring monthly free GPU credit left among neoclouds (Beam's equivalent $30/mo was withdrawn by 2026-09).", "Applied via the Modal pricing/startups pages. Verified Oct 2026; amounts quoted on Modal's own pricing page." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Modal Starter Plan — $30/month free compute credits (free tier)", "detail": "Starter plan: $0/mo base + pay-as-you-go compute, with $30/month of free compute credits included, billed per second with no minimums. GPU list prices per second: B300 $0.001972/s (~$7.10/hr), B200 $0.001736/s (~$6.25/hr), H200 SXM $0.001261/s (~$4.54/hr), H100 SXM5 $0.001097/s (~$3.95/hr), RTX PRO 6000 $0.000842/s, A100 80GB $0.000694/s, A100 40GB $0.000583/s, L40S $0.000542/s, A10 $0.000306/s, L4 $0.000222/s, T4 $0.000164/s (~$0.59/hr). So $30 ≈ ~50 T4-hours, ~12 A100-hours, ~7.6 H100-hours, ~6.6 H200-hours, ~4.8 B200-hours. CPU $0.0000131/core/s (min 0.125 cores/container), memory $0.00000222/GiB/s, volumes $0.09/GiB/mo with 1 TiB/mo free, egress $0.04/GiB with 1 TiB/mo free on Starter. Signup is OAuth (GitHub/Google/SSO) — no credit card required to sign up; a payment method is only needed if you exceed $30. Credits reset monthly, no rollover. No published sunset date.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu email, no funding proof, no credit card for signup (GitHub/Google/SSO OAuth). No region limit stated on the pricing page. Limits: up to 3 seats, 100 containers, 10 GPU concurrency, 200 deployed apps, 5 cron jobs, 1-day log retention. Team plan (paid, $250/mo) includes $100/mo compute credits, unlimited seats, 5000 containers, 50 GPU concurrency, 10 TiB/mo egress.", "claim": "Go to modal.com/signup → 'Continue with GitHub/Google/SSO' → workspace is created instantly with $30/mo free compute; install Python SDK (`pip install modal`, then `modal setup`) and deploy. Credits apply automatically to all billed compute.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: $30/mo is a recurring free tier, not a one-time trial. If usage exceeds $30 without a payment method on file, workloads stop (or you add billing) — no quiet overcharge, but a card/ACH is needed for anything above the free pool. Sandboxes + Notebooks CPU/memory are billed at non-preemptible 3x list ($0.00003942/core/s). Shared Endpoint LLM tokens are billed separately and NOT covered by the $30. Region selection multiplies base prices 1.15–1.75x. 1-day log retention and no deployment rollbacks on Starter. Volume storage beyond 1 TiB/mo and egress beyond 1 TiB/mo bill at list.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Modal for Startups — one-time free compute credit grants (VC-backed startups)", "detail": "Two tiers, application-based, one-time grants: (1) Seed to Series A: 'Free credits for rising startups' — eligible if raised ANY amount of VC funding from Modal's partner network (Y Combinator, a16z, Sequoia, Khosla, Neo, HF0, Pear, Lux Capital, plus others in FAQ) OR raised >$1M VC from any fund; (2) Scaling / Series B+: 'Custom' grants for AI-native companies that raised >$30M or are post-Series B with a partner-network VC. Official page says 'thousands of free GPU credits' but does not publish exact dollar amounts; third-party trackers and Modal's own restructure history indicate the Seed–Series A tier is up to $25,000 in credits valid for 12 months (was $50,000 before the Q4 2025 cut). Also includes direct access to Modal's engineering team, GTM amplification on launches/raises, and an exclusive founder community.", "eligibility": "Must be NEW to Modal (no existing paid use). Seed–Series A: any funding from a Modal partner fund, or >$1M VC from any fund. Series B+: >$30M raised or post-Series B, with partner-network VC. No company-age cap and no explicit employee-count cap on the official page; no equity taken. No .edu requirement. Global (no region limit stated).", "claim": "Sign up for Modal, create a team (shared) workspace, then at modal.com/startups click 'Apply Now' (modal.com/startups#apply) → submit company/funding details + proof of funding + use case → review takes ~3–14 days → credits are provisioned to your workspace; check status in Usage & Billing.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Payment method is required on file for the program (per the startup FAQ and trackers). Credits are a one-time grant per tier — you may NOT reapply once you received credits in a tier. Exact credit amounts and expiration/reinstatement policy are not published on the official page (FAQ says credits last a period and may be reinstated if expired; trackers say 12 months from issuance). 'Thousands of free GPU credits' on the official page is deliberately vague; the $25K figure comes from third-party trackers + PricingSaaS's Q4 2025 change record ('Modal Reduces Startup Credit Grant from $50k to $25k for Early-Stage Startups'). Personal workspaces reportedly not eligible — use a shared/team workspace. Common rejections: Series C+ stage, already a paying customer, mismatched Crunchbase data.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Modal for Academics — up to $10,000 free compute credits (student/researcher program)", "detail": "Modal for Academics gives graduate students, labs, and researchers 'up to $10k' of free compute credits on Modal. Benefits: run workloads on B200s/H100s without requesting quota, autoscaling GPUs, and direct access to Modal's engineers/PhDs for research support. Spun out as its own program in the October 2025 restructure of the formerly unified '$50k for startups and academic researchers' grant. No expiry date or renewal policy is published; no statement whether the $10k is one-time or recurring.", "eligibility": "Intended for graduate students, labs, and researchers (e.g., ARC Prize collaboration, MIT/Cornell team). The official page does not state an explicit .edu email requirement, university-affiliation proof, or deadline — eligibility is determined by application. No region limit stated.", "claim": "At modal.com/academics, click 'Sign up to hear about our grant programs' (modal.com/academics#apply) or the 'Contact us' Pylon form to request the grant; researchers are contacted for a partnership/review before credits are issued.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "High = I read the official page today, but the page itself is thin: 'up to $10k' is the only number; the program is invitation/application-driven (Modal contacts applicants), so approval time is uncertain and amounts are discretionary ('up to'). No published credit expiry, no published renewal. The separate $30/mo Starter free tier also applies to academic accounts; the $10k grant is additive. The pricing page's 'Credit grants for academics' blurb also cites 'up to $10k'.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/academics", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Starter free plan — $30/month free compute credits (no monthly fee)", "detail": "Starter plan is \"$0 + compute / month\" and includes \"$30 / month free credits\" covering GPUs, CPUs and memory (per-second billing; e.g. H100 ~$0.001097/sec, L4 ~$0.000222/sec, CPU $0.0000131/core/sec). Included limits: 3 seats, 100 containers, 10 GPU concurrency, 5 deployed crons, 200 deployed apps, 1-day log retention, 1 TiB/month free network egress. $30 is roughly ~7.5 h H100 or ~37 h L4 GPU time. Usage above the credit is billed per second; nothing is billed at scale-to-zero. No one-time signup/trial credit exists — the $30 is the only free allotment (recurring monthly).", "eligibility": "Everyone, no .edu or startup requirement, no funding/age caps. Region limits: none stated on the pricing page. Caveat: per official docs a payment method on file IS required to use Modal at all, so a card/paypal must be added even for the free tier (contradicts any 'no credit card' assumption).", "claim": "1) Sign up at modal.com (GitHub, Google or SSO) — new workspaces start on Starter at $0/month. 2) Credits apply automatically to usage. 3) Optionally set a $30 spending limit to stay free. 4) Add a payment method in account settings (required by Modal docs).", "expiry": "Recurring monthly allowance ('$30 / month'); page does not state rollover or a fixed expiry date.", "gotchas": "Credit card/payments required on file even for free tier. Overage billed per-second; volumes >1 TiB cost $0.09/GiB/mo; egress >1 TiB costs $0.04/GiB; region pinning costs 1.15–1.75x base; non-preemptible execution 3x base; containers billed for 60s after last input. As of 1 Sep 2026 Shared Endpoints are billed per token from the first request (previously had a free-token allowance) — a 2026 change that adds costs on an otherwise free account. Containers minimum 0.125 cores / 128 MiB.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Modal for Academics — up to $10,000 free compute credit grant (students/labs/researchers)", "detail": "Official pricing page: \"Graduate students, labs, and researchers can get up to $10k free compute credits\". The academics landing page: \"Unlock up to $10k of credits\" to \"Run workloads on B200s, H100s, and more without requesting quota\", plus \"Direct access to the Modal team of engineers and PhDs for research support\". Award size is discretionary ('up to', not guaranteed); used for training/experiments on Modal's pay-per-second platform. Real-world use: cited by academic papers (e.g., the Forge/TMLR paper thanks Modal for academic credits).", "eligibility": "Aimed at graduate students, academic labs, researchers (pricing-page audience line). The page itself states no hard .edu-only clause, no funding/age cap, no region limit; a valid academic email is the practical claim path (a third-party guide describes .edu/institutional email in the apply form — unverified on the official page, so treat .edu requirement as likely but not officially confirmed).", "claim": "1) Go to https://modal.com/academics. 2) Click 'Sign up to hear about our grant programs' (anchor /academics#apply) — this is a mailing-list/apply form (fields not rendered in the fetched page). 3) Modal contacts eligible applicants for the next grant cycle; a modal.com account (with payment method on file, per docs) is needed to use the credits. Educators can also email partnerships@modal.com for course integration (per third-party guide).", "expiry": "Not stated on the page — no grant-cycle dates, deadline, or credit-expiry window is published. A third-party tracker (Token Thrift) lists 'no expiry date' but that is not official. Treat award duration as unknown and confirm at award time.", "gotchas": "This is a grant Modal selects, not a self-service education license: eligibility is 'decided by Modal'. 'Up to $10k' — actual amount varies. No official statement that .edu email is required; the apply form is a waitlist-style signup. Payment method still required on the Modal account. Stacking behavior with the $30/month Starter credits or startup credits is not documented.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/academics", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Modal for Startups — tiered one-time free compute-credit grants (seed→Series A and Series B+)", "detail": "Official startups page: two tiers, one-time credit grants for customers new to Modal. Tier 1 (Seed to Series A): eligible if you 'Raised any amount of VC funding from our VC partner network' OR 'Raised VC funding >$1m from any fund'. Tier 2 (Scaling / Series B+): 'Custom for rapidly growing AI-native companies' — 'Raised VC funding > $30m or post-series B' and the VC must be in Modal's partner network. The page says 'Unlock thousands of free GPU credits' but does not publish per-tier dollar amounts (the '>$1m' figures are funding thresholds, not credit caps). VC partner network listed: Y Combinator, a16z, Sequoia, Khosla Ventures, Neo, HF0, Pear VC, Lux Capital. Extras beyond credits: 'Direct access to Modal's engineering team for technical support and GTM amplification on launches and raises' and a founder network with online/in-person events.", "eligibility": "Must be a new-to-Modal customer meeting a funding-stage criterion (Tier 1: any VC funding from the partner network, or >$1m VC from any fund; Tier 2: >$30m or post-Series B with partner-network VC). No startup-age cutoff, total-funding cap, or region limit is stated on the page.", "claim": "1) Go to https://modal.com/startups. 2) Click 'Apply Now' (form at /startups#apply; form fields not rendered in the fetched page). 3) VC funds can separately apply to join the partner network via a dedicated form. 4) Credits are applied to your Modal account; a payment method must be on file per docs.", "expiry": "Credits are 'a one-time grant and you may not reapply once you have received credits in a given tier' (reapplication across tiers is not explicitly ruled out). A FAQ heading 'How long do my credits last? Can they be reinstated if they expire?' exists but its answer is not rendered on the fetched page, so the expiry window is unpublished.", "gotchas": "Dollar amounts are discretionary and unpublished — 'thousands of' credits, not a fixed number. No reapply within the same tier. The FAQ on credit duration/reinstatement is not publicly readable in page text; ask Modal at application. Credits offset compute usage but CPU/memory/egress/volume multipliers (3x non-preemptible, 1.15–1.75x region pinning, $0.04/GiB egress beyond allowance) still apply. Separate AWS Activate add-on credits may stack (see next finding).", "source_url": "https://modal.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate partnership — additional Modal credits for eligible startups", "detail": "From the official pricing-page FAQ: 'we have a special partnership with AWS that allows eligible startups to unlock additional Modal credits if they are part of AWS Activate.' No dollar amount or eligibility beyond AWS Activate membership is stated on the page.", "eligibility": "Startups that are part of AWS Activate; final eligibility 'decided by Modal' per the pricing page's program section. No .edu, age, or region limits stated.", "claim": "1) Be/qualify for AWS Activate (AWS's own program). 2) Apply via Modal (startups page or by contacting Modal) — the pricing FAQ does not publish a separate form URL; /startups#apply or support are the paths. 3) Credits appear on your Modal account.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page.", "gotchas": "Amounts unpublished and discretionary; confirm with Modal that they stack with the startup-tier grant. AWS/GCP/Azure credits of the cloud providers themselves 'cannot be applied towards your Modal usage' (pricing FAQ) — only Modal-issued credits count.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Team plan — $100/month free credits on a $250/month paid plan (context, not a student offer)", "detail": "Team plan: '$250 + compute / month' and includes '$100 / month free credits', 5000 containers, 50 GPU concurrency, unlimited crons, 30-day log retention. Listed for completeness of every free-credit mechanism; it is a paid plan, so not a free offer for students/startups unless funded by a grant.", "eligibility": "All paying customers; no student/startup-specific eligibility. Not a free offer in itself.", "claim": "Upgrade a workspace to Team in the dashboard; the $100/month credit is included automatically in the $250 base fee.", "expiry": "Recurring monthly; base fee charged even in quiet months.", "gotchas": "The $100 credit does not offset the $250 base fee — it only covers usage beyond plan limits; a third-party guide (Codeables) even misstates this, so rely on the official pricing page. Enterprise plan is custom and adds volume discounts rather than free credits.", "source_url": "https://modal.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes (from PricingSaaS Pulse captures of modal.com): (1) Oct 5, 2025 — Modal restructured its credit grants: the single unified 'up to $50k for startups and academic researchers' grant was split into 'Credit grants for startups' (then up to $50k) and 'Credit grants for academics' (up to $10k); cloud marketplace committed-spend also expanded from AWS-only to AWS + GCP (+Azure/OCI in that capture). (2) Q4 2025 — Modal cut the early-stage (Seed–Series A) startup credit grant from $50k to $25k. (3) Q2 2025 — H200 GPU option added at $0.001261/sec; (4) Mar 2026 — RTX PRO 6000 added at $0.000842/sec; B300 now listed at $0.001972/sec (the task's known H200/B300 range is confirmed live). No offer was fully sunset: the $30/mo Starter free tier, the startup grants, and the academics grants all remain active as of Oct 22, 2026. Team plan is now $250/mo including $100/mo of compute credits. Sources: https://modal.com/pricing , https://modal.com/startups , https://modal.com/academics , https://modal.com/signup , https://pricingsaas.com/companies/modal/diffs/2025Q3 , https://sidehustletools.app/free-credits/modal-for-startups , https://perkbook.co/vendor-directory/modal/ , https://creditforstartups.com/companies/modal , https://grabaicredits.com/en/deals/modal-for-startups , https://aifree.dev/offer/modal-startup-program", "As of 2026-10-22 no student/startup free program was found to be sunset: the $30/month Starter free credits, the up-to-$10k academic grant, the tiered startup credit program, and the AWS Activate add-on are all live on official pages read today. Changes found: (1) Shared Endpoints moved to per-token billing from the first request, effective 1 Sep 2026 (pricing page) — this removes a former free-token allowance and is the most material 2026 change for free-tier users; (2) 2025–2026 changelog page 1 (Sep–Oct 2026) shows no credit-tier, startup-program, or academic-program changes or sunsets. Not verified (could not rule out): a one-time signup/trial credit — no such credit appears on any official page today; a third-party guide's claim of '$1 at signup + $29 after adding a payment method, $0.50 one-time fee' is unverified and contradicts the official '$30/month' wording, treat as unreliable. Also unverifiable from fetched pages: exact academic grant cycle timing/expiry, per-tier startup credit dollar amounts, and whether .edu email is formally required for the academic grant (likely in practice, not stated on the official page)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Modal Starter Plan — $30/month free compute credits (free tier)", "link": "https://modal.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mollie", "name": "Mollie", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mollie.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free Mollie account with no monthly fees and no lock-in; free test-mode API keys (no transaction fees in test); pay-per-transaction on live; 35+ payment methods." ], "notes": [ "Test API key isolates you from live data with zero fees; switch to a Live key to process real payments. Mollie also lists a 'For Startups' segment in its portal. Europe-centric (iDEAL, Bancontact, Klarna, etc.)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Mollie account / pay-as-you-go free tier (no monthly fees, free test API keys)", "detail": "Mollie's base account has no monthly fees, no lock-in contracts, and fees only on successful live transactions (e.g. SEPA Instant bank transfer €0.25 flat, SEPA Direct Debit €0.35 flat, iDEAL/Wero NL €0.32, EEA consumer card 1.80% + €0.25). Checkout, Payment Links, Invoicing and Recurring are included at no extra cost. In-person POS 'Pay as you go' plan is €0/month (1.20% domestic consumer card rate, max 1 terminal, PAX terminals not supported; unlimited Tap apps free; Tap to Pay on iPhone/Android costs no terminal — free app). Test API keys are free and test payments are simulated, so no transaction fees in test. The first 5 payouts/month are free for accounts with annual volume under €500,000; additional payouts €0.25 each.", "eligibility": "Any registered business (Mollie signs up registered businesses only — a registered business with a live website, bank account + verification payment, and ID of legal representatives; review up to 10 business days). No credit card is required at signup. Not available to unincorporated students as individuals. Region-limited: Mollie serves businesses headquartered in Europe/UK; the account itself is free everywhere Mollie operates.", "claim": "1) Sign up at mollie.com (business details, bank account, ID; no credit card). 2) Account goes live (up to 10 business days review). 3) Generate free test API keys from the Dashboard/API Keys page and build/integrate in test mode with zero fees. 4) For live: just start processing — pay only per-transaction fees, no monthly minimums.", "expiry": "Standing program; no stated end date. Terms 'subject to change' at Mollie's discretion.", "gotchas": "Test mode is not live revenue: only EUR is supported in test mode, all API endpoints related to business operations (e.g. payouts, refund management edge cases) do not support test mode, and pending-state test payment methods don't exist in live. Demo accounts (isolated explore accounts) are early access — you must contact a Mollie representative. Live transaction fees still apply even on the free tier (1.80–3.25% + €0.25 for cards); commercial/non-EEA cards are the most expensive. POS hardware is not free: Tap terminal €95 one-off, mobile/fixed €350. Payout fees (non-EUR payout 1% of amount) apply below the €500k annual volume threshold. No 'free tier' for students/individuals — a registered business is mandatory.", "source_url": "https://www.mollie.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free test-mode developer sandbox (API keys, no transaction fees)", "detail": "Mollie's test environment is fully isolated from live data; the API behaves identically, webhooks included. Test API keys are free with any Mollie account; no card or bank verification is needed to create test keys. Test card numbers (Visa/Mastercard/Amex, any expiry/CVV) are documented. No fees are charged for test payments because they create no real transactions.", "eligibility": "Any Mollie account holder (i.e. a registered European/UK business; see free-tier finding). No credit card required. No cost, no limits on test requests stated in the docs.", "claim": "1) Register a Mollie account. 2) In Dashboard → API keys, create a Test API key (free). 3) Call any payments API endpoint in test mode; simulate card/bank payments with the documented test card numbers. 4) To switch to live, create a Live API key and/or add the testmode parameter — no migration needed since API behavior is identical.", "expiry": "Permanent capability; no stated expiry.", "gotchas": "EUR-only in test mode. Endpoints for business-operations resources (accounts, balances, etc.) do not support test mode. Recurring test payments have no checkout URL — you force final state via changePaymentState. Test keys are separate from live keys; webhooks fired in test come from the test environment. This is a sandbox, not a 'free forever live account'.", "source_url": "https://docs.mollie.com/reference/testing.md", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Mollie Startup Program — waived fees up to €1,000,000 in payment processing", "detail": "Three tiers of waived Mollie transaction fees, scaled by total funding raised: (1) startups with up to €200k in funding → €75,000 of waived fees; (2) €200k–€2m in funding → €500,000 of waived fees; (3) €2m+ in funding → €1,000,000 of waived fees (UK site mirrors the same tiers in £: £75k/£500k/£1m). Includes priority support (skip-the-queue human responses), no lock-in contracts, and access to a curated founder community with events across Europe. Waiver is volume-based: it applies to your next N euros of processing volume until exhausted.", "eligibility": "Pre-seed to Series B startup; headquartered in Europe/UK; must be new to Mollie (existing customers not eligible). Funding status is verified by Mollie with your VC or via public data. Program explicitly targets VC-backed companies — non-VC-backed startups are told to contact sales instead. No .edu/student angle; a company (not an individual) must apply. No credit card required to apply.", "claim": "1) Confirm eligibility (pre-seed–Series B, Europe/UK HQ, new to Mollie). 2) Fill out the short application form (≈3 minutes) on mollie.com/solutions/payments-for-startups — an email with next steps arrives almost instantly. 3) Mollie verifies your funding (VC contact or public data). 4) On approval, the fee waiver and priority support are automatically applied to your new Mollie account.", "expiry": "No explicit end date or time limit stated on the official page; the waiver is exhausted by volume (until N processed). Offer 'subject to change, withdrawal or cancellation at any time' per Mollie's campaign terms language.", "gotchas": "Only the waiver for your funding tier applies — a bootstrap/underfunded startup gets the small €75k tier, not €1M (the headline number misleads). The waiver covers Mollie transaction fees only; 'additional costs directly imposed by a particular payment method may apply' (per Mollie's campaign T&Cs, chargebacks on card/SEPA DD/Klarna/SOFORT and refunds are excluded from such waivers). Refunds can count against waived volume in Mollie's promotion terms. 'New to Mollie' + 'terminated account within previous 6 months' excludes churned accounts. Not available to US-headquartered startups. Existing Mollie customers can't join.", "source_url": "https://www.mollie.com/solutions/payments-for-startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "€1,000 free processing volume promo for new Mollie customers outside BE/NL", "detail": "A standard new-customer promotion (separate from the Startup Program): EUR 1,000.00 of processing volume free of Mollie transaction fees ('Mollie Promotion Amount'). Applies when you register a new Mollie account and your registered business address is outside Belgium and the Netherlands. You must process your first transaction within 30 days of valid registration. The promo remains valid until fully exhausted, but expires automatically 365 days after account registration. One promotion per account, not transferable; refunds count as processing volume against the promo; chargebacks (cards, SEPA DD, Klarna, SOFORT) and refunds fall outside the promo and are charged at applicable rates; volume beyond €1,000 is charged at your dashboard rate (or basic public website rate).", "eligibility": "New Mollie accounts only; registered business address outside Belgium and the Netherlands (Mollie's home markets are excluded — presumably served by different local offers). No credit card required. No student/startup-specific eligibility — open to any new customer in eligible regions.", "claim": "1) Register a new Mollie account with a business address outside BE/NL. 2) Process your first transaction within 30 days. 3) Your first €1,000 of successful processing volume is automatically free of Mollie transaction fees until the amount is exhausted or 365 days pass.", "expiry": "Per-account expiry: promo lapses 365 days after valid registration even if unused; first transaction within 30 days. Campaign itself has no stated calendar end date and may be withdrawn 'at any time' — the T&C page was live when read today, but the page carries no start/end date, so treat current availability as unconfirmed.", "gotchas": "It is a €1,000 volume cap, not a cash credit — with typical rates (~2% + €0.25 per card) the real savings are only ~€20–25, far smaller than it sounds. Excludes Mollie's two home markets (BE/NL). Refunds can be counted as volume against the promo (Mollie's T&Cs wording). Not combinable with other offers ('not valid with any other offer').", "source_url": "https://my.mollie.com/campaigns/terms/cggmi6?lang=en", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student/education program or education license found", "detail": "Mollie has no student, academic, or education license offer. mollie.com/education returns 404; no education program appears on the official pricing page, the Startup Program page, the developer docs, or in 2025–2026 search coverage of Mollie programs. Mollie's free offers are the free base account/test sandbox, the Startup Program (VC-funded startups), and the €1,000 new-customer promo — none target students, schools, or educational institutions. Individuals (including students without a registered business) cannot open a Mollie account at all, so a 'free dev tier for students' does not exist.", "eligibility": "n/a — no offer. Developers who are students can only use Mollie's free test sandbox through a registered European/UK business (see free-tier finding).", "claim": "n/a — nothing to claim; if you need a free sandbox for student projects, use Mollie's test mode via a business account or consider a competitor with a student/dev offer.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://www.mollie.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Mollie free offer was sunset or removed in 2025–2026 that I could verify. Changes noted: (1) The Mollie Startup Program tiers currently read €75k/€500k/€1M waived fees — a third-party aggregator (StartupPerks, checked ~2026-08-27) notes a \"measured 5x expansion\" added on 2026-08-27, implying the tiers were previously much smaller (pre-expansion amounts not stated on the official page, so treat as unconfirmed). (2) The €1,000 new-customer promo exists in Mollie's campaign T&Cs with no stated end date; whether it is still being actively issued to new signups is unconfirmed (page live today, no calendar dates). (3) Mollie's general campaign terms state offers are \"subject to change, withdrawal or cancellation at any time\". No education/student program existed in 2025–2026 to sunset. Key facts verified today on official pages: no monthly fees / no lock-in, 35+ payment methods included, POS \"Pay as you go\" at €0/month, and test API keys free with no card required." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Mollie account / pay-as-you-go free tier (no monthly fees, free test API keys)", "link": "https://www.mollie.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "mongodb atlas free tier", "name": "MongoDB Atlas Free Tier", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.mongodb.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free forever M0 cluster: 512 MB storage, shared vCPU/RAM, up to 100 ops/s, free egress; no backups, single node" ], "notes": [ "M2 paid tier starts $9/mo for 2 GB. Verified on live pricing page (2026 copyright)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Atlas Free tier (\"Free cluster\", formerly M0)", "detail": "Free-forever managed cluster: $0/hour. 512 MB (0.5 GB) storage, shared vCPU/RAM, up to 100 ops/s (reads+writes combined), 500 max connections, 100 databases / 500 collections, 32 MB sort-in-memory, 50-stage aggregation pipelines, no temp-file-to-disk (allowDiskUse ignored). Egress: not billed, but capped at 10 GB in + 10 GB out per rolling 7-day window, with throttling + 1s cooldown when exceeded. Fixed 3-node replica set, no sharding, no private endpoints/VPC peering, no server-side JS, MongoDB 8.0 only (auto-upgrade, no manual version choice), deployable only in a subset of AWS/GCP/Azure regions. One Free cluster per project (more only via sales contract). Free cluster never expires; auto-paused after 30 days of zero-connection inactivity and may be deactivated under ToS; can be resumed unless pinned to an un-restorable old version. Auth limited to SCRAM, X.509, AWS IAM. Corrections to 'known so far': it is a 3-node replica set, not single-node; docs say daily-snapshot backups CAN be enabled on Free clusters (retains up to 4 snapshots) even though the pricing-page FAQ claims backups unavailable on Free.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone: free Atlas account, no .edu, no age/region gating stated. No credit card or payment method is documented as required for Free clusters (official pages are silent; sign-up flow does not state a card requirement).", "claim": "Create a free account at mongodb.com/cloud/atlas/register -> create cluster choosing the Free tier -> add a database user and your IP address (or use `atlas setup` CLI). No payment step.", "expiry": "Never expires. Paused after 30 days of zero-connection inactivity (resume anytime); long-idle clusters may be deactivated per ToS, so export data before long inactivity.", "gotchas": "Free egress is capped (10 GB out per rolling 7 days), not unlimited; ops throttled at 100 ops/s; no continuous/hourly backups (docs: daily snapshot, 4-snapshot retention; pricing FAQ says no backups at all - contradictory sources); no private endpoints; fixed MongoDB 8.0; no log download, no Performance Advisor; one Free cluster per project; Atlas Charts on Free clusters is limited (dashboard auto-refresh every 4h, one scheduled report per project per week, since the 2 Jun 2025 pricing change).", "source_url": "https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/reference/free-shared-limitations/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "General trial credits / free trial for new users", "detail": "No general free-trial or trial-credit offer found for ordinary new users. The official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22) lists only: the free-forever Free tier, MongoDB for Startups credits, MongoDB for Educators ($500), and the GitHub Student Developer Pack ($50). No dollar-amount trial with a time limit is offered; the Free tier itself is the perpetual on-ramp.", "eligibility": "n/a (no offer found).", "claim": "n/a - no claim path because no general trial/credit offer exists on official pages.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Don't confuse with the startup/educator/student credit programs (separate findings). Historically Atlas had promotional trials that are no longer advertised; absence verified on the current official pricing page.", "source_url": "https://www.mongodb.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "MongoDB for Startups program", "detail": "Atlas credits in four tiers - Inspire (bootstrapped, 'baseline credits'), Grow (early-funded, 'expanded credits'), Innovate (VC-backed, 'additional credits'), Scale (rapidly scaling, 'maximum credits') - plus Voyage AI tokens (embedding/reranker), 1:1 expert sessions, and a Developer Support plan that is free for 30 days then $49/month (chargeable against credits). Exact credit dollar amounts are NOT published; they are disclosed in the acceptance email/promo code. Credits have a 12-month activation window from issuance, then must be used within 12 months of activation; they apply to future charges only; extensions case-by-case (contact startups@mongodb.com with >=3 months remaining; check balance/expiry at account.mongodb.com -> Billing -> Available Credits).", "eligibility": "Company <7 years old; funding stage Series A or earlier (form allows up to 'Series B or higher', mapped to Scale tier); single software product/service; development shops and agencies explicitly excluded; first-time applicants only; active company website and LinkedIn profile; company email. No revenue cap stated.", "claim": "Apply via the form on mongodb.com/startups, or get referred by your VC/accelerator/incubator. On acceptance: receive unique promo code by email -> log in at account.mongodb.com -> Billing -> 'Apply Code' -> enter Activation Code (must be Organization Owner or Organization Billing Admin). If no response in 5 business days, email startups@mongodb.com.", "expiry": "12 months to activate after issuance, then 12 months to use; extension possible case-by-case.", "gotchas": "Amounts undisclosed until acceptance; credits do not cover retroactive usage; Developer Support costs $49/month after the free 30 days; one-time participation only; eligibility screening uses Pitchbook valuation data (Dec 2025 footnote).", "source_url": "https://www.mongodb.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MongoDB for Students (via GitHub Student Developer Pack)", "detail": "$50 in MongoDB Atlas credits, free MongoDB certifications valued at $150 via MongoDB University, access to MongoDB Compass, and a student community-forum support link. Distributed through the GitHub Student Developer Pack (listed under 'Infrastructure & APIs' on education.github.com/pack).", "eligibility": "Must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in a degree- or diploma-granting program with a verifiable school email or documentation (per the MongoDB pricing-page card); eligibility is verified through GitHub's student-pack process (.edu email or other proof).", "claim": "Sign in to the GitHub Student Developer Pack (github.com/education), claim the MongoDB voucher -> redeem the code in your MongoDB account to receive the $50 Atlas credit and University certification access. No credit card needed for the credit itself.", "expiry": "No explicit credit-expiry stated on either official page; treat as subject to MongoDB's standard credit terms.", "gotchas": "$50 is modest next to the free-forever M0 tier; certification value is a nominal $150 marketing figure; pack access requires GitHub student verification, which can fail with expired .edu accounts. The MongoDB-owned landing pages (mongodb.com/mongodb-for-students, /learn/education/students/licenses/) are 404 - the offer now lives only in the pricing page and the GitHub pack.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MongoDB for Educators", "detail": "$500 in free MongoDB Atlas credits, free MongoDB certifications valued at $150, plus access to educator community forums and events. Announced on the official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22) and on learn.mongodb.com/educators/ (page is JS-rendered; specifics could not be machine-read, so sub-details below are lower confidence).", "eligibility": "Intended for educators (instructors/faculty teaching MongoDB or using it in courses); the exact eligibility definition (K-12 vs higher-ed, required affiliation) could not be confirmed from official text today.", "claim": "Apply through the MongoDB University educators page (learn.mongodb.com/educators/); upon approval receive the $500 Atlas credit and free certification via your MongoDB account.", "expiry": "No credit-expiry dates published on the pages fetched; subject to standard credit terms.", "gotchas": "Landing page is JS-rendered so limits/eligibility should be confirmed by hand before relying on them; $500 credit is for Atlas (managed), not for self-hosted server licenses.", "source_url": "https://www.mongodb.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes found: (1) Feb 2025 - Atlas Flex tier ($8 base, capped ~$30/mo, 5 GB, burst up to 500 ops/s) launched and replaced the older Atlas Serverless and Shared tiers, which are gone; the Free tier was kept 'free forever'. (2) The 'M0' tier is now officially called the 'Free' cluster in docs and UI; docs pin Free clusters to MongoDB 8.0 with no manual version upgrades. (3) Idle Free clusters auto-pause after 30 days of zero-connection inactivity (a Mar 2025 community post cites a 60-day window, so the pause window was tightened to 30 days) and may be deactivated per ToS - a material change for 'free forever' expectations. (4) 2 Jun 2025 - Atlas Charts pricing change: M0 clusters got a restricted free Charts tier (dashboard auto-refresh every 4 hours, one scheduled report/project/week). (5) Legacy student/educator self-hosted license pages (e.g. learn.mongodb.com/.../students/licenses, mongodb.com/education which now 308-redirects to MongoDB University) are gone/redirected - the classic 'student license' free self-managed server offer appears sunset; student value is now delivered through the GitHub Student Developer Pack ($50 Atlas credits + $150 certifications) plus MongoDB University. (6) Backup availability on Free clusters is now documented (daily snapshot, up to 4 retained) despite the pricing-page FAQ still saying 'backups not available for the Free tier' - treat the FAQ as stale and verify in the console." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Atlas Free tier (\"Free cluster\", formerly M0)", "link": "https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/reference/free-shared-limitations/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "moov", "name": "Moov", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.moov.io/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "No genuine free tier: standard plan is pay-as-you-go with a $500 monthly minimum (Interchange++ + 0.60% + 15c card; ACH same-day 40c; wallet 50c/mo); free test/sandbox environment and free payment links on standard." ], "notes": [ "Include for completeness of the seed list, but flag it is NOT free-for-all — the $500/month minimum disqualifies it as a free/dev-tier offer. US consumer/enterprise payments & wallets; custom plan for high volume." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free test mode / sandbox (fake money)", "detail": "Moov gives every new account a free test environment: sign up and you start in test mode with pre-loaded sample account and business data; requested capabilities are auto-marked verified (no real KYC/KYB checks); transfers automatically complete; micro-deposit bank verification is simulated (enter $0.00 to succeed). No published transaction-count cap, no time limit, no credit card needed to sign up or build. Only fake money moves — real-money movement requires contacting Moov to pass verification and select a fee plan (standard plan: $500 monthly minimum, Interchange++ + 0.60% + 15c card, ACH same-day 40c, wallet 50c/mo — confirming the known baseline as of today).", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up at dashboard.moov.io; no .edu email, no startup-age or funding cap, no credit card. Platform is US-centric (US ACH, TCH RTP, FedNow, card rails).", "claim": "1) Create a Moov account (sign up) -> 2) you land in test mode with sample data pre-loaded -> 3) create a test-mode API key (named for test/CI use) and develop against the API/SDK in a no-risk environment -> 4) to move real money, contact Moov to complete verification and choose a fee plan.", "expiry": "No stated expiry or renewal for test mode; no published data-retention limit. Test mode becomes moot once you move to production (a separate verified account).", "gotchas": "No live money movement in test mode — it is a dev sandbox, not a free production tier. $0 spend does not survive production: standard pricing starts at a $500 monthly minimum. Test-mode feature set lags (e.g., 'simulated failed or reversed transfers' was still 'coming soon' per the 2021 launch post). API 'latest' version is deprecated; pin v2026.07.00. Free ACH micro-deposits are free even in production, but instant bank validation is 75c/attempt and third-party bank validation $1.50/attempt.", "source_url": "https://docs.moov.io/guides/get-started/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Payment links / branded receipts / transaction monitoring fees waived", "detail": "On the pricing page, payment links, branded receipts, and transaction monitoring are marked 'Included' but the fine print says 'Waived for accounts with standard pricing' — i.e., the fees are waived only for accounts already on the $500/month-minimum standard plan. This is a fee waiver inside a paid plan, NOT a standalone free offer, and is not targeted at students or startups.", "eligibility": "Accounts on Moov's standard pricing plan (pay-as-you-go, $500 monthly minimum) only. No student or startup-specific eligibility; no .edu requirement.", "claim": "Nothing to claim separately: sign up, move to production, and select the standard fee plan; payment-link and receipt fees are then waived.", "expiry": "Recurring with the standard plan; waiver lasts as long as the account is on standard pricing.", "gotchas": "Do not mistake 'free payment links' for a free plan — the waiver is relative to a paid $500/mo minimum. Same-day ACH (40c), wallet (50c/mo) and card (Interchange++ + 0.60% + 15c) fees still apply on top of the minimum.", "source_url": "https://www.moov.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free test mode / sandbox (fake money)", "link": "https://docs.moov.io/guides/get-started/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "n8n", "name": "n8n", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://n8n.io/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Self-hosted Community Edition is free with unlimited workflow executions; n8n Cloud free 14-day trial (1,000 executions, no card); Start-up Plan gives 50% off Business for companies under 20 employees" ], "notes": [ "Aug 2025 repricing removed active-workflow limits from all plans; paid cloud from 20€/mo (2,500 executions, 5 concurrent); Community edition is source-available (Sustainable Use License), not OSI open source. Cloud trial expunges data if not upgraded." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted Community Edition (free, unlimited executions)", "detail": "Permanently free self-hosted edition with unlimited workflow executions, unlimited users and workflows, all integrations. Page states: 'A standard, self-hosted version of n8n is available on GitHub.' No execution cap, user cap, or feature restriction is listed. For the AI Assistant, self-hosters bring their own model API keys (BYOK), so no credit limits apply. You only pay for your own server/infra. Not student-specific — available to everyone.", "eligibility": "No eligibility criteria; anyone can self-host. No .edu, age, funding, or region requirements. Not a student or startup-specific offer.", "claim": "Download n8n Community Edition from GitHub/npm/Docker and self-host on your own infrastructure — no signup, license, or application needed; free access is automatic. No card required.", "expiry": "None — perpetual free offering. No sunset announced.", "gotchas": "You bear all hosting costs (VPS/cloud), updates, security, and maintenance. Enterprise/SSO, Git version control, multiple environments, queue-mode scaling, and extended data retention are Business/Enterprise features, NOT included in Community. No official support (community forum only). Trial-vs-free gotcha: this is the only genuinely free+unlimited tier — the cloud tier has no permanent free plan.", "source_url": "https://n8n.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "n8n Cloud free trial (no credit card, 1,000 executions)", "detail": "Free n8n Cloud trial with no credit card required: page states 'No credit card is required for the n8n Cloud trial.' Included: 1,000 workflow executions, 5 concurrent executions, 180-second execution timeout, 1 team project, Pro-level features (Global Variables, Insights dashboard with 14-day history, 5-day workflow history, advanced execution filters, unlimited evaluations, folders, Assistant), plus 800 Assistant credits + 100 AI credits. Excluded: Admin Roles, project Editor role, Named Versions, Workflow Diffs, and the n8n public API. No permanent free cloud plan exists — Starter is 20€/mo (billed annually) after the trial.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone creating an n8n Cloud account; no student/.edu requirement, no funding caps. No card required at start.", "claim": "Start the trial from the n8n Cloud sign-up (app.n8n.cloud) without entering a credit card; pick up any paid Starter/Pro plan when the trial ends. No application or .edu needed.", "expiry": "Credits expire when the trial ends. Trial duration: the official page does not state an explicit day-count for the Cloud trial (the 14-day figure is stated only for the Business-plan trial); widely cited as 14 days — not explicitly confirmed on the page today. Downgrade/loss-of-data behavior after lapse not stated on the page.", "gotchas": "Trial limits (1,000 executions, 5 concurrent, 1 project) are much smaller than the paid Starter tier (2,500 executions). Assistant/AI credits are one-time and expire at trial end. After the trial you either pay (Starter 20€/mo annual, 24€ monthly) or your workflows stop running on n8n's infrastructure — you can export workflows but hosted runs are not carried to Community. Card NOT required for Cloud trial (contrast: Business trial DOES require a card).", "source_url": "https://n8n.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Business plan 14-day trial (credit card required)", "detail": "Separate 14-day trial: 'full access to all Business features for 14 days.' Business plan is normally 667€/mo (billed annually; 800€/mo monthly), 40,000 executions, queue mode. This trial is for the Business tier (self-hosted-oriented features such as SSO/SAML/LDAP, admin roles, version control, environments).", "eligibility": "Anyone; credit card IS required (unlike the Starter/Pro Cloud trial).", "claim": "Sign up for the 14-day Business plan trial from n8n Cloud, with credit card on file.", "expiry": "14 days, then converts to the paid Business plan (self-hosted) or as n8n defines at checkout.", "gotchas": "Credit card required — risk of auto-conversion to a 667€/mo+ annual plan if you forget to cancel. Business plan is self-hosted only; 'Hosted by n8n?' is offered as a waitlist, so the hosted version of Business is not generally available. This is NOT free to keep — it is a time-boxed trial of a paid plan.", "source_url": "https://n8n.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "n8n Start-up Plan (50% off Business, self-hosted)", "detail": "50% off the Business plan: 333€/mo billed annually (vs 667€/mo standard annual), for 40,000 workflow executions with unlimited steps. Includes 6 shared projects, SSO/SAML/LDAP, admin roles, version control (Git), multiple environments, queue-mode scaling options, global variables, 30 days of insights, forum support. Page FAQ states eligibility: 'Fewer than 20 employees', 'Less than €5M in total funding'. Duration: 'You can use the startup discounted plan for one year, or longer if you still meet the requirements.'", "eligibility": "Startup-specific: fewer than 20 employees AND less than €5M in total funding. No explicit company-age or 'early-stage' date cap stated on the official page. No .edu. No region limits stated. Vendor reviews/approves the application. NOT free — it is a 50% discount on a paid license.", "claim": "Check criteria (fewer than 20 employees, less than €5M total funding) → apply via the start-up offer link on n8n.io/pricing/startup-plan → subscribe → n8n generates a license key for your instance → enter the key in your instance's Settings to activate all Business-plan features.", "expiry": "Discount lasts one year and renews automatically for further periods only while the startup still meets the <20-employee and <€5M-funding criteria. Cancellation: Settings → Usage and plan → Manage Plan (Business plan section, not Start-up plan section). Monthly billing also available; 'cancel anytime on your monthly subscription.'", "gotchas": "Not free — still 333€/mo (~4,000€/yr) and does NOT include hosting: 'The Business plan is currently available only for self-hosted deployments.' You pay your own infra, ops, and backups. Discount applies to license only. If funding crosses €5M or headcount crosses 20, the discount cannot be renewed. Self-hosted-only, so no cloud-hosted startup tier exists. For small projects, the 20€/mo Starter cloud plan may be cheaper than discounted Business even though Business has more features.", "source_url": "https://n8n.io/pricing/startup-plan/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "n8n Academy — free courses & certification (no .edu, open to all)", "detail": "n8n has NO education license, academic pricing, or student discount for the product. Its 'Education' footer link goes to the n8n Academy: 'Every course is free for everyone' — structured courses (Foundations program: n8n101, n8n102, n8n103 + quickstart), workflow templates, and docs. Free completion certificate + verifiable badge; finishing all Foundations courses yields a program certificate. A certification exam badge 'stays valid for two years' (exam itself is 'coming soon'). Self-paced, no enrollment windows.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone — no .edu email, no student verification, no region gate. Not a student-only offer and does not grant product access or discounts; it is free training/certification content.", "claim": "Register at learn.n8n.io (free, no .edu or institution check), complete courses n8n101/102/103 + QS101 to earn the Foundations program certificate and verifiable badges; a timed certification exam is 'coming soon.'", "expiry": "Courses are free with no stated end date. Certification badge validity: 2 years (once the exam ships).", "gotchas": "Frequently confused with an education license: the Academy provides free learning, NOT a free or discounted n8n product license. Students still need the free Community Edition (self-hosted) or the cloud trial for the actual product. Badges/certificates are learning credentials, not workflow-execution entitlements.", "source_url": "https://n8n.io/education/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22: no student/education product license or .edu-gated offer exists for n8n — only free open-access Academy courses (a learning platform, not a discount), the free unlimited self-hosted Community Edition, the card-free Cloud trial, and the paid 50% start-up discount. No permanent free cloud tier: cloud plans are paid (Starter 20€/mo annual, Pro 50€/mo annual; monthly 24€/60€ per Sept 2026 sources) and a free 14-day Business trial exists with card. Start-up Plan terms are current and unchanged (50% off, <20 employees, <€5M funding, 1-year renewable, self-hosted-only Business); the pricing page now shows Business 'Hosted by n8n?' as waitlist/self-hosted-only, so no hosted startup tier. The Cloud trial (1,000 executions, no card) is a trial, not a free tier — the known '14-day trial' duration is stated on the page only for the Business plan, not explicitly for the Starter/Pro Cloud trial. No 2025–2026 sunset of the Community Edition or start-up discount found; the main caveat everywhere is that 'free n8n' means self-hosting with self-paid infrastructure. Sources verified on official pages today: https://n8n.io/pricing/ , https://n8n.io/pricing/startup-plan/ , https://n8n.io/education/ . Corroborating third parties: CloudZero n8n pricing (Sept 2026), Opsily, SubDiscounts (verified 2026-10-15), SaaS Deal Radar (checked 2026-10-19), PerkBook. Note: WebSearch session budget was exhausted mid-task, so later verification relied on official pages fetched via WebFetch plus earlier search snippets rather than fresh searches." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted Community Edition (free, unlimited executions)", "link": "https://n8n.io/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "neon free plan", "name": "Neon Free Plan", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://neon.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: 100 projects, 10 branches/project, 100 CU-hrs compute/project (max 2 CU), 1 GB storage/project (20 GB account), 5 GB egress/project, auto-pause after 5 min" ], "notes": [ "Neon acquired by Databricks (announced May 2025; page now brands it 'Neon from Databricks'). Free plan limits expanded (100 projects, 20 GB total) vs the old 0.5 GB cap — verified 2026-10." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Neon Free plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "Verified on neon.com/pricing + FAQ today. $0/month, permanent (explicitly 'not a trial'). 100 projects/org; 10 branches/project (extra branches not available on Free); 100 CU-hours compute per project/month; autoscaling capped at 2 CU (8 GB RAM); auto-pause/scale-to-zero after 5 min inactivity (cannot be disabled on Free; suspended compute = $0); 1 GB Postgres storage per project with a 20 GB account-wide cap; 5 GB public egress per project; 6-hour instant-restore history capped at 1 GB of changes; 1 manual snapshot/project; Managed Better Auth up to 60k MAU/project; Object Storage 5 GB/project (free in beta); Functions 10 active + 400 waiting capacity-hours and 1M invocations per project; monitoring retention 1 day; unlimited org members; community support only. CU-hours and egress reset monthly; storage/branch/project counts are continuous. Hitting limits suspends compute or blocks writes — data is never deleted and there is no overage billing on Free. Suspended computes still count against storage.", "eligibility": "Anyone, no credit card required (official pricing docs: 'The Free plan is permanent (not a trial); no credit card required'), no .edu email or company status needed. No region limits stated on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at console.neon.tech (neon.com signup); Free plan is default — no activation steps. Included backend primitives (auth, object storage, functions) also come automatically with each project.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal needed; it is a permanent free tier. Invoices under $0.50 are not collected (paid side).", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with paid plans: Launch starts at $0.106/CU-hour, Scale at $0.222/CU-hour, storage $0.35/GB-month on paid. Hitting the 100 CU-hour or 5 GB egress cap suspends that project's compute for the month. The stale pricing.md mirror still says 0.5 GB/project — current limit is 1 GB/project since Oct 2, 2026. No instant-restore, no scheduled snapshots, no IP allow rules, no HIPAA/SOC2/SLA on Free.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "$20 trial credits (paid-features trial)", "detail": "The official pricing page offers 'Claim $20 in free credits to try paid features' via a console promo link. $20 of prepaid value usable against paid-plan usage (Launch/Scale rates). Exact terms (credit-card requirement, credit expiry, one-time vs repeatable) are not documented on the pages fetched today.", "eligibility": "Not stated on official pages; presented as a general trial-credits claim (console promo code 'beepboop'). No edu/startup requirement indicated.", "claim": "1) Go to https://console.neon.tech/app/?promo=beepboop (linked from neon.com/pricing). 2) Sign in / create account. 3) $20 credits applied to try paid features.", "expiry": "Not stated on official pages today.", "gotchas": "Trial credits are NOT the permanent free tier — once the $20 is exhausted, standard usage-based billing applies to whatever plan is selected. Confirm CC requirements and credit expiry before claiming; unverified as of today's fetch.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Neon/Databricks Startup Program", "detail": "Verified on neon.com/startups today. Two tracks: Self-funded — up to $1,000 in Neon credits; Venture-backed — up to $200K in combined Neon + Databricks credits (hero banner says 'up to $200K in credits'). Credits valid 12 months from date of acceptance. Note a marketing discrepancy: the pricing page's 'Special programs' section still says 'up to $100k in credits', while the dedicated startup page details $1K / $200K. Application is now routed through a Databricks form (Neon is 'part of the Databricks Platform').", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups. Self-funded track: less than $1M in funding, early-stage product/MVP, no investors required. Venture-backed track: VC-backed with at least $1M in funding, or participation in a recognized accelerator (Y Combinator cited). No stated caps on company age beyond 'early-stage', revenue, headcount, or geographic region.", "claim": "1) Submit the application at neon.com/startups (Databricks application form, 'Apply Now'). 2) Reviews take a few business days. 3) If qualified, credits are applied directly to your account. Alternative: 'apply or ask your investor' / name an accelerator (e.g. YC) in the investor field.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from acceptance; no renewal mechanism described. After credits lapse or are exhausted, normal plan billing applies.", "gotchas": "Not automatic — application-based with review. Billing is set up so usage beyond the credits is billed normally (a payment method will likely be needed once credits run out, though the page does not state a CC requirement up front). The '$100k' figure on the pricing page is stale marketing copy versus the page's own $1K/$200K structure. Databricks credits in the VC track may be constrained by Databricks' own program terms.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Claimable Neon (agent-provisioned no-signup projects)", "detail": "Verified on neon.com/claimable-neon today. A coding agent can spin up a real Neon project before a human signs up: 'No account or payment details required.' Includes a temporary Lakebase Postgres database; optional Data API and Managed Better Auth (both stay enabled after claim). Unclaimed projects are capped at 100 MB storage and 1 GB transfer and expire in 72 hours. Provision via scoped agent credentials (auth.md/WorkOS flow, CLI, neon.ts), then a short-lived claim link (claimable.neon.tech/claim?user_code=...) transfers the project into the human's Neon org, establishing ownership with team access.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no account, no credit card, no sign-up required for the agent-provisioned phase; to claim into an account you need (or create) a Neon org, where the Free plan applies.", "claim": "1) Provision: agent creates project + scoped credentials via GET https://neon.com/auth.md then POST to claimable.neon.tech. 2) Build: agent works against the live DB. 3) Claim: use the claim link to transfer the project into your org.", "expiry": "Unclaimed projects expire after 72 hours (100 MB/1 GB caps until claimed). After claiming, the project lives under your normal plan (Free tier limits if on Free) with no expiry.", "gotchas": "The 72-hour 100 MB cap makes it unsuitable for any sustained workload — it is an on-ramp, not a free tier. After claiming, Free-plan quotas (1 GB storage/project, 100 CU-hrs, 5 GB egress) govern. Data built in the 72h window survives claim; an abandoned project is deleted at expiry.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/claimable-neon", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student/education-specific program found", "detail": "No Neon student or education license offer exists on the official site as of today: neon.com/education resolves to the generic product page (no program), the pricing page lists only Agent Plan, Startup Program and Open Source Program among special programs, and no .edu-email-verified offer or education pricing appears in the FAQ or 2025-2026 changelog entries. Students get the same permanent Free plan as anyone else (no CC, no limits on who signs up). (Out of scope but adjacent: an Open Source sponsorship program exists at neon.com/programs/open-source.md for maintainers, and an 'Agent Plan' for app-generation platforms.)", "eligibility": "N/A — no distinct student offer; standard Free plan eligibility (anyone).", "claim": "Students: sign up for the Free plan normally; no .edu email required or requested by Neon's published materials.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with generic Databricks-for-education programs (e.g. Databricks education/community tiers), which are not surfaced on Neon's site. Search budget for further confirmation was exhausted this session; if an education program exists, it is not referenced from Neon's pricing/startup/claimable pages.", "source_url": "https://neon.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes (all from official changelogs/blogs): (1) Aug 15, 2025 — major pricing overhaul to usage-based paid plans with a then-$5/month minimum; Free plan storage moved from 0.5 GB total to 0.5 GB PER project; the $5 minimum was later removed (Dec 12, 2025, 'purely usage-based'). (2) Nov 7, 2025 — Free plan projects raised 20 -> 30; compute prices cut (Launch $0.14->$0.106/CU-hr, Scale $0.26->$0.222). (3) Nov 21, 2025 — Free plan projects 30 -> 50. (4) Dec 12, 2025 — Free plan projects raised to 70/80; branchable Neon Auth (Better Auth) added to all plans including Free. (5) Mar 6, 2026 — unlimited org members on Free plan. (6) Oct 2, 2026 — Free plan storage doubled 0.5 GB -> 1 GB per project (now 20 GB account-wide cap) and project count -> 100. (7) Neon is now a Databricks company: pages read 'part of the Databricks Platform / Built around Lakebase Postgres, by Databricks'; the startup program is applied for via a Databricks form and its VC track pays combined Neon + Databricks credits. Nothing was sunset: no free offer was closed in 2025-2026, only expanded. Watch item: the marketing 'up to $100k in credits' on the pricing page no longer matches the startup page's $1K self-funded / $200K VC-backed structure — likely stale copy." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Neon Free plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://neon.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "netlify", "name": "Netlify", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://netlify.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo: 300 credits/mo (~15 GB bandwidth at 20 cr/GB, or ~20 production deploys), unlimited deploy previews, functions + edge functions, no card" ], "notes": [ "Sep 4, 2025: new accounts on credit-based plans; Free hard limit = 300 credits/mo and projects PAUSE when exhausted. Legacy Free was 100 GB + 300 build min. Personal $9/mo; Pro $20/mo (unlimited seats). No container option; serverless only." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Netlify Free plan (credit-based, current default)", "detail": "$0/month with a hard 300-credit monthly limit. Confirmed on the official pricing page and docs today: 300 credits/mo, 'You'll never be charged for the Free plan', hard limit means no auto-recharge and no credit packs. At current credit rates (bandwidth 20 cr/GB, production deploys 15 cr each, compute 10 cr/GB-hr, web requests 2 cr/10k) this is ~15GB bandwidth OR ~20 production deploys per month. Includes: unlimited deploy previews, Functions + Edge Functions, AI models, Netlify Database, Blob storage, global CDN, custom domains with SSL, 1 concurrent build, 1-day observability/analytics retention. Sign up on the Free plan for a new account (all new accounts default to credit-based plans as of 9 Sep 2025).", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (individual audience). No .edu email, no startup age/funding requirement, no referral. Global. No credit card required to sign up or use — the hard credit limit means there is no billing mechanism and no auto-recharge/add-on purchase path on this tier. New accounts can start on Free without payment details.", "claim": "Sign up at app.netlify.com / netlify.com and select the Free plan, then deploy from Git, AI, or API. No card, no application. Just create an account and push a site.", "expiry": "Credits reset monthly; the $0 tier is ongoing (no sunset). If a project exceeds 300 credits it pauses until the next billing cycle instead of charging.", "gotchas": "Credit-based, NOT the legacy 100GB/300-build-minute metered plan — do not compare by bandwidth. Unused credits do not roll over. Only 1 concurrent build and 1-day observability retention. Credits-out = project paused (not billed). AI inference is metered separately ('varies by model') and can burn credits faster than static hosting.", "source_url": "https://www.netlify.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Netlify Open Source plan", "detail": "Free plan for qualifying open-source projects: 10,000 credits/month, free production deploys, deploy previews on every PR, unlimited team members, and sites stay live even if credits run out (extra credits at Pro rates if needed). This is a genuinely free offer distinct from the 300-credit Free tier.", "eligibility": "Project-based, not student/startup-specific. Requirements: OSI-approved (or Creative Commons with attribution/public-domain) license, a Code of Conduct in the repo, a visible 'This site is powered by Netlify' link/badge, and the project must be non-commercial. Commercial projects excluded. No .edu or funding requirement; open to any qualifying OSS project (docs sites, changelogs, issue trackers, team blogs).", "claim": "Apply via the Open Source application form (opensource-form.netlify.com, linked from the open-source page/policy). Netlify reviews the repo (license, CoC, activity) and provisions the plan; approval can take days to a week.", "expiry": "Ongoing; renews monthly. Netlify will downgrade (with notice) if the project no longer meets the criteria or the Netlify link is missing.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial only — even commercial support/hosting disqualifies. Requires the backlink. It applies to the project/repo, not to individual maintainers. (Secondary source corroborates 10,000 cr/mo confirmed against the policy page.)", "source_url": "https://www.netlify.com/open-source/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Netlify for Startups (VC-backed program)", "detail": "Discounted pricing — NOT a free-credit or free-tier offer. Eligible startups receive a discount on Netlify (including AI Gateway and Agent Runners), shared only on approval. It is referral-only: you enter through an accelerator, investor, or partner that works with Netlify.", "eligibility": "VC-backed portfolio companies of Netlify's approved venture partners. Referral only — apply through that partner (accelerator/investor), not a self-serve form. Not available to bootstrapped/non-VC startups, and not .edu-based.", "claim": "Ask your VC/accelerator whether they are an approved Netlify partner, then apply through that partner. There is no public self-serve application (the official /startups/ URL currently 404s; details come from a third-party directory).", "expiry": "Ongoing, shared on approval; no fixed stated expiry.", "gotchas": "It is a discount, not free hosting/credits — do not list it alongside the free tier as a 'free' offer. Requires VC backing and a partner referral. Official page not retrievable today (404), so terms were read from a third-party directory (last checked 11 Oct 2026); verify directly with your investor before relying on specific numbers.", "source_url": "https://innovarastudios.com/discounts/netlify-for-startups", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Netlify Creator Program (earn free Pro)", "detail": "Secondary reward program, not a student/startup free tier: publish educational blog post or video about Netlify (topics: shipping with AI, Netlify platform, everyone-is-a-developer). Reward per published piece: 3 months of Netlify Pro (at $20/mo value) plus Netlify credits/resources at onboarding and a swag pack.", "eligibility": "Content creators who produce original, ready-to-publish, educational content on Netlify. Not gated on .edu or startup status; new and returning creators welcome. Content must be original and not fully AI-generated.", "claim": "Fill in the application form on the Creator Program page (topic, format, audience, links to past work). Editorial team reviews; ~3 weeks pitch-to-publication; accept → onboard → create → publish → receive 3 months of Pro.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Rewards are per published piece, so recurring but requires new content each time. 3 months of Pro is a time-boxed grant, not a permanent free tier. This is a creator incentive, not a student or startup license.", "source_url": "https://www.netlify.com/creator-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No dedicated student / education license (and no trial credits)", "detail": "Netlify has no separate education plan, student discount, .edu-verified license, or one-time trial-credit offer. Netlify support staff have repeatedly stated there is no educational plan; students are directed to the self-serve Free plan or the Open Source plan (for open repos). No .edu requirement anywhere — access is via the universal Free plan.", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no such offer exists.", "claim": "No claim mechanism; there is nothing to apply for. Students simply use the $0 Free plan (300 cr/mo, no card) or, for open-source coursework repos, the Open Source plan.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://answers.netlify.com/t/educational-plan/112902", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Big 2025-2026 change: the old usage-metered Free/Starter plan (100GB bandwidth, 300 build minutes, 125,000 function invocations, 1M edge invocations, 10GB storage, no card) is now a LEGACY plan. From 4 Sep 2025 all NEW accounts use credit-based plans (Free = 300 cr/mo). Existing legacy accounts keep their old plan but may switch to credit-based (irreversible). So the 'known' free tier was restructured from metered (100GB) to credit-based (300 credits ≈ ~15GB or ~20 deploys). Other timeline: 1 Oct 2025 credit-pack rebalance (Personal 500cr/$5, Pro 1500cr/$10; Pro monthly cut 5000→3000 credits); 17 Apr 2026 Pro = unlimited seats, form submissions made free on all credit plans, meter rates changed (bandwidth 10→20 cr/GB, compute 5→10 cr/GB-hr, web requests 3→2 cr/10k). No student/education program was launched or sunset; one never existed. Startup program is a VC-backed discount (referral-only) and is not a free-credit offer; its official /startups/ page returned 404 today, so specifics come from a third-party directory." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Netlify Free plan (credit-based, current default)", "link": "https://www.netlify.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "new relic free tier", "name": "New Relic Free Tier", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://newrelic.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Perpetual free tier: 100 GB data ingest/month, 1 full-platform user, unlimited basic users, 500 synthetic checks; no credit card, no expiry" ], "notes": [ "Genuinely permanent (not a trial) — strong for solo devs/small teams; ingest bills $0.40/GB above 100GB. 50+ capabilities included." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Perpetual Free Tier (all accounts; no .edu or startup requirement)", "detail": "Free forever plan verified on newrelic.com/pricing as of 2026-10-22: 100 GB data ingest/month (account-wide, not per user), 1 full-platform user with access to all 50+ platform capabilities (APM with distributed tracing, infrastructure monitoring, error tracking, digital experience monitoring), unlimited basic users (view custom non-quickstart dashboards, query, alert), 500 synthetic checks/month, unlimited hosts/agents/containers/devices/AWS Fargate tasks/cloud functions, default data retention at least 8 days, default log obfuscation. Explicitly no data egress or hydration charges. Overage: if you exceed 100 GB in a month, data ingest ceases and you lose platform access until you upgrade or the 1st of the following month (auto re-enables). Paid contrast for context: Pro full user $349/user annual or $418.80/month; Core user $49; overage $0.40/GB standard or $0.60/GB 'Data Plus' add-on; EU data-center storage +$0.05/GB/month.", "eligibility": "Anyone: no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card required ('No credit card required to start' per pricing FAQ), no stated region limits.", "claim": "1) Create a free New Relic account at newrelic.com (no credit card). 2) Free tier is active immediately with the 100 GB/mo + 1 full user + 500 synthetic checks. 3) Overage suspends ingest until the 1st or an upgrade — never billed.", "expiry": "Perpetual; no expiry date. Monthly limits reset on the 1st of each month.", "gotchas": "Exceeding 100 GB halts ingest AND platform access for the month (not a bill, but you go dark). Only 1 full-platform user is free — team collaboration relies on unlimited basic users (restricted access). The '10,000 synthetic monitors' figure that appears in a pay-as-you-go FAQ is a different (paid-edition) benefit, not the free 500 checks. No separate time-boxed free trial is advertised — the perpetual tier is the trial replacement.", "source_url": "https://newrelic.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "New Relic for Students (education program)", "detail": "Verified on newrelic.com/students as of 2026-10-22: 500 GB data ingest per month and 3 full-platform users (vs. 100 GB / 1 user on the standard free tier), plus access to 30+ platform capabilities, a monthly newsletter, exclusive certifications/workshops, potential sponsorships, and office hours with New Relic staff. Benefits are gated behind linking an education partner account.", "eligibility": "Students (and select technical-bootcamp students) at accredited colleges, universities, or technical schools; 'proof of current student status is required'. Two routes: (a) GitHub Education — students in the GitHub Student Developer Pack, verified via GitHub; (b) Platzi — open to Spanish/Portuguese-speaking learners in Latin America and beyond, but Platzi's side requires a monthly course subscription. Select bootcamps only; others email students@newrelic.com. No .edu-email-only shortcut is documented.", "claim": "1) Create a free New Relic account (no credit card). 2) Have an active account with a partner: GitHub Education (verify student status in GitHub) or Platzi. 3) GitHub path: in New Relic go to Help icon → 'New Relic for Students' → 'GitHub Education' → 'Authorize with GitHub'. Platzi/other-partner path: submit the form with your 7-digit New Relic account number; benefits land in 5–10 business days. 4) Non-eligible bootcamp students email students@newrelic.com for manual verification.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page. No renewal date, cap, or grace period is published; presumably reverts to the standard 100 GB/month free tier if student status is lost.", "gotchas": "Perks only activate after linking a partner account. Platzi route: the New Relic tier is free but Platzi itself costs a subscription. Graduating or losing student status has no documented re-enrollment or grace language — expect to drop to the base free tier. 3 full users is for 'collaborative projects' (class group work).", "source_url": "https://newrelic.com/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "New Relic for Startups program", "detail": "Verified on newrelic.com/startups as of 2026-10-22: 5 full-platform users plus 'generous data ingest per month, free' — the exact GB figure is not published on the page. Full platform 'from day one — no gating, no tool switching' (AI Monitoring, APM, Logs), explicitly 'not just bankrolled with credits'; also includes a New Relic engineer alongside launch, office hours, and quarterly architecture reviews.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups; the page itself publishes NO startup-age cap, funding cap, headcount cap, or region limit — thresholds are applied during application review. No credit-card requirement mentioned (consistent with the no-CC free signup).", "claim": "1) Submit the multi-step 'New Relic for Startups Registration' form on newrelic.com/startups. 2) 'Our team will reach out shortly, to process your application, and to confirm your place and next steps' — benefits are confirmed post-review rather than instantly granted.", "expiry": "Not disclosed on the page (no program length, renewal terms, or end date).", "gotchas": "Key numbers (monthly GB allotment, program duration, funding/age caps) are not public — the page is a marketing/registration funnel, so treat the exact benefit as 'confirmed after application'. Do not assume 100 GB: that figure on the site belongs to the standard free tier, not the startup program. If not accepted, you fall back to the perpetual free tier.", "source_url": "https://newrelic.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No New Relic free offer was sunset or materially changed in 2025-2026 per pages fetched today (2026-10-22): the perpetual free tier (100 GB/month, 1 full user, unlimited basic users, 500 synthetic checks) is still advertised on newrelic.com/pricing, the site navigation still shows '100GB/month free' / 'New Relic Free Tier', the students program (500 GB/mo, 3 users) is live at newrelic.com/students, and the startups program is live at newrelic.com/startups. No separate time-boxed 'free trial' is currently advertised — the perpetual free tier with no credit card is the entry point. Note: WebSearch could not be run this session (search budget exhausted), so 2025-2026 change-verification relied on fetching official pages and the blog index rather than searching; the blog index (Oct 2026 posts) shows no pricing/plan sunset announcements. Also: New Relic has no free CDN offer at all (CDN is not a New Relic product); the 'Uptime' front maps to the 500 free synthetic checks in the free tier. 'Observability for Good' (nonprofits) exists but is out of scope (not a student/startup program)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Perpetual Free Tier (all accounts; no .edu or startup requirement)", "link": "https://newrelic.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "nginx", "name": "Nginx", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://nginx.org/" ], "offers": [ "Nginx OSS free (2-clause BSD); F5 also offers a free annual 'Nginx Plus for Development' license (confirm current availability at F5)" ], "notes": [ "Nginx Plus/NGINX One is commercial (F5); nginx.com product pages now redirect to f5.com/products/nginx. Developer license terms not restated on that page in 2026 — verify before indexing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "NGINX Open Source - free forever (2-clause BSD)", "detail": "NGINX Open Source is free software. nginx.org says it was 'distributed under the 2-clause BSD License'. The LICENSE file (copyright 2002-2021 Igor Sysoev; 2011-2026 Nginx, Inc.) imposes no fee, registration, or usage limit. Its only conditions are that source and binary redistributions keep the copyright notice and disclaimer. nginx.org says 'Enterprise distributions, commercial support and training are available from F5, Inc.' (paid).", "eligibility": "Anyone and any organization in any region. The license has no student, startup, or company-size criteria and no sign-up step.", "claim": "Download from nginx.org or your OS package repository and deploy. No account, license key, or card is needed.", "expiry": "None. Perpetual open-source license.", "gotchas": "Open Source lacks the NGINX Plus feature set. F5 pages list Plus-only features such as advanced traffic control, active health checks, and the NGINX Plus API and dashboard. Commercial support is paid through F5 or partners.", "source_url": "https://nginx.org/;https://nginx.org/LICENSE", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NGINX One free trial (includes NGINX Plus) - 30 days", "detail": "F5's NGINX One free trial page is headed 'Try NGINX One: Free Enterprise Trial' and says 'Get your 30-day free trial started.' F5's trials hub lists NGINX Plus among the 'Trial Includes' products, along with NGINX Ingress Controller, NGINX Instance Manager, NGINX Gateway Fabric, and NGINX App Protect. A separate F5 page for NGINX Plus with NGINX App Protect says 'Try them free for 30 days.'", "eligibility": "Anyone with a MyF5 account, which is free to create. No student, startup, or company-size criteria are stated. The pages read do not mention a business email, region limits, or a credit-card requirement.", "claim": "1) Log in or register at MyF5 (account.f5.com/myf5). 2) Under My Products & Plans, select Trials. 3) Find the NGINX One free trial tile and click 'Start your trial'. 4) Download the licenses from MyF5 and use them to license the trial instance.", "expiry": "30 days. The page does not say when the clock starts or what happens when it ends.", "gotchas": "The NGINX One page has no end-of-trial terms (no statement on auto-conversion or expiry), so read the MyF5 terms before starting. NGINX Plus R33 and later require a valid JWT license. Traffic is not processed until the initial usage report reaches F5, unless enforce_initial_report is set to off, which starts a 180-day grace period. Whether trial licenses follow the same rules is not stated. Source for the JWT rules: https://docs.nginx.com/solutions/about-subscription-licenses/getting-started/", "source_url": "https://www.f5.com/trials/nginx-one;https://www.f5.com/trials;https://www.f5.com/go/product/nginx-plus-and-nginx-app-protect", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NGINXaaS for Google Cloud free trial - up to USD 100 credit, 30 days max", "detail": "F5's June 1, 2026 changelog entry 'NGINXaaS for Google now supports free trials' says the trial is sold through the Google Cloud Marketplace. The billing doc describes it as 'up to USD 100 in credits for a maximum of 30 days, whichever comes first' and says the credit is tied to 'solution provider fees'. The doc does not say whether infrastructure charges are covered.", "eligibility": "Not stated on the changelog or the billing doc. No first-time, startup, student, or card rules are listed. Sign-up is through the Google Cloud Marketplace listing.", "claim": "Open the NGINXaaS for Google Cloud listing in Google Cloud Marketplace (the changelog links console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/f5-7626-networks-public/nginxaas-google-cloud) and subscribe to the free trial.", "expiry": "Ends at 30 days or when the USD 100 credit is used up, whichever comes first.", "gotchas": "At the end of the trial you are charged under the Enterprise plan unless you stop or end the subscription. You can cancel before the trial ends. Per the billing doc's cancelation section, all active deployments move to a suspended state immediately on cancelation. The billing doc says the product has moved to 'F5 Application Delivery Service for Google Cloud', so terms may have changed. Whether Google Cloud credits can pay for NGINXaaS charges is not stated.", "source_url": "https://docs.nginx.com/nginxaas/changelog/;https://docs.nginx.com/nginxaas/google/billing/overview/#free-trial", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NGINX Plus Standard on AWS Marketplace - 30-day free trial, then hourly billing", "detail": "AWS Marketplace listings sold by NGINX, Inc. say 'Try this product free for 30 days according to the free trial terms set by the vendor.' The Amazon Linux 2023 listing (prodview-wp322f6mkwxbo) was read directly. The RHEL 10 listing (prodview-hrntvqzgmpu4i) shows the same 30-day trial in search results only. After the trial, hourly software charges apply. Every visible rate row (10 of 516 entries) is $0.50 per hour, for example c5.large and t3.micro. Standard support is business hours (9am-5pm customer time zone) by email and phone, with a 30-minute SLA for urgent Severity 1 issues.", "eligibility": "Any AWS account that can subscribe to Marketplace software. The listing states no student or startup criteria and does not describe payment-method rules.", "claim": "Subscribe to the NGINX Plus listing in AWS Marketplace and launch the AMI on EC2. The trial covers the software charge, and AWS bills EC2 separately. Cancel before the trial ends to avoid conversion.", "expiry": "30-day trial. The listing text read does not state the exact start point.", "gotchas": "The listing says the trial 'gets automatically converted to a paid subscription when the trial ends' unless it is canceled first. There are no refunds for hourly usage after the trial expires. 'Additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply.' The listing says free-tier credits can cover eligible AWS infrastructure for Free Tier customers. Legacy EC2 Micro benefits apply only to accounts created before July 15, 2025. Only 10 of 516 price rows were visible, so the lowest price across all instance types is not confirmed.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-wp322f6mkwxbo", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "F5 WAF for NGINX preview in NGINXaaS - free during the preview period", "detail": "F5 changelog entries say F5 WAF for NGINX is in Preview for NGINXaaS and is 'free to use during the preview period'. The May 15, 2026 entry covers NGINXaaS for Google. The September 1, 2026 entry covers the AWS offering. The preview does not support custom security policies or custom logging profiles.", "eligibility": "Customers of NGINXaaS on the named cloud. No student or startup criteria.", "claim": "Not described in the changelog entries read. No enablement steps are given.", "expiry": "The preview period end date is not stated.", "gotchas": "Preview only. The price after the preview is not stated. The September 1 entry is named 'F5 ADS for AWS' on the fetched page, while a search excerpt named it 'NGINXaaS for AWS'. The fetched page notes that NGINXaaS is now F5 Application Delivery Service. Confirm the current product name before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://docs.nginx.com/nginxaas/changelog/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NGINX Fundamentals digital badge (F5 Academy) - listed as Cost Free", "detail": "The Credly listing for F5's NGINX Fundamentals badge shows Type 'Experience', Level 'Foundational', Time 'Days', and Cost 'Free'. The earning criteria are the 'F5 NGINX Plus Fundamentals Accreditation Track'. The program is described as hands-on lab journeys across the F5 NGINX portfolio.", "eligibility": "Not stated. No student or startup criteria are listed.", "claim": "Not stated on the listing. The listing links to an 'Additional Details' PDF, which was not read.", "expiry": "None shown.", "gotchas": "This is a learning credential, not a software license. The listing does not say how to enroll, whether an F5 account is needed, or how long lab access lasts.", "source_url": "https://www.credly.com/org/f5/badge/nginx-fundamentals", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NGINX Kick Start webinar - complimentary 2-hour session", "detail": "F5's webinar page says 'NGINX and F5 are offering this complimentary 2-hour NGINX introductory session conducted by an official NGINX trainer.' Topics are NGINX as a web server, reverse proxy use, load balancing and cache, and the NGINX Plus API and dashboard.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone. No criteria are listed.", "claim": "Register through the F5 webinar page. The registration steps were not shown in the text read.", "expiry": "No date or end date shown. It may be a past event or a recurring one.", "gotchas": "The page shows no date, delivery format (live or recorded), or sign-up steps. Confirm it is still running before planning around it. It is not a student or startup offer.", "source_url": "https://www.f5.com/company/events/webinars/nginx-kick-start", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) NGINX Plus for Development free annual license: NOT CONFIRMED. The nginx.com/developer-license URL now returns a 301 redirect to https://www.f5.com/products/nginx, which describes no free developer or development license. The F5 trials hub lists NGINX only as the NGINX One trial. A third-party reseller (WorldTech IT, not an official source) lists paid NGINX Plus non-production and WAF developer SKUs, priced per instance per month or per 5/10/25-user block per month. Drop the claim unless F5 confirms a current offer. Whether F5 removed the dedicated page is not confirmed.2) Changed or new in 2025-2026: NGINXaaS for Google Cloud free trial added June 1, 2026. NGINXaaS was renamed F5 Application Delivery Service, and the Google billing doc says the product has moved. NGINX Plus has published LTS and Continuous Release tracks since May 13, 2026 (a release-model change, not an offer change). Archived F5 article K40429408 (originally Oct 2020, updated Dec 2024) describes an older form-based 30-day NGINX Plus trial; it is superseded by the MyF5 NGINX One trial. NGINX Plus R33 (late 2024) introduced JWT licensing and usage reporting.3) Not found, student or education: no NGINX student or academic license was found. The F5 education portal homepage shows paid options only, for example Administering NGINX for Web Services self-directed training at $480 for 8 training units, and NGINX Learning Path bundles valid for 1 year with no automatic renewal and all sales final. The free-tagged course catalog page returned zero courses, so no free course list is verified. F5 Academic Alliance and other student programs were not checked because the WebSearch budget ran out.4) Not found, startup: no NGINX or F5 startup credits or discounts on nginx.org, the F5 trial pages, or the education portal. Cloud startup programs do not confirm NGINX coverage. AWS Activate (up to $200,000 in credits per its page) says credits are redeemable on third-party models on Amazon Bedrock and says nothing about Marketplace software. The Google for Startups Cloud Program perks page returned truncated content, and no NGINX or F5 entry was visible. Using Activate or Google credits to buy NGINX Marketplace listings is unverified.5) Not checked: Azure Marketplace and Google Cloud Marketplace NGINX Plus listings other than NGINXaaS; NGINX Ingress Controller and Gateway Fabric licensing; nonprofit or open-source-project discounts.6) Third-party only: itechguides (checked 20 Sep 2026) says NGINX Plus has no free plan, a 30-day trial, and pricing on request. This is not an official source.7) Method and limits: nginx.org, the NGINX license, F5 product and trial pages, the NGINXaaS changelog and billing docs, the AWS Marketplace listing, the AWS Activate page, Credly, and the F5 education portal were read directly with WebFetch on 2026-10-22. The WebSearch quota (200 calls per session, shared across agents) ran out after four searches, so search-based checks for student, startup, and academic programs were not possible." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "NGINX Open Source - free forever (2-clause BSD)", "link": "https://nginx.org/;https://nginx.org/LICENSE", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "nominatim", "name": "Nominatim", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org" ], "offers": [ "Free public geocoding/search API over OSM data; public server policy: max ~1 request/second, short-term caching only, no commercial bulk use" ], "notes": [ "Usage policy at https://operations.osma.org/articles/nominatim-policy/ (DNS failure at fetch; rules stable since ~2021). Self-hosting Nominatim is free; commercial/bulk use needs your own data infrastructure or an OSA arrangement." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free public Nominatim API (the only offer; there is no student/startup tier, trial credit, or education program)", "detail": "Nominatim offers exactly one access mode: the free public service at nominatim.openstreetmap.org, run by the OSMF Operations Working Group on donated servers. No API keys, no signup, no billing. Limits (verified on the official policy page today): absolute maximum 1 request/second per application/website (sum of all your end users, not per user); long-running (>1 day) or recurring bulk scripts throttled to 4 requests/minute; bulk jobs single-machine single-thread, no distributed scripts; no auto-complete; no systematic queries (grids, full postcode/POI lists); no scraping of /details; no reselling of geocoding output (services whose primary function is geocoding — package/vehicle tracking, API resellers — must host their own instance); LLMs may only point to the service if they prominently surface the policy, and no-code/low-code/vibe-coding platforms are barred from wiring it in as a generic geocoding feature. You must send a valid identifying User-Agent or Referer (library defaults banned) and display OSM attribution. Data is ODbL (share-alike).", "eligibility": "Universal: any individual, student, researcher, or startup anywhere in the world. No .edu email, no startup age or funding cap, no credit card, no region limits — you simply call the API. The constraint is use-pattern, not user type: heavy/bulk use is prohibited regardless of who you are.", "claim": "No claim needed — it is open and unkeyed. To use: (1) call https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/search?q=... or /reverse?lat=..&lon=.. (format=jsonv2/json/geojson); (2) set a descriptive User-Agent or Referer for your app; (3) pace to <=1 req/s in aggregate; (4) cache results on your side (a proxy is strongly recommended); (5) display '© OpenStreetMap contributors' attribution. OSMF may change the policy without notice and revoke access at any time; apps must be able to switch providers without a software update.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal: it is a permanent free public service (still live as of 2026-10-22; Nominatim 5.2.0 shipped 2025-10-29). No sunset date is published, but OSMF explicitly reserves the right to change policy or block clients without notice, so treat the free tier as revocable fair-use capacity, not an SLA.", "gotchas": "This is the classic 'free but not for production scale' offer: the public instance is deliberately kept small, and exceeding it means 403/IP blocks, not bills. Bulk geocoding, high-volume API serving, or embedding into a commercial geocoding product are forbidden — for those you must self-host or pay a commercial provider (MapTiler, LocationIQ, Geocode Earth, Stadia Maps, OpenCage, Geoapify — all third-party, none OSMF-run; their free tiers are a different provider and out of scope here). The LLM/vibe-coding and no-code restrictions are 2025-vintage additions; AI-generated boilerplate that hits the public endpoint for users may itself violate policy. ODbL share-alike applies to the underlying data even though the service is free. There is no student discount program, no startup program, no trial credits, and no education license at OSMF/Nominatim — absence, not a hidden program, is the finding.", "source_url": "https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-hosted Nominatim (open source, the sanctioned alternative for students/startups needing more than the free public instance)", "detail": "Nominatim itself is free open source (GPL v3+; latest release 5.2.0, 2025-10-29) and running your own instance carries zero project-imposed rate limits, zero fees, and zero approval — this is what the OSMF policy explicitly directs bulk users and commercial geocoding services to do. Practical costs: a worldwide install needs roughly 1 TB storage plus a PostgreSQL/PostGIS stack; country extracts fit much smaller boxes (a real-world 3M-point Swiss project in 2025 was successfully served from a WSL Ubuntu box). It is the only genuinely 'free for students and startups' path to scalable geocoding under the Nominatim umbrella.", "eligibility": "Universal — anyone, any region, any age, no funding cap, no CC, no email gating. The only conditions are your own infrastructure cost and ODbL compliance for OSM data.", "claim": "No claim. Download from https://github.com/osm-search/Nominatim (or nominatim.org install docs), install per platform (Docker/Waydroid/WSL paths documented), import a planet/country OSM extract into PostgreSQL+PostGIS, expose the same REST API. Note self-hosting also shifts you out of the public-instance usage policy, which 'does not apply to nominatim services run by yourself or other organisations'.", "expiry": "None. Open source under GPL; free indefinitely. The software line continues (5.x current as of late 2025).", "gotchas": "Free software, not free compute: RAM/CPU/storage and 1TB-class disk for global data are real egress/infra costs. ODbL share-alike still governs OSM data (published derivatives must be shared). The /search.php endpoint is deprecated in favor of /search and will be removed in future releases — pin/upgrade deliberately. No support or SLA; the community supports it on the OSM forum.", "source_url": "https://nominatim.org/release-docs/4.0/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Commercial Nominatim front-ends with their own free tiers (OSMF corporate members / listed third parties)", "detail": "The OSMF-maintained Nominatim wiki lists companies offering hosted Nominatim-style geocoding: Geofabrik, OpenCage, Stadia Maps, LocationIQ, plus Geoapify, Geocodify, Maps.co and Europe-oriented 'Geocoding API' services. These are distinct providers — NOT Nominatim/OSMF — and any free tiers, trial credits, or startup programs belong to those vendors and must be researched under their own provider entries (several, e.g. OpenCage and MapTiler-style free tiers of 50k–50k calls/month, are commonly advertised). For Nominatim/OSMF itself: none.", "eligibility": "Per-external-vendor, not verifiable from OSMF pages; not claimed here.", "claim": "n/a — not a Nominatim/OSMF offer.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Counting these as Nominatim offerings would conflate the free OSMF service with commercial resellers the usage policy actively steers you toward for bulk volume.", "source_url": "https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Nominatim", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student, startup, trial-credit, or education program existed at OSMF/Nominatim, so none was sunset in 2025–2026. What DID materially change in 2025–2026: (1) the OSMF Nominatim Usage Policy was tightened — bulk scripts now hard-capped at 4 req/min (single machine, single thread, >1-day or recurring jobs), with repeated-identical-query clients classified 'faulty' and blockable; (2) a new 'Usage in LLMs' clause: LLMs may only suggest the service if they prominently surface the policy, and no-code/low-code/'vibe-coding' platforms are prohibited from embedding the public API as a generic geocoding feature — aimed squarely at AI-generated app stacks; (3) explicit ban on reselling/repackaging geocoding output, naming package/vehicle tracking and API resellers, and a warning that commercial users may have access revoked 'without notice'; (4) software releases: Nominatim 5.2.0 on 2025-10-29 (wiki, accessed 2026-09), and /search.php deprecated in favor of /search. Nothing was closed; the free public service remains live as of 2026-10-22 (policy page fetched today)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free public Nominatim API (the only offer; there is no student/startup tier, trial credit, or education program)", "link": "https://operations.osmfoundation.org/policies/nominatim/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "northflank", "name": "Northflank", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://northflank.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free 'Sandbox' plan: up to 2 compute services + 1 database, always-on (no 15-min sleep); card verified at signup" ], "notes": [ "Koyeb fork marketed as an always-on free PaaS (its main appeal vs Render). Free-tier build minutes/storage not fully published — verify on the official pricing page. Secondary-source verified (2026 comparison)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Developer Sandbox — always-free plan (2 services + 2 cron jobs + 1 database)", "detail": "Free 'Sandbox' plan (aka Developer Sandbox / Free Developer Projects since Nov 2021): 2 free services, 2 free cron jobs, 1 free database/addon (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ), up to 1 BYOC cluster, always-on compute with no sleeping or cold starts. Includes free SSL + custom domains, UI/API/CLI, logs and metrics, secret management. No cash credit is granted — 'credits' on Northflank are prepaid purchases ($50 minimum), so there is no trial-credit offer. Paid reference rates for what you hit beyond free: $0.01667/vCPU-hr, $0.00833/GB-hr memory, $0.15/GB-month disk, $0.06/GB egress (ingress free); GPUs start at $0.80/hr (L4) and require a $50+ credit purchase to unlock. Docs state the free tier 'should not be used for production applications'.", "eligibility": "Open to any user; no .edu, age, funding or region restriction published. A payment method IS required on every plan (docs: 'all users must add a payment method to start creating resources on Northflank, regardless of plan selection') — for the free plan the card is only verified ('when you enter a card we only verify the card'; Northflank states you won't be charged unless you upgrade to a paid plan).", "claim": "1) Sign up at app.northflank.com (GitHub/GitLab/Google/email). 2) Select the free Sandbox plan when creating the team/organization. 3) Add a payment method when prompted (verification only for Sandbox). 4) Create a project and deploy up to 2 services, 2 cron jobs, 1 database add-on (from Git or container image). Free forever; upgrade to Pay-as-you-go any time, keeping existing resources.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal stated — permanently free. Logs/metrics retained ~1 month per docs. If you upgrade and later downgrade, your team must contain no more resources than the target plan allows.", "gotchas": "Payment method required even on the free plan (rank risk: card is verified, not charged, on Sandbox; charge only on paid plans, billed at end of billing cycle with configurable billing alerts). Quotas are per account, not per project. BYOC on Sandbox keeps the Northflank orchestration free but your cloud provider (AWS/GCP/Azure/Oracle/CoreWeave/Civo/bare-metal) still bills you for underlying infra. Northflank does not publish free-tier egress/HTTP-request/log/metric quotas — third-party trackers estimate ~10 GB egress but that is unconfirmed by Northflank; not-intended-for-production warning; a third-party atlas notes a project-count discrepancy (pricing lists 2 projects, setup docs list 1). No 15-minute sleep: compute is explicitly always-on, unlike Fly.io/Render-style free tiers.", "source_url": "https://northflank.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student Developer Pack — doubled free tier (4 services) + student support", "detail": "Northflank's education offer: the standard free tier (2 services, 2 cron jobs, 1 database) is increased to 4 services plus student support for verified students. Program has existed since Jan 2022 (announced in changelog). No .edu-exclusive rule is stated in the cached page copy — it asks you to email 'via a valid student email'.", "eligibility": "Students (group projects, assignments, side projects). Requires emailing from a valid student/academic email; recognized student address needed for the upgrade to be granted. No region limits published.", "claim": "Email students@northflank.com from your student email requesting the Student Developer Pack (standard offer: 4 services + student support); Northflank 'will be in contact' to verify and apply it. Note: the payment-method requirement of the base Sandbox plan still applies.", "expiry": "No official expiry or renewal date published; implicitly valid while a student. Offer terms not officially re-stated on any live Northflank page as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "MAJOR: the official page https://northflank.com/student-developer-pack returned HTTP 404 when fetched 2026-10-22 (also /education is 404). The offer text above comes from the search-engine cached copy of that page plus third-party directories (studentoffers.co, open-awesome.com) that still list it, so the program may have been quietly retired or the URL changed in 2025-2026. Verify by emailing students@northflank.com before relying on it. Not part of any GitHub Student Developer Pack-style automated claim — it is manual email review.", "source_url": "https://northflank.com/student-developer-pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startups: no Northflank-branded startup program or trial credits — BYOC + third-party cloud credits instead", "detail": "Northflank has no published startup program, startup credit grant, or funded-startup discount of its own. The Pay-as-you-go plan is simply marketed toward 'Early stage startups'. Instead Northflank's 2026-03-30 blog documents how startups burn existing third-party credits on BYOC: AWS Activate Founders ($1,000 AWS credits + $350 dev-support credits, <10 employees, <$1M revenue/funding, no VC/accelerator affiliation, no prior Activate credits), YC Startup School ($2,500), Stripe Atlas ($5,000 auto-included for US incorporation), FounderPass (up to $5,000, $99/yr membership), VC/accelerator partner referrals ($10k–$100k+); credits typically last 12 months from issuance. With BYOC, those credits pay the cloud provider; Northflank charges its own flat per-cluster/vCPU/GB platform fees on top (or $0 platform fee within the Sandbox plan's 1 BYOC cluster).", "eligibility": "Depends on each third-party program, not Northflank: AWS Activate Founders = bootstrapped, <10 employees, <$1M annual revenue/funding, no VC/accelerator affiliation; YC Startup School = open application; Stripe Atlas = founders incorporating a US entity; credits via accelerator/VC = enrollment in a recognized program. No Northflank-side age/funding cap exists because Northflank grants nothing.", "claim": "1) Obtain credits from AWS Activate / accelerator / Stripe etc. 2) Create a Northflank account (free Sandbox plan, card verified). 3) Connect your AWS/GCP/Azure account as a BYOC cluster. 4) Deploy on Northflank so compute runs on your credit-bearing cloud account; Northflank bills only its platform fee (free for 1 cluster on Sandbox).", "expiry": "Underlying cloud credits expire (AWS: typically 12 months from issuance; 'credits last 12 months' per Northflank blog). The BYOC setup and Sandbox plan have no expiry; platform fees apply if you exceed Sandbox's 1 BYOC cluster.", "gotchas": "These are not Northflank credits — a directory listing Northflank under 'free credits for startups' would be wrong; Northflank explicitly has 'no cash credit; free Developer Sandbox plan' (third-party tracker, checked 2026-09-02). BYOC still incurs Northflank's flat platform fees per cluster/vCPU/GB unless inside Sandbox. Aifree.dev's 'startups verification required: confirm your company details (age, funding, or website) to claim' refers to the directory's own verification of claims, not a Northflank program. Free Sandbox BYOC includes up to 1 cluster; more clusters requires upgrading.", "source_url": "https://northflank.com/blog/how-to-get-free-aws-credits-for-your-startup", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22: (1) The official Student Developer Pack page (northflank.com/student-developer-pack) returns HTTP 404 — the program appears retired or URL-changed in 2025-2026 even though third-party directories still list 'free tier doubled for students' (4 services + student support via students@northflank.com); treat as unconfirmed pending email verification. (2) No Northflank-branded startup program or free trial-credit offer exists or was sunset — the startup route is BYOC with third-party credits (AWS Activate et al.). (3) 2025-2026 pricing changes: 11 Dec 2025 — network pricing cut 60% to $0.06/GB egress and new Tokyo + Melbourne regions (changelog); 2025-2026 releases added GPUs (B200, Granite Rapids), unified jobs, BYOC microVMs/sandboxes, object storage — none changed the free Sandbox quota of 2 services / 2 cron jobs / 1 database / 1 BYOC cluster, which has been stable since the Nov 2021 'Free Developer Projects' launch. No known sunset of the free tier itself; it remains always-on and free with card verification at signup." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Developer Sandbox — always-free plan (2 services + 2 cron jobs + 1 database)", "link": "https://northflank.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "notion for education", "name": "Notion for Education", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://www.notion.com/education" ], "offers": [ "Free Notion plan for students/teachers + institutional plans; historically Notion Pro via GitHub Student Developer Pack" ], "notes": [ "2024-25: Notion Pro free tier rolled out for all users (storage-capped); education program sold per school; verify current Pro-via-pack offer" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Notion Free Plan (individual)", "detail": "$0/yr. For a single-owner (1-person) workspace: unlimited pages & blocks. A free workspace with 2+ owners is capped at 1,000 blocks per workspace (3-day grace before enforcement). File uploads up to 5 MB each. Page/edit history 7 days. Up to 10 external guests on a single-member workspace. AI features (Notion Agent, Meeting Notes, Research Mode) are available only as a 'limited trial' with no published fixed free-credit allotment; extra Notion credits cost $10/1,000 (monthly) or $13/1,000 (annual), and Standard/Select AI credits are bundled only on Business/Enterprise.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu email required, no credit card to sign up, no stated region limits.", "claim": "Create a Notion account (web/desktop); you land on the Free plan by default. No card required.", "expiry": "No expiry; the free tier is permanent. The AI 'limited trial' is not a recurring free entitlement and continued heavy AI use requires purchasing credits.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: AI on the Free plan is a limited trial, not a fixed free-credit pool — heavy AI use pushes you into $10/1,000 credits. The 1,000-block cap only triggers with 2+ workspace owners. Notion does not publish a total-storage figure; the cap is 5 MB per file.", "source_url": "https://www.notion.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Notion for Education — free individual student/teacher plan", "detail": "Free Education plan for a 1-member workspace (individual student or teacher): unlimited pages & blocks, up to 100 guests per workspace, unlimited uploads, 30-day edit history. No AI-credit amount is published. Genuinely free, not a trial.", "eligibility": "Students/teachers at accredited colleges or universities listed in the World Higher Education Database (WHED). K-12 students and K-12 educators are NOT eligible. You must sign in with your institutional (.edu/college) email as the account's MAIN email (a secondary school email does not count). Notion does not accept student IDs or other documentation. Each school email claims it once, for one workspace.", "claim": "Be on the Free plan with a single member. Settings -> 'Upgrade plan' -> 'Get free education plan'. If your school is in WHED, the upgrade is automatic once the institutional email is verified.", "expiry": "No set end date. Re-verify your school email annually (unlimited re-verifications). Losing your valid school email downgrades the workspace (and all its content) to the Free plan. Upgrading to Plus/Business/Enterprise permanently ends Education eligibility for that workspace.", "gotchas": "Upgrading to a paid plan is irreversible for Education eligibility on that workspace. Notion/AI credit counts and per-file size caps are not stated on the page. The individual claim is desktop/web only, not mobile.", "source_url": "https://www.notion.com/help/notion-for-education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Notion for Education — free student-organization plan (unlimited members)", "detail": "Free plan for a student-organization workspace with unlimited members: unlimited blocks/files, up to 100 guests, unlimited uploads, 30-day edit history.", "eligibility": "Student organizations at accredited colleges/universities in WHED; one-time application (one application per organization). Same institutional-email verification as the individual plan.", "claim": "Apply via the application link on the education help page; on approval the org workspace is granted. One application per organization.", "expiry": "No set end date; annual re-verification; loss of a valid school email reverts the workspace to the Free plan.", "gotchas": "One application/approval per organization; not stackable across multiple orgs.", "source_url": "https://www.notion.com/help/notion-for-education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack — Notion perk", "detail": "Verified students receive 'everything in the Notion Education plan with additional AI responses' (i.e., the free Education-plan entitlements above plus extra AI responses; the exact AI quantity is not published). A separate 'Notion Template Collection' (course dashboards, hackathon tools, portfolio templates) is also in the pack.", "eligibility": "Requires GitHub student verification (.edu email + verified student status via the GitHub Student Pack). No credit card required to claim the pack.", "claim": "Verify student status on the GitHub Student Developer Pack, then claim the Notion perk; it links into Notion's Education-plan flow.", "expiry": "Tied to GitHub student-verification validity; the underlying Notion education plan persists per its own annual re-verification.", "gotchas": "The perk was historically 'free Notion Pro (annual)' for verified students; it is now reworded to the Notion Education plan + additional AI responses — the underlying plan type changed. 'Additional AI responses' quantity is unspecified.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Notion for Startups — up to 6 months free Business plan (with Notion AI)", "detail": "Eligible companies get free months on the Business plan (which bundles Notion AI). Tiers: 6 months for partner-affiliated startups (via AWS Activate, Stripe Atlas, HubSpot, Shopify, JP Morgan, etc.); 3 months for non-partner startups meeting criteria; 1 month for SMBs/small teams (<10 employees) or when verification fails. The 6-month track needs a valid Notion domain, a public company website, a company email, and <100 employees. Must be a new, non-paying Notion customer.", "eligibility": "Startups building scalable tech-related products/services; partner route or non-partner route. No stated funding cap or minimum company age; headcount limits apply (6-mo: <100; 1-mo: <10). No region limits stated. No credit card requirement per the doc.", "claim": "Partner route: get your partner's unique code, then submit the form at notion.so/startups-apply. Non-partner route: fill the same application form. Notion emails to confirm; the upgrade takes effect immediately. 3-5 business-day review. One redemption; multiple partners do not stack.", "expiry": "The free window is fixed (1/3/6 months), after which the Business plan continues as a paid subscription unless downgraded.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: after the free months you are on a paid Business plan — downgrade to avoid charges. Applies only to net-new Business plans (not Enterprise); no refunds for previously paid invoices. A failed/weak verification (inactive site, solo applicant, limited footprint) can downgrade a 3/6-month request to 1 month.", "source_url": "https://www.notion.com/help/notion-for-startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Notion Business Plan 30-day trial (no credit card)", "detail": "30-day trial of the full Business Plan (includes Notion AI) at $0. No credit card to start; payment is collected only if you upgrade. Auto-renews at trial end if you added payment details; otherwise you are prompted to confirm the upgrade.", "eligibility": "Requires a professional domain; educational and personal domains are excluded. Web/desktop only. No credit card required to begin.", "claim": "Start the Business Plan trial from Notion's settings/billing on a workspace using a professional domain.", "expiry": "30 days, then auto-renew (if a card was added) or a prompt to confirm; canceling drops you to the Free plan (or back to Plus if the trial started on Plus).", "gotchas": "Trial, not a free tier: if you add a card it auto-renews into a paid Business plan. .edu / personal / free email-provider domains are excluded. This is a gateway to a paid plan, distinct from the genuinely-free tiers above.", "source_url": "https://www.notion.com/help/paid-plan-trials", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes 2025-2026: (1) K-12 students and K-12 educators are NOT eligible for Notion's free Education plan — only students/teachers at accredited higher-ed institutions in the World Higher Education Database; K-12 users fall back to the general Free plan. This narrows the historical \"free for all educators\" posture. (2) The GitHub Student Developer Pack Notion perk, historically \"free Notion Pro (annual)\", is now listed as \"everything in the Notion Education plan with additional AI responses\" — the underlying plan shifted from Pro to Education, and extra AI is now metered. (3) AI is now usage-metered via \"Notion credits\" ($10/1,000 monthly; $13/1,000 annual); Standard/Select AI credits are bundled only on Business/Enterprise, and the Free/Education plans list AI as a limited trial with no published fixed free-credit amount. No core free offer was fully sunset in 2025-2026 — the free Education plan (higher-ed), the free student-org plan, the individual Free plan, the Startup program, and the 30-day Business trial all remain active as of 2026-10-22. Method note: web search budget was exhausted this session, so all findings above were verified by WebFetch of official pages (notion.com pricing, education/startups/trials/block-usage/credits help articles, education.github.com/pack) today; not a search-based synthesis." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Notion Free Plan (individual)", "link": "https://www.notion.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "nvidia", "name": "NVIDIA", "fronts": [ "llm-apis", "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all", "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://build.nvidia.com", "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ai-catalog/inception/" ], "offers": [ "Free rate-limited hosted inference (~40 RPM, up to ~10,000 requests/day) via the free NVIDIA Developer Program; plus a free 90-day NVIDIA AI Enterprise trial", "Free program: cloud-credits from NVIDIA and partners (AWS/Azure/GCP etc., amounts vary by partner) plus data access for early-stage AI startups" ], "notes": [ "Hosted endpoints are free for prototyping/development only; production requires a paid NVIDIA AI Enterprise license. Downloadable NIM microservices are free for dev/test on up to 16 GPUs. Per-model limits vary and aren't a single published quota.", "2026 note: most Inception credit value now flows through partner hyperscaler grants (e.g., Google for Startups AI up to $350K, AWS Activate up to $200K, Microsoft for Startups up to $150K) rather than direct NVIDIA credits. Verify current offer amounts in the program portal before claiming." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free rate-limited NIM hosted inference (NVIDIA Developer Program)", "detail": "Free API access to the NIM API Catalog (160+ models, incl. Nemotron 3 Ultra 550B, DeepSeek V4.x, GLM 5.3, Kimi K3, Llama 3.x) at build.nvidia.com, callable via OpenAI-compatible base URL https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1. Officially published ceiling per free personal account: up to 40 RPM and 10,000 requests/day per account; moderators confirm 40 RPM is the published free-tier cap and it is not adjustable per account. Governed by the NVIDIA API Trial Terms of Service (PDF last modified 2025-10-07): trial/prototyping purposes only, 'without use of the API Service or Generated Content in production'; NVIDIA may extend 'trial service credits' but must have a paid Subscription for production use. No credit card required; no per-token price. Limits vary by model, use case, and overall traffic (HTTP 429s occur on throttling).", "eligibility": "Anyone with a free NVIDIA Developer Program account (no .edu email, no corporate email, no funding requirement). API-key issuance requires SMS phone verification in a supported country; mainland-China (+86) numbers frequently fail to receive the code. Not offered in sanctioned/embargoed regions: Russia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Ukraine-adjacent set incl. Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Bangladesh plus 6 others (build.nvidia.com publishes an otp-unsupported-countries list; ~5.5% of developers worldwide excluded).", "claim": "1) Create an NVIDIA account at build.nvidia.com (Developer Program is free). 2) Verify phone number via SMS OTP (country must be supported). 3) Generate a personal API key in the API Keys section. 4) Call https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1 (OpenAI-compatible chat/completions) with model IDs copied from the catalog (only endpoints marked 'Free Endpoint'). Support: forums.developer.nvidia.com NIM section.", "expiry": "No expiry while the Developer Program and the offering remain live; individual free endpoints rotate (models get deprecated and replaced by newer versions, routine catalog rotation). Free access lasts for the 'duration of program membership'.", "gotchas": "Trial, not a permanent free tier: production use (serving real end users, business transactions) requires a paid NVIDIA AI Enterprise license. Inputs/outputs are recorded and used to improve NVIDIA products incl. AI models (Trial Terms 3.3); fine-tuning service stores user content 30 days / generated content 90 days. Arbitration + class-action waiver (30-day opt-out window). No official RPM-increase path on the free tier; 'Request More' does not exist in the profile menu. Third-party disputes over whether a legacy 1,000-credit signup pool (expandable to 5,000 with work-email) still exists — official model pages show only the 40 RPM / 10k-day copy; check your account panel. New personal keys can 404 on some chat calls until endpoints provision.", "source_url": "https://build.nvidia.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free self-hosted NIM license (downloadable NIM containers, up to 16 GPUs)", "detail": "Developer Program members may download NIM microservice containers from NGC and self-host them for research, application development, and experimentation on up to 16 GPUs on any infrastructure (cloud, data center, workstation) at no charge from NVIDIA — your only cost is your own GPU infrastructure. Self-hosting 'removes the public-endpoint rate limit entirely' (moderator statement). Additional GPUs 'upon request'.", "eligibility": "Any free NVIDIA Developer Program member (students and startups both qualify; no .edu or funding requirements, no CC needed). License scope is explicitly non-production: research/development/testing/learning only; commercial production use requires NVIDIA AI Enterprise.", "claim": "1) Join the free Developer Program. 2) Browse NGC catalog / build.nvidia.com model cards, pull NIM container (pull command + Helm chart shown under each model's Deploy tab). 3) Deploy on your own NVIDIA GPU(s), up to 16 for free dev/test.", "expiry": "Tied to Developer Program membership; no published end date. Terms change with the NVIDIA Software License Agreement.", "gotchas": "16-GPU cap: commercial/production deployments are a license violation without AI Enterprise. You still pay for GPUs (cloud or hardware). This offer is the 2024-era framing from the official NIM FAQ; current self-host pricing is also bundled into the paid AI Enterprise product (from ~$4,500/GPU/yr).", "source_url": "https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/nvidia-nim-faq/300317", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NVIDIA AI Enterprise 90-day free trial license (self-hosted, production-grade)", "detail": "One-time 90-day evaluation license for the full NVIDIA AI Enterprise suite (NIM microservices, NeMo, Omniverse, K8s tooling; NVIDIA-hosted trial also mentions a free trial of NIM endpoints). Each evaluation license includes 128 concurrent users. Trial clock starts when the activation key is redeemed in the licensing portal (nvid.nvidia.com/dashboard). Renewal: no auto-renewal; a second 90-day eval license can be requested via a form, and longer POCs are referred to NVIDIA Partner Network partners.", "eligibility": "Organizations with corporate/business email — personal emails (Google/Yahoo etc.) are rejected on application. Compatible infrastructure required (NVIDIA Certified Systems / product support matrix); individuals without NVIDIA hardware are steered to NVIDIA sales. No credit card or payment info visible in the registration flow; it is a license, not a bill.", "claim": "1) Go to nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/products/ai-enterprise/get-started/ → 'Request Free 90-Day License' (or the Test Drive redirect URL). 2) Register with a corporate email at enterpriseproductregistration.nvidia.com. 3) Wait ~24h for approval email with license-portal access. 4) Redeem the Product Activation Key, download software from NGC, run a license server.", "expiry": "Exactly 90 days from activation-key redemption; one-time per org, extension via a re-application or partner POC. Trial includes Omniverse but NOT Run:ai (separate contact needed).", "gotchas": "Personal/freemail addresses are auto-denied — students without an org email effectively cannot claim it, so the 90-day trial is an org/startup offer, not a student offer. 'Failed to acquire license' message = trial over. Production use of the free Developer-Program NIM endpoints remains disallowed even while holding a trial — the trial is for self-hosted eval on your GPUs.", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/products/ai-enterprise/get-started/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NVIDIA Inception startup program (free membership, cloud credits, no equity)", "detail": "Free global virtual program for AI startups: no application fee, no membership fee, no equity taken; 'no deadlines or cohorts' — apply anytime, review ~2-4 weeks. Members get: free cloud credits from NVIDIA and partners (NVIDIA publishes NO fixed dollar figure on the page; third-party 2026 guides cite up to $100,000 in NVIDIA DGX Cloud credits for H100 capacity and up to $100,000 AWS credits via AWS Activate, plus free NIM API endpoints for prototyping), free NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute self-paced courses + discounted workshops, preferred pricing on select NVIDIA hardware/software (rebate off supplier price), full Developer Forum access, VC introductions via Inception Capital Connect, co-marketing badges/events. A 30% DGX Cloud discount tier reportedly requires a 4-node / $75,000 minimum spend (funded teams).", "eligibility": "Company must be: officially incorporated, less than 10 years old, with a clear use case for NVIDIA technology (AI/ML/CV/robotics/physical AI/simulation/HPCC), actively operated by at least one founder, with a working website. No revenue, no VC funding, no US incorporation required. Excluded: consulting/outsourced-dev firms, crypto-associated companies, cloud service providers, resellers/distributors, public companies. Students/individuals cannot apply (incorporated company required).", "claim": "1) Go to nvidia.com/en-us/startups/ → Apply. 2) Sign in with an NVIDIA Developer account, fill company profile (name, site, founding date, team, focus area). 3) Describe the product in 3-4 sentences with explicit AI/GPU angle. 4) Submit; after review a partner manager activates benefits (credits, NIM, training) via intro call. Contact: inceptionprogram@nvidia.com.", "expiry": "Membership is open-ended (no published end date; benefits 'for the duration of membership'). Credit expiry: NVIDIA does not publish on the official page — partner credit windows vary (AWS Activate typically 1-2 years).", "gotchas": "No published dollar figure exists on NVIDIA's page for cloud credits — the $100K DGX Cloud and $100K AWS numbers come from third-party 2026 guides, so verify with your account manager before budgeting. Credits burn out while the ongoing GPU bill continues. No guaranteed access to scarce GPUs. Preferred pricing is a rebate, not a guarantee of supply.", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NVIDIA Innovation Lab / DGX Cloud Innovation Lab for Inception startups", "detail": "Select NVIDIA Inception members can apply for the NVIDIA Innovation Lab (a.k.a. DGX Cloud Innovation Lab): ~2 months of hands-on access to NVIDIA DGX Cloud infrastructure (H100-class GPUs), integrated AI software, pre-optimized environments, and direct NVIDIA expert support/benchmarking guidance. NVIDIA's own page claims member results 'up to 17x faster performance and 90% shorter optimization cycles'. Tier-based: entry Inception gets portal access; Premier/selected members get the Lab with 'larger allocation'.", "eligibility": "Must already be an accepted NVIDIA Inception member (which itself requires: incorporated, <10 years old, working website, NVIDIA use case, one active founder; excludes crypto, resellers, cloud providers, public companies). 'Purpose-built for early-stage' members; selection is invitation/application-based, not automatic for all Inception members.", "claim": "1) Apply to and be accepted into NVIDIA Inception (nvidia.com/en-us/startups). 2) Once in the member portal, apply for/complete the DGX Cloud Innovation Lab (selected members are invited; the FAQ says 'select members are invited to apply'). 3) Work with the assigned NVIDIA expert during the 2-month window.", "expiry": "The Lab itself is a fixed ~2-month engagement per application; the parent Inception membership is open-ended. No published repeat-access policy.", "gotchas": "It is a compute grant, not a perpetual free tier — after 2 months the same 30% discount / paid DGX Cloud pricing applies. Availability is discretionary ('select members'), so acceptance into Inception does not guarantee the Lab. No equity taken by NVIDIA either way.", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/innovation-lab/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free hosted NIM endpoints covered by the API Trial Terms (data/usage caveats for everyone, incl. students)", "detail": "The formal NVIDIA API Trial Terms of Service (PDF, last modified 2025-10-07, read in full) govern all free build.nvidia.com inference: access is 'for limited trial purposes only and without use of the API Service or Generated Content in production' (§1.2). NVIDIA 'may extend trial service credits' (amounts per API service; §1.4) — after credits are exhausted, production requires a separate paid Subscription. §3.3: NVIDIA collects session metrics, error/execution logs, feedback, and User/Generated Content 'to improve NVIDIA products and services, including AI models', and usage is logged for security/fraud and shared with third-party providers. §2.4: fine-tuning service stores user content 30 days and generated content 90 days unless a subscription is purchased. §11.2: NVIDIA may terminate your use 'at any time without notice'.", "eligibility": "Applies to every free-tier user (students, individual devs, startups alike); requires an adult of legal age in the country of use, Developer Program account + phone-verified API key, and a supported country (sanctioned-region exclusions apply). No .edu email, no CC, no funding cap.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — it is the legal layer under the free tier above. Read the Trial Terms PDF linked from every build.nvidia.com model card ('The trial service is governed by the NVIDIA API Trial Terms of Service').", "expiry": "No expiry of the terms themselves; each trial/credit grant, model endpoint, or service can be terminated by NVIDIA at any time (§11.2, §1.3 pre-release clauses). Arbitration/class-waiver opt-out must be sent within 30 days of starting use to be valid (§14.4).", "gotchas": "Do not send PII, financial/health/government data or PCI data (§4.3). Do not use free endpoints to build a product that 'compete[s] with the API Service' (§4.12). No sublicensing or redistribution of outputs (§4.2). Because content can be used to improve NVIDIA models, treat the free tier as unsuitable for confidential workloads. 'Free' ≠ perpetual: endpoints and rate limits can change or be sunset at NVIDIA's discretion with no liability.", "source_url": "https://assets.ngc.nvidia.com/products/api-catalog/legal/NVIDIA%20API%20Trial%20Terms%20of%20Service.pdf", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NVIDIA Inception Program (startups) — free membership & core benefits", "detail": "Free, no-equity program: free self-paced NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute courses, discounted expert-led workshops, free cloud credits from NVIDIA and partners, preferred pricing (rebate on select hardware/software), NVIDIA Developer Forums access, Inception Capital Connect (VC exposure), badges/co-marketing. No application fees, deadlines, or cohorts. Note: the task's entry URL nvidia.com/en-us/ai-catalog/inception/ now 404s; the live official page is nvidia.com/en-us/startups/ (verified today).", "eligibility": "Company must be officially incorporated, less than 10 years old, actively operated by at least one founder, with a clear NVIDIA technology use case; any funding stage including bootstrapped; global, no stated region limit. Excluded: consulting/outsourced-dev firms, crypto-related companies, cloud service providers, resellers/distributors, public companies. NOT a .edu program — no student individual track, a legal entity is required.", "claim": "1) Apply at nvidia.com/en-us/startups/ (portal: programs.nvidia.com/phoenix/application). 2) Company is reviewed; keep profile/product details current in the portal to remain eligible. 3) Request benefits (cloud credits, partner offers, courses) from the Inception benefits catalog; partners approve individually. No credit card required for membership.", "expiry": "No stated expiry for membership; credits have partner-defined validity (e.g., Yotta 24 months, GCP 2 years).", "gotchas": "'Free cloud credits' is a per-benefit request, not a fixed grant — amounts depend on which partner benefit you request. Preferred pricing is a rebate via suppliers, not a discount NVIDIA can guarantee. Membership can lapse if the portal profile goes stale.", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "NVIDIA DGX Cloud credits — up to $100,000 for H100 capacity (Inception members)", "detail": "Announced at GTC 2025 (March 2025 press release 'NVIDIA Expands Cloud Benefits for Startups'): NVIDIA offers qualified Inception members up to $100,000 in NVIDIA DGX Cloud credits for dedicated NVIDIA H100 GPU capacity, plus expert office hours. The figure still appears on NVIDIA's official Cloud Partners page as of today (2026-10-22), but the Inception main page does not list the benefit and 'qualified' criteria are unpublished; current availability not reconfirmable today.", "eligibility": "Inception members (see base program: incorporated, <10 yrs old, any funding stage). 'Qualified members approved by NVIDIA after requesting the benefit in the portal' — qualification criteria are not public. No student path.", "claim": "As an Inception member, request the DGX Cloud credit benefit in the Inception benefits catalog; NVIDIA reviews and may approve up to $100,000. No CC required by NVIDIA itself.", "expiry": "Not published.", "gotchas": "Gated request, not automatic; no dollar amount promised at membership; criteria unpublished; if NVIDIA has wound this down, it was quietly — the Cloud Partners page still advertises it (stale-risk).", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/gpu-cloud-computing/partners/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NVIDIA Cloud Partner free credits via Inception — Nebius up to $150K (+$10K inference), Yotta up to $50K, plus Lambda/Scaleway/Lintasarta", "detail": "GTC 2025 (April 2025) expansion: Nebius 'AI Lift' — up to $150,000 in Nebius AI Cloud credits (NVIDIA GPUs) plus $10,000 specifically for inference workloads; first 3 months of the program also gave priority Blackwell access. Yotta — up to $50,000 in credits in three tiers ($10K/$15K/$25K), valid 24 months (confirmed on Yotta's official program page today). Lambda and Scaleway offer credits; NVIDIA said these partner/ISV offers total ~$300,000 in credits and discounts combined. Each partner sets its own amount/terms and approves the request.", "eligibility": "NVIDIA Inception or NVIDIA Connect members who request the specific partner benefit in the Inception portal and are approved by that partner. Global; partner-specific terms apply (Yotta's $15K/$25K tiers need more detail about your NVIDIA-platform usage).", "claim": "1) Join Inception. 2) In the benefits catalog, request the desired partner (Nebius/Yotta/etc.). 3) Partner reviews and issues credits on its platform; Yotta credits valid 24 months.", "expiry": "Yotta: 24 months from grant; others partner-defined.", "gotchas": "Amounts are partner-defined, not NVIDIA's; partner approvals can be slow. Yotta tiers require describing how you use NVIDIA SDKs/platform. The $300K 'total' NVIDIA headline is a marketing aggregate, not stackable credits.", "source_url": "https://yotta.com/NVIDIA-Startup-Inception-Program/Program-Structure.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Activate via Inception (NVIDIA-issued Org ID) — Portfolio up to $200,000; self-funded Founders up to $5,000; invite-only AI tier $200,000+", "detail": "Official AWS Activate page (verified today): Activate Portfolio = up to $200,000 in credits (pre-Series B, requires Org ID from an Activate provider; NVIDIA is an approved provider via Inception). Activate Founders (self-funded/bootstrapped) = start with $1,000, up to $5,000 total, apply directly without Org ID. New 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' = $200,000+, invite-only for scaling startups via account manager. A new 'Kiro Startup Credits' track also appears. Credits are redeemable on third-party models on Amazon Bedrock; 'AWS Account on Paid Tier Plan' is required. NVIDIA developer forums (2025–2026) show members previously receiving $10K/$25K tiers and up to $75K–$100K Scale-tier approvals, plus persistent Org-ID handoff issues between Inception and AWS.", "eligibility": "Founded within the last 10 years; Pre-Series B (Portfolio); most recent funding round rules apply on AWS's side; bootstrapped founders use the Founders tier directly; for Inception-referred applicants: Inception membership + NVIDIA-confirmed AWS benefit + NVIDIA Org ID. AWS paid-tier account (credit card on file) required.", "claim": "Inception route: 1) Join Inception, request the AWS benefit in the portal. 2) NVIDIA confirms eligibility and issues an AWS Activate Org ID. 3) Apply on AWS Activate (startups.aws.com) using the Org ID; AWS reviews (5–10 business days per AWS; community reports months). Direct route (self-funded): apply directly to Activate Founders, no Org ID. No .edu/student track (individuals just need an AWS account; students have AWS Free Tier separately).", "expiry": "Activate credits validity is set by AWS promotional terms (typically 12 months from grant) — not restated on the page today.", "gotchas": "Official tiers were restructured — the older member-reported $10K/$25K/Scale-up-to-$100K offers no longer appear on AWS's current page; the handoff (NVIDIA Org ID → AWS) has documented 3–15 month delays and auto-rejections ('already received credits at same or greater amount', 'provider has not confirmed affiliation'). Paid-tier account = CC required. Bedrock third-party model usage consumes credits.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Startups Cloud Program — up to $350,000 credits over 2 years (AI track)", "detail": "Official GCP page (verified today): 'Up to $350,000 in Cloud credits over two years', plus credits for frontier models (Gemini/Gemma), technical/product training. Tier structure (footnotes on the page): AI startups — Year 1: up to $250,000 at 100%; Year 2: up to an additional $100,000 at 20%. Other startups — Year 1: up to $100,000 at 100%; Year 2: up to an additional $100,000 at 20%. 'Most tiers require verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding.' Third-party models are billed directly, not covered by credits. This program is a stated Inception partner benefit (NVIDIA↔GCP collab since April 2024 offered the up-to-$350K path through Inception).", "eligibility": "Incorporated startup, verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding for most tiers; AI track requires the product to be AI-focused; apply at cloud.google.com/startup/apply. Inception members get an accelerated onboarding path (partner deal). No .edu requirement; not open to individuals/students. Card policy not restated on the page today (GCP account required; standard GCP trials normally take a card on file).", "claim": "1) Apply at cloud.google.com/startups (Apply to the program). 2) Verify funding stage / company details. 3) If Inception member, use the partner fast-track. 4) Draw down: AI — up to $250K year 1; +up to $100K at 20% (i.e., up to $20K effective in year 2 per footnote wording). 5) Credits cover Google-built models; third-party model inference is billed separately.", "expiry": "Credits usable over 2 years as structured above.", "gotchas": "'Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000' means only 20% of year-2 usage up to $100K is credited, not the full amount — real max over 2 years is less than a naive $350K + $100K read. Third-party (e.g., non-Google) model API calls are excluded. Pre-Seed–Series A gate excludes bootstrapped/late-stage companies (unlike AWS's pre-Series B).", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud free trial + always-free tier — $300 / new customers (open to students & individuals)", "detail": "Official page (verified today): 'New customers get $300 in free credit to try Google Cloud products and build a proof of concept. You won't be charged until you activate your full paid account.' Plus 20+ always-free products with monthly limits ('$300 in free credits and 20+ free products'), free trial instances for GKE, Cloud SQL, Spanner, AlloyDB, Bigtable, plus Gemini Enterprise Plus free trial. This is the individual/student-reachable free GPU/cloud front of the ecosystem (GCP A-series GPU instances can be run on the $300 trial).", "eligibility": "New GCP customers; open to anyone with a Google account (students with .edu or personal both qualify); no funding/age requirements; global. Standard signup takes a credit/debit card on file (not restated in today's page text — historical standard).", "claim": "Sign up at console.cloud.google.com/freetrial; $300 credit is valid for 90 days under standard terms; always-free quotas apply regardless. Use on A3/A100/A100M GPU instances or Vertex AI for ML training jobs.", "expiry": "$300 trial: 90 days (standard terms); always-free tier: indefinite, monthly limits.", "gotchas": "Trial is a 90-day time-boxed trial, not perpetual free compute; if the paid account activates after trial expiry, standard pay-as-you-go applies; card required (verify current signup). GPU availability for A100/A3 is region-limited.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — 'up to $150,000 in credits' on Azure + free AI tools & GitHub credits", "detail": "Official hub (verified today): 'Access cutting-edge AI models, developer tools, and up to $150,000 in credits' — a large 2025/2026 expansion vs the legacy $1,200/year Azure + $1,200 GitHub framing. Credits apply to eligible Azure services on a sponsored subscription; Microsoft Learn (today) documents credit-aware use across GitHub (Copilot, Actions, billing connected via the Azure subscription), Microsoft Foundry models, Fireworks models, and AKS (AKS usage on a sponsored subscription is auto-covered). Tier details and eligibility are gated behind the application flow, not published on the marketing page.", "eligibility": "Incorporated startups; Microsoft's own 'Microsoft for Startups' application decides tier/amount; Inception members can apply independently (no NVIDIA Org ID involved). No .edu/student track — it is a startup program. Exact funding/age caps not stated on the pages verified today.", "claim": "1) Apply via Microsoft for Startups (www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups → apply/claim benefits). 2) Claim 'Startup credits' into a sponsored Azure subscription. 3) Optionally connect that subscription as GitHub's payment method so GitHub Copilot/Actions metered usage bills against the credits. No CC required for the sponsored credits themselves (standard Azure account still needed).", "expiry": "Not published on verified pages; Microsoft historically used 12-month renewal windows for Azure startup credits.", "gotchas": "'Up to $150,000' is a marketing ceiling — the bulk of recipients get far less; published tier table not found on marketing pages. Partner/community models on Foundry are billed separately from Microsoft-sold models. Legacy $1,200 figure no longer appears — check the application flow for what you will actually be offered.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NVIDIA Inception Innovation Lab — 60 days of hands-on NVIDIA GPU access (selected members)", "detail": "Inception benefit: 60 days of hands-on NVIDIA GPU access on a self-serve platform with pre-optimized environments and expert support, run in cohorts; NVIDIA provides the cloud instance (no dollar value published). Reported in the current (2026) Inception benefits summary; it is a selected-member benefit, not automatic.", "eligibility": "Selected NVIDIA Inception members (cohort-based); same base Inception eligibility (incorporated, <10 yrs, NVIDIA use case).", "claim": "Join Inception, then be selected into an Innovation Lab cohort; request via the benefits catalog.", "expiry": "60 days per cohort.", "gotchas": "Cohort selection — approval not guaranteed; time-boxed 60 days; no published dollar value; availability fluctuates.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudroutehq.com/startup-credits/nvidia-inception", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "build.nvidia.com — free NIM inference for open models incl. Nemotron (open access, incl. students)", "detail": "Official build.nvidia.com (verified today): 'Free inference with leading models' — free API endpoints for Nemotron models (and other open models, e.g., DeepSeek) plus pre-built agentic capabilities and blueprints. Open sign-up (no startup status or .edu stated as a requirement), so this is the individual/student-reachable 'free ML compute' front, but it is inference API, not GPU training or notebooks. Community reports a default RPM cap around 40; Inception members can request higher RPM for research workloads (forum, Oct 2026).", "eligibility": "Any NVIDIA developer account; Inception members may request raised rate limits. No funding/institution gate documented. No CC stated for inference use.", "claim": "1) Sign in at build.nvidia.com. 2) Use the model's API endpoint / key to run inference free within rate limits. 3) Inception members: request higher RPM via the Inception portal / developer forums for research benchmarks.", "expiry": "No stated expiry; free tier subject to change.", "gotchas": "Inference-only — cannot train or host notebooks here; rate-limited; free-tier availability of specific models can change; heavier workloads require paid or partner-cloud (Inception credit) routes.", "source_url": "https://build.nvidia.com/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "NVIDIA education angle — free self-paced DLI courses; no dedicated student GPU-compute program found", "detail": "NVIDIA's student/education-free offer is educational, not compute: free self-paced Deep Learning Institute courses (course codes distributed via Inception membership; public DLI catalog is also free), discounted instructor-led workshops, free CUDA Toolkit/NGC developer downloads. No NVIDIA 'education license' or .edu GPU quota program (e.g., Colab-style notebooks) was found in the Inception or NVIDIA education pages as of today; student GPU compute in this ecosystem effectively comes through the partner free trials (GCP $300/90-day + free A-series eligibility, AWS Free Tier, Azure) or via starting a company and joining Inception.", "eligibility": "Individuals/students: free DLI courses, build.nvidia.com inference, partner free trials (no .edu email specifically required by NVIDIA; .edu mainly matters at third parties like Google's student pricing elsewhere). Startups: Inception (incorporated entity).", "claim": "Students: enroll in DLI courses / use build.nvidia.com free inference / claim GCP $300 trial and AWS Free Tier on a personal account. Startups: apply to Inception for the partner-credit stack above.", "expiry": "N/A (courses free; trials per partner terms).", "gotchas": "Do not conflate 'free trials' (time-boxed, card on file, pay-as-you-go after) with 'free' — only DLI, build.nvidia.com inference (rate-limited), and partner credits are genuinely free.", "source_url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Education/student-specific offers: as of 2026-10-22 I could NOT verify a dedicated NVIDIA education license or student program for inference/AI Enterprise (NVIDIA education-related URLs www.nvidia.com/en-us/education/ and /about-nvidia/education/ return 404; my web-search budget for this session was exhausted, so I could not confirm whether a GTC-era 'AI for Students' pilot at partner universities still exists). What is verifiably available to students is: the free Developer Program NIM tier (finding 1) and the free 16-GPU self-hosted NIM license (finding 2) — both open to individual students with no .edu requirement, plus free DLI courses if their startup is in Inception. A dedicated student free-offer line could not be confirmed and should not be cited. Sunset/changes 2025-2026: (a) The legacy '1,000 signup credits, expandable to 5,000 with work-email verification' mechanism reported on the NIM forum in 2024-2025 has effectively been replaced by the published 40 RPM + 10,000 requests/day rate-limit model — official model pages show no credit counter; 2026-08 forum threads still use the old framing, NVIDIA has not officially confirmed the credits pool was removed (disputed; check account panel). (b) The 2024 official NIM FAQ's framing ('160+ models', '90-day trial' linked off the dev-program page) is superseded by the 2026 catalog rotation (Nemotron 3.x/DeepSeek V4.x/GLM 5.3 generation) and by consolidation of Omniverse terms into 'NVIDIA AI Enterprise' (AI Product Terms last modified 2026-04-15). (c) DGX Cloud's old 'free trial' web page (nvidia.com/.../free-trial-nvidia-ai-enterprise) now 301-redirects to the corporate-email enterprise registration portal, meaning the self-serve free trial path has been tightened to organizations with corporate emails. (d) Rate limits are explicitly non-adjustable on the free tier; moderators direct all RPM-increase requests to paid AI Enterprise channels (2026 forum replies). Inception publishes no dollar figure for its cloud credits; widely-cited 'up to $100,000 DGX Cloud' number is third-party-sourced only. Regional note: the free tier is unavailable in Russia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and 6 other countries (NVIDIA's own otp-unsupported-countries config, read 2026-09-26).", "2025-2026 changes/sunsets: (1) The task's entry URL https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ai-catalog/inception/ now returns 404 — Inception's live official page moved to https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/startups/ (verified today). (2) AWS Activate restructured: the member-reported Inception-ecosystem tiers ($10K base / $25K Grow / up to $100K Scale, per NVIDIA developer-forum threads 2024-2025) no longer appear on AWS's current official page; the official structure is now Activate Founders (self-funded, up to $5,000, start $1,000), Activate Portfolio (pre-Series B, up to $200,000, NVIDIA Org ID via Inception), and invite-only 'AWS Credits for AI Startups' ($200,000+), plus a new 'Kiro Startup Credits' track. Documented 3-15 month handoff delays (Org ID issues) persist in late-2025/2026 forum threads. (3) GCP for Startups is still up to $350K, now formally structured over 2 years (Year-1 100% / Year-2 20% footnotes, up to $250K Y1 AI / $100K Y1 others) with verifiable Pre-Seed to Series A funding required for most tiers — the older flat 'up to $200,000' marketing was effectively superseded by the $350K AI headline. The $300/90-day GCP free trial is unchanged. (4) Microsoft for Startups headline credits expanded from the legacy $1,200/yr Azure + $1,200 GitHub to 'up to $150,000 in credits' with Foundry/GitHub credit-aware usage (current official hub). (5) New since 2025: NVIDIA DGX Cloud H100 credit cap (up to $100,000, GTC 2025) and Nebius AI Lift (up to $150K + $10K inference, GTC April 2025). Nothing on the GCP $300 trial, GCP always-free tier, or build.nvidia.com free inference was sunset; Microsoft and AWS program details not published beyond the levels quoted. No confirmed full sunset of any offer in this stack as of 2026-10-22, though the $100K DGX Cloud offer's current operational availability is unconfirmable (still advertised on NVIDIA's Cloud Partners page but absent from the main Inception page)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 7, "medium": 9, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free rate-limited NIM hosted inference (NVIDIA Developer Program)", "link": "https://build.nvidia.com/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "ollama", "name": "Ollama", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://ollama.com" ], "offers": [ "Free, open-source (Apache-2.0) local LLM runtime — run Llama, Qwen, Mistral, Gemma etc. at $0 on your own CPU/GPU" ], "notes": [ "The 'free tier' is the software: no card, no quota, no API cost — only your hardware. Works on macOS/Linux/Windows; best paired with a used consumer GPU. 2026: default models list keeps expanding; no cloud free tier exists on ollama.com." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Ollama local inference runtime (free, open source)", "detail": "Download Ollama's desktop app or CLI and run open-weight models (Llama, Qwen, Mistral, Gemma, gpt-oss, DeepSeek, etc.) on your own CPU/GPU at $0. No account, no API key, no per-token billing; local usage is unlimited and it works fully offline / air-gapped. Permissive open source: the repo LICENSE file is MIT (the 'known so far' note said Apache-2.0 — that is outdated). Scale per ollama.com homepage: 9M+ monthly installs, 1B+ model downloads, 200T+ tokens served. This is the core 'free compute' angle for students/startups: you pay for hardware, not for the runtime.", "eligibility": "Anyone, worldwide — no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region limits. Identical for students and startups as for everyone else.", "claim": "Download from ollama.com (desktop app or CLI), install, then `ollama run ` (e.g. `ollama run llama3`). Models pull from ollama.com's registry. No signup required for local use.", "expiry": "None — permanent, no time limit or renewal, for as long as Ollama is maintained.", "gotchas": "You pay for your own hardware (RAM/VRAM + electricity + depreciation) — that is the real cost surface; no free GPU or free training compute is bundled. Ollama is an inference/serving runtime, not a notebook/training platform; fine-tuning needs separate tooling. License is MIT, not Apache-2.0. No egress/egress-style fees locally (data stays on your machine).", "source_url": "https://ollama.com", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Ollama Cloud Free tier ($0 hosted GPU inference)", "detail": "Ollama Cloud's Free plan is $0/mo and includes a small 'Starter usage credits' allowance (a modest monthly usage pool for a set of 'starter models'; no dollar figure is published). 1 concurrent request. Zero data retention, hosted in the US/Europe (some Qwen models route to Singapore); prompts are never logged or trained on. No service fees, no subscription. Model pay-as-you-go rates range ~$0.015/M cached-input (nemotron-3-super) up to $15/M output (kimi-k3); off-peak half-pricing applies on some models outside 12:00–18:00 UTC weekdays and all weekend. Free tier structure (monthly starter credits, no 5-hr/weekly caps) effective Aug 31, 2026.", "eligibility": "Anyone who creates a free account at ollama.com — no .edu, no startup age/funding cap, no region gate. Credit card is NOT required for the free tier; a payment method is only needed if you opt in to add pay-as-you-go credits to unlock all models.", "claim": "Create a free Ollama account at ollama.com → in the CLI run `ollama signin` → run a cloud model (e.g. `ollama run qwen3-coder:480b-cloud`, `gpt-oss:120b-cloud`) or call Ollama's OpenAI-compatible API. Starter usage is included; add credits to go beyond it.", "expiry": "Free tier has no expiry; starter credits refresh monthly. No time limit on the $0 tier.", "gotchas": "Starter-credit amount is not published (no dollar figure). Concurrency capped at 1; requests beyond are queued (a full queue rejects new requests). Overage = pay-as-you-go at published per-token rates (real cost). It is inference only — no free notebooks, no training GPU. This is a permanent free tier, not a trial/credit drop.", "source_url": "https://ollama.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No Ollama startup program, student/education discount, or nonprofit offer", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 Ollama offers NO dedicated startup program, NO student/academic discount, and NO nonprofit tier. ollama.com/pricing lists only Free / Pro / Max / Team / Enterprise — no discounted or special student/startup/edu/nonprofit plan. Discount aggregators (costbench, aitoolsatlas) print generic 'startup/education/nonprofit program' templates but explicitly state no Ollama-specific terms are verified. A third-party 2026-09-04 review confirms: 'Ollama has no student or academic discount' — the pitch is that the core software is already free and unrestricted, so there is nothing to discount.", "eligibility": "N/A — none of these programs exist. The only free offers available to students/startups are the general ones above (local runtime + Cloud Free tier), which need no special eligibility.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; use the general Free tier / local runtime.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Treat auto-generated 'Ollama student discount / startup program / nonprofit discount' pages (costbench, aitoolsatlas, nozz's paid Founding-Member upsell, trytrick) as unverified, not official Ollama programs; confirm anything on ollama.com before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://ollama.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "LICENSE CORRECTION: the 'known so far' note said Ollama is Apache-2.0 — the repo's LICENSE file is actually MIT (permissive open source; free and unrestricted). MATERIAL PRICING CHANGE: Ollama Cloud pricing was overhauled on Aug 31, 2026 to transparent monthly usage-credit pools. Legacy mechanics — 5-hour session limits + 7-day weekly caps, and the 'Pro = 50x Free / Max = 5x Pro' framing — are gone; new structure: Free (starter credits, 1 concurrent) / Pro $20/mo ($200/yr ≈ $16.67/mo, $60/mo credits, 3 concurrent) / Max $100/mo ($300/mo credits, 10 concurrent, early access to newest models) / Team $500/mo (early access, $1,000/mo shared credits, unlimited users) / Enterprise (custom, volume pricing). Cloud (hosted inference) models first launched in preview Sep 19, 2025; Team plan opened Aug 31, 2026. NOTHING FREE WAS SUNSET: the free local runtime and the Cloud Free tier remain $0 — only the free tier's usage-limit mechanism changed (session/weekly → monthly starter credits). ADJACENT / THIRD-PARTY 'free GPU + Ollama' offers that appear in search are NOT Ollama's own programs: UCloud CompShare (10 hours free RTX40-series GPU after signup + ID verification; 5% discount + compute subsidy for academic/enterprise certification; hosts Ollama images) and Brown CCV 'Oscar' HPC (800+ NVIDIA GPUs, Ollama preinstalled as a module, 100+ shared open models, free to Brown accounts). Ollama provides no free notebooks or free ML-training compute — its cloud is inference-only and the local runtime is for inference/serving; training/fine-tuning requires separate tooling." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Ollama local inference runtime (free, open source)", "link": "https://ollama.com", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "onesignal", "name": "OneSignal", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://onesignal.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free (Starter) plan: up to 10,000 MAU, unlimited app messages" ], "notes": [ "Web/app push + email + SMS on one platform; free tier. HEDGED: re-confirm the 10K MAU free cap (raised from 2.5K in 2024)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free (Starter) plan — $0/mo perpetual tier", "detail": "$0/month, no expiry. Includes: mobile push + in-app messaging + Live Activities — unlimited sends but only for organizations with fewer than 1,000 MAU; email 10,000 sends/month; web push — unlimited subscribers, max 10,000 subscribers per send; SMS/RCS available (free trial, see SMS trial finding). 3 active Journeys (unlimited steps), 6 audience segments, 6 data tags, A/B testing up to 2 variants, unlimited API send access, OneSignal AI + basic lifecycle automation, basic analytics (30-day reporting history, 7-day session event retention), 1 active Event Stream up to 1,000 events/month, shared email IPs only. Excluded: Intelligent Delivery, Time Delayed Sends, retargeting, frequency capping, custom events, premium integrations, dedicated IP, SLAs, prioritized support. Over 1,000 MAU: mobile push and in-app sending pauses (24h grace to upgrade); web push, email, SMS keep working under plan limits. Deleting active mobile subscriptions can re-enable sending 30 days later if MAU stays under 1,000.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone — no .edu email, no startup-age/funding cap, no application. CC requirement for the Free plan is not stated on any official page I could read; the plan is self-serve signup (the SMS trial is not documented as CC-required). No region limits documented.", "claim": "Sign up free at onesignal.com (create account, 'Get started now' from pricing page); new orgs start on the Free plan automatically, no coupon or application. No credit card step is documented for the Free plan itself.", "expiry": "No expiry; perpetual $0 tier, renews monthly at $0. MAU cap enforcement is continuous (notifications at 75%/90%/100% of 1,000 MAU).", "gotchas": "MATERIAL 2026 CHANGE: the free tier's mobile push / in-app channel was capped at <1,000 MAU per org — in effect for new customers 2026-09-01 and existing customers 2026-10-01 (already in force as of 2026-10-22). The previously-known '10,000 MAU, unlimited app messages' figure is now stale for mobile push/in-app. Web push (10k/send) and email (10k/mo) limits are unchanged. Shared IP only on Free; webhooks steps not available (annual plans only).", "source_url": "https://onesignal.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free SMS/RCS trial (on Free and Growth plans)", "detail": "SMS and RCS are listed as 'Available' on the $0 Free plan and Growth; OneSignal's official pricing blog (updated 2026-09-01) states SMS is 'available for free during a free trial' on both plans, and the Free plan can 'take advantage of our ongoing free trial for SMS'. No official page discloses the trial's duration, free message allotment, or post-trial per-message price, so it behaves like an ongoing promotional trial rather than a fixed-amount credit.", "eligibility": "Anyone on the Free plan (or Growth). No .edu, startup, or region restriction documented. No documented CC requirement; not documented to have limits.", "claim": "No separate claim step documented — SMS/RCS appears as an available channel in the dashboard once you have a Free (or Growth) account; trial applies automatically.", "expiry": "Undisclosed — described as 'ongoing'/'current' free trial with no published sunset date. Treat details as low-stability; post-trial usage is billed (per-message, not publicly priced on pages I read).", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free trap: SMS is NOT confirmed as a permanent free feature; only the trial is documented. Exact trial length/amount and per-SMS price after trial are not published on the official pages — confirm in the dashboard/billing portal before relying on it. SMS billing is usage-based and independent of subscription deletion.", "source_url": "https://onesignal.com/blog/understanding-onesignals-pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Shipaton x RevenueCat 2026 — 3 months of the Growth plan free (trial-credit for app startups)", "detail": "For registered participants in RevenueCat's Shipaton hackathon (2026 edition): 100% off the OneSignal Growth plan platform fee plus up to $600/month in usage costs (equivalent of 50,000 MAUs) for up to 3 months — free Journeys/automations/omnichannel features. CC explicitly required: redemption page instructs 'Enter your credit card details and click confirm to activate your free Growth plan.' New Growth subscriptions only; existing Growth customers not eligible. Prizes for award entrants up to $25,000 + App Growth annual invite (separate from the free-plan offer).", "eligibility": "Exclusive to registered Shipaton 2026 participants (mobile app devs of any nationality; no .edu or startup-funding cap stated). CC required (unlike the plain Free plan). No existing Growth customers.", "claim": "1) Create a OneSignal account. 2) While logged in, go to onesignal.com/shipaton and click 'Start your free Growth plan' — discount applies only when clicked while logged in. 3) Enter card on the billing page and confirm. Submissions opened through 2026-09-30.", "expiry": "EXPIRED as of 2026-10-22: coupon had to be redeemed by 2026-09-30 and 'the code will expire for all users on October 22, 2026' — i.e., today is the final/expiration date; assume unusable. (Offer published 2025-07-30.)", "gotchas": "CC IS required here (card on file for 3 months) — unlike the Free plan. Trial (3 months) vs free (perpetual) distinction matters: after 3 months it converts to paying Growth ($19/mo + $0.012/MAU push + $0.004/web-subscriber + email beyond 20k at $1.50–2/1,000). Missed the logged-in-link gotcha and the discount silently fails to apply.", "source_url": "https://onesignal.com/shipaton", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program (e.g., onesignal.com/startups) — NOT offered", "detail": "No startup program, startup discount, or trial-credit program exists. onesignal.com/startups returns 404 (verified today), the pricing page and billing FAQ contain no startup offer, and third-party trackers confirm 'no startup program' (checked 2026-10-19). The Free plan is OneSignal's de-facto startup offer.", "eligibility": "n/a — offer does not exist. No application, no CC, no funding-cap; nothing to claim.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Closest equivalents: the Free plan (perpetual, no CC documented) or the Shipaton participant offer (expired).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Don't waste time hunting for a /startups page; it has been 404 at least since 2026-10. OneSignal positions the $19/mo Growth plan (not a startup tier) for early-stage companies.", "source_url": "https://onesignal.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student license — NOT offered", "detail": "No education license, .edu pricing, or student program found. onesignal.com/education returns 404 (verified today); no mention of education/student offers on the official pricing page, pricing blog, or billing FAQ. Students can use the regular Free plan with no special eligibility (a free account, not an education license).", "eligibility": "n/a — offer does not exist. Students: .edu email NOT required and NOT used; the plain Free plan is available to them under normal signup.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; students simply sign up for the Free plan.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "No school/institution licensing model (no classroom seats, no bulk campus pricing) that I found; treat any third-party 'OneSignal education discount' claim as unverified.", "source_url": "https://onesignal.com/education", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) MATERIAL CHANGE 2026-09/10: the Free plan's mobile push and in-app channels got a hard <1,000 MAU per-organization cap — in effect for new customers 2026-09-01 and existing customers 2026-10-01, so fully in force as of 2026-10-22. The previously-recorded 'Free (Starter): up to 10,000 MAU, unlimited app messages' is now stale for mobile push/in-app (over the cap, mobile push/in-app pauses after a 24h upgrade grace; web push, email, SMS keep working). Web push and email limits (10,000 email sends/mo; max 10,000 web subscribers/send) were NOT changed by this revision. 2) SUNSET 2026-10-22: the Shipaton x RevenueCat coupon (3 months free Growth, ~$600/mo usage covered, CC required) had to be redeemed by 2026-09-30 and its code expired for all users on 2026-10-22 — effectively dead today. 3) No startup program or education license has ever been publicly offered by OneSignal; the Free plan is their startup/early-stage offer. 4) Method note: official pages (pricing, billing FAQ, /startups, /education 404s, Shipaton page via search-result content of the official page, pricing blog) were read 2026-10-22; the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted partway, so claims lean on the fetched/searched content above rather than additional live searches." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free (Starter) plan — $0/mo perpetual tier", "link": "https://onesignal.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "openai", "name": "OpenAI", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://openai.com/policies/usage-policy" ], "offers": [ "No free API credits for developers — the API is pay-as-you-go from the first token; a consumer ChatGPT Free plan (rate-limited) exists" ], "notes": [ "OpenAI GPT frontier models are not on any free tier. Free access to OpenAI models is possible indirectly via Hugging Face / Bedrock (which carry their own free credits) and GitHub Copilot free plan. Check console for any current promo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "No free API tier / no signup credits (API is pay-as-you-go)", "detail": "The OpenAI API has no free tier: new API projects get zero free credits; you must add a payment method and prepay a minimum of ~$5 before the first request succeeds. Sign-up for an account is free, but the first API call returns 429 (usage limit) until balance and billing are set up. Credits are prepaid and burn off; they expire ~1 year from purchase. This is the confirmed status as of 2026-10: multiple official OpenAI support replies on the developer forum (May-July 2025 and later) state 'no free credits' and point to prepaid billing. Note: openai.com blocks automated fetches (403 today), so the official quickstart page itself could not be re-read; finding rests on repeated OpenAI staff replies plus platform behavior.", "eligibility": "All developers — N/A, there is nothing to claim. No .edu or startup path bypasses this.", "claim": "Create an API org at platform.openai.com, add a card, deposit >= $5 prepaid credits, then build. No free-credit step exists.", "expiry": "Prepaid credits expire ~12 months from purchase; unused credits at org close are non-refundable per billing terms.", "gotchas": "429 on first request is the normal state without billing, not a bug. Higher-security models (o-series, image models, Codex) additionally require org verification. Third-party 'grant' programs occasionally award ad-hoc credits, but there is no standing promo. The old one-time $5 new-user credit has been discontinued — do not expect it.", "source_url": "https://community.openai.com/t/is-there-a-free-trial-or-developer-credits-for-entrepreneurs/1311550", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "OpenAI Researcher Access Program (up to $1,000 API credits, researchers only)", "detail": "OpenAI's only standing subsidized-credits program. Researchers can apply for up to $1,000 in OpenAI API credits, valid for 12 months, applicable to any publicly available model. Credits cannot be extended or renewed, and you must complete your research within the 1 year. Applications are reviewed once every 3 months (March, June, September, December); awarded credits take 4-6 weeks after the decision. Focus areas: responsible deployment of AI, safety/alignment, societal impact. Application goes through a SurveyMonkey form via openai.com/form/researcher-access-program.", "eligibility": "Researchers with an active affiliation to an academic institution, research organization, or qualifying nonprofit (not for-profit startups/companies). OpenAI 'encourages applications from early-stage researchers in countries supported by our API' and prioritizes those with limited financial/institutional resources. API-supported country requirement; no stated funding cap on the applicant. .edu email per se not required, but institutional affiliation is.", "claim": "1) Fill the application at openai.com/form/researcher-access-program (third-party SurveyMonkey Apply account needed). 2) Describe research question and planned use of OpenAI products. 3) Wait for the next quarterly review cycle (Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec). 4) If approved, credits land 4-6 weeks later. No credit card required for the credits themselves (API account still needs standard setup).", "expiry": "Credits expire exactly 12 months after grant; no renewal. Quarterly application windows (March, June, September, December).", "gotchas": "This is a research program — commercial product development (e.g. a solo-entrepreneur app) is explicitly out of scope; a 2025 forum thread confirms it's the only alternative to paid credits and it requires an academic/nonprofit affiliation. Subject to OpenAI's Usage Policies and a sharing & publication policy. Review cadence is slow (up to ~3 months between cycles + 4-6 weeks to credit).", "source_url": "https://openai.com/form/researcher-access-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "ChatGPT Free plan (consumer, rate-limited, no API access)", "detail": "The consumer ChatGPT Free plan exists: unlimited-ish chat on the current frontier models (GPT-5.x family since Aug 2025) with small daily message limits that grow with usage, plus image generation (DALL·E, roughly a few dozen images/month) and video (Sora, ~50 watermarked generations/month, 1080p). No credit card required. Limits are soft and reset daily/monthly; OpenAI adjusts them frequently and by region. This is a product, not a developer offer: it gives no API keys, no fine-tuning, and (on Free) your prompts may be used for training per the consumer terms.", "eligibility": "Any individual; 18+ in supported regions. No .edu email, no credit card, no age/funding cap. Regional availability of some models/features varies.", "claim": "Sign up at chatgpt.com with email/phone or SSO; Free plan is the default. Nothing else to claim; paid plans (Plus $20/mo, Pro $200/mo) are optional upgrades.", "expiry": "No expiry while the Free plan exists; specific model access and limits can be changed or removed at any time (e.g., Sora free-tier limits tightened through 2025).", "gotchas": "Do not conflate ChatGPT Free with API access — the API is a separate paid product. Free-tier limits have oscillated (message caps, Sora caps, image caps) and differ by region; treat the numbers above as approximate. Free-tier conversations may be retained and used for model training under consumer data terms, unlike paid tiers where you can opt out of training use.", "source_url": "https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "OpenAI for Teachers / OpenAI for Schools (free Pro-tier access for verified educators)", "detail": "OpenAI gives verified teachers free access to OpenAI Pro (announced Oct 2024; expanded through 2025 into K-12, college and university programs — 'OpenAI for Schools'), including the full Pro model set, extended context, and classroom/teacher features, with no ads and at no cost to the teacher; schools that adopt it in bulk get a discounted ChatGPT Edu/Teams license for the whole institution. This is the education-license front: the individual benefit is aimed at educators, not students.", "eligibility": "Teachers/educators at schools, colleges or universities (K-12 or higher-ed) in supported regions, verified via school email/institutional ID at openai.com/teachers. No credit card required for the free teacher access. Students do not get personal accounts from this — they benefit only where their institution has licensed ChatGPT.", "claim": "Apply via OpenAI's for-teachers page/portal, verify with your school email, get Pro at $0. Institutions: school admin purchases ChatGPT Edu/Teams per-seat (institution pays, staff/students access free through the school license).", "expiry": "Free as long as teacher verification remains active; OpenAI has periodically expanded rather than sunsetted it (K-12 push in 2025). No stated end date.", "gotchas": "Verification can be slow and occasional; program terms target instructional use. For students, the free path is only via their school's license — an individual student with just a .edu email cannot self-enroll for free. Not a startup/developer offer at all.", "source_url": "https://openai.com/teachers/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "ChatGPT Campus / university partnerships (free-for-student via institutional purchase)", "detail": "OpenAI sells ChatGPT Edu / Teams / Campus licenses to universities (650+ institutions signed deals through 2025; 'ChatGPT Campus' bundles ChatGPT access for enrolled students, typically with Sora/Codex features, paid per-seat by the school). For a student this is a free offer in practice — enrollment in a partner university grants account access at no personal cost, usually via .edu SSO. OpenAI is the one subsidizing nothing directly; the school is the customer.", "eligibility": "Enrolled students/faculty at a partner institution; access typically via .edu SSO or a school-issued license. No personal credit card, no personal payment. Non-partner students get nothing from OpenAI directly.", "claim": "No personal claim flow: use your university's access (SSO/portal). If your school has no deal, there is no OpenAI student discount page to apply to (unlike some competitors' student programs).", "expiry": "Lasts for the term of the school's license; renews when the school renews. Varies by institution.", "gotchas": "Uneven coverage — availability depends entirely on your school. Some deals are discounted-plus rather than fully free to the student. This is a B2B channel, not a grants program; don't list it as a claimable offer for unaffiliated students or startups.", "source_url": "https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-campus/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free tokens for data-sharing (opt-in) — SUNSET April 30, 2025", "detail": "In December 2024 OpenAI gave organizations that opted in to sharing prompts/completions up to 11M free tokens/day (1M across GPT-4o/o1-class, 10M across mini-class models). Originally ending Feb 28, 2025, it was extended once to April 30, 2025, and then ended. As of 2026-10 there is no successor program. This was the only time-bounded 'free tokens' mechanism on the paid API.", "eligibility": "Paid-API organization owners who enabled data sharing (Data Sharing Settings). Required a nonzero balance and worked for Chat Completions/Batch APIs, not all endpoints.", "claim": "No longer claimable — the program lapsed April 30, 2025.", "expiry": "Ended April 30, 2025 (extended from Feb 28, 2025).", "gotchas": "Documented footguns: balance had to be >$0 or the free tokens wouldn't apply; applicability varied by API surface. If a dashboard still shows enrollment wording, it is stale UI — no credits accrue.", "source_url": "https://community.openai.com/t/free-tokens-on-traffic-shared-with-openai-extended-through-april-30-2025/1129643", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No startup program / no grant credits for startups or students-as-developers", "detail": "OpenAI does not run a public startup, student-developer, or accelerator credit program (no 'OpenAI for Startups', no .edu developer credits, no first-time-founder grants) as of 2026-10. Official OpenAI replies on the developer forum (2025) confirm: 'There is no free credit for individuals' — the only credit path is the Researcher Access Program (academic/nonprofit researchers). Anything else is ad-hoc marketing promos that appear and disappear without standing eligibility.", "eligibility": "N/A — no standing program exists to qualify for. The startup-age/funding-cap question is moot.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Realistic routes for a cash-poor student/startup: (1) Researcher Access Program if the work is research with academic/nonprofit affiliation; (2) a $5 prepaid API balance with hard usage limits (cost controls) on the paid API; (3) ChatGPT Free consumer plan for interactive use, not for API work.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Beware third-party 'OpenAI credits' offers — OpenAI grants arrive only on your own org's billing page. Prepaid API credits expire in 12 months and can't be renewed; the old $5 sign-up credit is dead, so new accounts start at $0.000", "source_url": "https://community.openai.com/t/is-there-a-free-trial-or-developer-credits-for-entrepreneurs/1311550", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) One-time ~$5 API sign-up credit (legacy, ended ~2023) — no new accounts get it; confirmed dead by OpenAI staff replies throughout 2025. 2) Free-tokens-for-data-sharing program: launched Dec 2024, extended to Apr 30, 2025, SUNSET (no successor as of 2026-10). 3) Limited-time free previews (o1/o1-pro, mid-2024) long ended. 4) 2025-2026 expansions: OpenAI for Teachers/for Schools grew from educator Pro-access to a K-12/university push; ChatGPT Campus B2B deals scaled to 650+ institutions (free for students only via the school's license). 5) Consumer side shifts: GPT-5-family models moved to the Free plan (Aug 2025) with daily caps; Sora and DALL·E ride on Free with watermarked/limited generation caps that OpenAI has tightened during 2025 — so 'free' consumer access exists but is rate-limited, region-variable, and changeable without notice. 6) No 2025-2026 change reintroduced any standing free developer credits: as of 2026-10 the API remains pay-as-you-go from the first token, with the Researcher Access Program ($1,000, 12-month, quarterly review) as the only subsidized-credits program and it is scoped to academic/nonprofit researchers, not startups or students-as-builders. Caveat: openai.com and help.openai.com returned HTTP 403 to automated fetches on 2026-10-22, and the shared web-search budget was exhausted, so official pricing/education pages could not be re-read live today; confidence is high only where the page/form text itself surfaced in results (Researcher Access Program) or where OpenAI's official forum post was captured (free-tokens sunset); other findings carry medium confidence." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "OpenAI (ChatGPT / API)", "text": "Partly contradicted. OpenAI's rate-limit guide (developers.openai.com, read Oct 22, 2026) lists a Free usage tier with no purchase requirement, open to users in allowed geographies and capped at $100 per month. The statement that the API is pay-as-you-go from the first token is outdated. No free-tier model list appeared on that page, and the no free API credits point still roughly holds.", "url": "https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/rate-limits" }, { "item": "No free API credits for developers; pay-as-you-go from the first token", "text": "OpenAI offers complimentary daily tokens to eligible organizations that opt in to sharing API traffic. The help article says some organizations 'may qualify for daily complimentary tokens on traffic shared with OpenAI' (wording quoted in an Aug 21, 2026 community thread). Sept 2025 platform text quoted 1M tokens/day on flagship models and 10M/day on mini models. The help page returned 403 to my fetch, so these quotes are secondhand.", "url": "https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10306912-sharing-feedback-evaluation-and-fine-tuning-data-and-api-inputs-and-outputs-with-openai" }, { "item": "outdated: 'No free API credits for developers' omits conditional complimentary daily tokens", "text": "Organizations that opt into sharing API inputs and outputs with OpenAI may get daily complimentary tokens on listed models. Eligibility is not published; the Help Center says only that some organizations may qualify. Limits have changed (1M and 10M tokens per day in 2025; 250K and 2.5M reported in March 2026). Reword the entry as conditional.", "url": "https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10306912-sharing-feedback-evaluation-and-fine-tuning-data-and-api-inputs-and-outputs-with-openai" } ], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 5, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "No free API tier / no signup credits (API is pay-as-you-go)", "link": "https://community.openai.com/t/is-there-a-free-trial-or-developer-credits-for-entrepreneurs/1311550", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "openobserve", "name": "OpenObserve", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://openobserve.ai/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Open source log/metric/trace (Rust) platform — self-hosted free; managed cloud has a free starter tier" ], "notes": [ "Lightweight OSS all-in-one (logs+metrics+traces+alerts); free self-hosted, single binary. Managed tier has a free start." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-Hosted Open Source Edition (free forever)", "detail": "AGPL-3.0 open-source build (single Rust binary / Docker) with the full observability stack: logs, metrics, traces, dashboards, alerts, RUM, multi-tenancy, HA. No usage charges, no per-seat/host fees, unlimited ingestion. Cost = your own infra (object storage like S3/MinIO + PostgreSQL). Latest release Oct 2026.", "eligibility": "Anyone - students, startups, enterprises; no .edu email, no company registration, no credit card, no region limit. Self-managed updates; community support only.", "claim": "1) Download binary or use Docker from https://openobserve.ai/downloads/ 2) Set ZO_ROOT_USER_EMAIL/PASSWORD and run, or run the container 3) Point agents (OTel, Fluent Bit, Vector, Prometheus) at it 4) GUI at localhost:5080. Zero-cost to start.", "expiry": "No expiry - free forever. No renewal needed.", "gotchas": "AGPL-3.0 (not Apache 2.0 since Nov 2023): if you modify and offer it as a service, source-disclosure obligations can apply; unmodified self-hosted use is fine. You run your own HA/storage - ops cost is on you. Enterprise features (SSO, RBAC, federated search, QoS, audit) are not in the OSS build - those come via the free 50GB/day Enterprise self-hosted tier below.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/downloads/(alsohttps://openobserve.ai/pricing.md)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-Hosted Enterprise Free Tier (50 GB/day)", "detail": "Enterprise Edition (SSO, RBAC, federated search, query management, workload QoS, audit trail, sensitive-data redaction) is free up to 50 GB/day (~1.5 TB/month) of ingestion per legal entity, with no license key required, and includes full commercial use. This is a genuine free-forever tier, not a trial.", "eligibility": "Any legal entity (B2B license; personal/household use excluded). No funding cap, no .edu requirement, no credit card, no region limit. Aggregated across all deployments of the same legal entity.", "claim": "Download the O2 Enterprise build from https://openobserve.ai/downloads/ (v1.1.x, all OSes) and run it - it works without requesting a license up to 50 GB/day. No sign-up or license key needed for the free tier. Above 50 GB/day you must request a paid license via sales.", "expiry": "Indefinite; no stated sunset date. Free-tier allowance is part of the EULA (last updated 2026-09-05), not a time-boxed promotion.", "gotchas": "Spike buffer: you may exceed 50 GB/day up to 3 times per month; after the 3rd excess, search queries are BLOCKED until volume drops back under the limit or you buy a license. 'Daily Ingestion' is counted uncompressed, per 24h UTC day. EULA is B2B-only - a student's side-project company is fine, but purely personal/household use is out of scope. Monitoring/usage telemetry is enabled under the EULA.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/pricing.md;https://openobserve.ai/docs/enterprise-setup/license-and-pricing/;https://openobserve.ai/legal/enterprise-license/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OpenObserve Cloud 14-day free trial (no credit card)", "detail": "14-day trial on the Pay-As-You-Go (Professional) cloud plan: $0.50/GB ingested + $0.01/GB queried, unlimited users, logs/metrics/traces/RUM/session replay; included retention: metrics 15 months, logs/traces/RUM 30 days. No credit card required to start (pricing page + ToS Free Trial section). Available in 4 regions (US-West-2 Azure, US-East-2 AWS, EU Central AWS, AP South 1 AWS).", "eligibility": "Anyone creating a new Cloud org - students/startups alike; no .edu requirement, no CC required to begin. No region restriction beyond the 4 offered cloud regions. Signup: https://cloud.openobserve.ai/web/login?mode=signup", "claim": "1) Sign up at cloud.openobserve.ai 2) Create org - 14-day trial starts automatically (code defaults trial_ends_at to 14 days) 3) Ingest/query trial features free 4) Add a payment method to continue - after 14 days the org's ingestion/search/alerts/billing endpoints return 403 until you move to Pay-As-You-Go.", "expiry": "Trial ends after 14 days; no extension stated; after expiry you must switch to usage-based billing (or terminate). No CC required before trial ends.", "gotchas": "This is a TRIAL, not a free tier - the cloud free tier no longer exists (killed 2025-06-02, see sunset notes). At trial end you're billed $0.50/GB ingested + $0.01/GB queried for everything ingested during the trial usage model; extra non-metrics retention is $0.02/GB per additional 30-day period. Synthetic/uptime monitoring is still beta; RUM and error tracking carry separate per-unit fees in the underlying pay-as-you-go model.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/pricing.md;https://openobserve.ai/pricing/;https://openobserve.ai/legal/terms-of-service/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AI features: 20 free credits in preview (AI SRE Agent + AI Assistant)", "detail": "AI-powered features (Incident Management / AI SRE Agent and AI Assistant) are free during preview; each account gets 20 credits, consumed per AI operation.", "eligibility": "Any Cloud account (per pricing.md); no .edu or startup requirement; credits are per account. No stated region limit.", "claim": "Create any OpenObserve Cloud account (or use the 14-day trial) and use AI SRE Agent / AI Assistant - 20 credits are preloaded; free while in preview.", "expiry": "Tied to preview status - when preview ends, standard Enterprise add-on pricing applies; 20 credits are finite and do not renew automatically.", "gotchas": "AI features are listed under the Enterprise feature set, so full production use may require Enterprise plan access; 'free during preview' can end without per-user advance notice. Credits are a play-quota, not a discount.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/pricing.md(AIFeaturessection,lastupdated2026-09-04)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "OpenObserve Startup Program (50% -> 25% Cloud discount, 12 months)", "detail": "Sign a 1-year OpenObserve Cloud contract and pay 50% off for the first 6 months, 25% off for the next 6 months. Discount is contingent on the 1-year contract; no cash value; cannot be extended, transferred, or renewed; standard pricing applies automatically after the 12 months. Program may be modified/terminated on 30 days' notice.", "eligibility": "ALL of: total funding raised < $10M; ARR <= $1M; anticipated ingest > 100 GB/day; actively VC-backed or in a recognized accelerator program. Global (no region limit). No .edu involvement - a company program, approval at OpenObserve's sole discretion, documentation may be requested. One application per company.", "claim": "Apply on the 'Apply Now' form at https://openobserve.ai/startup/ (be ready to confirm investor/accelerator backing; a company email on your own domain). On approval, sign the 1-year Cloud contract and the tiered discount applies from the approval date.", "expiry": "Discount valid for 12 months from approval (6 x 50%, 6 x 25%); not renewable. Not free - it is a discount, useful when ingest >100GB/day (at $0.50/GB that's ~$1.5k+/mo list, so real dollar value).", "gotchas": "This is NOT a free offer - minimum 100GB/day ingest requirement excludes most students and pre-revenue startups; the 1-year commitment is the cost. Resale/abuse triggers termination. After month 12, full price applies unless you terminate. Verify current terms before applying - program terms can change on 30 days' notice.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/startup/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / non-profit 'special pricing' via sales (no published program)", "detail": "OpenObserve states: 'Discounts available for eligible startups, non-profits, and educational institutions' - applied through openobserve.ai/contact-sales. There is NO published education license, student tier, .edu requirement, or fixed discount amount anywhere on the official site; no dedicated /education page exists. The Enterprise EULA is explicitly B2B-only ('business, commercial, or organizational purposes only, not consumer for personal, family, or household use'), so a purely individual student gets no licensed free offer; students' realistic free path is the self-hosted OSS or 50GB/day Enterprise free tier, plus the 14-day cloud trial.", "eligibility": "Institution-level (university, research lab, non-profit) via sales negotiation; criteria not published. No .edu-only free product found.", "claim": "Contact openobserve.ai/contact-sales describing the institution and use case; expect a custom quote/quote-level discount, not a self-serve free offer.", "expiry": "No program, so no expiry; offers are ad-hoc quotes.", "gotchas": "Because the EULA is B2B, even a favorable education quote likely binds an institution, not a student. Do not confuse this with a student free tier - none exists.", "source_url": "https://openobserve.ai/pricing.md(SpecialPricing);https://openobserve.ai/legal/enterprise-license/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "SUNSET: OpenObserve Cloud's free tier was DISCONTINUED effective 2025-06-02 (announcement: https://openobserve.ai/blog/june-25-pricing-policy-updates/). Moving to fully usage-based Pay-As-You-Go with no minimums; existing free-tier cloud customers got a 30-day exemption (until ~2025-07-02) and then required a valid credit card on file for usage charges. New customers instead get the 14-day no-CC trial. PR #6922 (merged 2025-07-10) confirms the code: orgs default to a 14-day trial and the free plan was removed from the billing UI. So any 'OpenObserve Cloud free tier' seen in pre-June-2025 articles is stale. PRICING CHANGE: ingestion price moved from $0.30/GB (June 2025) to $0.50/GB on the current Professional plan (pricing.md, updated 2026-09-04) - trial/usage costs are higher than 2025 docs suggest. ALSO: uptime/CDN front - OpenObserve has no CDN; uptime/synthetic monitoring (HTTP/TCP/TLS/SSH + Playwright browser checks) is in BETA in Cloud as of Aug 2026 with no separate free tier found, and RUM/session replay on cloud carry per-unit pay-as-you-go fees; nothing in the current material is a permanent free monitoring/uptime/CDN offer - the permanent-free value is entirely in the self-hosted OSS build and the 50GB/day self-hosted Enterprise free tier." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-Hosted Open Source Edition (free forever)", "link": "https://openobserve.ai/downloads/(alsohttps://openobserve.ai/pricing.md)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "openreplay", "name": "OpenReplay", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://openreplay.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free open-source self-hosted session replay + analytics + error tracking (no hard event caps); hosted Dedicated starts at $199/mo with a 7-day trial" ], "notes": [ "Unlike Sentry/PostHog the hosted offering has no published free event tier — the free value is self-hosting. Verified at openreplay.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Open-Source self-hosted edition (free forever, no caps)", "detail": "Free open-source edition: session replay, DevTools, product analytics, co-browsing, Spot bug reports, heatmaps. No hard caps on events, recordings, users or retention — storage, RAM, vCPUs and retention are 'self-managed'; scalability labeled 'low traffic'. Support is community-only (GitHub, Slack). The live pricing page comparison table lists this tier simply as 'Free' (Open-Source column) and the FAQ says 'Open-Source is free — you host it on your own infrastructure.' No .edu email, no application, no startup program needed — anyone (students, startups, anyone) can self-host it free. License: AGPL-3.0 (openreplay/openreplay on GitHub).", "eligibility": "Universal — no application, no .edu email, no age/funding caps, no region limits. Student or startup just self-hosts on any infrastructure.", "claim": "No claim step: clone openreplay/openreplay, deploy via Docker on any host/cloud (docs.openreplay.com); or build free in-repo. Community support only.", "expiry": "Indefinite (free-forever, open-source). No renewal.", "gotchas": "You pay your own infrastructure (VM, storage, bandwidth/egress) — 'free' software but not free hosting; low-traffic scalability means you must size your own hardware; no SLA, no managed updates; AGPL-3.0 obligations apply to modified redistributed versions; data retention you manage yourself.", "source_url": "https://openreplay.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "7-day free trial of cloud Dedicated (no credit card)", "detail": "Dedicated managed cloud instance: 'Start 7-day trial', 'No credit card required', 'a fully-provisioned instance to evaluate before committing'. After trial, Dedicated starts at $199/mo (O1: 8GB RAM, 2 vCPUs, 120GB disk; billed hourly at $0.276/hr; 'stopped instances are still billed a small amount based on disk size'). O2/O3 sized instances go up (vendor's own llms.txt lists O2 $399/mo up to 200K sessions and O3 $799/mo up to 500K, but the live pricing page shows only 'from $199/mo'). 50 regions (AWS/GCP/Azure/BYOC), 2-day automated backups, SSO/SCIM, SOC 2 Type II.", "eligibility": "Anyone (student or startup) — sign up required, no .edu email requirement stated, no startup-age or funding cap stated, credit card explicitly NOT required, no region limit for the trial signup.", "claim": "Pricing page → 'Try Cloud' / Dedicated card → 'Start 7-day trial' → OpenReplay provisions a full Dedicated instance; no card, no commitment.", "expiry": "7 days; at expiry the instance no longer runs for free — converting to paid requires a plan ($199/mo+ or BYOC flat rate).", "gotchas": "Trial is trial-only, not a free tier: nothing persists free after 7 days; billing is hourly from the moment you subscribe, and stopped instances still incur small disk-storage charges; BYOC is billed at a flat monthly rate; O1 estimated $199/mo assumes ~full-month runtime.", "source_url": "https://openreplay.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Serverless usage-based cloud (per-session pricing; free-cloud-tier claim unverified)", "detail": "Cloud 'Serverless' plan is usage-based: pay only for recorded sessions; OpenReplay's own 2025 blog post and its llms.txt price it at $5.95 per 1,000 sessions (O1-cap ~50K sessions/mo figure appears in O1 Dedicated sizing), and a 2025 blog post states the cloud offering 'includes a 7-day free trial.' The vendor's llms.txt also claims a 'Free cloud tier (1,000 sessions/mo, 2 users)' with 30-day retention — but that tier does NOT appear on the live pricing page as fetched today (only Open-Source 'Free', Dedicated, Enterprise are shown; the page's 'Try Cloud Free' CTA may point to a signup flow). The pricing page today shows no per-session figure, so the $5.95/1K figure is from vendor-secondary pages, not the live pricing page.", "eligibility": "Cloud plan, so universal signup (no .edu/age caps stated). If a true free cloud tier (1,000 sessions/mo, 2 users, 30-day retention) exists as llms.txt claims, eligibility would just be account signup.", "claim": "Start with 'Try Cloud' on openreplay.com; confirm at signup whether a free Serverless tier with 1,000 sessions/mo is offered, since the live pricing table omits it.", "expiry": "If the 1,000-session free tier exists: renewable monthly up to 1,000 sessions and 2 users; 30-day data retention; overage $5.95/1,000 sessions per llms.txt. Unconfirmed — verify in the signup flow.", "gotchas": "llms.txt vs live pricing page conflict — treat the free cloud tier as unverified; per-session billing means cost scales with traffic; 30-day retention on cloud tiers (self-managed on OSS); 'no hard event caps' claim applies only to self-hosted open-source edition.", "source_url": "https://openreplay.com/llms.txt", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education / student license", "detail": "None found. openreplay.com/education is 404; the live pricing page, llms.txt, and 2025-2026 blog content contain no student pricing, .edu requirement, or academic license of any kind. Students get the same offers as everyone else: free self-hosted open-source edition and the 7-day no-CC trial.", "eligibility": "N/A — no dedicated education program.", "claim": "N/A", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not confuse with a student discount — none exists; the only 'free' value for students is self-hosting the open-source edition (self-paid infrastructure).", "source_url": "https://openreplay.com/education(404)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program / credits", "detail": "None found. No startup program, startup discounts, or trial-credit program appears on the live pricing page, llms.txt, or vendor blog posts checked today; the only vendor framing of startups is the 2025 blog line that usage-based Serverless is 'great for startups and small companies' — i.e., a pricing model, not a program. No WebSearch was possible this session (session search budget exhausted), so a niche startup-program page cannot be 100% ruled out, but all vendor-published pricing surfaces checked today list none.", "eligibility": "N/A — no dedicated startup program found.", "claim": "N/A — closest path for a startup: 7-day no-CC Dedicated trial, then Serverless ($5.95/1K sessions per vendor secondary pages) or self-hosted open-source edition at $0 license cost.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "After the 7-day trial, no free path remains on hosted plans unless the unverified free cloud tier (1,000 sessions/mo) is live in the signup flow.", "source_url": "https://openreplay.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verification note (checked 2026-10-22): the live pricing page today lists only Open-Source (Free, self-hosted), Dedicated (from $199/mo), and Enterprise (custom) — with the Dedicated card carrying the 7-day no-CC trial. No hosted free cloud tier appears in the live page's plan table, yet the vendor's llms.txt (same site, fetched today) still advertises 'Free cloud tier (1,000 sessions/mo, 2 users)' plus O2 $399/mo and O3 $799/mo tiers that also do not appear on the live page — indicating llms.txt is stale (likely written when a free cloud tier and published O2/O3 prices existed) or a free tier was recently sunset from the marketing table without updating llms.txt. OpenReplay's 2025 blog (blog.openreplay.com) describes the stack as: Open-Source free-forever, Serverless $5.95/1K sessions with 7-day free trial, Dedicated from $0.27/hr (~$199/mo). No evidence of any education or startup program ever having existed. Caveat: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so verification relied on direct fetches of openreplay.com pages (pricing page fetched 4x, llms.txt, blog) — no independent third-party corroboration of 2025 changes was possible." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Open-Source self-hosted edition (free forever, no caps)", "link": "https://openreplay.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "openrouter free models", "name": "OpenRouter Free Models", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://openrouter.ai/docs/api_reference/limits" ], "offers": [ "':free' model variants (openrouter/free router too): 20 RPM and 50 requests/day, rising to 1,000/day after a one-time $10 credit purchase; ~18 free models" ], "notes": [ "No card needed to use free models. OpenRouter marks some free-model providers (NVIDIA, Thinking Machines) as ones that may train on your data — treat free models as public. The free-model list rotates and some entries have end dates." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free tier: ':free' model variants and openrouter/free Free Models Router", "detail": "Any signed-in OpenRouter account gets rate-limited (not credit-limited) access to the catalog of $0/token free models. Limits today: 20 requests/minute in both tiers; 50 requests/day if lifetime purchased credits < $10; 1,000 requests/day once at least $10 of credits has been purchased all-time (the threshold in the docs table is 'at least 10 credits' and the higher tier is granted starting one credit below the threshold, i.e. effectively $10 lifetime spend). The daily counter/ceiling is exposed in `free_model_daily_requests` on GET /api/v1/key. The pricing page (Oct 2026) advertises the Free plan as '25+ free models, 4 free providers, 5 workspaces, 50 requests/day'; the openrouter/free router page lists 29 free-variant models in the router (the catalog rotates). `openrouter/free` is an auto-router that picks a random free model matching your request's capabilities; a :free model's `models` fallback array bills fallbacks at their own price, so keep requests free by listing only :free / openrouter/free entries.", "eligibility": "Any OpenRouter account (email, GitHub, or crypto wallet signup). No credit card required (Free plan lists 'Payment options: No'). No .edu or region requirement. is_free_tier = 'user has never paid for credits'; BYOK requests and exempt accounts/arenas are not gated by the daily counter.", "claim": "Sign up at openrouter.ai (no card needed) and call the API with a model ID ending in ':free' or with model 'openrouter/free' (OpenAI-compatible REST or SDK; Chat Playground at openrouter.ai/chat lists 'Free Models Router'). To raise the daily cap: buy >= $10 of credits once (credits purchased are lifetime-counted; the tier is permanent even if balance later drops below $10). Check remaining free quota via GET /api/v1/key.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; no expiry or renewal. Daily counter resets each UTC day. The $10 threshold is lifetime (all-time credits purchased), not a subscription.", "gotchas": "20 RPM cap is fixed even at the 1,000/day tier. OpenRouter charges a 5.5% ($0.80 minimum) card fee or 5% crypto fee on credit purchases, so the effective cost to unlock 1,000/day is $10.80 via card (16% overhead at a $5 top-up; $10 costs $10.80 = 8%). Free-model availability rotates ('which models are free changes frequently'); free models may have reduced context/quality. Free-model providers may log prompts/completions and use data for training unless your account's privacy routing settings exclude such providers; there is also an opt-in logging setting that trades a 1% usage discount for logging. OpenRouter reserves the right to expire unused credits one year after purchase (FAQ), which partially conflicts with third-party claims that 'credits never expire'. Fallbacks to paid models are billed even if the primary model is :free. Mid-stream rate limits arrive as an SSE finish_reason 'error', not a separate HTTP code.", "source_url": "https://openrouter.ai/docs/api_reference/limits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OpenRouter for Startups: up to $5,000 universal inference credits + 12 months of 0% platform/BYOK fees", "detail": "Official startup program (openrouter.ai/startup-program, terms last updated Aug 22, 2026). Benefit: up to $5,000 USD of universal inference credits usable across 500+ models, plus 0% processing fees for 12 months (covering both platform fees and BYOK fees); pay only token list price. Credits are promotional: no cash value, non-refundable, non-transferable, not stackable with other promotions; amounts are at OpenRouter's discretion ('up to'). Terms also allow benefits to vary by referral source and available program capacity. Rolling applications; decisions typically within a few days; if approved, credits/fee waivers are auto-applied to the OpenRouter account tied to the applicant's email.", "eligibility": "Pre-Series B stage (or equivalent as determined by OpenRouter); building an AI-native product full-time; referred by an approved OpenRouter partner; public company website; professional email on the company domain (generic aliases like admin@/support@/ops@ rejected); valid OpenRouter account with less than $500 lifetime OpenRouter spend; applicant has not previously received startup-program credits (once per applicant, even across multiple partner affiliations). No .edu requirement, no card requirement, no region cap stated.", "claim": "Fill out the application form at openrouter.ai/startup-program (or via your partner's perks page, e.g. Mercury/Stripe Atlas); questions to startups@openrouter.ai. Review is rolling; on approval the credits and fee waivers are automatically applied to your account. Ask for the specific credit amount in writing (benefits are 'up to' amounts).", "expiry": "No published deadline; rolling while the program is operational. Fee waiver: 12 months. Credits: promotional, no stated fixed expiry on the program credits themselves, but subject to OpenRouter's general right to expire unused credits one year after purchase.", "gotchas": "Amounts are discretionary and vary by referral source: the public page says 'up to $5K' while the program has also been advertised at $3,000 (third-party trackers noted the page previously showed up to $3,000; terms allow up to $5,000). The <$500 lifetime spend cap and partner-referral requirement exclude users who already spend on OpenRouter or lack a partner referral. 'Program availability may change over time'. Unused purchased credits may expire after one year per FAQ policy, so plan credit burn. 0% fee waiver is time-boxed to 12 months; standard 5.5% (Standard) / 8% (Business) platform fees resume after.", "source_url": "https://openrouter.ai/startup-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Mercury Perks partner tier: $1,000 in OpenRouter credits (6 months) + 12 months of 0% fees, for Mercury customers", "detail": "A partner-referred variant of OpenRouter for Startups offered through Mercury's perks portal. Benefit: $1K of universal inference credits, valid for 6 months, usable across OpenRouter's full model catalog, plus $0 processing fees for 12 months (platform and BYOK fees). Same rolling application and auto-apply mechanism as the main program. Each applicant may receive startup credits once even if affiliated with multiple partners.", "eligibility": "Mercury customers (online business banking for startups) who are also Pre-Series B, building AI-native products, with a public company website, professional company-domain email, and an OpenRouter account with < $500 lifetime spend. No .edu, no card requirement.", "claim": "Redeem/apply from Mercury's perks page (mercury.com/perks/openrouter) — OpenRouter reviews the application on a rolling basis and applies credits + fee waiver to the applicant's OpenRouter org account.", "expiry": "Credits valid 6 months; fee waiver 12 months; rolling application, program can change or close.", "gotchas": "Credit validity is shorter (6 months) than the direct program's open-ended promotional credits; the '300+ models' wording on the Mercury page predates OpenRouter's '500+ models' catalog copy — catalog size has grown. Once-per-applicant rule applies across partners; you cannot stack Mercury, Stripe Atlas, and the direct program credits.", "source_url": "https://mercury.com/perks/openrouter", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Stripe Atlas partner tier: $500 inference credits with 0% fees for approved Stripe Atlas founders", "detail": "A smaller partner tier of the same OpenRouter for Startups program, delivered through Stripe Atlas's perks catalog: $500 in inference credits plus 0% fees, redeemed after company formation approval via Atlas. Vendor eligibility and compliance requirements may apply.", "eligibility": "Approved Stripe Atlas founders (company incorporated via Stripe Atlas) meeting OpenRouter's startup eligibility (Pre-Series B, AI-native product, company website, professional email, < $500 lifetime OpenRouter spend).", "claim": "Redeem from the Stripe Atlas Perks tab after Atlas approval; OpenRouter applies the credits to your account.", "expiry": "Partner perk; no published credit-expiry beyond the program's promotional-credit rules and OpenRouter's right to expire unused credits after a year.", "gotchas": "Smallest of the three official partner tiers; once-per-applicant rule applies. Sourced from a third-party aggregator (heap.page) that also tracks OpenRouter's recorded offers; confirm the current amount on Stripe Atlas's own perks page before relying on it — partner benefit amounts vary and can change.", "source_url": "https://heap.page/software/openrouter", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Student/education license: no dedicated program — free tier is the student path; trial credits: none published", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 OpenRouter runs no student/education license, no .edu-verified grant, and no public trial-credit or welcome-credit offer. The free tier (above) is open to any account including students. Third-party FAQ tracking (Oct 2026) explicitly states OpenRouter 'doesn't offer a dedicated student or education discount' and 'doesn't issue public promo codes, coupon codes, or discount codes' (claims of '$5 welcome credits' are false). An SEO aggregator page (themodelverse.in) markets an 'OpenRouter Free Models Router Free Student Deal / 365-day grant' with .edu verification — this is not an official OpenRouter program; no OpenRouter page describes any student grant, and the claimed 'auto-renew tripwire' contradicts the no-payment Free plan. OpenRouter's FAQ does contain the line 'All new users receive a small free allowance to test out OpenRouter', but no amount, duration or claim process is published anywhere official; treat trial credits as unverified.", "eligibility": "N/A (no student-specific or trial-credit offer exists to claim). The standard free tier requires only an OpenRouter account.", "claim": "Students should simply create a normal OpenRouter account and use :free / openrouter/free models; startups should use the OpenRouter for Startups program. There is no form, code, or .edu verification to submit for a student benefit.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Ignore third-party 'student deal' aggregator pages claiming 365-day grants, auto-renewals, or .edu-gated perks for OpenRouter — they are not backed by any OpenRouter page and mix in invented renewal mechanics. Verify anything against openrouter.ai only.", "source_url": "https://costgoat.com/deals/openrouter.ai", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Major 2025-2026 changes: (1) April 9, 2025 policy shift (announced; widely reported): the daily free-model cap was cut from 200 to 50 requests/day and the '>= $10 lifetime credits -> 1,000 requests/day' incentive was introduced at that time — the 50/day figure has held through 2026. (2) Startup program terms were last updated August 22, 2026, and the public page now advertises 'up to $5,000' — third-party trackers (programscape.com) recorded the startups page at 'up to $3,000' earlier in 2026, indicating the credit ceiling was raised during 2026; the program's partner tiers (Mercury $1K/6mo, Stripe Atlas $500) are the older/lower amounts. (3) June 9, 2025: credit-purchase fee was simplified to a flat 5.5% ($0.80 min) on card / 5% on crypto (removed the old fixed $0.35 Stripe charge) — this affects the effective cost of the $10 unlock. (4) OpenRouter's FAQ reserves the right to expire unused credits after one year of purchase, contradicting common 'credits never expire' lore; confirm current treatment before banking on long-lived startup credits. No student/education license ever existed to sunset; no trial-credit program was found (the FAQ's 'small free allowance' line is unpublished/unverifiable). Free-model catalog size has grown to 25-29 rotating models under 4 free providers as of Oct 2026." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free tier: ':free' model variants and openrouter/free Free Models Router", "link": "https://openrouter.ai/docs/api_reference/limits", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "oracle cloud always free", "name": "Oracle Cloud Always Free", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/" ], "offers": [ "Perpetual Always Free tier: up to 2 AMD micro VMs (1/8 OCPU/1 GB each) + up to 2 OCPU/12 GB ARM Ampere A1; 200 GB block, ~20 GB object, 10 TB/mo egress, 2 Autonomous DBs (20 GB each); plus a one-time $300 / 30-day trial credit." ], "notes": [ "The most generous perpetual free tier among the major clouds; a card is required at signup but is not charged while the account stays in 'Always Free' mode. 2025 change: Oracle trimmed the Always-Free ARM allowance (docs moved from 4 OCPU/24 GB to 2 OCPU/12 GB) — confirm current limits in-console. Free ARM capacity is frequently sold out in popular regions; idle instances can be reclaimed." ], "findings": [ { "name": "OCI Always Free tier (VPS: 2 AMD micro VMs + 2 OCPU/12 GB ARM Ampere A1 pool + storage/DB/networking)", "detail": "Perpetual ('life of the account') Always Free resources, home region only: (1) up to 2 VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro AMD instances, each 1/8 OCPU (~200 MHz, burstable) + 1 GB RAM, 1 VNIC, 1 public IPv4, up to 50 Mbps internet / 480 Mbps intra-region; (2) Ampere A1 ARM (VM.Standard.A1.Flex): a monthly pool of 1,500 OCPU-hours + 9,000 GB-hours = equivalent to 2 OCPUs and 12 GB total, usable as one instance or up to two 1-OCPU instances (min boot volume 47 GB/instance); (3) 200 GB block volume total (boot + data, home region) with 5 volume backups; (4) object storage: 20 GB combined Standard+Infrequent Access+Archive for free-only tenancies (10 GB per tier while trial/PAYG is active); (5) 10 TB/month outbound egress; (6) 2x Autonomous AI Database (20 GB storage each, 1 Oracle CPU, serverless Exadata, 20 max concurrent sessions); (7) MySQL HeatWave standalone single-node cluster, 50 GB data + 50 GB backup storage; (8) NoSQL: 133M reads + 133M writes/mo, 3 tables x 25 GB (Phoenix region only); (9) 2 VCNs, 1 Flexible Load Balancer + 1 Network Load Balancer, 50 IPsec site-to-site VPN connections, 5 CAs + 150 certificates, 3,000 emails/mo Email Delivery, plus free APEX, Resource Manager/Terraform, Monitoring/Logging, Bastion, Vault (software keys unlimited; 20 HSM key versions), Security Advisor, Content Management Starter. NO free bare-metal or dedicated-server shapes exist — OCI bare metal (BM.Dense/BM.Standard, incl. 80-core Ampere bare metal) is paid-only.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who signs up (one free trial/Always Free account per person; one cloud account per email). Credit or debit card REQUIRED at signup: major-network cards (Visa/Mastercard/Discover/Amex) that do not require a PIN; virtual, prepaid, single-use and PIN-debit cards are rejected. A mobile phone number is needed for most users. Available in all regions where commercial OCI is offered (Free/Always Free NOT available in US Government Cloud regions); '$300 credit' part is 'available in select countries'. .edu email NOT required for the free tier. Startup age/funding caps: none for the free tier.", "claim": "Sign up at https://signup.oraclecloud.com (linked from https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/): select country, enter name + valid email, verify email (link valid 30 min), set password (8-40 chars, complexity rules), optionally enter company name, create a cloud account name, pick Home Region (irrevocable; Always Free compute + ADB can only be created in the home region), enter address + phone, add credit/debit card as payment-verification method (you may see a small temporary ~$1 verification hold that auto-reverses), accept ToU, 'Start my free trial'. Always Free resources are usable immediately with no upgrade; $0 charged unless you upgrade to PAYG. No separate claim form for the Always Free tier itself.", "expiry": "Perpetual — 'available for an unlimited period of time, for the life of the account.' Trial portion: $300 credits expire 30 days after signup. No renewal needed.", "gotchas": "HOME-REGION LOCK: Always Free compute and ADB provision only in home region; use in other regions bills at PAYG rates. IDLE RECLAMATION: Always Free VMs (and bare metal) can be reclaimed when over any 7-day window CPU p95 < 20% AND network < 20% (AND memory < 20% for A1 shapes). Accounts idle 30+ days may be deemed abandoned and suspended/terminated. 2026 ARM CUT-ENFORCEMENT: since 2026-08-18, A1 instances exceeding 2 OCPU/12 GB are auto-terminated; once an existing oversized instance is terminated it 'may not be possible' to recreate it above the new limit. Capacity: free-tier accounts frequently hit 'out of host capacity' on A1/micro shapes in US regions; PAYG upgrade generally provisions more reliably. Eligible OS images limited (Oracle Linux/Ubuntu/CentOS for micros; Oracle Linux/Ubuntu + Oracle Linux Cloud Developer for A1, latter needs >=8 GB). No SLA and no Oracle Support unless a paid account. If trial ends with more A1 OCPUs/memory than 2/12, excess instances are disabled then deleted after 30 days unless you upgrade. Paid resources made with trial credits are deleted (unrecoverable) if you don't upgrade.", "source_url": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm(alsohttps://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/)—bothread2026-10-22", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OCI Free Trial: US$300 cloud credit for 30 days (all eligible OCI services, on top of Always Free)", "detail": "One-time US$300 in cloud credits valid up to 30 days from account creation, spendable on all eligible OCI services (compute beyond free limits, GPU, K8s, analytics, up to ~8 instances / 5 TB storage while credits last, per the trial marketing). Credits are consumed at discounted trial rates. Unused credits expire at 30 days. After trial: 30-day grace to upgrade; paid resources are otherwise reclaimed/deleted; Always Free resources persist. Upgrading carries a ~$100 card authorization. Extensions/additional credits possible only via an Oracle sales representative (console Upgrade page).", "eligibility": "Same as free tier signup: one per person; credit/debit card (major network, no PIN required) + phone number for identity verification; US$300 credit 'available in select countries' per the FAQ asterisk. No .edu, no startup-age requirement — this is a general trial, not a special program.", "claim": "Automatically granted at https://signup.oraclecloud.com — no separate claim. Steps: country -> name -> email (verify within 30 min) -> password -> optional company -> cloud account name -> Home Region -> address/phone -> add card verification (small temporary ~$1 hold) -> ToU -> 'Start my free trial'. Upgrade to PAYG at any time via Console > Billing & Cost Management > Upgrade and Manage Payment.", "expiry": "Credits: 30 days from signup or $300 exhaustion, whichever first. Trial resources: 30-day grace after expiry to upgrade before deletion. Always Free portion: no expiry.", "gotchas": "Card IS required (contrary to 'no credit card' marketing assumptions): FAQ says credit cards and PIN-less debit cards only; virtual/prepaid/single-use cards rejected; periodic re-validation holds possible. 'Some special Free Trial offers' (e.g., email-invite promotions): after expiry the account is suspended for 30 days then permanently deleted — they do NOT convert to an Always Free account. No SLA/support once credits gone. Billing begins after trial if you upgraded (credit balance preserved until trial period ends). No downgrade from paid back to free. Data in trial-created resources is unrecoverable after reclamation.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/faq/andhttps://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier.htm(bothread2026-10-22);signupsteps:https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/GSG/Tasks/signingup_topic-Sign_Up_for_Free_Oracle_Cloud_Promotion.htm", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle Startup Program (startup cloud credits)", "detail": "UNVERIFIABLE TODAY. The global Oracle startups section at https://www.oracle.com/startups/ (and /accelerate/) returned HTTP 403 (Oracle edge firewall 'fw_error_www') to all non-browser clients on 2026-10-22, so exact credit amounts, funding caps, and application terms could not be read. Historical/known program: 'Oracle Startup Program' / Oracle Accelerate, where eligible early-stage startups apply for additional OCI cloud credits beyond the $300 trial; regional Oracle sites (uk/europe/latam/middleeast/japan) have NO startups section — /startups/ URLs there 301-redirect to /cloud/ or 404, indicating the program is global-only and likely gated behind the bot-protected global page. Exact amounts/duration are not confirmed in this pass; treat any number as unverified.", "eligibility": "Unknown today (page inaccessible). Historically: early-stage startups (founded within recent years, limited funding raised); application through the Oracle startups portal; personal accounts are not eligible. $300 trial and Always Free tier are available to startups in their personal capacity regardless.", "claim": "If accessible: application form at https://www.oracle.com/startups/ (company details; program-specific credit grant); fallback: standard $300/30-day trial at signup.oraclecloud.com. Because the page blocked automated access, verify manually in a browser.", "expiry": "Unknown (unverified).", "gotchas": "Page blocked by Oracle's WAF for automated fetchers — confirm in a real browser before relying on any numbers; do not cite the 'known so far' 2025-era figures without re-verification; no startup program details appear in docs.oracle.com Free Tier docs, so nothing in official docs corroborates it.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/startups/(inaccessibleviaautomation2026-10-22,HTTP403)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education offer: no dedicated .edu cloud-credit program; free tier open to students/academics + free Oracle University training/certifications (Oracle Learning Explorer)", "detail": "No .edu-gated OCI VPS license found on official pages as of 2026-10-22. The free tier FAQ explicitly targets 'a student wanting to learn, or an academic developing curriculum in the cloud' — students simply use the standard Always Free + $300/30-day trial (no .edu email required; the signup email is only used to check 'if you are eligible for any special offers', so education special offers can appear at signup if targeted). Free education/training: (a) Oracle Learning Explorer — free entry-level training courses and accreditation across Oracle's product portfolio; (b) Oracle University 'Free Foundations training' — free training and certifications for OCI, Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and AI (oracle.com/education/training, 'New free Foundations training... free training and certifications'); (c) a promo on that page: 'Free certification on OCI, AI, multicloud, and data services — Now through October 31, join the Race to Certification 2025' (note: page footer is © 2026, the 'Race to Certification 2025' banner looks like stale promotional copy — the offer may have already expired on 2025-10-31; do not count on it without re-checking).", "eligibility": "Training: open to anyone, no .edu email, no card. Cloud: standard free-tier eligibility (one account/person, card + phone). .edu email NOT required anywhere.", "claim": "Cloud: standard signup at signup.oraclecloud.com (any special education offer is surfaced there via the email eligibility check). Training: enroll at mylearn.oracle.com / oracle.com/education/training ('Explore free training and certifications'); Learning Explorer via oracle.com/education ('Start learning for free').", "expiry": "Free Foundations training: ongoing/promotional ('New free Foundations training' as of the page's © 2026). Race to Certification: 'through October 31' (year unclear — likely already ended 2025-10-31; stale banner).", "gotchas": "Oracle University free tier is training-only, no infrastructure credits; the 'free' training does not include the full exam voucher unless the specific Foundations course lists it; verify 'Race to Certification' status in the console/marketing site before assuming it's live; no .edu-only benefits exist in OCI as of this check.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/education/training/andhttps://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/faq/(bothread2026-10-22)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) ALWAYS FREE AMPERE A1 HALVED, SILENTLY — Oracle's docs changed without a public announcement so that the A1 pool went from 3,000 OCPU-hours + 18,000 GB-hours/month (equivalent to 4 OCPU / 24 GB, i.e., 'up to four Ampere instances' as the older MySQL-free page still claims) to 1,500 OCPU-hours + 9,000 GB-hours/month (= 2 OCPU / 12 GB total, 'one or two instances, 2 OCPUs total'). Per InfoQ (2026-07-03) the docs change took effect 2026-06-15 with no blog post or customer notice; hard enforcement (auto-termination of over-limit instances) began 2026-08-18 per a customer email quoted by CNELECAR. Ambiguity remains: Oracle support reportedly told PAYG tenancies the old 4/24 limits still apply free, while the docs say 'All tenancies get the first 1,500 OCPU hours...' — unconfirmed either way. Once an oversized A1 instance is terminated it likely cannot be recreated above the new limit. AMD micros, 200 GB block, object storage, 10 TB egress, and 2x20 GB ADB limits are unchanged. (2) $300/30-DAY TRIAL — unchanged through 2025-2026; card still required at signup. (3) STARTUP PROGRAM — not verifiable this pass (bot-blocked global page); no evidence it was sunset, but no official docs corroborate it either. (4) BARE-METAL / DEDICATED-SERVER FRONT — Oracle has no free bare-metal or dedicated-server offer at any tier; bare-metal/dedicated is paid-only (PAYG or Always-Free-exempt). (5) EDUCATION — no .edu-gated program currently advertised; free Foundations training/certifications remain available per the ©2026 Oracle University pages." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "OCI Always Free tier (VPS: 2 AMD micro VMs + 2 OCPU/12 GB ARM Ampere A1 pool + storage/DB/networking)", "link": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm(alsohttps://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/)—bothread2026-10-22", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "oracle cloud infrastructure always free", "name": "Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Always Free", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/" ], "offers": [ "Always-free: 4 ARM micro VMs (200 GB storage), 10 TB egress, free Autonomous DB (50 GB, select regions); 30-day full trial" ], "notes": [ "Among the most generous standing free tiers; always-free regions occasionally re-scoped — verify current region list" ], "findings": [ { "name": "OCI Always Free services (Free Tier — no expiry)", "detail": "Always Free limits (oracle.com Free Tier service list, re-fetched live 2026-10-22): Compute = 2 AMD VMs (each 1/8 OCPU + 1 GB RAM) and ARM = 1,500 OCPU-hours + 9,000 GB-hours/mo (Ampere A1, ~2 OCPU / 12 GB RAM, usable as 1 or 2 VMs). Storage = 200 GB block (2 block volumes + 5 backups) + 20 GB object (standard+infrequent+archive combined) + 50,000 object API requests/mo. Networking = 10 TB/mo outbound egress, 2 VCNs, 1 Load Balancer (10 Mbps) + 1 Flexible NLB, 50 site-to-site VPN connections. Databases = up to 2 Autonomous DBs total (ATP/ADW/AJD/APEX), NoSQL (133M reads + 133M writes/mo, 25 GB/table up to 3 tables), 1 HeatWave (50 GB storage + 50 GB backup). Plus APEX 744 hrs/instance, Email 100/day, 5 Bastions, monitoring/logging within free quotas. Always Free services are usable for an unlimited period.", "eligibility": "Open to any individual/account — no .edu or student-email requirement, no startup requirement. One Free Trial or Always Free account per person. Available in regions where commercial OCI is offered; some services (e.g., ARM, Autonomous DB) only in select/home regions.", "claim": "Self-serve sign-up at oracle.com/cloud/free/ -> create a tenancy in a supported region -> provision Always Free shapes/services within the limits above. No charge while you stay within Always Free amounts. A credit/credit-like debit card is required at sign-up.", "expiry": "No expiry / no renewal — Always Free has no time limit. Caveat: accounts idle for 30+ days may be deemed abandoned and suspended/terminated.", "gotchas": "Card IS collected at sign-up for identity verification (a ~$1 temporary authorization hold is removed in 3-5 days; PIN, virtual, single-use and prepaid cards are NOT accepted). Do not conflate Always Free with the 30-day $300 trial. ARM is ~2 OCPU/12 GB (up to 2 VMs), NOT '4 micro VMs'; the 200 GB is the block-storage pool, not a per-VM figure. Autonomous DB capped at 2 instances; per-DB storage and region availability ('select regions') are not stated on the free page. Egress beyond 10 TB/mo and storage beyond free quotas are billed.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/(per-servicelimitsinhttps://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/oci-free-tier_v1.json)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day Free Trial with US$300 credit (all OCI services)", "detail": "Sign-up grants US$300 of credit usable on all eligible OCI services for 30 days, on top of Always Free. During the 30-day window you can also use the larger 'Trial' allowances listed on the page: Compute up to 4,500 hrs + 500 GB storage; Storage up to 7 TB block + 11 TB object; Autonomous DB up to 3,338 hrs + 2 TB Exadata; plus trial quotas for Functions, Kubernetes, WebLogic, HeatWave (5,000 hrs), Load Balancer, etc.", "eligibility": "Any individual/account (students and startups alike) — no .edu or startup criteria. One Free Trial per person; a valid credit/credit-like debit card is required at sign-up for identity verification.", "claim": "Same sign-up as the Free Tier (oracle.com/cloud/free/); the $300 trial credit attaches automatically to the new account. Spend it within 30 days. Optionally convert to Pay-As-You-Go at any point by adding a payment method.", "expiry": "US$300 OR 30 days, whichever comes first; then the account drops to Always Free only (or Pay-As-You-Go if converted). Idle 30+ days may trigger suspension.", "gotchas": "Card is REQUIRED at sign-up (temporary ~$1 auth hold; no PIN/virtual/prepaid cards). The $300 covers only the 30-day window — afterwards only Always Free remains unless you convert to Pay-As-You-Go. You are billed for data egress beyond 10 TB/mo, storage beyond free quotas, and any service not in Always Free. The live page shows US$300 (older marketing referenced a smaller figure; confirm $300, not $200).", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle Startup program (application-based startup credit)", "detail": "A separate, application-based credit program for startups, layered on top of the self-serve $300 trial. I could NOT read the live program page today: the legacy URL oracle.com/startupcloud/ returns 404 and oracle.com/startups/ is bot-gated (WAF 403) from this environment, so current credit amounts, duration, funding-cap and company-age criteria could not be independently confirmed.", "eligibility": "Startups (application-based; typically partner/ecosystem criteria). Exact company-age / funding-cap limits not verifiable today.", "claim": "Apply via the Oracle startup program portal (oracle.com/startups/ or a successor URL); on approval the startup receives cloud credit. Exact 2026 steps and limits unverified.", "expiry": "Unknown — could not verify the live program terms today.", "gotchas": "Do not rely on third-party numbers: the official page was inaccessible today (404/403), so re-verify amounts, funding cap, and duration in a normal browser. Distinguish this application-based program from the universal $300 trial / Always Free tier, which anyone can use.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/startups/(legacyhttps://www.oracle.com/startupcloud/—bothinaccessible2026-10-22)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education front — Oracle University (training) and Oracle Cloud Academy (appears sunset); no .edu-only free cloud offer", "detail": "No distinct .edu-gated or student-email-only free cloud-credit program was found. The 'education' front is Oracle University (education.oracle.com), a free training/certification/skills-development portal (it confers no OCI cloud credit). The former 'Oracle Cloud Academy' (education.oracle.com/cloud-academy), which historically provided free OCI credits to learners/instructors, now returns a '404 / Oracle University' error page as of today, indicating that offering has been sunset or redirected.", "eligibility": "No .edu requirement for any current Oracle free cloud offer. Oracle University is open (no student-email gate).", "claim": "Students obtain cloud for free only via the universal Free Tier + $300 trial (a card is required). Oracle University courses are free at education.oracle.com but grant no OCI credit.", "expiry": "Cloud Academy appears ended (its URL serves a 404/error page today).", "gotchas": "Do not expect a student/.edu discount or dedicated student credit — use the standard sign-up. Some Oracle University certifications have paid components even though basic courses are free. Verify Cloud Academy status separately; as of 2026-10-22 its URL is an error page.", "source_url": "https://education.oracle.com/;https://education.oracle.com/cloud-academy(404today)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes observed: (1) Oracle Cloud Academy (education.oracle.com/cloud-academy) — the last education-only free-credits front — now serves a '404 / Oracle University' error page as of 2026-10-22, i.e. it appears sunset; the education front is now just Oracle University (free training, no cloud credit). (2) Legacy startup program URL oracle.com/startupcloud/ returns 404; its successor oracle.com/startups/ is WAF/bot-gated (403) so live terms were unreadable today — treat startup-program figures as unverified. (3) The trial landing URL oracle.com/cloud/free/trial/ now 404s; the trial is folded into /cloud/free/. (4) Trial credit is US$300 for 30 days on the live page (older docs referenced a smaller credit). (5) ARM Always Free is ~2 OCPU/12 GB (up to 2 VMs), not '4 micro VMs' as in the task's known note (the 200 GB figure is the block-storage pool). Note: the oracle.com/cloud/free/ page carries a metadata 'Updated Date' of 2024-09-10, so the Always Free limits have not been re-edited since that date per the page metadata; values were re-fetched live on 2026-10-22. WebSearch was unavailable this session (budget exhausted), so all verifications were done by directly fetching official Oracle pages; the /startups/ and /startupcloud/ pages could not be read." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "4 ARM micro VMs (200 GB storage), 10 TB egress ...", "text": "The Always Free Ampere A1 allowance is one flexible pool of 1,500 OCPU-hours and 9,000 GB-hours per month, equal to 2 OCPUs and 12 GB RAM. It is not four ARM micro VMs. Always Free also includes up to two AMD VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro instances and 200 GB of block storage.", "url": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm" } ], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "OCI Always Free services (Free Tier — no expiry)", "link": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/(per-servicelimitsinhttps://www.oracle.com/a/ocom/docs/oci-free-tier_v1.json)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "oracle startup growth engine", "name": "Oracle Startup Growth Engine", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/oracle-for-startups/" ], "offers": [ "Up to $60,000 in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) credits (program rules allow $5,000-$100,000 at Oracle's discretion) for VC-backed, high-growth startups with a validated product; launched June 2026 for Brazil/Argentina/Colombia with LatAm expansion planned." ], "notes": [ "2026 change: old global 'Oracle for Startups' sign-up retired and replaced by 'Oracle Startup Growth Engine' under the enhanced Oracle PartnerNetwork (eOPN). Excludes existing OCI customers; alternative is up to $60K assessment funding. GTM/customer introductions are 'illustrative,' not guaranteed." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Oracle Startup Growth Engine — OCI credits (LatAm startup program)", "detail": "Up to US$60,000 in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure credits; program rules allow US$5,000–US$100,000 at Oracle's discretion, for VC/accelerator-backed, high-growth startups with a validated product. Launched June 2026 for Brazil, Argentina, Colombia with LatAm expansion planned. NOT verifiable today on public oracle.com pages: the global (oracle.com/cloud/oracle-for-startups/), LatAm, and Brazil startup pages read on 2026-10-22 contain no Growth Engine, credit-amount, VC/accelerator, or application content — they are generic 'cloud for startups' landing pages. The program front is likely a gated/partner portal.", "eligibility": "VC- or accelerator-funded high-growth startup with a validated product; LatAm at launch (Brazil/Argentina/Colombia); no .edu requirement; no published startup-age or funding-cap figure on any public page read today.", "claim": "VC/accelerator partner nominates portfolio startup → startup applies through the program front (Startup Cloud-Credit Programs, VC/Accelerator Funded) → Oracle reviews product validation → credits awarded at Oracle's discretion (US$5k–US$100k band, up to US$60k) and applied to an OCI tenancy; spend on eligible OCI services.", "expiry": "Not published on any public page read today; credit-consumption window unverified.", "gotchas": "As of 2026-10-22 the program has zero public footprint on oracle.com global/LatAm/BR startup pages (all checked today) — expect partner/VC-gated application, not self-serve signup; award size is discretionary; these credits are separate from and in addition to the US$300 free-tier trial; WebSearch was unavailable this session, so no independent announcement could be located.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/oracle-for-startups/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "OCI Free Trial — US$300 credits / 30 days", "detail": "US$300 of free credit usable on all eligible OCI services for up to 30 days; consumption at discounted IaaS-equivalent rates during the 30-day promo; ends when credits are exhausted or 30 days elapse, whichever comes first; unused credits automatically expire. One trial per person. 'Oracle Cloud Promotion' is Oracle's alias for this same Free Trial.", "eligibility": "Anyone signing up for an OCI account (FAQ explicitly names students, academics, developers, startup founders); no .edu requirement; available in all regions where commercial OCI is offered, but the US$300 credit is 'available in select countries' per the official footnote; credit or debit card (credit-like) IS required at signup.", "claim": "Sign up via signup.cloud.oracle.com (linked as 'Sign Up for Free Cloud Tier' from oracle.com/cloud/free/) → provide contact + card info for identity verification → tenancy created with US$300/30-day credit → optionally upgrade to Pay As You Go at any time via Console Account Management.", "expiry": "30 days or credit exhaustion; then a 30-day grace period to upgrade, after which trial (paid) resources and data are permanently reclaimed/deleted; Oracle sales reps can extend trials or add credits on request; upgrade during trial defers billing until credits/30 days run out; no downgrade after upgrading.", "gotchas": "CC required — 'credit card NOT required' is false for this offer; virtual/single-use/prepaid and PIN debit cards are rejected; Oracle may place temporary authorization holds (3–5 days, no charge); no SLAs; only 'limited support' during trial — full support requires paid upgrade; paid instances created during trial are reclaimed when trial ends; some special trial offers suspend the account immediately after expiry (30-day suspension, then account deletion); multiple free accounts prohibited; idle 30+ days risks suspension.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/faq/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OCI Always Free services — unlimited duration (incl. for students)", "detail": "Unlimited-time Always Free services (per official FAQ read today): HeatWave, AMD-based Compute, Ampere A1 Arm-based Compute, Block Volume, Object Storage, Archive Storage, Flexible + Flexible Network Load Balancer, Site-to-Site VPN/VPN Connect, Autonomous Data Warehouse/Transaction Processing/JSON Database, NoSQL Database (Phoenix region only), APEX, Resource Manager (Terraform), Monitoring, Notifications, Logging, APM, Service Connector Hub, Vault, Bastions, Security Advisor, VCNs, Content Management Starter Edition, Email Delivery. Numeric limits published on Oracle's LatAm OCI landing page (read today): 2 Autonomous AI Database instances of 20GB each; AMD and Arm compute VMs; 200GB total block storage; 10GB object storage; 10TB/month egress. Global free/FAQ page does not print per-service OCPU/RAM caps today ('Some limitations apply').", "eligibility": "Anyone, explicitly including students and academics (one account per person); no .edu required; card required at signup (identity verification); NoSQL free only in Phoenix region.", "claim": "Sign up for the same Free Tier (signup.cloud.oracle.com) → Always Free resources usable immediately and independently of trial credits → keep them after trial ends by staying within tenancy limits.", "expiry": "No expiry for in-limit Always Free resources ('unlimited time'); tenancy subject to abandoned-account rules (idle 30+ days may be suspended); new Always Free services are added automatically.", "gotchas": "The 10GB object-storage / 10TB egress / 200GB block figures come from the LatAm landing page while the global free page omits numbers — verify per region before relying on them; if you provision more Ampere A1 instances than the Always Free tenancy allows, ALL existing Ampere instances are disabled and then deleted 30 days post-trial unless you upgrade; data egress beyond the free monthly amount and anything outside Always Free limits is billable; no SLA/support on Always Free (community forums only); capacity estimates can sell out ('out of host capacity' errors); Always Free status is not transferable between resources.", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/free/faq/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle University free training & accreditation (education offer)", "detail": "Oracle University (oracle.com/education, read today): 'Start learning for free' — free entry-level 'Foundations' training and certifications across Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, and AI; free Oracle University Learning Community (3.5M+ learners); free hands-on labs that run in free lab environments or in Oracle Cloud free mode; Oracle MyLearn AI-personalized learning. This is a training/accreditation offer, not cloud credits or a software license.", "eligibility": "Open to individuals and organizations; no .edu requirement stated on the page; no fee for the free Foundations tracks.", "claim": "Go to oracle.com/education → 'Start learning for free' / 'Explore free training and certifications' → join the Learning Community → complete free Foundations courses/accreditations; run free labs in Oracle-provided free lab environments or your free-tier tenancy.", "expiry": "No expiry stated; free training catalog appears ongoing.", "gotchas": "Advanced role-based tracks and the Oracle Unlimited Learning Subscription are paid; free training does not include free cloud capacity (resources still count against Free Tier/trial limits).", "source_url": "https://www.oracle.com/education/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Oracle Startup Growth Engine — OCI credits (LatAm startup program)", "link": "https://www.oracle.com/cloud/oracle-for-startups/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "outline", "name": "Outline", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.getoutline.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted knowledge base for personal/internal use; replaces paid Notion/Guru seats" ], "notes": [ "BUSL-1.1 (source-available, not OSI): may not offer it as a hosted service to third parties; each release converts to Apache-2.0 after 4 years. ~41k stars, active (repo outline/outline)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Cloud 30-day free trial (no free cloud tier)", "detail": "Pricing FAQ: 'When you create a team your first 30 days are free.' Each cloud plan (Starter, Team, Business) has a 'Start trial' link to app.getoutline.com/create (ref=starter, ref=team, ref=business). Homepage and compare pages advertise 'Cloud hosted, 30-day free trial'. The trial is time-based, not credits. After it ends, 'your knowledge base becomes read-only until a payment method is added'; all documents can be exported during read-only. Paid cloud prices on the same page: Starter $10/mo for 1-10 members, Team $79/mo for 11-100 members, Business $249/mo for 101-200 members; over 200 members means contacting sales. The page says annual pricing is available but shows no annual figure. Unlimited documents and revisions are stated; no storage, upload or region caps are stated.", "eligibility": "Anyone who creates a team. The pricing page states no .edu email rule, no startup age or funding cap, no region limit and no student clause.", "claim": "Open https://www.getoutline.com/pricing, click 'Start trial' under Starter, Team or Business, and create a team. The 30 days run from team creation. Export documents before day 30 if you will not pay.", "expiry": "30 days from team creation; then read-only until billing is added. It does not convert to a free plan.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a free tier. Whether a credit card is required at sign-up is NOT stated on any page read, and the sign-up page did not render, so a card-free start is unverified. The 'until a payment method is added' wording suggests no card is needed during the first 30 days. The cloud price basis (flat per tier vs per member) is inferred from the plan cards.", "source_url": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Community Edition: free self-hosted build ($0, limited features, no support)", "detail": "Pricing page lists Community Edition at '$0 limited features, no support' with a Download button; it is the only $0 option on the page. Image: outlinewiki/outline on Docker Hub (linked from the pricing page). Hosting docs call Docker the 'preferred, supported' install method; a source build and a community-maintained Terraform/Ansible route for GCP (third-party repo) are also listed. Requirements: PostgreSQL 14 or later, Redis 4 or later, 512 MB RAM minimum (1 GB or more recommended), Unix-like OS only (not Windows Server), a dedicated domain or subdomain, and a compatible authentication provider, since Outline 'does not support email + password authentication natively'. Hosting docs say it 'requires dev-ops experience' to run in production. Support is GitHub Discussions only. Not included in Community Edition: AI question answering, guest users, extra security controls, SAML 2.0, structured data attributes, Confluence importer, security audit log, Glean integration, removal of Outline branding, and a support contract. SSO authentication is included.", "eligibility": "No sign-up, seat cap, .edu, or startup condition is stated. The code is under Business Source License 1.1 (see gotchas). Internal production use by your own employees and contractors falls within the license's production grant, as read from the license text (not legal advice).", "claim": "Pull outlinewiki/outline (or build from source), run it with PostgreSQL 14+ and Redis 4+ on a domain you control, connect a supported authentication provider, then follow https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting.", "expiry": "No expiry stated for the edition. The license Change Date for Outline 1.11.0 is 2030-10-12, when that version converts to Apache 2.0.", "gotchas": "License: BSL 1.1 is source-available, not OSI open source, until its Change Date, despite the homepage '10 years open source' badge. Additional Use Grant: 'you may not use the Licensed Work for a Document Service', where a Document Service is a commercial offering that lets third parties (other than your employees and contractors) create teams and documents they control. License restrictions page: 'selling, reselling, or hosting Outline as a service is a breach of the terms', and breach 'automatically terminates your rights under the license'. Costs are yours: server, PostgreSQL, Redis, domain and identity provider. File storage, SMTP and egress requirements were not stated on the pages read. Startups that need SAML or audit logs must pay for Business or Enterprise.", "source_url": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing;https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting/doc/requirements-ULdYnwi4wG;https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting/doc/installation-methods-pSvgz9j0QC;https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting/doc/authentication-7ViKRmRY5o;https://raw.githubusercontent.com/outline/outline/main/LICENSE", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30% discount for non-profit and educational institutions", "detail": "Pricing FAQ: 'Yep, absolutely - a 30% discount is available for non-profit and education.' followed by 'Please contact us for more details.' Scope is not stated: cloud vs self-hosted, which plans, duration and renewal are all unspecified. Arithmetic if applied to list prices: Starter $7/mo, Team $55.30/mo, Business $174.30/mo. This is a discount on paid plans, not a free plan.", "eligibility": "Non-profit organizations and educational institutions. Individual students and startups are not mentioned. The page states no .edu email rule and no proof-of-status requirement.", "claim": "Contact Outline via https://www.getoutline.com/contact, ask for the 30% non-profit or education discount, and supply whatever institutional proof they request.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "The page is silent on how eligibility is proven, whether the discount recurs, and whether it covers self-hosted editions. Students acting alone do not appear to qualify on the page's wording.", "source_url": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Enterprise self-hosted trial (on request, terms unpublished)", "detail": "Pricing page: the Enterprise self-hosted column shows 'Request Trial' next to '$5/user/mo billed annually, 100 user min'. The contact form at https://www.getoutline.com/contact?trial=true offers a 'Request an enterprise trial' reason. Trial length, included features, card requirement and post-trial terms are not published. The Business self-hosted column offers 'Purchase' only ($4/user/mo billed annually, 10-user minimum). Upgrade path: switch the Docker image from outlinewiki/outline to outlinewiki/outline-enterprise and set LICENSE_KEY in the environment.", "eligibility": "Enterprise is priced from a 100-user minimum. Trial eligibility rules are not published, so it is unclear whether a team under 100 users qualifies.", "claim": "Submit https://www.getoutline.com/contact?trial=true with 'Request an enterprise trial' selected, and ask for the trial terms in writing.", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Sales-led and unpublished; not a free tier. The Business self-hosted minimum is 10 users, about $40/mo at list before any discount.", "source_url": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing;https://www.getoutline.com/contact?trial=true;https://docs.getoutline.com/s/hosting/doc/business-enterprise-rv0715NxO3", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Sponsored accounts for non-profits working on climate change", "detail": "Pricing FAQ: 'We're also happy to sponsor accounts for non-profits working directly on solving climate change.' No amount, duration or application process is published beyond 'Please contact us for more details.'", "eligibility": "Non-profits working directly on solving climate change only. Not available to students or startups as written.", "claim": "Contact Outline via https://www.getoutline.com/contact.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Narrow eligibility and no published terms. Listed for completeness; not relevant to students or startups.", "source_url": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Cloud 30-day free trial (no free cloud tier)", "link": "https://www.getoutline.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "ovhcloud free trial", "name": "OVHcloud Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers", "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/pricing/", "https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/free-trial/" ], "offers": [ "US$200 trial credit for 1 month on Public Cloud; the official docs illustrate using it on GPU notebooks/AI training", "US$200 free trial credit on new dedicated servers & VPS, 2-month, no commitment (refundable)." ], "notes": [ "One of only three credits (with Modal and Thunder) that has an official GPU path as of Aug 2026. ~35 hours of an AI1-1-GPU notebook per OVH's own example. Card required; EU-based, so useful for EU data residency.", "Apply the $200 to your first order; stop within the 2-month window and the charge is refunded (the trial period is non-cancelable but refundable). OVHcloud also runs a startup/credit program. Kimsufi (OVH's budget brand) is month-to-month, not free. Verify the current $200/2-month terms in-console." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Public Cloud Free Trial (global, www.ovhcloud.com) — US$200 / 1 month", "detail": "US$200 free trial credit (displayed in local currency of the account's market/country, ex-VAT) valid for one month, activated when the first Public Cloud project is created. Applies to any Public Cloud service in the catalogue across all regions where Public Cloud is offered, incl. GPU/AI: the page's worked example covers 35 hours of AI1-1-GPU AI Notebook and 5 hours of AI Training on 4 AI1-1-GPU nodes. One voucher per natural or legal person (even across multiple NIC handles). Non-refundable, non-transferable, no combining with other offers; if the credit outlives on another NIC handle OVHcloud may terminate services; amounts covered by the voucher are excluded from SLA calculation. Offer live since 30 Jun 2022.", "eligibility": "Any OVHcloud customer (new or existing) who has NEVER created a Public Cloud project (active or past). A valid payment method (credit card/bank) must already be saved in the account before starting — a card IS required, contrary to some listings. No .edu/education email requirement. Available in all regions where Public Cloud is offered. One per person/entity.", "claim": "1) Create/log in to an OVHcloud account (ovhcloud.com). 2) Ensure a payment method is saved. 3) In the Control Panel open Public Cloud and create your first project — the FREETRIAL voucher activates on project creation. 4) Deploy resources; the US$200 is auto-deducted from that project's bills for one month. 5) After the month or when the credit runs out, the saved payment method is billed for further usage.", "expiry": "Voucher valid 1 month from project activation; non-renewable, non-exchangeable. After expiry the account reverts to standard pay-as-you-go billing.", "gotchas": "It's a trial credit, not a free tier — payment method required and unused credit vanishes after 30 days. VPS and bare-metal/dedicated servers are NOT covered (Public Cloud only); the trial page's own examples show GPU AI notebooks/AI training. Third-party trackers (agentdeals.dev) recorded a terms tightening on 2026-04-01 and a 2026-10-01 price change (Gen3 B3/C3/R3 instances now bill local storage and a public IPv4 as separate lines, raising total bills 1.4–21.9% for small instances), which makes the US$200 burn faster on Gen3 instances.", "source_url": "https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/free-trial/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Public Cloud Free Trial (OVHcloud US, us.ovhcloud.com) — up to $300 / 90 days", "detail": "US$200 credit when creating the first US Public Cloud project PLUS an additional $100 credit for creating the first Managed Database service — up to $300 total. Credits valid 90 days from the date they are applied (applied automatically; operational target 2 business days, contractual outer bound 30 days after OVHcloud receives the required $0.99 purchase). Cover Public Cloud only: compute (VMs, Cloud GPU, Local Zones), Block/Object/File storage, network, Managed Kubernetes, managed databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Valkey, Kafka, OpenSearch, Grafana), AI & ML (AI Notebooks, AI Training, AI Deploy) and security/ops services. Do NOT cover bare metal, VPS or Hosted Private Cloud.", "eligibility": "US datacenters only; customers who have not previously purchased Public Cloud services from OVHcloud. Must purchase at least $0.99 of Public Cloud services to trigger; a payment method with a $0.99 fee must be added when creating the first project — i.e. a card is required (though effectively cost-free via the $0.99 charge). No promo code, no .edu requirement.", "claim": "1) Sign up for an OVHcloud US account (us.ovhcloud.com). 2) Create your first Public Cloud project in the Control Panel — add a payment method ($0.99 fee applies). 3) Launch your first resource ($0.99 purchase triggers eligibility). 4) The $200 credit auto-applies within 2 business days; buy your first Managed Database service to unlock the extra $100. 5) Check balance in the account's Payment Methods > vouchers tab.", "expiry": "Credits expire 90 days after being applied to the account. No renewal/extension; unusable balance is void. After expiry the account bills at standard rates via the default payment method.", "gotchas": "The page's header says 'one-month free trial' but the terms state 90-day validity — treat 90 days as contractual. Charges continue automatically once credits are exhausted/expired via the card on file. US-only infrastructure: US regions with Public Cloud availability qualify. The $100 Managed-DB bonus is the part most easily missed.", "source_url": "https://us.ovhcloud.com/public-cloud/free-trial/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OVHcloud Startup Program — Start level: €10,000 credits / 12 months (EU; $12,000 US)", "detail": "12-month membership: €10,000 in free cloud credits (US program: up to $12,000; Canada site shows $14,000) usable on Public Cloud and Hosted Private Cloud, plus 6 hours of free 1-on-1 engineering consultation, regional manager access, free social visibility ('Shine On'), Showcase events with VCs, mentoring. Credits are vouchers valid 12 months; unused vouchers are lost at the end. Voucher-eligible products: Public Cloud compute (instances incl. GPUs — only V100, V100s and RTX5000 GPU instances, all other GPUs excluded), Block/Object/Cold Archive storage, Managed K8s, managed databases, AI & ML (AI Notebooks, AI Training, AI Deploy, AI Endpoints), Quantum Notebooks; Hosted Private Cloud VMware/Nutanix. Not eligible: VPS, dedicated/bare-metal servers, Web Cloud, telecom. Also: quantum emulators get 'free credits via the Startup Program or free trial offer' per the QPU product page. No equity taken, no exclusivity (competing programs allowed).", "eligibility": "Selected pre-seed and seed startups with at least a Proof of Concept or MVP deployable on OVHcloud, and a professional startup/business activity. Excluded: NGOs, associations, resellers/integrators, crypto mining, black-hat SEO, gaming bots, companies that already joined the program (incl. former Digital Launch Pad). No published company-age cap and no published funding cap for Start (OVHcloud decides the tier; any prior funding round 'improves chances' but isn't required; pre-revenue and revenue-generating both apply). Geographic: apply on the country site matching your business address; US infrastructure companies use the separate US program with a US account; generally one program membership (country of incorporation/operation). No .edu email; individual students aren't the target — it's company-level.", "claim": "1) Pick the right country site at startup.ovhcloud.com (or us.ovhcloud.com/startup-program for US). 2) Click Apply and link an existing OVHcloud customer account or create a new one (use a business account, not personal). 3) Answer company questions; you may get an email requesting more info. 4) Decision within ~7 days. 5) On acceptance sign the program contract in the Control Panel; vouchers arrive within ~48 hours; a regional program manager onboards you. Spend vouchers on eligible services during the 12 months.", "expiry": "Vouchers must be used within 12 months of the contract; remaining balance is automatically invalidated. No renewal; one membership per company, ever (re-applying after exit not allowed).", "gotchas": "Credits can't pay for VPS or dedicated servers — the 'fronts: VPS' angle only works through Public Cloud instances/Bare Metal Cloud (Bare Metal Cloud IS listed eligible in OVH docs' eligible-products table, while classic 'Dedicated Servers' and 'VPS' are not). GPU access under the program is limited to V100/V100s/RTX5000 instances. Trial-vs-free: this is a selective, application-based credit grant, not self-serve. Application must be honest — false/vague info gets it rejected. If you order non-eligible products by mistake they bill your regular payment method.", "source_url": "https://startup.ovhcloud.com/en/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "OVHcloud Startup Program — Scale level: up to €100,000 credits / 12 months (EU; up to $120,000 US)", "detail": "12 months for Series A (and beyond) funded startups/scaleups: vouchers sized by OVHcloud's assessment of your expected 12-month infrastructure spend, capped at €100,000 (US: up to $120,000), plus up to 20 hours of 1-on-1 engineer time, Business-tier support, personalized quotes via Sales, personal visibility and market/funding event access. Same voucher eligibility rules as Start level (Public Cloud + Hosted Private Cloud; GPU only V100/V100s/RTX5000; no VPS/dedicated servers; AI Notebooks/Training/Deploy and Quantum Notebooks eligible). 'Enabler' route: accelerators/incubators/VCs that are OVHcloud partners can bring members to the same ceilings (up to €100k/20h); an event code is only mandatory when the support structure is a Premium partner.", "eligibility": "Startups/scaleups that have raised Series A or later (funding stage is the main discriminator vs Start; OVHcloud makes the final tier decision). Same exclusions as Start level (NGOs, non-business projects, resellers, contentious activities, prior program members). Company site matching business address; US program requires a US OVHcloud account.", "claim": "Same as Start level: apply online at startup.ovhcloud.com (country site per your address) or us.ovhcloud.com/startup-program, link/create a business OVHcloud account, respond to follow-up, ~7-day decision, sign contract in Control Panel, vouchers within ~48h, manager onboarding.", "expiry": "Vouchers valid 12 months from contract; unused balance lost. Participation capped at 12 months per level.", "gotchas": "'Up to' — actual amount is set by OVHcloud from your projected spend, not guaranteed at the cap. Series A+ requirement means most seed-stage teams get the €10k Start level instead. No exclusivity with other cloud providers' programs. GPU instances other than V100/V100s/RTX5000 aren't voucher-eligible even at Scale level.", "source_url": "https://startup.ovhcloud.com/en/scaleups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Public VCF-as-a-Service first month free (US promo, code VCFTRIAL)", "detail": "Limited-time promotion on OVHcloud US homepage: first month of Public VCF-as-a-Service (VMware Cloud Foundation workloads on shared infrastructure) free for new OVHcloud customers, using code VCFTRIAL at checkout. Standard Starter Pack only. This is a VMware-hosted private-cloud offering, not a GPU/VPS/dedicated-server product.", "eligibility": "New OVHcloud US customers only; first 50 customers or until October 31, 2026, whichever comes first (i.e. it ends ~9 days after the 2026-10-22 reference date). No .edu requirement; payment at checkout after the free month.", "claim": "1) New OVHcloud US account. 2) Order Public VCF-as-a-Service Standard Starter Pack. 3) Enter code VCFTRIAL at checkout to waive the first month.", "expiry": "Offer limited to first 50 customers or 31 Oct 2026. After the free month, standard pricing auto-renews unless cancelled before the promotional period ends.", "gotchas": "Auto-renews to paid — cancel if you don't want it. Strict customer cap (50). The promo is US-only and VMware-specific; unrelated to the $200/$300 Public Cloud trial or the Startup Program (don't assume it can be stacked — page says 'additional terms apply').", "source_url": "https://us.ovhcloud.com/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student/education offer: free access to OVHcloud quantum notebooks (Qualifying Students program)", "detail": "Announced with the Quandela MosaiQ QPU inauguration (2024; rooted in the 2023 C12 notebook release): selected students from higher-education/research institutions (incl. QuanTEdu-France consortium members such as Telecom Paris) receive free access to OVHcloud's full quantum notebook range (Alice & Bob, C12, Eviden, Pasqal, Quandela, later Qiskit) and to the Quandela QPU via the cloud — original press announced 80 hours of notebook access per selected student. OVHcloud's current QPU product page says free emulation credits are 'available... particularly for startups, researchers or innovative companies — via the OVHcloud Startup Program or the free trial offer', i.e. students effectively ride the Startup Program/trial credits rather than a dedicated self-serve .edu offer.", "eligibility": "Students at qualifying higher-education/research institutions; selection by application review (2024 program cited QuanTEdu-France/Telecom Paris). No .edu self-serve tier is published on ovhcloud.com today. Adjacent non-free education channel: OCRE 2024 framework (awarded to OVHcloud by GÉANT, 5-year agreement running since Feb 2025) gives research/education institutions in 9 European countries (BE, FR, DE, IT, NL, PL, PT, ES, UK) simplified procurement access to OVHcloud Public Cloud — negotiated framework terms, not free credits.", "claim": "No self-serve claim path published. Route: get your student/employer enrolled as an OVHcloud customer (e.g. via a startup/researcher account or OCRE-eligible institution) and use the US$200 Public Cloud free trial or apply to the Startup Program; request access to quantum notebooks/emulators in that account.", "expiry": "No published expiry; the 2024 '80 hours' figure was per selected student. OCRE 2024 framework runs ~5 years from Feb 2025.", "gotchas": "Low confidence this is still actively recruiting individual students — it was an announced ecosystem initiative, not advertised on current ovhcloud.com marketing pages as of 2026-10-22. Quantum notebook access is metered per-minute like other AI notebooks unless covered by trial/program credits. Don't count on a free .edu tier for VPS/dedicated servers — none exists.", "source_url": "https://corporate.ovhcloud.com/en/newsroom/news/inauguration-quantum-computer/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22: (1) The legacy offer in the task's 'known so far' — 'US$200 free trial on new dedicated servers & VPS, 2-month, no commitment (refundable)' — is GONE: https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/free-trial/ returns 404; the only live trial is the Public Cloud US$200/1-month trial (and up to $300/90 days in the US). No dedicated-server or VPS trial credit is advertised anywhere on ovhcloud.com or us.ovhcloud.com. (2) 2026-04-01: third-party changelog (agentdeals.dev) records OVHcloud narrowing the free-trial terms; and on 2026-10-01 OVHcloud restructured Gen3 Public Cloud instance pricing — local storage and public IPv4 on B3/C3/R3 are now billed as separate lines (~€109/TB/mo storage, ~$1.97/mo IPv4), raising bills 1.4–21.9% (largest for small instances), which consumes trial credits faster. (3) VPS pricing: VPS 2026 list prices were raised 36–49% effective 2026-04-01 (e.g. VPS-1 €4.49→€6.49/mo); the new 'VPS 2027' range launched (VPS-1 2027 from ~$4.54/mo per www.ovhcloud.com/en/vps/). No VPS free tier/trial exists. (4) Bare metal: Kimsufi budget range was discontinued and replaced by the 'Eco' range (~$30/mo, us.ovhcloud.com/deals); bare-metal prices rose 9–11% for new deployments post-April 2026. (5) The VCFTRIAL first-month-free VMware promo is a sunset-in-9-days offer (ends 31 Oct 2026 or after first 50 customers). (6) No dedicated .edu/students free tier and no 'education license' for VPS/dedicated servers was found; the only education-adjacent channels are the qualifying-student quantum notebook program (2024, low visibility now) and the OCRE 2024 GÉANT procurement framework (institutional, negotiated, not free). 7) Startup Program structure is unchanged in substance (€10k Start / up to €100k Scale, 12 months) but currency values differ by country site (US $12k/$120k, CA $14k)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Public Cloud Free Trial (global, www.ovhcloud.com) — US$200 / 1 month", "link": "https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/public-cloud/free-trial/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "paddle", "name": "Paddle", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.paddle.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "No monthly or setup/migration fees; Pay-as-you-go at 5% + 50c per Checkout transaction (Paddle is merchant of record: payments, tax filing, fraud, support); free developer sandbox." ], "notes": [ "The only free element is the sandbox for testing — there is no free commercial tier. 2026: standard 5% + 50c; custom pricing for high-volume / sub-$10-value transactions. Good for SaaS/global tax compliance offload." ], "findings": [ { "name": "No fixed costs: pay-as-you-go only (no monthly, setup, or migration fees)", "detail": "Paddle's billing platform charges only 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction — 'No monthly fees, migration fees, or hidden extras.' The rate includes payments, checkout, billing, global tax/regulatory compliance in 130+ countries, fraud protection, chargeback handling, and buyer support (Paddle is merchant of record). 'No lock-in periods' and customer data is '100% yours'. Custom/enterprise pricing exists only for high-volume businesses via demo; bespoke pricing available on request for products under $10.", "eligibility": "Any business that signs up (B2B; no student-specific path). No credit card required to sign up; no region-specific pricing — 5% + 50¢ applies globally.", "claim": "Self-serve: sign up at login.paddle.com (no demo required). No claim steps, codes, or applications.", "expiry": "Standing pricing, no expiry or sunset date published as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Not actually free per-transaction: every revenue dollar costs 5% + 50¢ (and volume pricing for high-growth startups is negotiated, not published). Paid add-on 'Premium Advisory' for large SaaS volumes. No trial credits or trial period on the billing platform itself.", "source_url": "https://www.paddle.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Paddle Metrics (ProfitWell Metrics) — 100% free subscription analytics", "detail": "Standalone subscription-analytics product described as 'completely free' / 'Real-time subscription analytics, 100% free'. Included free: out-of-the-box KPIs (MRR, churn, upgrades/downgrades, LTV, active customers, revenue per customer), health scores, churn alerts, benchmarking against 30,000+ companies, advanced segmentation (cohorts, segments, plan data) enriched with Clearbit and FullContact data, and customizable alerts. Integrates with Stripe, Chargebee, Braintree, Zuora, Recurly, and Paddle's own stack. GDPR and CCPA compliant. No paid tier, add-on, or numeric caps stated on the page.", "eligibility": "Aimed at 'subscription and SaaS companies' (business, not student-specific). No .edu email or institutional license. No credit-card requirement mentioned.", "claim": "Click 'Get ProfitWell Metrics free' → signup at www2.profitwell.com/signup/start. For Paddle customers it integrates 'one click'. Live demo link also offered.", "expiry": "Presented as permanently free; no trial expiry, renewal date, or sunset stated as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Free product is analytics only — it does not waive Paddle billing fees or provide a free tier of the billing platform. No seat/API/data-retention caps published. Data is enriched via third parties (Clearbit, FullContact) — review privacy implications. Sign-up lives on profitwell.com (Paddle's acquired ProfitWell brand), not paddle.com.", "source_url": "https://www.paddle.com/profitwell-metrics", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Developer sandbox — free test/evaluation environment (no live billing, no payment card in the flow)", "detail": "Separate sandbox account for testing and evaluation of the Paddle API/dashboard: point code at https://sandbox-api.paddle.com, sandbox API keys contain '_sdbx', client-side tokens prefixed 'test_'. Test cards only (e.g. 4242 4242 4242 4242; sandbox rejects real card numbers, live rejects test cards). Webhook delivery limited to 3 attempts within ~2 minutes (vs up to 60 in live). Refund adjustments auto-approve every 10 minutes; cancellation flows work; checkout shows a 'Test Mode' watermark. No payouts or monthly statements in sandbox; credentials, products, prices, and customers are not shared with a live account.", "eligibility": "Any developer; signup asks only 'personal and business details' — no payment method step and no .edu/institutional requirement. Sandbox sign-up is separate from a live account (you need one even if you already have a live account).", "claim": "1) Go to https://sandbox-vendors.paddle.com/signup, 2) enter personal/business details, 3) click Continue. Docs: developer.paddle.com/sdks/sandbox.md; quickstart mentions sandbox tokens start with 'test_'.", "expiry": "Standing developer tooling; no expiry or sunset stated. 'Free' is inferred (no charge/payment step in the documented signup flow) — the page does not print the word 'free'; go-live later requires a separate live account where 5% + 50¢ applies.", "gotchas": "Mixing sandbox and live credentials against the wrong API endpoint returns 'forbidden'. Sandbox email delivery is limited to addresses on your registered domain. Payment Recovery and Term Optimization work only on live accounts. No refunds/payouts in sandbox, so it cannot validate real money movement.", "source_url": "https://developer.paddle.com/getting-started/3ba0852f4760c-create-a-paddle-sandbox-account", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Paddle for Startups — solutions positioning, no published startup discount or credits", "detail": "The 'Paddle for Startups' page (solutions/startups, 'Billing Infrastructure for Startups') is marketing/solutions content, not a fee program. It confirms the standard 5% + 50¢ all-in rate vs '~7% and above' for assembling separate PSPs, 'no hidden fees, no paying for add-ons', and 'Volume pricing available for high growth startups' (negotiated via demo/enterprise path — amounts unpublished). Trusted-by examples: n8n, DataforSEO, Runna. No trial credits, no startup-only fee waiver, no funding-cap or age cap, no application form.", "eligibility": "Startups of any age/funding level can simply sign up at the standard rate; volume pricing requires a booked demo. No credit card, .edu, or region requirements.", "claim": "Standard rate: self-serve sign-up at login.paddle.com. Volume pricing: 'Book a demo' (/demo). No application or discount code mechanism described.", "expiry": "No program expiry; 'volume pricing' terms are opaque, set per deal.", "gotchas": "'Startup program' here ≠ fee discount: a startup with high volume pays negotiated custom pricing, not a published discount. Don't assume startup status changes the default 5% + 50¢.", "source_url": "https://www.paddle.com/solutions/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education license — no offer found", "detail": "No Paddle education program, student license, .edu discount, or nonprofit program exists on paddle.com as of 2026-10-22: /education, /paddle-for-education, /startups all return 404; the homepage Product/Solutions/Resource/Footer menus contain no 'education', 'student', or 'nonprofit' links (solutions cover SaaS, apps, app studios, digital products, software, games, startups, enterprise only). Paddle's free offers that do exist are the two standalone items above (free Metrics, free sandbox) plus zero fixed fees.", "eligibility": "n/a — no offer. (No .edu email requirement exists because there is nothing to apply to.)", "claim": "Not claimable. Nearest free items: Metrics (profitwell.com signup) and developer sandbox (sandbox-vendors.paddle.com signup).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Paddle is a B2B merchant-of-record platform for businesses selling software/digital goods; an individual student building a side project would be priced like any other business (5% + 50¢, no fixed fees). Do not confuse paddle.com with other 'Paddle' brands.", "source_url": "https://www.paddle.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/startup/education program was found that closed or changed in 2025-2026 — because none is published. Observed structural changes instead: (1) Paddle's developer docs moved from docs.paddle.com to developer.paddle.com (301 redirect, current as of 2026-10-22); sandbox signup is at sandbox-vendors.paddle.com with sandbox-api.paddle.com as endpoint. (2) The free analytics product remains branded 'ProfitWell Metrics' under Paddle, with sign-up still on profitwell.com. (3) WebSearch for 2025-2026 news was unavailable in this session (shared session search budget exhausted), so this verification relied exclusively on the official pages read today: paddle.com/pricing, paddle.com (homepage nav), paddle.com/solutions/startups, paddle.com/profitwell-metrics, developer.paddle.com (llms.txt, get-started/quickstart.md, sdks/sandbox.md, and the sandbox-account page). All 'high' confidence items were read from official pages on 2026-10-22. Nothing on those pages indicates a sunset date for the free Metrics product, the sandbox, or the no-fixed-fee pricing model." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "No fixed costs: pay-as-you-go only (no monthly, setup, or migration fees)", "link": "https://www.paddle.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "paperspace", "name": "Paperspace", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.paperspace.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free M4000 (8GB) GPU notebook on the free Gradient plan: notebook in private workspaces, 5GB storage, free sessions auto-shutdown after 12h" ], "notes": [ "Free machines are notebooks only (no VMs/SSH servers); capacity is shared and can queue. Paid plans from $8/mo unlock better GPUs; M4000 paid is $0.45/hr, H100 $5.95/hr. No dollar-denominated signup credit — this is a hardware free tier, not a credit." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Gradient Free plan — free GPU notebook (M4000) for any new user", "detail": "Open free tier on Paperspace Gradient: $0/month, includes 'Basic' free instances — Free GPU (M4000, 8 GB VRAM, 8 vCPU, 30 GB RAM, Maxwell/2015, $0.45/hr if billed) and Free CPU (C4). Docs (verified 13 Jul 2026): free machines can only be used for Notebooks in private workspaces; Free plan includes 5 GB persistent storage. Free-tier auto-shutdown max is 6 hours per the official docs (the pricing page shows 'Auto-shutdown (12 hour limit)'); only 1 free machine runs at a time; free capacity is a shared, non-guaranteed pool (free notebooks can sit Pending in queue). Public projects/notebooks only — no private projects on the Free plan. Upgrade path: Pro $8/mo individual (adds Free P4000/P5000/RTX4000/RTX5000/A4000, 15 GB storage) and Growth $39/mo (adds Free A5000/A6000/A100-80G, 50 GB storage).", "eligibility": "Open to all new users; no .edu email, student status, or startup criteria; no credit card required for the Free plan (official sign-up says 'Create a free account'; card only needed for paid instance usage or paid plans). Not student/startup-specific — a general consumer free tier.", "claim": "Sign up free at paperspace.com ('Sign up free', or via the Notebooks page 'Sign up with Google/GitHub'), open a private workspace (individual plan), create a Gradient Notebook, choose a pre-built runtime template, select the Free GPU (M4000) machine type, and launch. No payment step.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal — the Free plan is permanent at $0 while account is active. Overage model, not a trial: storage over $5 GB is billed $0.29/GB/month; running paid instance types bills hourly. Free-plan cap applies; upgrade to Pro/Growth to unlock more free GPU SKUs.", "gotchas": "M4000 is a 2015 Maxwell card — slow for serious training; 8 GB VRAM. Free notebooks are public only (no private projects), 1 running free notebook at a time, capacity is best-effort (queue/Pending possible), session auto-shutdown max 6h per docs (pricing page says 12h — treat as ~half-day sessions). 'Free' is free-tier, not trial-with-expires: paid instances and storage overage are real charges, and the platform has no refunds. No capacity guarantee and free-tier storage is exclusive per region. Free-machine use is limited to Notebooks, not raw Machines/Deployments.", "source_url": "https://www.paperspace.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Gradient T0 Team plan — $0 team notebook workspace (10 notebooks)", "detail": "Free team-tier plan: $0 base + utilization on paid instance types. 10 total notebooks, max 1 running at a time, 'Low' instance types only, public notebooks only, 10 GB persistent storage included ($0.29/GB/month overage), 12-hour auto-shutdown limit. Private workspace and team(s) are billed separately.", "eligibility": "Any small team; no education/startup restrictions noted on the pricing page. Free sign-up; card needed only for paid utilization.", "claim": "Create a free Gradient account, start on the $0 team T0 plan via the pricing page ('Start Now'), invite collaborators to the team to use the 10-notebook allowance.", "expiry": "No expiry/renewal; ongoing $0 base with pay-per-use overage. Cancellable any time from console settings.", "gotchas": "No free GPU entitlement is documented for T0 — the listed 'Low' instance types map to the paid 'Low' tier (C5/C7 CPU, P4000/RTX4000/A4000 GPU), which is card-on-file territory, so T0 mostly gives free CPU/low-tier access; the free M4000 GPU is tied to individual Free/Pro/Growth G-plan workspaces. Overage storage at $0.29/GB adds up; public notebooks only; no refunds on the platform.", "source_url": "https://www.paperspace.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean Startups ('Hatch') program — cloud credits, but Paperspace GPUs excluded", "detail": "Startups receive DigitalOcean cloud credits for a 12-month period; the amount varies by partner/tier, with a $10,000 monthly credit-usage cap (overage billed), plus 15 months of free Standard support. Credits flow through an approved partner (accelerator/incubator/VC on their partner list) or a direct application via their TypeForm with 'Other' organization. Partner perks add up (e.g. Stripe Atlas 20% off, QuickNode up to $5k, Cloud66 $500). Program now prioritizes AI-native startups; unused credits are forfeited, no extensions.", "eligibility": "Early-stage company, $10M or less raised total; must have a company website, a matching corporate email, and a registered DigitalOcean team account with a valid credit card. Service-based startups (agencies, consultancies) excluded. Not aimed at students; no .edu requirement.", "claim": "Apply through an affiliated accelerator/incubator/VC if listed in their partner program, otherwise complete the application on the DigitalOcean Startups page (TypeForm, select 'Other' as affiliated org); on acceptance a 'Welcome Kit' delivers the credits.", "expiry": "Credits usable for 12 months from grant; $10k/month cap; unused credits forfeit at end of period. No renewals.", "gotchas": "Critical for this task: the program FAQ explicitly EXCLUDES Paperspace Machines (and GPU Droplets, H100 GPU Kubernetes, bare-metal GPUs, inference, third-party frontier models) from 'Qualifying Program Services' — GPU credits are a separate, non-guaranteed benefit. So Hatch does NOT reliably buy free Paperspace compute; it credits DigitalOcean core services (Droplets, Spaces, etc.). Card required on the DO team account; no crypto mining; no transfer of credits.", "source_url": "https://www.digitalocean.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education license / student program at Paperspace — none found", "detail": "paperspace.com/education returns 404 and the pricing/docs make no mention of any student discount, classroom license, or .edu program as of 2026-10-22. Historically Paperspace's education story was fast.ai course runtimes inside free-tier notebooks; that is a feature, not a funded license.", "eligibility": "n/a — no program exists to claim. Students get the same open Free plan as any user (free M4000 GPU notebook, no card, no .edu verification).", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Do not treat the general Free plan as an 'education license' — it has the same non-guaranteed free capacity and public-only notebooks for everyone. If an edu program existed it would be a distinct finding; it does not appear to currently.", "source_url": "https://www.paperspace.com/(404on/education;noeduofferon/pricingordocs.digitalocean.comPaperspacepages)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) No Paperspace-specific 2025/2026 program changes found — the public changelog (updates.paperspace.com) shows no 2025-2026 entries on the landing page (last visible 2023-12) and the docs are current as of 2026-07-13 with the Free-tier M4000/GPU+ offering still listed, so the Gradient Free plan appears still live. (2) DigitalOcean no longer markets a standalone 'free trial' page at www.digitalocean.com/free, /trial, or /free-trial (all 404 as of today; homepage has no trial-credits banner), so the classic DO new-account trial credit could not be verified on any official page today — if it still exists it is only discoverable at signup, and I do not list it as a finding. (3) DigitalOcean's Startups/Hatch program has repositioned to prioritize AI-native startups but continues to EXCLUDE Paperspace Machines from qualifying services — so even though the task frames 'startup program' for Paperspace free compute, the only startup-credit vehicle is generic DO credits that do not cover GPU/Paperspace usage. (4) The old Paperspace referral program (free GPU hours for friend referrals, linked in older page footers) has no live page — paperspace.com/referral is 404; treat as sunset. (5) Auto-shutdown for free machines is documented as a 6-hour max in the current DO docs, tighter than the 12-hour figure on the pricing page; treat 6h as the safe operational limit. Nothing on the free M4000 plan was formally sunsetting in the pages read today; it remains the entry free GPU offer. WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so verification relied on direct WebFetch of official pages; unverified-by-search claims are marked medium confidence." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Gradient Free plan — free GPU notebook (M4000) for any new user", "link": "https://www.paperspace.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "payload", "name": "Payload", "fronts": [ "apis-data", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://payloadcms.com", "https://payload.com/" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) headless CMS + app framework: free self-hosting with no usage limits", "Free self-hosted (MIT) full-stack CMS/admin framework on Next.js; no cloud requirement" ], "notes": [ "Optional managed 'Payload Cloud'; not re-verified this session — MIT license stable.", "Active, ~45k stars (repo payloadcms/payload, pushed 2026-10). Payload 3.0 made the framework fully open source." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted open-source (MIT) — free forever, no usage limits", "detail": "Official pricing page states: 'Payload is open source and MIT licensed. Deploy it anywhere you can run a Node.js app — for free, forever.' The core framework, admin UI, and local development are completely free with no seat caps, record limits, or feature paywalls. Requirements: any JS package manager (pnpm preferred), Node.js 20.9.0+, and any compatible database (MongoDB, Postgres, or SQLite). FAQ on the pricing page confirms: 'Payload remains a self-hosted solution, so you can bring your app to any hosting provider you prefer.'", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu email, no startup age or funding cap, no credit card, no region limits stated. MIT license permits commercial use. Post-acquisition FAQ: 'Figma is committed to maintaining and investing in Payload's open source core.'", "claim": "Run `npx create-payload-app` to scaffold; deploy to any Node.js host (VPS, serverless, container). No signup, no trial period, no CC.", "expiry": "None — MIT license is perpetual; offer has no sunset date as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "Software is free but you pay for infrastructure: server/VPS, database (or bring Mongo/Postgres/SQLite), media storage, and egress bandwidth. Paid 'Enterprise Features' (SSO, AI auto-embedding, publishing workflows, visual editor, static A/B testing, enterprise AI) are gated behind the Enterprise tier and not in the free core. Support is community-only on the free track.", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/get-started;https://github.com/payloadcms/payload", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Official instant-deploy templates: Vercel and Cloudflare (ride on the hosts' free tiers)", "detail": "The pricing page lists two one-click deploys of the official Payload website template: Vercel (Vercel blob storage + Neon database, Users auth, Media, Layout Builder, Live Preview) and Cloudflare (R2 image storage + D1 database, Users auth, Media, Layout Builder). Each is a Deploy button that lands you on the host's own free tier, making a real-world Payload app free within provider limits.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Vercel or Cloudflare account; no .edu, no funding cap. CC policy follows the host provider. Cloudflare free tier has historically not required a CC; Vercel Hobby likewise.", "claim": "Click Deploy on payloadcms.com/get-started, log in to Vercel/Cloudflare, and the template provisions automatically. Free within each provider's free-tier limits.", "expiry": "Tied to provider free tiers; no Payload-side expiry.", "gotchas": "Provider limits apply and I did not re-verify exact free-tier numbers (Vercel build minutes/function seconds; Cloudflare requests/day, D1 storage, egress) today — check current host pricing. Free DB/storage tiers have hard caps; overages bill the host account. Media on free tiers may be small (GBs, not TBs).", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/get-started", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Payload Cloud / Enterprise Free Trial (time-limited, not a free tier)", "detail": "Cloud terms of service §1.5: 'Free Trials are offered for a limited period of time,' license is 'internal evaluation purposes only,' provided 'as-is,' and 'Customer may be required to enter payment information in order to sign up for a Free Trial' with no charge 'until the Free Trial has expired'; use after expiry is prohibited unless a paid Subscription is purchased. No duration, feature scope, or student/startup-specific trial is published. Cloud subscriptions are billed monthly in advance; Enterprise-tier quarterly; fees non-cancellable, non-refundable; auto-renew with renewal avoided only by deleting the project before the next period.", "eligibility": "Anyone applying for the cloud/enterprise service; no .edu requirement, no startup cap found. CC may be required for trial signup.", "claim": "Request via 'Schedule a Demo' / 'Talk to Sales' on payloadcms.com; trial is granted at Payload's discretion ('limited period').", "expiry": "Unstated trial window; subscription auto-renews at end of each period.", "gotchas": "Trial ≠ free tier: after it ends the service is paid-only; CC may be required; no refunds ever; overages beyond usage caps charged at then-current rates; mid-period downgrades take effect next renewal and may lose content/features.", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/cloud-terms", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No dedicated education license or student offer found", "detail": "payloadcms.com/education returns HTTP 404, and the site's pricing, enterprise, and partner pages (agencies/consultancies partner program only) contain no student discount, .edu-verified offer, or academic license as of today's fetches. The only education-adjacent assets are public docs, GitHub examples/templates, and guides. No YC-era or other startup-program page for third parties exists (Payload's own 2022 YC S22 acceptance was about Payload being a startup, not an offer to startups).", "eligibility": "n/a — absence finding.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; students get the same free self-hosted MIT offer as everyone else.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Session web-search budget was exhausted, so third-party/press corroboration of any education or startup program could not be checked; this is an absence based on the official site's own pages only.", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/education(404);https://payloadcms.com/enterprise;https://payloadcms.com/blog", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Self-hosted Payload under the MIT license (free forever)", "detail": "$0 license fee. The official pricing page (payloadcms.com/get-started) says: 'Payload is open source and MIT licensed. Deploy it anywhere you can run a Node.js app — for free, forever.' Stated requirements: Node.js 20.9.0+ and MongoDB, Postgres, or SQLite. The LICENSE.md on the main branch of github.com/payloadcms/payload reads 'MIT License' with 'Copyright (c) 2018-2026 Payload CMS, LLC'. No user, site, storage, or time limit is stated for the self-hosted software.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No .edu email, startup age or funding cap, or region rule appears on the official pages. No credit card or sign-up is described for the self-hosted path. Students and startups get the same terms as everyone else.", "claim": "Scaffold with npx create-payload-app (the command shown on payloadcms.com), or clone github.com/payloadcms/payload. Run the app on your own Node.js 20.9.0+ host with MongoDB, Postgres, or SQLite.", "expiry": "None stated ('forever'). Figma's June 2025 post says open source remains.", "gotchas": "Free covers the software only. Hosting, database, file storage (S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage, Vercel Blob, and Uploadthing are named as options), bandwidth, and egress are your costs, and Payload's pages give no figures for them. Enterprise (SSO, visual editor, audit logs, publishing workflows, multi-player editing) is paid, unpriced online, and reached only through 'Schedule a Demo'. It has no trial and no startup or education discount. payload.com is an unrelated payments company, so use payloadcms.com.", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/get-started", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Payload Cloud 14-day free trial (new sign-ups, 2023)", "detail": "The July 5, 2023 post announcing that Payload Cloud left beta says 'Free for 14 Days (new signups only)' and 'New sign-ups will have a 14-day trial period.' The Payload Cloud terms (payloadcms.com/cloud-terms) define 'Free Trials' as access to the hosted Service 'free of charge for a limited period of time' and give no length. The 2023 post names no Cloud plans, prices, or resource limits.", "eligibility": "New sign-ups only, per the 2023 post. No student, startup, or region eligibility is stated.", "claim": "Sign up for Payload Cloud and choose the trial. The signup flow was not reached or verified in this research.", "expiry": "14 days, per the 2023 post. No current expiry is published. Current availability is unconfirmed: the pricing page (/get-started) lists no Cloud plan or trial, only Free (self-hosted) and Enterprise.", "gotchas": "The cloud terms say users 'may be required to enter payment information' to start a Free Trial, so a card may be needed. No credits were found. Paid Cloud prices after the trial are unverified. Figma's June 2025 post does not mention Cloud. Do not assume the trial is still open.", "source_url": "https://payloadcms.com/posts/blog/payload-cloud-has-officially-left-beta-whats-new-and-whats-next", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) Jun 17, 2025 — Payload blog post 'Payload is joining Figma!' (acquisition by Figma); the pricing-page FAQ confirms Figma is committed to keeping the open-source core and self-hosted model, so the free MIT offer survived the acquisition. (2) Oct 15, 2026 — Figma blog 'Create, ship, and manage data-backed websites with Payload in Figma': new native Figma-to-production integration (manage content/data inside Figma); a product change, not a pricing sunset. No student/education or startup free offers found to have been sunset, because none were found at all; the only 'offers' for students/startups are the general free self-hosted MIT core, host-provider free tiers via official templates, and the CC-possibly-required cloud/enterprise trial. Note: the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so verification beyond direct official-page fetches (today's reads of /get-started, /cloud-terms, /enterprise, /blog, and the GitHub repo) could not be done; provider free-tier numbers (Vercel/Cloudflare) were not re-verified today.", "Checked 2026-10-22 on official Payload pages, the GitHub repo, and the GitHub Student Developer Pack page. WebSearch was exhausted after its first call, so the 2025-2026 changes below come only from payloadcms.com, not from press or third-party sources.- 2025-06-17: Payload joined Figma. The post says 'Payload remains open source', self-hosting is unchanged, and 'nothing is changing for users' in the immediate future. It does not mention pricing, free tiers, or Payload Cloud, so any later change to those is unverified.- Payload Cloud: left beta 2023-07-05. Its 2026 status is unconfirmed. The pricing page lists no Cloud plans, and the /cloud-feedback page is a feedback form with no status. Treat it as unverified, not as ended.- Personal plan: the post 'Our New Free Forever Personal Plan' (2021-03-02) gave a free plan to individual developers with one admin user. The post itself says 'This article is outdated.' It is not on the current pricing page, so treat it as superseded by the MIT self-host.- URLs: payloadcms.com/pricing returns 404; the pricing content is at /get-started. payload.com is a different company (payments infrastructure), so the start URL in the request led to the wrong product.- Not found (absence-based, medium confidence): no education or student license, no startup program, no startup credits, no trial credits, and no partner benefits. The sitemap has no education, student, startup, or credits pages. The partner page lists no benefits and calls the program highly selective. The GitHub Student Developer Pack offer list (83 offers visible on education.github.com/pack; one bundle showed 5 of 6) does not list Payload.- Y Combinator: Payload itself was accepted into YC S22 (2022-05-17). That is not a benefit to users.- 'Write for the Community program' appears in the sitemap, but the sitemap-listed page returned 404. Not verified; it does not look like a student or startup offer.- Titles only, not read: Payload 4.0 Beta (2026-10-19) and a security update for 3.x and 4.0 (2026-09-18). Neither is verified to change licensing or pricing.- Hosts that Payload names as deploy targets (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, AWS, Heroku) have their own free tiers and startup programs. Those belong to other providers and were not verified here." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 3, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted open-source (MIT) — free forever, no usage limits", "link": "https://payloadcms.com/get-started;https://github.com/payloadcms/payload", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "paystack", "name": "Paystack", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://paystack.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free to integrate — zero integration fee, zero maintenance fee, no monthly/minimum fees; free test-mode account with test keys; pay-per-transaction only." ], "notes": [ "Fees: local cards 1.5% + NGN100 (capped NGN2,000; NGN100 waived under NGN2,500); international 3.9% + NGN100; transfers NGN10-50; virtual accounts 1% capped NGN300. Paystack is 'a Stripe company' (Stripe-backed, YC alumni). Africa-focused (NGN, ZAR)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free to integrate — no setup, monthly, or minimum fees (pay-per-transaction only)", "detail": "Paystack has no integration fee, no maintenance fee, and no monthly or minimum fees; you pay only a per-transaction fee when a real payment is made. Applies equally to startups and students. Exact per-transaction rates (e.g., % + fixed fee in NGN for Nigeria; % + fixed in USD for the US) could NOT be verified live today (official page 403'd) and should be reconfirmed on paystack.com/pricing.", "eligibility": "Any developer or business worldwide, including students and startups. No .edu email required, no funding/age cap, no minimum revenue. Standard KYC/business details are required to enable live processing, but not to sign up or to test.", "claim": "1) Create a free account at paystack.com/dashboard. 2) Complete business verification (KYC) to enable live payments. 3) Generate your secret/API key. 4) Integrate via REST API / SDKs. No credit card is required to sign up or to use test mode.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no expiry or renewal. Free-to-integrate has been Paystack's standard model since launch (2015).", "gotchas": "Not free to actually move money — a per-transaction fee applies to every live payment, and fees differ by country/region/currency. Payouts have settlement times. Fee figures were not verified live (403 today); confirm current rates before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://paystack.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free test-mode / sandbox account with test keys (credit card NOT required)", "detail": "Every Paystack account includes a free test mode: test public key (pk_test...) and test secret key (sk_test...), plus documented test card numbers. Test transactions use simulated funds and never move real money. No credit card or bank details required to create an account or to use test mode — a real, free, no-strings sandbox for students building projects.", "eligibility": "Anyone who can create a Paystack account (global, including students and startups). No .edu required, no funding cap, no credit card required.", "claim": "1) Create an account at paystack.com/dashboard. 2) Copy your test API keys (pk_test/sk_test) from the dashboard. 3) Use Paystack's published test card numbers to simulate successful/failed payments. 4) Go live by switching to the corresponding pk_live/sk_live keys, which require completed KYC.", "expiry": "No expiry; test mode is available indefinitely on any account.", "gotchas": "Test mode is NOT a free production tier — it cannot collect real money. Going live needs a separate live key and completed business verification (KYC). developer.paystack.com failed DNS today and paystack.com pages 403'd, so confirm the current test card numbers and doc URLs before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://paystack.com/developer/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No dedicated student program, startup program, trial credits, or education license", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22, Paystack offers no student-specific program, no startup program with discounted fees/equity, no trial credits/free spend balance, and no education license. The only free value is free-to-integrate (pay-per-transaction) plus the free test-mode sandbox above. Any fee accommodation for a startup would be a commercial agreement, not a published offer.", "eligibility": "N/A — these offers do not exist publicly.", "claim": "N/A.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Confidence is low because this is a negative finding based on absence of such programs in available knowledge and could not be re-verified live (all official pages 403 / docs host unresolved today).", "source_url": "https://paystack.com/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verification limitation: could NOT read live primary sources today — paystack.com/pricing, paystack.com/, and paystack.com/faq/ all returned HTTP 403 (Cloudflare bot protection), developer.paystack.com failed DNS (ENOTFOUND), and this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted. No 2025-2026 change was therefore confirmed from primary sources; findings are from pre-2026 knowledge. No previously-existing Paystack student program, startup program, trial-credit offer, or education license was identified, and none was found to have been sunset. The only genuinely free offers are free-to-integrate (pay-per-transaction, no setup/monthly/minimum fees) and a free no-credit-card test-mode sandbox. Exact per-transaction fee figures were intentionally NOT asserted; reconfirm on paystack.com/pricing." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free to integrate — no setup, monthly, or minimum fees (pay-per-transaction only)", "link": "https://paystack.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "pinecone", "name": "Pinecone", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Pinecone for Startups", "detail": "Official startup program on pinecone.io. Free access to the Standard tier (normally a $50/month minimum usage plan) and Pro Support, including a dedicated Slack channel, any cloud/region deployment, RBAC, backups, import, and Prometheus metrics. Startups in the program also receive usage credits and discounts, but the official page gives no dollar amount for the credits and no duration for any benefit. Confirmed on the official program page on 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "Startups with fewer than 100 employees that are Series A or earlier. The official page states no time, region, or new-customer limits beyond these criteria and gives no approval timeline.", "claim": "Submit the 'Join the Program' form on https://www.pinecone.io/startup-program/ (a separate partner form is also linked there). Questions go to startups@pinecone.io. The official page describes no steps after the form.", "expiry": "Not published on the official page. Third-party listings conflict and none appear on pinecone.io: a Builtfirst/Cintrifuse marketplace listing (Sequoia-portfolio variant) says 1 year of free Standard access and up to $3,500 usage credits in year one for new customers; StartupPerks says $5,000 over 6 months (unfunded) or up to $150,000 over 2 years (funded); guptadeepak says credits are valid 12 months.", "gotchas": "(1) Credit amounts and discount levels are undisclosed, so do not budget on any dollar figure without written confirmation from Pinecone. (2) Some aggregators list terms the official page does not contain, including Series B+ eligibility; the official criteria are fewer than 100 employees and Series A or earlier. (3) Only the Standard tier and Pro Support are confirmed as free; the free Starter plan is separate (finding 2). (4) No end date, renewal, or post-program pricing is stated; ask startups@pinecone.io for the credit amount and start and end dates in writing, and plan for the Standard tier's $50/month minimum once any free period ends.", "source_url": "https://www.pinecone.io/startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Pinecone Starter (permanent free plan)", "detail": "General free plan, shown as 'Start for Free' on the official pricing page with no time limit. Official limits: 2 GB serverless index storage per org plus 1 GB Assistant storage; 5 serverless indexes per project; 1 project per org; 2 users per org; 100 namespaces per index; AWS us-east-1 only. Monthly caps per org: 1,000,000 read units, 2,000,000 write units, and 5,000,000 embedding tokens per model; 500 requests per month each for the bge-reranker-v2-m3 and pinecone-rerank-v0 rerankers (Cohere rerankers not available). Egress: 1 GB per month (allowance dated 2026-09-01). Support: community Discord only; console metrics included. The 1M read and 2M write unit figures that secondary trackers reported are confirmed by Pinecone's rate-limits page (https://docs.pinecone.io/reference/api/database-limits/rate-limits); object limits are on https://docs.pinecone.io/reference/api/database-limits/object-limits.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Pinecone account. This is a general free plan, not a student or startup program: the official pricing page names no student, startup, or education criteria and no verification step. Include it in a student/startup list only if general free tiers are in scope.", "claim": "Sign up and choose Starter via the pricing page's 'Start for Free' button, then create a serverless index in AWS us-east-1. No application or verification step is documented. Whether a credit card is needed is not stated on the official pages checked.", "expiry": "None stated; the official pricing page lists Starter as free with no time limit. Limits can still change: the egress allowance was added to Starter on 2026-09-01.", "gotchas": "(1) Hard monthly caps: once read or write units are used up, requests return 429 until the next billing period or an upgrade. (2) Egress cap: once 1 GB is reached, reads that return data are blocked (RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED, 429), while index stats, index management and writes still work. (3) Region lock: Starter stays on AWS us-east-1 (Builder gained all GA regions in June 2026). (4) No Dedicated Read Nodes, backups, bulk import, RBAC or SSO, which are Standard-tier features. (5) Per-second limits apply, for example 100 query requests per second per namespace and 50 MB upsert per second per namespace. (6) Downgrading from a paid plan to Starter deletes everything beyond 1 project, 5 indexes in us-east-1, 2 GB of data, 2 members and 5 assistants, including backups and collections.", "source_url": "https://www.pinecone.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Result: a genuine startup offer exists (Pinecone for Startups, finding 1), and a general free plan exists (Pinecone Starter, finding 2) that is not student- or startup-specific. No genuine student-specific offer was found.Student checks: (a) the official pricing page names no student, education or academic program; (b) https://www.pinecone.io/students/ returned HTTP 404; (c) the GitHub Student Developer Pack (https://education.github.com/pack) does not list Pinecone; (d) the 2026 release notes (https://docs.pinecone.io/release-notes/2026) list no student or startup program. The only 'Pinecone Serverless Starter Tier Free Student Deal' found (https://www.themodelverse.in/perks/pinecone-serverless-starter-tier) is a third-party page that links only to pinecone.io/pricing, claims 1 index and 100K vectors (the official Starter plan has 5 indexes), and cites no Pinecone-issued student terms. It is excluded.Excluded as not student/startup-specific or no longer current: (1) Standard plan trial: $300 in credits over 21 days, no up-front payment, for any new organization (https://docs.pinecone.io/guides/organizations/manage-billing/standard-trial); time-limited and general. (2) Builder plan first-month-free promotion: upgrades before May 31, 2026 (https://www.pinecone.io/blog/builder-plan); expired. (3) $250 import credit for Standard and Enterprise accounts (2026-06-01 release note; Builder and Starter ineligible); per the 2026-09-01 note, new subscriptions no longer receive it and existing credits end by Nov 1, 2026. (4) Starter temporary input-token allowance rise to 1M per month (2026-05-05 release note); ended June 30, 2026.Recommendation: if the index covers startup offers, add Pinecone for Startups with its undisclosed-credit caveat. If it covers general free tiers, Starter is the qualifying entry.Confidence: the no-student-offer conclusion is medium. The WebSearch session budget ran out before a final targeted student search, so that conclusion rests on the official pages and the GitHub Student Pack check, not a broad search. Starter's card requirement is not stated on the official pages checked." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Pinecone for Startups", "link": "https://www.pinecone.io/startup-program/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "plaid", "name": "Plaid", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://plaid.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free Sandbox (mock data, unlimited test Items) + free Trial plan for new US/CA teams: up to 10 live Production Items with real bank data, no credit card." ], "notes": [ "2026 change: Trial plan (8 products incl. Transactions, Balance, Auth, Investments) is auto-approved for teams created on/after 2026-04-15 and REPLACES Limited Production for new signups; Limited Production (200 free live calls/product) is now legacy/existing-customer only. Beyond 10 Items or for extra products, you upgrade to paid Pay-as-you-go." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Sandbox (mock data, unlimited test Items)", "detail": "Sandbox is free with no time limit and unlimited test Items against mock data, covering all API endpoints so developers can test before going live. No credit card required. Confirmed on the official pricing page ('Start testing in sandbox for free') and the Plaid Help Center ('Plaid is free to use in the Sandbox environment').", "eligibility": "Anyone - no .edu, no region limit stated for sandbox, no company formation needed. Students get full sandbox access with just a Plaid developer account.", "claim": "Sign up free at dashboard.plaid.com (pricing page 'Try it now' link), create a team, obtain sandbox client_id/secret, build and test against mock institutions and canned data.", "expiry": "No expiry; sandbox access has no published duration limit.", "gotchas": "Sandbox data is entirely mocked - no real bank data, no real OAuth institutions (Bank of America/Chase etc. connect only in Production/Trial). Going live requires the Trial plan, Limited Production, or a paid plan. Pay-as-you-go (first paid tier) requires a card on file, and once products are enabled in production the card is charged per connected items.", "source_url": "https://plaid.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Trial plan with real production data (new US/CA teams, up to 10 Production Items)", "detail": "For Plaid teams in the US and Canada created on or after April 15, 2026, the Trial plan is free and supports up to 10 Production Items with real bank data. It bundles 8 products: Auth, Transactions (incl. Transactions Refresh), Balance, Identity, Assets, Liabilities, Investments (incl. Investments Refresh), Statements. Almost all OAuth institutions (incl. Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo) are accessible immediately without the full Production registration process.", "eligibility": "New US or Canada teams created on/after 2026-04-15; account must be new to Production - teams with a pending/approved Production application or existing Limited Production access are NOT eligible, and there is no self-service switch. Credit card: the official FAQ says 'at no cost' but does not explicitly state CC-not-required; that part of the known-so-far claim is unverified on official pages. EU/UK teams are not covered (they get Custom plans only).", "claim": "Sign up at dashboard.plaid.com/signup; the Trial plan is applied automatically to eligible new US/CA teams - no separate application. To exceed 10 Items or add non-bundled products, apply for full Production access and choose a paid plan.", "expiry": "No published expiry date; the 10-Item cap is a hard limit - scaling beyond it requires upgrading to a paid plan (Pay-as-you-go/Growth/Custom).", "gotchas": "Trial is not the paid 'Limited Production': only 8 products bundled - Layer, Signal, Transfer, Protect, Identity Verification, Monitor, Enrich, Investments Move, and all Plaid Check (Consumer Report) products are NOT included. Some institutions need extra connection steps. EU/UK customers only get Custom plans - no free tier at all in those regions. Trial replaced Limited Production for new teams as of the 2026-04-15 cutoff, so 'limited free Production access' now means Trial for new accounts.", "source_url": "https://support.plaid.com/hc/en-us/articles/16194695660311-Can-I-use-Plaid-for-free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Limited Production free tier - 200 live API calls per product (legacy teams created before 2026-04-15)", "detail": "The official pricing page describes Limited Production as a free service: 'up to 200 API calls with each available product using live data.' Per the Help Center, this is the free live-data path for Plaid teams created BEFORE April 15, 2026; teams on/after that date get the 10-Item Trial plan instead. The 200-calls-per-product cap is the hard limit of the free live-data tier.", "eligibility": "Existing US/CA Plaid teams created before 2026-04-15 that have not moved to paid Production. New teams cannot claim it - Trial plan is the replacement. No .edu or startup requirement.", "claim": "Already available to eligible legacy teams at no charge; new teams should instead get the free Trial plan at dashboard.plaid.com/signup.", "expiry": "No sunset date published, but it is structurally legacy-only: the 2026-04-15 team-creation cutoff means the free tier stops being offered to new accounts.", "gotchas": "200 live calls PER PRODUCT - easy to burn through; each product counts separately, and hitting the cap blocks further live calls until upgrading to a paid plan. It coexists with (and is replaced for new teams by) the Trial plan.", "source_url": "https://plaid.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Fintech Sandbox partner credits for startups (up to $21,000)", "detail": "Through the Fintech Sandbox Data Access Residency, startups new to Plaid get 'up to $500 worth of each API endpoint per month for 6 months, with waived monthly minimums' - aggregate value up to $21,000. Eligibility is 'New customers only' on Plaid's side. The Fintech Sandbox residency itself is free ('$0 fees'), takes no equity, lasts up to 6 months, is global, and targets companies 'typically bootstrapped through Series A.'", "eligibility": "Startup (early stage through ~Series A; one third-party guide cites Fintech Sandbox's published bar as a product or demo and revenue under $1M ARR - that figure comes from an aggregator, not the Fintech Sandbox page I read), global, incorporated company, and must be a NEW Plaid customer. No .edu; student status not required. No equity taken. Third-party guides describe a two-interview process (~25-min and ~45-min with demo).", "claim": "Apply to the Fintech Sandbox residency (fintechsandbox.org, 'Apply' / Data Access Residency form, interviews), get accepted, then claim the Plaid partner credit through the residency - terms are per Fintech Sandbox's partner page.", "expiry": "Credits run for 6 months with monthly minimums waived during that window; the residency itself is 'up to 6 months' of free partner data access.", "gotchas": "Credit value is per-endpoint ($500/endpoint/month), so the $21,000 maximum only materializes if you use many endpoints; some accelerators' versions of the deal carry a minimum-commitment rider (e.g., Aurelia Ventures lists 'Up to $30,000' as $500 x 10 products x 6 months BUT 'Requires minimum contract of $6,000/year'). Confirm which channel (Fintech Sandbox vs. your own accelerator/investor) grants the credits - terms differ.", "source_url": "https://www.fintechsandbox.org/partner/plaid/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AI startup program (launched ~March 2026): free credits + lower minimums for early-stage AI startups", "detail": "Plaid launched a new program for AI-native startups in early 2026: 'free usage credits, production-ready tools, and lower minimums for AI startups that qualify' (announced via Plaid's LinkedIn, March 2026). The official page (plaid.com/support-for-early-stage-ai-startups/) offers 'Free credits to build and test,' 'Production-ready tools,' and 'Lower minimums to get started' - but publishes NO exact dollar amounts, no minimum thresholds, no term or expiry.", "eligibility": "Only 'early stage AI startups' - no funding cap, company-age limit, or stage definition published. The application form restricts country to United States, United Kingdom, or European Union (relevant because EU/UK normally get Custom-only pricing). No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Fill the form on the official page (first/last name, company, company email, optional phone, country) and submit; Plaid reviews and 'gets back to you within 2 business days with next steps.' Reach out via sales per the March 2026 announcement.", "expiry": "Not specified on the page - terms appear to be negotiated per applicant rather than a fixed self-serve grant.", "gotchas": "This is a sales-gated program, not a self-serve free tier: all concrete numbers (credit size, minimums, duration) are undisclosed until Plaid responds. Do not conflate it with the free Trial plan. If you apply from EU/UK, the program's lower minimums matter because EU/UK customers otherwise only get Custom plans.", "source_url": "https://plaid.com/support-for-early-stage-ai-startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Investor/accelerator channel credits (e.g., Aurelia Ventures: up to $30,000)", "detail": "VC funds and accelerators that partner with Plaid advertise Plaid credits for their portfolio. Example: Aurelia Ventures lists 'Up to $30,000 in Plaid Credits' structured as $500 x 10 products x 6 months, but with the rider '*Requires minimum contract of $6,000/year' and 'New Plaid customers only.' Per StartupPerks' audit (Feb 2026), Plaid startup programs broadly serve pre-seed to Series A fintech product teams, no referral needed, credits/fees 'program-dependent.'", "eligibility": "Depends on the funding channel: being a portfolio company of a Plaid-partnered fund/accelerator (Aurelia's version) or qualifying via Fintech Sandbox; new Plaid customers; US-centric. No .edu.", "claim": "Ask your accelerator/investor for the Plaid partner credit (their partners page documents the deal), or route through Fintech Sandbox; terms are negotiated, so confirm the minimum-commitment rider before accepting.", "expiry": "Typically 6 months of credits per partner page, but the Aurelia variant requires a $6,000/year minimum contract - a paid commitment, not pure free credits.", "gotchas": "The $30,000 figure only looks free; the Aurelia rider converts it to a commitment-backed deal. The waived-minimums version (Fintech Sandbox, up to $21,000) is the cleaner no-commitment offer. Confirm current terms with Plaid - channel deals drift.", "source_url": "https://aureliaventures.com/partners/plaid", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) 2026-04-15 cutover - Plaid split free live-data access by team creation date: teams created on/after Apr 15, 2026 get the new free Trial plan (10 Production Items, 8 bundled products, OAuth institutions) instead of Limited Production; Limited Production (free, 200 live calls per product) persists only for legacy teams created before that date, with no self-service switch between the two. (2) No student/education license found as of 2026-10-22 - plaid.com/education/ returns 404 and no .edu-gated program appears on official pages; students are covered only by the free Sandbox and, for US/CA teams, the free Trial plan. (3) Plaid Accelerate (2021-2022, founders-of-color seed cohort with free product access for ~5 months, last blog-announced cohort in 2022) appears to have ended and was superseded by the AI startup program announced around March 2026 (free credits + lower minimums for early-stage AI startups, US/UK/EU). (4) Plan lineup per the Help Center is now Trial (free), Pay-as-you-go, Growth, and Custom (also called Scale) - EU/UK customers are Custom-only and several products (Layer, Protect, Transfer, Signal Transaction Scores, Payment Initiation/Virtual Accounts, Plaid Check beyond Base Report/Income Insights) are unavailable on Pay-as-you-go. Note: the 'no credit card' part of the known-so-far claim for the Trial plan could not be confirmed on any official page I could reach - support.plaid.com blocked direct fetch (403), and the Trial terms came via the official Help Center article text; the pricing page states Pay-as-you-go requires a card on file, so treat CC-not-required as unverified for Trial specifically." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Sandbox (mock data, unlimited test Items)", "link": "https://plaid.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "planetscale", "name": "PlanetScale", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://planetscale.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "No free tier; free trial only — paid plans from $5/mo (Postgres single node, 10 GB storage + 100 GB bandwidth included)" ], "notes": [ "2024-2025 change: the old free Developer/Hobby plan was removed; all databases now require a paid subscription (Base from $5/mo, Metal from $50/mo; BYOC is enterprise-only). Postgres engine GA Sept 2025. Keep in index as 'trial-only' — formerly a free tier." ], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "NO ACTIVE FREE OFFER FOR STUDENTS OR STARTUPS AS OF 2026-10-22 (verified on official pricing page fetched today + official support KB). Full detail:1) FREE TIER — SUNSETTED. The free Hobby plan (5 free Vitess DBs, historically requiring a card since Aug 2023) was announced for retirement on 2024-03-06 (\"PlanetScale forever\" blog) and retired on 2024-04-08; non-upgraded Hobby databases were put to sleep (data archived, wakeable for 24h). It was never reinstated. Official KB \"Does PlanetScale offer any free plans?\" (last updated 2025-06-02) answers \"Not at this time.\" Not restored by the September 2025 Postgres launch. Sources: https://planetscale.com/pricing (fetched 2026-10-22), https://planetscale.com/blog/planetscale-forever, https://planetscale.com/docs/plans/hobby-plan-deprecation-faq, https://support.planetscale.com/hc/en-us/articles/32303734121239-Does-PlanetScale-offer-any-free-plans2) TRIAL CREDITS — NONE OFFICIALLY. No trial, credit, or free-eval offer appears on the official pricing, plans, or billing pages. Third-party directories (creditforstartups \"up to $5,000\", saasoffers \"$500 in credits, verified Oct 2026\", cloudroutehq \"free migration for YC companies\") publish unverified/unofficial numbers with no application form, credit terms, or PlanetScale-backed page; a Sep-2026 directory check (guptadeepak.com) records the startup program as discontinued, noting planetscale.com/startups is generic marketing with no credits, eligibility, or application. A May-2026 third-party guide (solomonsignal.com) claims a 14-day card-required developer trial, but no official page confirms any trial duration. Treat all third-party \"credit\" listings as unverified. Sources: https://planetscale.com/startups (fetched via search, marketing only), https://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/planetscale-startups, https://creditforstartups.com/companies/planetscale, https://www.solomonsignal.com/launch-school/tutorials/learn-planetscale-free3) EDUCATION/STUDENT OFFER — NONE. No .edu-verified license, student plan, or education discount exists. The only student-relevant free thing is self-paced course content at https://planetscale.com/learn/courses (free MySQL/DB-scaling/Vitess videos) — not a service freebie.4) PAYMENT GATCHE: Even the cheapest paid plan cannot be used without a valid credit or debit card on file (prepaid cards rejected; Stripe checkout); \"all plans require a valid payment method\" per official billing docs. No CC-free evaluation path is documented. Source: https://planetscale.com/docs/billing5) PAID ENTRY POINT (for context): Base plan self-serve; Postgres single-node PS-5 from $5/mo, Postgres HA PS-5 from $15/mo, Vitess 3-node PS-10 from $39/mo, Metal from $50/mo; Base includes 10 GB storage + 100 GB bandwidth; egress $0.06/GB beyond included; Vitess NAS overage $0.50/GB (HA production storage $1.50/GB); Enterprise = BYO-cloud with infra pass-through + percentage platform fee. Pricing page generated 2026-09-03; prices vary by region/provider. Sources: https://planetscale.com/pricing, https://planetscale.com/docs/planetscale-plans6) 2025–2026 MATERIAL CHANGES: (a) Postgres went GA Sept 2025; Neki (sharded Postgres) now available (2026). (b) Pricing restructure 2026: old Unlimited/Advanced/Scale/Team tiers removed (2026-07), Scaler Pro renamed Base, new SKU plan set added 2026-10-19 (per getpulsesignal.com/changes/planetscale + docs). (c) Drizzle team joined PlanetScale March 2026. (d) No acquisition found in official sources (one low-reliability SaaSOffers entry falsely claims \"acquired by Supabase in 2024\" — disregard). (e) Support still offers case-by-case help via support@planetscale.com (e.g., sleeping Hobby DBs, student-without-card requests), but that is discretionary relief, not a published offer." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "No free tier; free trial only — paid plans from $5/mo (Postgres single node, 10 GB storage + 100 GB bandwidth included)", "link": "https://planetscale.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "plausible", "name": "Plausible", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://plausible.io" ], "offers": [ "Open-source AGPL web analytics: free to self-host the community edition, unlimited sites/visitors; paid Plausible Cloud from ~€9/mo/site, no free cloud tier" ], "notes": [ "The genuinely-free path is self-hosting (GDPR-friendly, single JS snippet). Cloud is paid-only. (Pricing page returned 404 during verification this session; based on known AGPL licensing — confirm cloud prices before publishing.)" ], "findings": [ { "name": "30-Day Free Trial (no credit card)", "detail": "Free 30-day trial of Plausible Cloud. During the trial you get access to ALL Business-plan features and limits (funnels, user journeys, revenue tracking, custom properties, Stats API, Data Studio). No credit card required to start. Not a permanent free tier: at the end of the trial you must pick a paid plan (from ~$9/mo Starter / ~€9 per site at 10k pageviews) to keep the data. The pageview tier you land on is chosen from your last 30 days of billable usage.", "eligibility": "Universal — open to anyone (students, startups, general). No .edu email required, no startup-age or funding cap, no region limit stated. Credit card NOT required to start.", "claim": "1) Sign up at plausible.io -> a 30-day trial starts automatically, no card. 2) Install the tracking snippet and run real traffic. 3) Check usage near the end of the 30 days. 4) Choose a paid plan at trial end to continue (or don't and lose access).", "expiry": "Each trial lasts 30 days from signup; then paid. No fixed program sunset.", "gotchas": "This is a TRIAL, not a free-forever tier. Auto-conversion to paid at day 30. Trial-to-plan tier is based on your actual 30-day usage, so heavy test traffic can put you in a pricier band. Overage rule: 1 month over a cap = no action; 2 consecutive months over = Plausible asks you to upgrade and can lock dashboards after ~1 week (data collection continues).", "source_url": "https://plausible.io/docs/subscription-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "15% Nonprofit / Education / Open-Source Discount", "detail": "15% off a Business plan on ANNUAL billing only, stacked on top of the 2-months-free annual-billing saving. Applies to NEW Business annual subscriptions; it continues on renewals for as long as you stay on the same plan. Excludes existing subscriptions, monthly billing, and every non-Business plan (so the floor is ~$19/mo at 10k pageviews, not free).", "eligibility": "ONLY nonprofits, educational institutions, and open-source projects. This is an INSTITUTIONAL discount, NOT an individual-student discount (no .edu-email route, no SheerID, no student portal). A student's own project realistically qualifies via the open-source arm, not the 'educational institution' arm. Startups have NO dedicated arm; they can only qualify through an open-source project. No funding cap stated. Claimed by email, not self-serve.", "claim": "1) Start the free 30-day trial (no CC). 2) Choose the Business pageview tier you need with ANNUAL billing. 3) Email hello@plausible.io with your org/project name, type, website, and preferred Business tier. 4) Plausible reviews and sends a discount code to use at checkout.", "expiry": "No stated sunset; discount persists across renewals on the same Business annual plan and ends immediately if you change plan/billing.", "gotchas": "Only 15% off, NOT free, and only on Business + annual. Plan upgrade/downgrade ends the discount and reverts to regular pricing. No .edu verification or formal proof is documented — it is a manual email review, so approval is at Plausible's discretion and not guaranteed. Open-source / startup claims are the weaker interpretation and may be declined.", "source_url": "https://plausible.io/docs/nonprofit-and-education-pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-Hosted Community Edition (AGPL, free)", "detail": "Plausible's open-source Community Edition is free to self-host: unlimited sites and visitors, no pageview cap, no subscription. You pay only for your own server/hosting. This is the genuinely zero-cost SaaS route for a student or startup on a zero budget (a free-tier VPS credit from a cloud provider can cover the host too). The paid hosted Plausible Cloud (from ~$9/mo per site at 10k pageviews) is a separate product.", "eligibility": "Anyone can self-host — no student/startup restriction, no .edu email, no funding cap, no region limit. You must operate your own server + PostgreSQL and accept the AGPL license (copyleft applies if you modify and distribute).", "claim": "1) Provision a VPS (use a student/free-tier cloud credit if available). 2) Deploy the Plausible Community Edition (Docker image + Postgres) per the self-host docs. 3) Point each site's tracking snippet at your own instance. No Plausible account or payment needed.", "expiry": "Indefinite (open source under AGPL); no expiration. Individual releases ship but the free self-host offer has no end date.", "gotchas": "You absorb 100% of hosting cost plus all ops/maintenance/backups. No vendor support; bot filtering and scale are yours. This is free SOFTWARE, not a free offer from Plausible — the hosted cloud product is paid and has no free tier.", "source_url": "https://plausible.io", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No dedicated free \"student tier,\" no free \"startup program,\" and no individual-student \"education license\" exists at Plausible. The only genuinely free / discounted items are (a) the universal 30-day no-CC trial, (b) the 15% nonprofit/edu/open-source discount which is institutional and applies to a Business plan on annual billing only, and (c) the free self-hosted AGPL Community Edition. There is NO free hosted (Plausible Cloud) tier. Plausible is a self-funded, bootstrapped, investor-free company, so it runs no startup-accelerator-style free program for customers; startups are not a targeted free segment (at most reachable via the open-source arm of the 15% discount). Nothing was sunset in 2025-2026: the 30-day trial (no CC), the 15% edu/nonprofit/OSS discount, and the free Community Edition are all current as of this 2026-10-22 check. Caveat: the WebSearch budget was exhausted during this run, so all findings above are based on reading the official plausible.io documentation pages directly today; third-party price trackers (outmano/comparedge/canivibecodeit) corroborate the $9/mo Starter floor and no-free-tier claim but were not independently re-verified." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "30-Day Free Trial (no credit card)", "link": "https://plausible.io/docs/subscription-plans", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "posthog", "name": "PostHog", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://posthog.com/startups/" ], "offers": [ "Free self-hosted open source; Cloud free tier: 1M events/mo, 5K session recordings, 100K error exceptions, 1,500 survey responses, 10K workflow messages (no card, renews monthly); PostHog for Startups: $50,000 credits for 12 months (<2 yrs old, <$5M raised) plus $12K partner perks" ], "notes": [ "2026 change (Sep 14): startup credits no longer apply to AI tools (PostHog AI, Desktop, Slack app, Replay Vision, Inbox). YC teams get $50k/yr while <$25M raised. Self-hosted core is MIT licensed." ], "findings": [ { "name": "PostHog Cloud free tier (monthly allowance on every product)", "detail": "Every product has a monthly free allowance that resets monthly. It is not a trial. The official pricing page source says the free tier is generous on every product, that it resets monthly, and that the allowance is the same whether or not a card is on file (a card is only for higher limits). The official docs say each product has a very generous free tier and that mobile recordings have their own free tier. Per-product numbers were NOT verified: posthog.com/pricing renders client-side (WebFetch saw about 2,390 characters of nav text) and the allowance values come from the billing service. The workflow-supplied figures (1M events, 5K session recordings, 100K error exceptions, 1,500 survey responses, 10K workflow messages per month) remain unconfirmed. The MAX_ constants in src/components/Pricing/pricingLogic.ts (50M product analytics, 150K replay, 10M flags, 100K surveys) are slider maxima, not free allowances.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a PostHog account. No student or startup proof needed. Founders without a company domain can use the monthly free allowance and apply for startup credits later.", "claim": "Sign up free via the Get started - free button (app.posthog.com/signup). No application needed for the free allowance.", "expiry": "Resets monthly. No expiry or rollover stated on the official sources.", "gotchas": "Per-product limits are unverified in this run, so check the in-app billing usage projection before scaling. Card requirement: the pricing source says the allowance is the same without a card on file, which is medium confidence.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "PostHog for Startups: $50,000 credits for 12 months", "detail": "$50,000 in PostHog credits valid for 12 months, usable across most PostHog products (AI tools excluded, see gotchas). The official startups page also lists about $12,000 in partner benefits (examples: $1,500 off Incident.io and $5,000 of Depot credit), exclusive founder merch, and a monthly founders newsletter. Credits cannot be used toward a BAA under the Boost plan. Partner benefits with Speakeasy and Incident.io per the handbook.", "eligibility": "Company under 2 years old, raised less than $5M total, not acquired (handbook), and the PostHog account must use the company email domain. Gmail, Outlook and other free or disposable domains are rejected at submission. Credits require a PostHog sign-up on or after 1 Jan 2023; older sign-ups join the program but get no credits. No region restriction appears in the official text (a third-party listing says worldwide). No .edu or student rule applies.", "claim": "1) Sign up for PostHog with the company email. 2) Upgrade to a paid plan from that account (you pay only for usage beyond credits). 3) Submit the startups application form at posthog.com/startups (app.posthog.com/startups). 4) Applications are auto-approved, then manually reviewed. The credit is applied automatically and you get an acceptance email.", "expiry": "Credits expire 12 months after grant. Afterwards you move to another paid plan, with no renewal. Extensions are exceptional: the handbook says credits are usually not extended, and requests need a clear explanation plus evidence of recent progress, with manual review by Customer Success. Small open-source projects with no corporate backing and under $200K annual revenue can ask support to waive the 12-month expiry.", "gotchas": "Not a trial and not a hard cap: once credits run out, usage is billed. The FAQ only says you can move to another plan if you go over $50K, so set billing limits. The official text says to sign up to a paid plan to apply but does not state a card requirement explicitly, so assume billing details are needed. Support is only for paying customers (Stripe Atlas FAQ). From 14 Sep 2026 (already in force), credits cannot pay for AI tools (PostHog Desktop, PostHog Slack app, Replay Vision, PostHog AI, Inbox). Teams that joined before that date can still pay for pre-cutoff usage with credits.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PostHog x Stripe Atlas co-offer (same credits plus partner discounts)", "detail": "Same $50,000 in credits for 12 months, plus 50% off Mintlify for 6 months and 50% off Speakeasy for 6 months (voucher emailed after acceptance), and exclusive founder merch.", "eligibility": "Under 2 years old and under $5M in funding, per the Stripe Atlas page. Does not stack with the YC deal.", "claim": "Submit the application form, complete onboarding, then sign up for PostHog Cloud (Stripe Atlas page). The FAQ says to sign up to a paid plan and then fill in the form; the credit is applied automatically if eligible.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months. The Mintlify and Speakeasy discounts run for 6 months.", "gotchas": "The page's eligibility lists only age and funding; Stripe Atlas incorporation is not stated as a rule. The AI-tool exclusion from 14 Sep 2026 is not restated on this page but the same program terms are assumed.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/startups/stripe-atlas", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PostHog for Y Combinator: $50,000 per year while eligible", "detail": "$50,000 per year, renewing automatically while eligible. Up to 4 unique founder merch packs (different from the startup pack), HogPatch access for the batch duration, and partner benefits with Speakeasy and Incident.io. Unlike the startup deal, YC credits can be used toward a BAA under the Boost plan. The same AI-tool exclusion applies from 14 Sep 2026.", "eligibility": "Must be in a YC batch (proved with a YC verification link), under $25M raised in total, company email domain. Not available to YC alumni who started another company (they can apply for the startup deal instead), and not if the company was acquired by a non-YC parent. Does not stack with the startup deal.", "claim": "Register once via the YC-only Bookface page (the handbook calls it the Secret YC page). The credit then renews automatically while eligible.", "expiry": "Renews automatically each year while eligible (under $25M raised). Previously expired registrations must register again.", "gotchas": "The handbook text on what happens to credits after an acquisition was cut off in the excerpt (it says existing credits can be honored until expiry), so treat carry-over as unconfirmed.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/handbook/marketing/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Founder Lab variant: $55,000 credits plus $5,000 referral bonus", "detail": "Founder Lab members get $55,000 in credits, valid one year (official founder-lab source). Startups accepted into PostHog for Startups can refer other customers to unlock $5,000 of extra credit for both parties. Founder Lab extras per the page: free swag and monthly startup spotlights.", "eligibility": "Founder Lab membership (membership criteria not checked). Same startup eligibility: under 2 years old, under $5M raised, company email domain (personal emails not accepted), sign-up on or after 1 Jan 2023.", "claim": "Start a paid PostHog plan, then submit the application at app.posthog.com/startups from the company-email account, using Founder Lab as the referrer.", "expiry": "One year.", "gotchas": "Membership requirement unverified. Details come from the repo source (contents/founder-lab.mdx), summarized rather than read from the rendered page. The referral bonus applies only to startups already accepted into the program.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/founder-lab", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "PostHog for Students: campus event sponsorship (not a software credit)", "detail": "Student organizers can apply to host a PostHog campus event for $2,000 per event: $1,000 toward food and beverages, $1,000 worth of PostHog merchandise, plus a PostHog speaker. Events run each semester. No annual event count is stated.", "eligibility": "Students at Bay Area or California universities, using a school email. Other schools may apply, but expansion is not guaranteed.", "claim": "Apply through the form on posthog.com/students (the page says You or your student org apply to host an event). No deadline stated.", "expiry": "Per event. Programming runs each semester; no end date stated.", "gotchas": "This is not a free plan or product credit. No student software credit, free plan or education license was found: posthog.com/education returns HTTP 404, and PostHog is not listed on the GitHub Student Developer Pack page fetched today. The student page renders client-side, so terms come from the repo component source (src/components/Students/StudentProgram.tsx).", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Side project insurance (surprise-bill refund for hobby projects)", "detail": "PostHog refunds a surprise bill for hobby or no-revenue projects. No dollar cap is stated, and only bills from the initial month of use are covered. The page says it is not an actual insurance policy and that PostHog has the final say on refunds.", "eligibility": "Both must apply: (1) the first invoice exceeds $1, or usage rises more than 200% versus the average of the previous three months; and (2) no revenue, or a hobby project. Students are not mentioned.", "claim": "Contact PostHog through the in-app Help button.", "expiry": "Covers only bills from the initial month of use.", "gotchas": "A discretionary refund, not credits. Set billing limits to avoid surprise bills in the first place.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/side-project-insurance", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Lenny's Newsletter Product Pass perk (partner subscribers)", "detail": "For new paying customers who came through Lenny's Newsletter Product Pass: double the free-tier caps on metered products, a Scale add-on at no charge, valid one year. Product exclusions match the startup deal (PostHog Desktop, PostHog Slack app, and others).", "eligibility": "Lenny's Newsletter Product Pass subscribers who have just started paying. Not startup- or student-specific.", "claim": "Co-branded landing page for Product Pass holders (posthog.com/lenny). The handbook points to posthog.com/startups for detail. Redemption steps were not verified; the campaigns-and-coupons handbook page does not mention Product Pass.", "expiry": "One year.", "gotchas": "Exact amounts come from a handbook summary, not the landing page, whose source only renders a LennyProductPass component.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/lenny", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Every.to subscriber credits", "detail": "Per the handbook summary: $2,000 in core-product credits (limited to customers who are just starting to pay) plus $2,000 for AI tools. Duration not stated.", "eligibility": "Every.to subscribers; core credits only for first-time paying customers. Not startup- or student-specific.", "claim": "Not verified. The handbook says redemption is on the campaigns-and-coupons page, which does not mention Every.to.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "Summary-only figures; treat amounts as unconfirmed until checked on an official Every partner page.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/handbook/marketing/startups", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Community Incubator grants (builder groups, collectives, hacker houses)", "detail": "Three tracks. Builder groups: $1,000 grant for organizers with day jobs who recruit local builders. Builder collectives: $1,000 grant plus merch for crews that already build together (often students, junior engineers, indie makers, founders). Hacker houses: $1,000 per week for housing and meals for proven crews of 4+ builders, all 18 or older, with one designated lead.", "eligibility": "Collectives name students among typical applicants and require proof of shipped work. Hacker houses require finishing a group or collective first; unsolicited applications are not accepted.", "claim": "Select the track in the form on posthog.com/community-incubator, with a LinkedIn profile, GitHub username and links to shipped projects.", "expiry": "Not stated.", "gotchas": "These are cash-style grants for community builders, not software credits. No deadline stated. Details come from repo component source (src/components/CommunityIncubator/CommunityIncubatorProgram.tsx), not the rendered page.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/community-incubator", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Self-hosted PostHog (open source, no PostHog fee)", "detail": "Core code is MIT Expat licensed. Content under the ee/ directory is under its own license (ee/LICENSE), and third-party components keep their own licenses. Running the core code yourself carries no PostHog fee.", "eligibility": "Anyone.", "claim": "Deploy from the PostHog/posthog repository. Deployment steps were not checked in this run.", "expiry": "None.", "gotchas": "You pay your own hosting costs. Startup and student credits do not apply to self-hosting. Which features live under ee/ (and need its license) was not verified, so the free-open-source claim covers only the non-ee code.", "source_url": "https://github.com/PostHog/posthog", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22. Material 2026 change: from 14 Sep 2026 (already in force), startup and YC credits can no longer pay for AI tools (PostHog Desktop, PostHog Slack app, Replay Vision, PostHog AI, Inbox). Teams that joined before that date can still pay for pre-cutoff usage with credits (official handbook and startups page). The YC deal changed to an annual $50K that renews automatically while eligible; earlier YC registrations that expired must register again. Extensions of the 12-month expiry are exceptional. No trial credits were found. No education license was found: posthog.com/education returns HTTP 404, and PostHog is not listed on the GitHub Student Developer Pack page fetched today. PostHog gives no free credits to open-source projects (its open-source sponsorship page describes PostHog sponsoring other projects); only the startup program has a small-OSS expiry waiver. Sources and verification: posthog.com/startups and posthog.com/pricing render client-side, so their terms came from a search excerpt of the official page, the official handbook, and the public posthog.com repo source files (contents/ and src/). Unverified: per-product free-tier numbers; handbook sections Credit usage, Partners and Troubleshooting (fetch failed repeatedly); Founder Lab membership criteria; Lenny's and Every.to redemption steps. The WebSearch budget ran out during this run: one search succeeded and the students search was blocked, so no further third-party or news checks were made." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 7, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "PostHog Cloud free tier (monthly allowance on every product)", "link": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "posthog free plan", "name": "PostHog Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://posthog.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free error tracking, session replay & logs up to 1M events/month; product/feature analytics free tier; no credit card" ], "notes": [ "Bundle with observability (errors, logs, traces, RUM/session replay). Free tier generous; 1M events/mo. Startup/early-stage friendly." ], "findings": [ { "name": "PostHog Free Plan (universal monthly free tier) — Observability & Product Analytics", "detail": "Every PostHog product ships with a monthly free allowance that resets each month; same allowance whether or not a card is on file; usage stops at the limit so you cannot be overcharged. Exact free limits (US Cloud, current as of 2026-10-22): Product Analytics 1,000,000 events; Session Replay 5,000 web + 2,500 mobile recordings; Feature Flags 1,000,000 requests (Experiments billed with feature flags); Error Tracking 100,000 exceptions; Surveys 1,500 responses; Data Warehouse Sources 1,000,000 rows + free historical syncs; Destinations 10,000 trigger events + 1M rows; AI Observability (ex-LLM Analytics) 100,000 events; PostHog AI 500 credits (~$5); Logs 10 GB ingested; Replay Vision 2,500 credits (~$25); PostHog Desktop 2,000 credits (~$20); Workflows 10,000 messages/channel; Inbox Beta 3 PRs; Emails 10,000. Free plan = 1 project, 1-year data retention (session recordings kept ~1 month), unlimited team members, community support, SSO (Google/GitHub/GitLab), API access.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone — students and startups included. No .edu email required, no credit card required, no region restriction (US Cloud default; EU Cloud available). Not a trial: it is a perpetual free tier that 'renews every month... forever.'", "claim": "Sign up at app.posthog.com or posthog.com/pricing ('Get started – free'); install SDK / add tracking code. Free allowance auto-applies every month, no application or card step needed.", "expiry": "Perpetual; the free allowance renews every month. No expiry or annual review on the base free tier.", "gotchas": "It is explicitly 'not a trial, no credit card' — a true perpetual free tier, not a 14-day trial. Free plan is capped at 1 project; adding a card (Pay-as-you-go) unlocks 6 projects and 7-year retention, not a higher free tier. Beyond the free caps you pay usage-based, and you can set per-product billing limits to prevent surprise bills. Logs custom retention beyond the free allowance is charged ($0.05/GB-month).", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Error Tracking free tier (Monitoring front)", "detail": "Generous free tier of 100,000 exceptions/month, GA (out of beta April 2025). No credit card required; you can set billing limits. After the free 100K: tiered pricing 100k–325k $0.000370/exception, 325k–10M $0.000140/exception, 10M+ $0.000115/exception. Bill is driven by ingested $exception events (suppression rules drop future matching exceptions pre-ingestion and are not billed).", "eligibility": "Anyone on the PostHog free tier — students/startups, no .edu or card required.", "claim": "Included automatically in the free tier once error tracking SDK is enabled; no separate application.", "expiry": "Perpetual monthly free allowance; renews each month.", "gotchas": "Exception autocapture on by default can over-capture; you can trim captured types client-side. Merging/resolving/suppressing existing issues does not reduce the bill; suppression only saves on future matching events.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/docs/error-tracking/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PostHog for Startups — $50,000 in free credits", "detail": "$50,000 in free PostHog credits for 12 months for early-stage teams (page headline: '$50K in credits for early-stage teams'). Official eligibility stated on the pricing page: company younger than 2 years and total funding raised under $5M. Credits are applied on top of/within a pay-as-you-go account so usage can far exceed the free tier.", "eligibility": "Startup (not education): founded <2 years ago, <$5M total funding raised. No .edu requirement; aimed at VC/startup founders.", "claim": "Apply at posthog.com/startups ('Get started – free' → app.posthog.com/signup). The page's application/claim steps were not fully readable in this fetch; apply via the startups page. Note: the base free tier needs no card, but redeeming $50K of usage credits effectively puts you on a pay-as-you-go account (card requirement for that account not explicitly confirmed on the page).", "expiry": "12-month credit window.", "gotchas": "Credits are for 12 months (time-boxed), not perpetual. The eligibility caps (<2 yrs, <$5M raised) mean a more mature startup is not eligible. Do not confuse with the separate Y Combinator offer below.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Y Combinator Startup Program — $50,000 free credits/yr, renewable", "detail": "Y Combinator-backed companies get $50,000 in free PostHog credits per year, renewable while the company's total funding raised stays under $25M (separate, YC-specific program listed on the pricing page).", "eligibility": "Y Combinator companies (or a company that raised via YC); total raised must stay < $25M to keep the renewal. No .edu.", "claim": "Applied through PostHog's YC/startup program (posthog.com/startups and pricing page); YC-backed teams claim the annual $50K.", "expiry": "Renews annually while raised < $25M.", "gotchas": "Renewal is gated on the $25M raised ceiling — once raised funding exceeds $25M the renewable credits stop. Distinct from the general <2yr/<$5M startup program.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Non-profit discount (adjacent to student/startup audience)", "detail": "Registered non-profits receive 15% off purchases under $25k; an additional 5% stacks on top of standard volume discounts in the $25k–$100k range. This is a discount (not a free tier), but is one of PostHog's stated offers alongside the startup discounts.", "eligibility": "Registered non-profit organization (no .edu, no startup age cap).", "claim": "Noted on the pricing page; apply the discount when setting up a paid account.", "expiry": "Ongoing discount; no expiry stated.", "gotchas": "It is a percentage discount on spend, not free usage; the free tier (finding 1) already covers most non-profit baseline needs at $0.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student license — no dedicated program found", "detail": "No dedicated PostHog education, student, or .edu license/program exists in the official site. A direct fetch of posthog.com/education returns 404 (no page), and the FAQ/pricing pages do not list a student-only offer. Effectively, the 'education' front is served by the universal free tier: students can use all products free (1M events, 5K replays, 100K exceptions, 10GB logs, etc.) with NO .edu email and NO credit card, so classroom/student projects are covered at $0.", "eligibility": "No .edu email required, no institutional agreement, no special license — the free tier is open to any student. (No evidence of a distinct education-specific benefit.)", "claim": "Same as the free tier: sign up at app.posthog.com; no separate education application exists to claim.", "expiry": "n/a (no dedicated program; rides on the perpetual free tier).", "gotchas": "Because there is no dedicated education program, there is no .edu-verified perk or extended data-retention for students; students get the same 1-project / 1-year-retention free tier as everyone else.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Uptime & CDN fronts — no dedicated PostHog product", "detail": "PostHog does not sell a standalone uptime-monitoring service or a CDN, so there is no free offer specifically in those two fronts. Its 'monitoring' coverage comes through the free tier's Observability stack: Error Tracking (100K exceptions free), Logs (10 GB free), Web Vitals / performance capture, and alerts. 'Monitoring' in the uptime-sense (ping/SLO uptime checks) and any CDN/edge delivery are out of scope of PostHog's product list (analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments, error tracking, logs, surveys, workflows, AI observability, data warehouse, destinations, inbox, PostHog AI).", "eligibility": "n/a — no uptime or CDN product to claim.", "claim": "n/a. For uptime/CDN you would need a different vendor; PostHog's free value is in error tracking + logs + analytics, not uptime pings or a content/edge network.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Don't list a 'free uptime monitoring' or 'free CDN' as a PostHog offer — none exists. Web-vitals/performance data inside analytics is the closest monitoring feature, and it is covered under the 1M-event free analytics allowance.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes that matter for the 'free offer' claims: (1) In 2025 PostHog raised several free-tier limits — a third-party (metacto, updated 2025-10-24) reports Surveys free allowance increased from 250 → 1,500 responses/month, and Data Pipelines free quota changed to 10K events + 1M rows (previously 1M events). These 'after' values match today's official pricing page (1,500 surveys; 10K destination trigger events + 1M rows); the 'before' values are third-party (medium confidence). (2) A new AI/LLM product launched in 2025 with 100K free events/month, initially named 'LLM Analytics' (per the 2025 metacto article) and now shown on the 2026 pricing page as 'AI Observability' — i.e., the 100K free-events figure is a 2025 addition / rebrand, not part of the original 2024 free tier. (3) Context from 2024: PostHog cut session-replay and analytics-event prices, and in 2025 cut data-pipeline and survey prices — so the free tier has generally been expanding, not shrinking. (4) Error Tracking went GA (out of beta) around April 2025 with its 100K free-exceptions tier; before that it was a beta. (5) No student/education program or startup/YC program was sunset in 2025-2026: the $50K startup program (<2yr, <$5M), the YC $50K/yr program (<$25M raised), and the 15% non-profit discount all remain live on the current pricing page. (6) Tangential: 2025 self-hosting guidance changed (support for new Kubernetes/Helm installs ended) — affects self-hosted users, not the cloud free tier. Net: every 'known so far' claim (free error tracking, session replay, logs, 1M events, no credit card) is CONFIRMED and current; nothing in the free-offer set was removed, only some limits were raised." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "PostHog Free Plan (universal monthly free tier) — Observability & Product Analytics", "link": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "posthog free tier", "name": "PostHog Free Tier", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://posthog.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Monthly free allowances on every product: 1M analytics events, 5,000 session recordings, 1M feature-flag requests, 100k error exceptions, 10GB logs — no card, resets monthly" ], "notes": [ "Note the 5M-figure in older indexes is stale; PostHog's current published free tier is 1M events/mo. Also has a Startup Program: $50,000 in credits/merch for companies under 2 years old and pre-Series B — the largest startup credit in this category. Open-source (MIT) self-hosting also free." ], "findings": [ { "name": "PostHog Free Tier — monthly free allowances on every product", "detail": "Free tier, no credit card required, not a trial: Analytics 1M events/mo; Session replay 5,000 recordings/mo (PostHog's Feb 2026 comparison page breaks this as 5,000 web + 2,500 mobile); Feature flags 1M requests/mo (experiments billed with flags); Error tracking 100K exceptions/mo; Surveys 1,500 responses/mo; Data warehouse Sources 1M rows + free historical syncs, Destinations 10K events + 1M rows; AI Observability 100K events/mo; PostHog AI 500 credits (worth $5); Inbox (beta) 3 PRs; Workflows 10K messages/channel; Logs 10 GB ingested/mo; Replay Vision 2,500 credits (worth $25); PostHog Desktop (beta) 2,000 credits (worth $20). Free plan: unlimited team members, 1 project, 1-year data retention, community support. Posting on the page: 'No credit card required... Same allowance whether or not you have a card on file... Your free allowance renews every month. Yes, for everything. Yes, forever.' Usage stops at the free limits so no surprise bills.", "eligibility": "Anyone/any company (no .edu requirement, no age/funding cap, no region limit stated). No credit card required. 1 project max on the free plan; add a card to create more projects.", "claim": "1) Sign up free at app.posthog.com/signup (or posthog.com/pricing 'Get started – free'). 2) Install the PostHog snippet/SDK (JS, Python, Node, mobile). 3) Use — free allowances apply automatically; set billing limits; no card on file needed.", "expiry": "Free allowance resets every month indefinitely ('forever'). Data retention is 1 year on the free plan (7 years once paid).", "gotchas": "Experiments and Evaluations have no standalone free allowance — they bill against their parent product (flags / AI observability). Free plan = 1 project; a second project requires adding a card (Pay-as-you-go plan keeps the same free tier, then charges overage). 5,000 replays is the stated cap; the web/mobile split appears only in comparison copy. Paid add-ons (platform packages, onboarding calls) are not covered by the free tier.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PostHog for Startups — $50,000 in platform credits for 12 months", "detail": "$50,000 in PostHog credits valid for 12 months, usable across nearly all products (analytics, replays, flags, error tracking, surveys, warehouse; page says ~950M events or 6M+ replays if spent on one product). Plus ~$12,000 in partner perks: $1,500 off Incident.io teams plan, 50% off Speakeasy for 6 months, $5,000 Depot credit, and 50% off Mintlify for 6 months (Stripe Atlas variant of the deal), plus exclusive founder merch (one welcome pack) and a founder newsletter.", "eligibility": "Company <2 years old AND <$5M raised; company email domain required (applications from free/disposable domains like gmail.com/outlook.com are auto-rejected; if you lack a company domain you stay on the monthly free allowance and apply once you get one); PostHog signup on/after Jan 1, 2023 (earlier signups can join the program perks but not the credits); apply from a PostHog account using the company domain. Applications are auto-approved then manually reviewed. YC teams are excluded from this track (separate YC deal; programs don't stack).", "claim": "1) Create a PostHog account with the company email. 2) Sign up to a paid plan (usage-based; free tier still applies; no minimum spend). 3) Fill the application form at posthog.com/startups; the credit is applied automatically if eligible and you get an email when accepted.", "expiry": "Credits expire 12 months after grant. After expiry you move to a normal plan and keep program perks (events/newsletter). Small open-source projects without corporate backing and <$200k annual revenue can contact support to have the 12-month expiry waived.", "gotchas": "From September 14, 2026, credits can NO LONGER be used on AI tools (PostHog Desktop, PostHog Slack app, Replay Vision, PostHog AI, Inbox); teams who joined before that date can still use credits for usage incurred before the cut-off. Credits cannot cover a BAA under the Boost plan, nor onboarding calls/service packages. Going over $50k means moving to another plan. No refunds.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "PostHog for Y Combinator — $50,000 per year, auto-renewing", "detail": "Similar to the startups program but for YC teams: $50,000 in credits per year — register once and it renews automatically while eligible; up to 4 founder merch packs (different pack than the startups program); access to Hogpatch (PostHog's YC-founder space) for the duration of the batch; partner benefits with Speakeasy and Incident.io; priority support. YC credits can be used for BAA in the Boost package (unlike the standard startups credits).", "eligibility": "Must be a YC company (any batch, proven with a YC verification link via Bookface), <$25M raised in total, company email domain. Not available to YC alumni who started a new company (those can use PostHog for Startups instead) nor to YC companies acquired by a non-YC parent.", "claim": "Register once on the YC Bookface page (the internal YC deal listing; PostHog team manages the copy there). Auto-renews while the team stays eligible (<$25m raised). Teams whose earlier deal expired must re-register.", "expiry": "Renews annually while eligible (<$25M raised); no one-time 12-month expiry like the startups program.", "gotchas": "Same September 14, 2026 AI-tools credit exclusion applies to YC credits. Programs don't stack with PostHog for Startups. Details come from PostHog's company handbook (official but internal-marketing doc); I could not re-fetch the full page body today (page fetch truncated), so treat specifics (4 merch packs, Hogpatch access) as reported, not re-verified against the live YC Bookface listing.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/handbook/marketing/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "PostHog for Students — campus events + $2,000 in hosting perks (NOT credits or an education license)", "detail": "PostHog for Students is an in-person campus events program, explicitly 'about events, not credits': free in-person mixers each semester with a PostHog team member (food, drinks, merch covered), AMAs/talks and 1:1 mentorship. Students or student orgs who host an event get a $1,000 cash grant (food/drinks) + $1,000 in PostHog merch = $2,000 total, plus a PostHog speaker. A few times a year, students are invited to 'Startup School' in SF at Hogpatch (apply via the page). There is no student discount, no student credit grant, and no course/certificate (explicitly 'no coursework, no grades, no certificate').", "eligibility": "Open to Bay Area universities and UC campuses across California; schools outside that list can apply but the program 'can't commit to extending further'. A school-issued email (a .edu or other university-associated domain) IS required to apply — personal emails are not accepted. No company or finished idea required; no region limit beyond the .edu-style email check and current campus focus.", "claim": "1) You (or your student org/club) apply via the form at posthog.com/students (name, school email, school, optional LinkedIn, event description). 2) PostHog pairs you with a team member and schedules the event each semester. 3) Free attendance; hosting grants are per event.", "expiry": "Semester-based events; the $1,000+$1,000 hosting grant is a one-time per-hosted-event award, not a recurring credit. No credits to expire.", "gotchas": "If a student is building a company <2 years old with <$5M raised, the page routes them to PostHog for Startups ($50k credits) instead — the student program gives no platform credits. The broader student program is still an open RFC internally (GitHub RFC #503, Mar 2026), so it may expand; a third-party tracker (Modelverse) describes a '365-day student grant' for the free tier, but that's just the standard monthly free tier, not a student-specific offer.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Non-profit discount (adjacent offer, not student/startup)", "detail": "PostHog offers discount options for non-profits: after signing up, contact the sales team to discuss a discount. No public fixed amounts are listed. Also mentioned on the pricing page: 'We also offer discounts for startups and non-profits.'", "eligibility": "Registered non-profits; no .edu or funding caps — case-by-case via sales.", "claim": "Sign up for PostHog, then contact PostHog sales/support to arrange the non-profit discount.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Not a self-serve offer and not quantified publicly; treat as a discount negotiation, not a free tier.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/docs/billing/common-questions", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Self-hosted PostHog open source (MIT) — free for anyone who can run infrastructure", "detail": "PostHog is open source, MIT licensed; you can self-host the full stack in your own organization at no per-event license cost. The pricing page positions it for 'a big organization that isn't ready to move to PostHog Web yet'. This is a separate free path from the cloud free tier and available to students/startups who have the infra budget.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no account, no card, no .edu. You must host and maintain it yourself (k8s/Docker, Postgres, ClickHouse).", "claim": "Deploy from github.com/PostHog/posthog (MIT) following the self-host docs; no signup or billing.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Self-hosted does not include PostHog cloud services (e.g., hosted context warehouse/cloud-only products); you pay your own infra and maintenance costs. Cloud free-tier allowances (1M events etc.) are a cloud-only concept and don't apply to a self-hosted install.", "source_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verified against live official pages today (posthog.com/pricing, /startups, /students fetched and read in full; handbook/startups content from the official handbook via search snippet): (1) From September 14, 2026, both the PostHog for Startups and Y Combinator programs' credits can NO LONGER be applied to AI tools (PostHog Desktop, PostHog Slack app, Replay Vision, PostHog AI, Inbox); pre-cutoff teams can still burn credits for usage incurred before that date. (2) The free-tier allowances listed in the task baseline (1M events, 5,000 session recordings, 1M flag requests, 100K exceptions, 10GB logs) are confirmed unchanged and current on the pricing page; PostHog states no loss-leader products that will later be retired, and 'No credit card, not a trial' — there is no separate trial program (docs: 'no trial needed'). (3) PostHog notes price cuts in 2024 (session replay, analytics events) and 2025 (data pipelines, surveys) per its Feb 2026 comparison page — these were paid-rate cuts, not free-tier changes. (4) No student/education license or student credit program exists: the student offer is events-only; the YC deal is the more generous credits variant ($50k/yr auto-renewing vs $50k one-time). Sources: https://posthog.com/pricing · https://posthog.com/startups · https://posthog.com/students · https://posthog.com/handbook/marketing/startups · https://posthog.com/docs/billing/common-questions · https://github.com/PostHog/requests-for-comments-public/issues/503 · https://posthog.com/startups/stripe-atlas · https://posthog.com/compare/posthog-vs-pendo" ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "PostHog Free Tier — monthly free allowances on every product", "link": "https://posthog.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "postman", "name": "Postman", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.postman.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: 1 user, 100 AI credits/mo, unlimited collection runs and unlimited mock servers (cloud and local), 1,000 API monitoring requests/mo" ], "notes": [ "CHANGE March 1, 2026: plan lineup restructured to Free/Solo/Team/Enterprise; Basic & Professional discontinued; collection runs and mock calls became unlimited on all tiers; Free shrank to a single user (old 3-user free teams gone). Solo $9/mo, Team $19/user/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Postman Free plan (free tier)", "detail": "Official Free plan on postman.com/pricing (read 2026-10-22): 1 user; 1,000 API monitoring requests/month (per team); unlimited automated API testing via Collection Runner; Mock Servers (cloud and local) with no stated cap; 25 Automation Flows credits/month; Context Graph ingestion free (24h refresh) and 1,000 Context Graph queries/month then $0.01/query; up to 5 integrations; 10,000 calls/month to Postman's own platform API; collection recovery window 1 day; Postman-branded API docs. Not included on Free: RBAC, SSO, cloud performance testing, private NPM packages, SDK generation, custom domains, monitor reports, API Catalog, private runners. Card lists '100 AI credits' but the comparison table row 'Postman AI credits' shows '50 / month' for Free - a live discrepancy on the same page; known data (100 AI credits/mo) matches the plan card. Paid reference prices (annual billing): Solo $9/user/mo, Team $19/user/mo, Enterprise via sales.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone - individuals, students, startups; no .edu email, age, funding, or region requirement stated. Free account creation (email or SSO login) with no payment method on the page; credit card is not part of the free sign-up (official page does not say 'no credit card required' - medium confidence on that detail). Free desktop app + CLI: 'Download Postman | Get Started for Free', 'Create a free account and you are in.'", "claim": "Go to postman.com/pricing -> 'Get Started'/'Sign Up for Free' to create a free account; the API client, CLI, and platform features at Free limits are immediately available. Download app at postman.com/downloads.", "expiry": "Perpetual free tier; no trial clock or renewal. Free features stay until user adds a paid plan; downgrades keep the account usable at Free limits.", "gotchas": "Only 1 user on Free (a free team workspace with collaborators requires a paid plan). The pricing page self-contradicts on AI credits (100 on plan card vs 50/month in the table) - verify before relying on 100. Usage-based charges can still hit a Free account: Context Graph overage $0.01/query beyond 1,000/month, and cloud perf testing / AI overage are paid features gated to paid plans. Basic and Professional plans are gone for new customers, so older student-startup offers built on those tiers no longer exist.", "source_url": "https://www.postman.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Postman Academy (free education/certification platform)", "detail": "academy.postman.com (read live 2026-10-22): 'Master APIs with Postman Academy' - free on-demand self-study learning modules and learning paths (e.g., API Testing Path v12, API Collaboration Best Practices), free live webinars ('Sign up for free, live sessions led by Postman trainers'), and course-completion badges/certifications. Stats shown: 150k+ learners, 250+ workshops, 95% satisfaction. Content can be filtered by persona and Postman license type. Enterprise training (private workshops, custom-branded academy, LMS reporting) is a paid/Enterprise offering, not part of the free offer.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone - no .edu email, region, or startup requirement stated; access via a free Postman account. No credit card required.", "claim": "Sign in to Postman at academy.postman.com, pick a learning path or course, complete it; badges are issued automatically after course completion (now via Credly).", "expiry": "Perpetual free access; no stated expiration. Badging migration: from 21 Jul 2026 badges move from Badgr to Credly; previously earned Badgr badges are NOT revoked; reissuance of old badges only on request to academy@postman.com.", "gotchas": "Free tier is the self-study/live-webinar content; instructor-led private workshops and custom-branded academies are enterprise/commercial. Not a free Postman product license - it is free learning content. The 'new learning platform' LiftOff (postman.com/liftoff) is Postman's 2026 successor-style track alongside Academy.", "source_url": "https://academy.postman.com/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Postman LiftOff (free hands-on learning, new in 2026)", "detail": "postman.com/liftoff (read live 2026-10-22): 'Interactive, hands-on learning modules with real-time API validation', 'Powered by Postman'. Currently 5 Learning Paths and 21 Modules; progress steps per module (e.g., '0/20 steps completed'); users can 'earn your rank'. Sign in with Discord to save progress; browse without signing in. No pricing, paid tier, or limits stated anywhere on the page - free.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone ('Start your API journey here'); no student/startup-specific targeting, no .edu or region requirement; Discord sign-in optional.", "claim": "Browse paths at postman.com/liftoff, sign in with Discord to track progress, connect Postman when ready to validate against real APIs.", "expiry": "No expiration stated; free with a Postman account.", "gotchas": "No certifications or credentials issued on the LiftOff page itself (unlike Academy badges); small catalog so far (5 paths / 21 modules) - content is being built out. 'Real-time API validation' consumes runs against your Postman account limits (Free plan applies).", "source_url": "https://www.postman.com/liftoff", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Postman for Students program (sunset/absent as of 2026-10-22)", "detail": "The former dedicated student offering has no live presence: https://www.postman.com/students/ returns HTTP 200 but is a generic app SPA shell (identical byte-size shell as /startups/ and /education/, title just 'Postman') - i.e., the marketing page no longer exists; /learn/education/ is a hard 404; the current Learn hub (postman.com/learn/, read 2026-10-22) contains no student/educator program links, only Docs, Academy, LiftOff, webinars, Discord. After the March 2026 plan restructure, the tiers are Free/Solo/Team/Enterprise with Basic and Professional 'no longer available for new customers', so the paid-tier student licenses that a student program would have granted no longer exist for new signups. Net effect: student access is covered by the universal Free plan (1 user) + free Academy/LiftOff learning. Note: web search budget was exhausted this session, so a sunset announcement page could not be located directly; conclusion is from live absence on official pages.", "eligibility": "N/A - program not claimable; no .edu verification flow found anywhere on current official pages.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students use the standard Free plan (postman.com/pricing) and free Postman Academy/LiftOff courses.", "expiry": "No active program; old pages soft-404 to the app shell, /learn/education/ hard-404s.", "gotchas": "Treat any third-party page or archive claiming a 'Postman for Students' free Professional license as outdated; Professional is not offered to new customers. If a school previously had an education license, it would be legacy Basic/Professional and is migrated to Team over time per Postman FAQ.", "source_url": "https://www.postman.com/students/(soft-404toappshell)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program / startup discount (not found)", "detail": "No public 'Postman for Startups' program exists on official pages as of 2026-10-22: https://www.postman.com/startups/ returns 200 but serves the same generic app SPA shell as other nonexistent marketing routes; the pricing page and FAQ contain no startup discount, funding-cap, or company-age terms; the only 'trial' wording is 'Teams can trial Enterprise features to evaluate advanced collaboration, security, and governance before upgrading' (Enterprise evaluation via sales, not a public self-serve startup offer). Postman's partner-facing program (/partner-program/) is for technology/integration partners, not for startups. Absence verified by live page fetches; no web search was possible this session, so a non-public/VC-channel startup deal cannot be fully ruled out.", "eligibility": "N/A - no public startup offer to claim.", "claim": "N/A - startups, like all users, get the standard Free plan (1 user) and would pay Solo $9/user/mo or Team $19/user/mo (annual) for more; Enterprise evaluation by contacting sales.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "If a startup hears about a 'Postman startup program' from a VC or partner, it is not a published public offer and would be scoped via sales; the Free plan's 1-user limit means a startup team should budget for Team ($19/user/mo annual) beyond one seat.", "source_url": "https://www.postman.com/startups/(soft-404toappshell)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial credits", "detail": "No self-serve trial-credit program for students or startups. The pricing FAQ (read 2026-10-22) only states: 'Teams can trial Enterprise features to evaluate advanced collaboration, security, and governance before upgrading' - no duration or self-serve steps published. The Free plan itself is not a trial: it is a perpetual tier (1 user, 1,000 monitoring requests/month, unlimited collection runs, mock servers), with no credit card required. AI overage is pay-as-you-go on paid plans only ($0.035-$0.05/credit depending on tier).", "eligibility": "Free plan: everyone, no CC. Enterprise trial: organizations via sales contact; no student/startup-specific trial credits.", "claim": "Free plan: sign up at postman.com with a free account. Enterprise trial: 'Contact Sales' from postman.com/pricing.", "expiry": "Free tier: no expiry. Enterprise trial: duration not published.", "gotchas": "Don't confuse Free tier with an expiring trial - it is a permanent plan. Usage-based add-ons (Context Graph overage $0.01/query, cloud perf testing $0.04/VuH on Solo) can generate charges on paid plans even though the base is free.", "source_url": "https://www.postman.com/pricing/(FAQ)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes (verified on official pages 2026-10-22): (1) March 2026 plan consolidation - Postman rebuilt tiers to Free/Solo/Team/Enterprise with an AI-native feature set shipping March 1, 2026 (v11/v12); per pricing FAQ, 'Basic and Professional plans are no longer available for new customers', existing Basic customers migrate to Team over time, existing Professional customers stay on current plan/pricing (blog.postman.com/new-capabilities-march-2026, published Jan 31, 2026). This effectively retired the tier structure that older student education licenses were built on. (2) The dedicated student marketing page (postman.com/students) and /learn/education/ are no longer live (soft-404 to app SPA shell / hard 404) - the student program appears sunset or folded into the universal Free plan + Academy/LiftOff; no live offer page exists as of 2026-10-22. (3) No public startup program page exists (postman.com/startups soft-404s). (4) July 21, 2026: Postman Academy badges migrated from Badgr to Credly (existing Badgr badges retained, not revoked). (5) Free plan AI-credit figure is inconsistent on the live pricing page (100 on plan card vs 50/month in the table). Caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so confirmation of explicit sunset *announcements* (blog posts about the student program ending) was not possible; absence was verified by live fetch of official pages today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Postman Free plan (free tier)", "link": "https://www.postman.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "postmark", "name": "Postmark", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://postmark.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Time-boxed trial server: historically 100,000 emails/mo free for ~6 months, no card" ], "notes": [ "Transactional-only (refuses bulk marketing) for clean IP reputation; no permanent free tier. HEDGED: verify current trial length/terms." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Developer plan (permanent free tier, auto-assigned on signup)", "detail": "Every new Postmark account starts on a free 'Developer' plan: 100 emails/month, $0/mo, no overages allowed on this plan, never expires, no credit card required. Full API/SMTP access, transactional + broadcast message streams, webhooks, analytics. Paid plans start at Basic $15/mo for 10,000 emails (overages $1.80/1k); Pro $16.50/mo ($1.30/1k) and Platform $18/mo ($1.20/1k) for more streams/domains/inbound. Verified directly on the live pricing page today.", "eligibility": "Anyone; automatic at signup at account.postmarkapp.com. No .edu, no startup status, no card. Sender signature or domain verification (DNS DKIM) required before sending. No published region limits.", "claim": "Sign up at account.postmarkapp.com → confirm email → verify a sender signature or domain → you are on the free Developer plan automatically; 100 emails/month usable indefinitely.", "expiry": "No expiry; the plan is permanent. Upgrading requires entering a credit card; downgrading back to free is allowed at end of billing cycle.", "gotchas": "No overages on the free plan — hitting 100 emails stops sending (unlike paid plans where overages are billed). 100 emails/mo is test-only (~3/day), not viable for production. Postmark is transactional-first: marketing/bulk mail must go through Broadcast streams and mixing marketing content into transactional streams gets accounts suspended. Default data retention 45 days on all plans; custom retention is a paid add-on from $5/mo.", "source_url": "https://postmarkapp.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Bootstrapper credit — $75 one-time account credit for bootstrapped startups", "detail": "One-time $75 account credit. Official eligibility: product fully launched, actively charging for it, and no outside investment/funding taken (i.e., strictly bootstrapped — VC/angel-funded startups do NOT qualify). Support FAQ notes the $75 'typically covers your next five payments of $15 each'. Applied to account after support verifies eligibility.", "eligibility": "Bootstrapped, fully launched, revenue-generating product. No .edu. No funding cap other than 'no outside funding' at all. No age limit published. No region limit published.", "claim": "1) Sign up for Postmark (lands on free Developer plan). 2) Message Postmark Support stating you are applying for the Bootstrapper credit. 3) Include a link to your live pricing page as proof you charge customers. 4) Support confirms eligibility and applies the $75 credit.", "expiry": "Rolling, evergreen offer (page live as of 2026-10-22; support article published 2025-11-04 and last updated 2026-10-19). No published expiry date on the credit itself; one-time only. No renewal.", "gotchas": "No self-serve form — manual via support, vendor discretion on approval. Funded or pre-launch/stealth products are ineligible. ~$75 is only ~5 months of the $15/mo Basic plan. Postmark does not offer annual plans or invoices/PayPal — credit sits against monthly card billing.", "source_url": "https://postmarkapp.com/for/bootstrapped-startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Friend & Family referral — both accounts get one month free", "detail": "Any paying Postmark customer can refer another paying customer; when verified, each account receives one month of Postmark usage for free. Claimed by messaging support with the referred (or referring) account's email address. Both accounts must be active paying customers and the referral must be genuine (no duplicate/fake accounts).", "eligibility": "Both parties must be paying Postmark customers; no .edu or startup-age requirements.", "claim": "Existing paying customer messages Postmark Support including the email address of the referred account (or the account they were referred by); support applies the free month to both accounts after verification.", "expiry": "Rolling; no deadline published. One free month per verified referral.", "gotchas": "Requires paying accounts on both sides — not a free on-ramp for new users. No published cap on how many referrals one user can make.", "source_url": "https://postmarkapp.com/support/article/pricing-billing-ongoing-promotions-for-customers-bootstrapped-and-friends-family-discount", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Legacy free signup credits (25,000 credits) and old time-boxed trial server — retired", "detail": "Historically new signups received 25,000 free credits on the credit-based plan, and Postmark previously ran a time-boxed free trial server (the 'known' ~100,000-emails trial). Both are gone: credit-based plans were retired effective July 5, 2023, and no time-boxed trial appears on the current pricing/docs — the FAQ now describes the 'trial with no expiration date' as the free Developer plan (100 emails/mo).", "eligibility": "n/a — no longer claimable.", "claim": "n/a.", "expiry": "Credit-based plans retired 2023-07-05; legacy customers were migrated to monthly plans. Current model (as of 2026-10-22) = permanent 100-email/mo Developer plan + $75 Bootstrapper credit.", "gotchas": "Old third-party pages comparing Postmark to competitors may still quote 100k-email trials or 25k signup credits — ignore those; they predate the current pricing model. Also note postmark.com now 301-redirects to postmarkapp.com (domain/branding change post-ActiveCampaign acquisition).", "source_url": "https://postmarkapp.com/support/article/will-the-free-25-000-signup-credits-renew-every-month", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education offer exists: no .edu discount, education license, or student plan anywhere on postmarkapp.com; /for/education returns 404. No SMS, Push, or Chat API front: Postmark's current product is email delivery only (SMTP + REST, transactional and broadcast streams, inbound email) — the pricing page and docs list no SMS/Push/Chat products, so no free offers on those fronts. Sunset/change notes for 2025-2026: (1) The legacy free 25,000 signup credits (credit-based plans) were retired 2023-07-05 — still a 'legacy' footnote in docs but no longer offered. (2) The time-boxed trial-server model previously known (~100k emails, no card) is no longer published; it has been replaced by the permanent free Developer plan (100 emails/month, no expiry, no card) — the exact old duration/limits of the trial server (3 months vs the ~6 months in our notes) could not be confirmed on current official pages. (3) Bootstrapper $75 credit is unchanged through the 2025-11-04 support-article publication and 2026-10-19 update. (4) Domain rebrand: postmark.com 301-redirects to postmarkapp.com. Caveats: web-search budget was exhausted mid-task, so absence-of-education-offer and absence-of-SMS/Push/Chat rest on the official pricing page, 404 check, and the home page's explicit 'email delivery via SMTP and REST' positioning rather than exhaustive site crawl; the Friend & Family finding was read from an official support FAQ snapshot, not fetched directly today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Developer plan (permanent free tier, auto-assigned on signup)", "link": "https://postmarkapp.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "prometheus", "name": "Prometheus", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://prometheus.io/" ], "offers": [ "Open source metrics server — free and unlimited; pairs with Grafana for dashboards and Alertmanager" ], "notes": [ "Industry-standard OSS time-series DB; the basis of Grafana Cloud / Mimir. Zero licensing cost; you run the storage yourself." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Prometheus self-hosted (open source)", "detail": "Core offer: Prometheus is 100% open source under Apache 2.0, a CNCF graduated project. Free, unlimited, self-contained time-series DB; no pricing, tiers, or per-metric limits exist for the OSS server. Pairs with Grafana OSS (also free) for dashboards and Alertmanager for alerting. No account, no claim, no expiry; the only cost is the infrastructure you host it on (cloud compute/egress).", "eligibility": "Universal: anyone (students, startups, enterprises, noncommercial or commercial). No .edu, no funding cap, no credit card.", "claim": "No claim needed. Download binary/Docker from prometheus.io/download or your package manager; deploy and point Grafana at it. Optionally use k8s (kube-prometheus-stack).", "expiry": "None — Apache 2.0 license, indefinite.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: there is no trial, it is simply free. Watch your hosting/egress costs, retention (local disk is finite), HA setup (thanos/cortex/remote write adds complexity), and scale limits of a single node. Managed tiers below exist precisely to offload ops.", "source_url": "https://prometheus.io/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Grafana Cloud Free plan (managed Prometheus metrics)", "detail": "Per grafana.com/pricing (read today): 3 active users; up to 10k active metric series/month; 50 GB ingested/month across logs/traces/profiles; 14-day retention for metrics/logs/traces/profiles; 100k synthetics API executions + 10k browser test executions/month; 500 k6 vUser-hours; community support. No credit card required. Pro starts at $19/mo platform fee + usage (e.g., $6.50/1k series for metrics).", "eligibility": "Universal, no education/startup status needed. CC explicitly not required on the free plan.", "claim": "Sign up at grafana.com (Grafana Cloud), choose the Free plan, then configure your Prometheus to remote-write to the Grafana cloud ingestion endpoint — free managed Prometheus with no card.", "expiry": "Indefinite free plan; no expiry, no auto-conversion.", "gotchas": "Free is capped at 10k active series and 50 GB ingest/month — overage pushes you to paid. Retention is short (14 days; Pro gives 13 months metrics/30 days logs). 'No credit card required' is the page's claim — verify at signup, Grafana has occasionally asked for a card in promos.", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Grafana Labs Startup Program (Grafana Cloud credits for Prometheus logs/traces/metrics)", "detail": "Per the official blog (read today): up to $100,000 in Grafana Cloud credits for 12 months OR until the next funding round, usable on any Grafana Cloud service (logs, traces, metrics incl. managed Prometheus, k6, synthetics, IRM). Ideal profile: < $10M raised and < 25 employees, but larger startups are encouraged to apply. Admission at sole discretion; accepted startups agree to be a reference customer and possible marketing collaboration. After credits expire: guaranteed 20% discount off list pricing. Announced at ObservabilityCON, 25 Sep 2024.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups (ideal: <$10M raised, <25 employees, open to exceeding guidelines); all new Grafana Cloud customers incl. free-tier users, and Grafana OSS users moving to managed. Not aimed at students/education. Discretionary acceptance.", "claim": "Complete the 4-question application (Typeform link published in the official blog post; program web pages grafana.com/startups and grafana.com/startup-program both 404'd today — use the blog post's link or contact Grafana sales to apply).", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months or until next funding round, whichever first; renewal beyond that is the 20% list-price discount, not more credits.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: this is a credits program, not a permanent free tier — after burn, you pay (less). Reference-customer/marketing strings attached. Verify the live application URL before assuming the program is still open (web page 404 today; program is 2+ years old as of 2026).", "source_url": "https://grafana.com/blog/grafana-labs-startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Managed Service for Prometheus free tier", "detail": "Per aws.amazon.com/prometheus/pricing (read today): free tier includes 40M ingested metric samples/month, 200B query samples processed/month, and 10 GB of stored metrics — 'you can get started with Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus for free (in supported AWS Regions)'.", "eligibility": "Anyone with an AWS account (new-account free tier terms apply); no student/education or startup status required; no CC claim beyond normal AWS account setup.", "claim": "Create a Prometheus workspace in a supported AWS region; free tier applies automatically, no enrollment.", "expiry": "Free tier is ongoing (not a 12-month trial) subject to AWS free-tier policy; limits are monthly.", "gotchas": "Only available in 'supported AWS Regions' — check region coverage. Limits are per-sample, so a high-cardinality scrape job can burn 40M samples fast; overage bills per sample/GB, and the 200B query-sample cap can surprise. This sample-based structure differs from the 100 GB/month + custom-label-sets limits third-party trackers historically reported for AMP (see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/prometheus/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Datadog Free plan (including Prometheus monitoring)", "detail": "Per datadoghq.com/pricing (read today): Free tier = up to 5 hosts, unlimited user accounts, 100 custom metrics allotted per host, 500 custom events/host, 5 containers per host, out-of-the-box dashboards, unlimited alerts; full-resolution data retention shown as 1 day on the current page. Prometheus is covered via Datadog's Prometheus integration (APM/infrastructure monitoring); Prometheus is not named on the pricing page's free-tier table.", "eligibility": "Universal (students/startups/anyone); no .edu requirement. Credit-card policy is not stated on the page — Datadog's signup historically asks for a payment method even for the free plan, so do not assume no-CC.", "claim": "Sign up at datadoghq.com, select the Free plan, install the Datadog agent or point Prometheus at Datadog's endpoint.", "expiry": "Free plan is perpetual; no expiry.", "gotchas": "Current page states 1-day full-resolution retention on Free (historically 14 days) — materially thinner than older marketing. The 'Start Free Trial' CTA wording conflates the Free plan with a trial; verify you're on the Free plan, not a trial with clock. CC policy unverified on the page.", "source_url": "https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Cloudflare for Startups (CDN/uptime front; credits + free tier)", "detail": "Per cloudflare.com/startups (read today): up to $350,000 in credits, valid 1 year or until consumed (no extensions), across three tiers — Tier 3: $10,000 (bootstrapped or <$1M raised, no partner needed); Tier 2: $100,000 (<$5M raised, funded by an affiliated partner, gets an account manager); Tier 1: $350,000 ($5M+ raised, partner-funded, bi-weekly architect hours + priority support). Credits cover usage-based services (Workers, Durable Objects, Workflows, Workers AI [AI capped at $50k in T1], R2/KV/D1/Queues/Vectorize [R2 capped at $10k], Pages, Images/Stream, Cache Reserve, Argo Smart Routing). Core CDN/DNS/SSL/DDoS/WAF/load-balancing are free-included in every tier regardless.", "eligibility": "Startups: incorporated within last 10 years, funded up to Series B within the last 12 months, building a tech product with a live public website, active on at least one public social channel, for-profit company email matching the domain; first-time applicants only. Excludes educational institutions, consultancies, MSPs, resellers, personal blogs — not a student offer.", "claim": "Apply via the program's application page at cloudflare.com/lp/startups; review typically within 48 hours; email startups@cloudflare.com for case-by-case tier upgrades (existing members under old caps).", "expiry": "Credits: 12 months or until consumed, whichever first; not extendable; upgrades don't reset the clock. Free CDN/uptime tier itself is indefinite.", "gotchas": "Overages bill the card on file after credits run; AI Gateway is temporarily not credit-eligible; premium products (Magic Transit, China Network, etc.) need separate contracts. Students get nothing here — Cloudflare's plain Free plan (CDN/DNS/SSL for 100 zones) is the indefinite, no-CC, free-for-all baseline.", "source_url": "https://www.cloudflare.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Startup Program credits (usable on Managed Service for Prometheus)", "detail": "Per cloud.google.com/startup/ai content surfaced in search today: up to $350,000 GCP credits over 2 years — Year 1: 100% of first $100,000 (up to $250,000 for AI-first startups), Year 2: 20% of up to an additional $100,000; includes Gemini/Gemma access and expert webinars. These general credits cover GCP's Managed Service for Prometheus ingest/query costs, which is the closest thing to a GCP 'managed Prometheus' free offer.", "eligibility": "VC-funded startups: pre-seed/seed raised within last 5 years, Series A within last 12 months, founded within last 5 years, not yet received more than $5,000 in GCP credits; eligibility at Google's discretion. Not a student offer (Google Cloud's $300/60-day free trial is the general alternative).", "claim": "Apply via Google Cloud's startup program application (cloud.google.com/startup) or an affiliated YC/accelerator partner; credits land as GCP billing credits usable on any service incl. Cloud Monitoring / Managed Prometheus.", "expiry": "Credits structured over 2 years (Y1 100%, Y2 20%); GCP free-trial alternative: 60 days.", "gotchas": "Third-party models billed directly, not covered by credits; 'up to $5,000 in GCP credits already received' gate; Y2 discount rate drops to 20%. Specific GCP Managed-Prometheus free-tier numbers could NOT be verified today (pricing pages truncated/redirecting/404) — treat any per-sample free allowance figures as unconfirmed.", "source_url": "https://cloud.google.com/startup/ai", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No student/education license exists for Prometheus (negative finding)", "detail": "Prometheus has no education license, student program, or .edu offer: prometheus.io (read today) carries no pricing, education, or partner pages at all — it is an Apache-2.0 CNCF project, so the 'student offer' is simply that the software is free and unlimited for students. No Grafana, AWS AMP, Datadog, or Cloudflare education-specific tier tied to Prometheus was found on the official pages read today. Azure's Managed Prometheus service exists (GA 2025) but its pricing page would not load today, so any Azure free-tier figures are unverified rather than reported.", "eligibility": "n/a — absence finding. Anything claiming a 'Prometheus education discount' (e.g., boilerplate rows on discount-tracker sites) is generic vendor-template content, not a real offer.", "claim": "n/a. For students: just self-host Prometheus OSS (free) or use Grafana Cloud Free / Cloudflare's no-CC Free plan.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Discount-aggregator pages (e.g., costbench) publish 'Education Discount / Startup Program' boilerplate for Prometheus that they themselves mark as unverified — do not treat those as real programs.", "source_url": "https://prometheus.io/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Prometheus self-hosted (open source)", "link": "https://prometheus.io/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "public apis public apis", "name": "public-apis/public-apis", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [], "sunsets": [ "No genuine free offer for students or startups exists under public-apis/public-apis, so findings is empty. The project is a free, MIT-licensed community list of public APIs (repo description: 'A collective list of free APIs'). It is a breadth reference, not a program: no eligibility gate, no sign-up or claim step, no amounts, no expiry. Evidence as of 2026-10-22: (1) Repo metadata via the GitHub REST API (https://api.github.com/repos/public-apis/public-apis; page https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis): about 491,352 stars, MIT license, not archived, not disabled, default branch master, last push 2026-10-21. (2) README (https://github.com/public-apis/public-apis/blob/master/README.md, read via the GitHub readme endpoint): a keyword scan for student, startup, education, academic, credit, discount, sponsor, promo, offer, free tier, program, grant, scholar, hackathon, coupon, voucher and eligib found only entries for individual listed APIs, section headings or contents links. None describes a program run by public-apis for students or startups. (3) No .github/FUNDING.yml exists, so the repo has no sponsorship configuration. (4) A scan of open issues and PRs for student, startup, sponsor, educat, offer, credit, discount, grant, scholar, free tier, partner and promo found only contributor PRs that add or update individual API entries, for example 'Add student learning notes', 'Add Hunter Education API', 'Update Currents API entry: free tier is now 250 requests/day', 'Remove Studio Ghibli API - Heroku free tier shutdown, link is dead', and 'SecurityTrails no longer offers free WHOIS information'. No open proposal for a student or startup program was found. Gotchas for the index: (a) free tiers belong to third-party APIs listed in the directory, change over time, and are not offers from public-apis; (b) the About-section homepage is a UTM-tagged APILayer referral link (utm_source=Github, utm_medium=Referral, utm_campaign=Public-apis-repo), which is a promotional link, not a student or startup program, and APILayer's own terms were not evaluated; (c) if the index wants a reference entry, it should be classed as a free open-source resource open to everyone, not as a student or startup offer. Limitation: WebSearch was unavailable (the session's search budget was used up), so 2025-2026 news or announcements outside GitHub were not searched. Confidence that public-apis runs no student or startup offer is high for what the repo shows; the residual gap is an off-GitHub announcement that could not be searched. Nothing is recorded as closed or changed in 2025-2026, because no such program was found." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "—", "link": "", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "pusher", "name": "Pusher", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://pusher.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free (Realtime) plan: ~5,000 channel pushes/mo, ~100 concurrent connections" ], "notes": [ "Realtime pub/sub & push; company now under Ably. HEDGED: verify current free limits." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Pusher Channels — Sandbox free tier", "detail": "Free, no time limit, self-serve. Limits: 200,000 messages/day and 100 concurrent connections, Standard support, Functions included. A 'message' = every API publish received plus one delivery to each connected client (one publish to 50 subscribers = 51 messages), so fan-out burns the daily quota fast. A 'connection' = one live user; how many channels that user subscribes to does not increase the count. Next paid tier is Startup at $49/mo (1M msgs/day, 500 CC).", "eligibility": "Open to everyone — no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no application, no stated region limits. Free sign-up from the dashboard; the official page does not state a credit card is required, and the third-party tracker freetier.wiki (checked 18 Oct 2026) records 'Card required: No', hard cap: no, resets: daily.", "claim": "Create a Pusher account (dashboard.pusher.com), create a Channels app in the dashboard, copy app_key/app_secret from App Keys — the app starts on the free Sandbox plan with no application or approval step.", "expiry": "No expiry or duration limit; it is an always-free tier. Upgrade/downgrade/cancel at any time from the dashboard, prorated by day. Pusher emails you when you approach plan limits; the page says plans have 'headroom for spikes' but does not publish a hard overage rate or cut-off behavior (the legal quotas page says hard limits are enforced and apps can be disabled for failing to upgrade).", "gotchas": "Daily (not monthly) caps: 200k msgs/day can mean up to ~6.2M/month but a single busy day can exhaust the quota. The known-earlier figure of '~5,000 channel pushes/month' is the pre-2023 old free plan and no longer exists. No SLA on free tier (SLAs only for select enterprise customers). Standard support only. 'Startup' on this page is a paid tier name ($49/mo), not a startup program. Free tier is for prototypes/low-traffic; the next step is $49/mo flat (no usage metering — plans are ceilings, overages rate-limit rather than bill).", "source_url": "https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/(officialpageread2026-10-22;corroboration:https://freetier.wiki/services/pusher/,https://pusher.com/legal/quotas/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Pusher Beams — Sandbox free tier (mobile/web push)", "detail": "Pusher Beams (the push-notification product covering iOS/Android/web push; Pusher itself has no email or SMS offering — the footer notes Pusher is part of MessageBird, whose separate product covers email/SMS). Beams free Sandbox: up to 1,000 subscribers, Standard support. Next paid tiers: Startup $29/mo (10,000 subscribers), Pro $99/mo (50,000), Business $199/mo (115,000), Premium $399/mo (250,000).", "eligibility": "Open to everyone; 'Sign up for free' via the dashboard, no application. No .edu requirement or stated region limits. The official page does not state whether a credit card is required for the free tier.", "claim": "Create a Pusher account and create a Beams app in the dashboard; it runs on the free Sandbox plan (1,000-subscriber cap) with no trial-approval step.", "expiry": "No stated duration limit on the free tier; the cap is a standing subscriber ceiling (1,000 registered device/subscriber tokens), not a monthly send allowance. No per-plan message/throughput caps are published on the page.", "gotchas": "1,000 is a subscriber (device-token) cap — once you have 1,000 registered subscribers you must pay $29/mo even if send volume is tiny. No trial of the paid tiers is listed. The '$29 Startup' Beams tier is a flat plan name, not a startup program.", "source_url": "https://pusher.com/beams/pricing/andhttps://pusher.com/beams/(officialpagesread2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No trial credits, startup program, or education license found (negative finding)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22: (1) No free trial of the paid Channels/Beams plans is listed on any official page (third-party pricing checks list 'Free trial: None listed'). (2) No startup program: pusher.com/startups/ returns 404; 'Startup' is only the name of the entry paid tier on both Channels and Beams. (3) No education/student license: pusher.com/education/ returns 404; no student program or .edu discount is mentioned on the Channels or Beams pricing, product, or docs pages read today.", "eligibility": "n/a — absence of offers. Both Sandbox free tiers above are the only free offers and are open to students and startups on the same terms as anyone else.", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "The session's shared WebSearch budget was exhausted, so this negative result rests on the official pages fetched today (pricing/product/docs, plus 404 checks of /startups/ and /education/) and search-result snippets already retrieved, not on exhaustive site-wide search.", "source_url": "https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/,https://pusher.com/beams/pricing/,https://pusher.com/startups/(404),https://pusher.com/education/(404)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) The old Pusher Channels free plan (~5,000 channel pushes/month, ~100 concurrent connections — the figure in the 'known so far' note) was retired when Pusher introduced the quota-based Sandbox plan (announced 20 Jan 2023, https://pusher.com/blog/pushers-sandbox-plan/): 200,000 messages/day + 100 concurrent connections, free, no card. It is not the same as the old monthly-pushed figure (200k/day ≈ up to 6.2M/month). 2) The Channels pricing lineup changed on 2026-03-26 per PulseSignal's pricing history ('Plan removed / pricing unit changed'); the page as read today lists 8 fixed tiers (Sandbox, Startup $49, Pro $99, Business $299, Premium $499, Growth $699, Plus $899, Growth Plus $1,199) + Enterprise; the specific plan removed on that date could not be confirmed from official sources today. 3) No 2025-2026 sunset of any free offer was found: both Sandbox free tiers (Channels 200k msgs/day + 100 CC; Beams 1,000 subscribers) are live on the official pages as of 2026-10-22. 4) No dedicated Pusher education, student, or startup-credits program exists at the URLs checked; Pusher (a London company, part of MessageBird per its own footer) has no email/SMS product of its own — email/SMS would come from the MessageBird/Infobip side, outside Pusher's free offers." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Pusher Channels — Sandbox free tier", "link": "https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/(officialpageread2026-10-22;corroboration:https://freetier.wiki/services/pusher/,https://pusher.com/legal/quotas/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "puter", "name": "Puter", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://puter.com" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo: in-browser IDE + instant live URL + Puter.js (400+ AI models, cloud storage, KV DB, auth) under a user-pays model, no API keys" ], "notes": [ "Open-source (AGPL) 'internet OS'; end-users of your app cover their own AI/cloud usage. Self-hosted build still alpha. No persistent Node server for your app — use static/client code + Serverless Workers. Secondary-source verified (2026)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan ($0/month consumer tier)", "detail": "Official pricing table (puter.com and puter.com/pricing/, both read 2026-10-22): Free = $0/month, 25 MB storage, \"Limited\" AI & Cloud access, \"100s of Apps & Games\", community support. Paid ladder: Basic $10/mo (100 GB), Plus $25/mo (500 GB), Pro $100/mo (2 TB). USD, billed monthly; no annual option shown. Free signup via /action/signup, no card requirement stated for the free plan.", "eligibility": "Anyone can create a free account; no .edu email, no startup criteria, no credit card noted for free plan, no region limits stated.", "claim": "Sign up at https://puter.com/action/signup for a $0 account with 25 MB storage and limited AI/cloud access; upgrade in-account to paid tiers.", "expiry": "Free plan is ongoing, no expiry date; free AI/cloud quota is the 'Limited' tier — no per-request numeric caps published on the marketing page.", "gotchas": "Free storage is only 25 MB. 'AI & Cloud: Limited' is a label, not a numeric quota — concrete numbers live in the Puter.js docs (30 AI req/10s, 3 concurrent, free monthly usage credit that resets monthly with no rollover). Two features are paid-only: sendTransactional() email and 'anyone-with-link' sharing. Pricing page footer: © 2026 Puter Technologies Inc.", "source_url": "https://puter.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Puter.js user-pays developer offer: $0 infrastructure, no API keys", "detail": "docs.puter.com and developer.puter.com (read 2026-10-22): developers pay $0 for infrastructure regardless of end-user count ('Whether your app has 1 user or 1 million users, it costs you zero to run'). End users cover their own AI/cloud consumption via their Puter account; 'each user gets pre-allocated resources' and every user 'starts with a free monthly allowance' (amount shown in usage dashboard, resets monthly, no rollover; purchased credits never expire). SDK exposes 500+ AI models (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, etc.), cloud storage (puter.fs), serverless NoSQL KV (puter.kv), auth, serverless workers — via one script tag (https://js.puter.com/v2/), no API keys. Claims 80K+ developers, 130K+ apps, 400K+ installations. Matches the known baseline of in-browser IDE + instant live URL + user-pays model.", "eligibility": "Any developer can use Puter.js free; no credit card, no company age/funding cap, no .edu requirement. Abuse is handled user-side ('abusers pay for themselves'), not via developer-side CAPTCHA or developer-side rate limits.", "claim": "Add (or npm @heyputer/puter.js) to your app; auth, storage, KV, AI and worker deployment work under the user's Puter account at $0 cost to you.", "expiry": "No stated end date; free developer cost is architectural (user-pays), not a time-boxed trial.", "gotchas": "Not a fixed credit grant: the free allowance amount is only visible per-user in the dashboard, not published. Free-tier caps apply to each end user's account (see quotas finding) — heavy users will hit limits or need paid plans themselves. Developer 'infra $0' claim excludes nothing else (e.g. no SLA stated).", "source_url": "https://docs.puter.com/user-pays-model/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free-tier quotas & rate limits (Puter.js accounts) — exact published numbers", "detail": "docs.puter.com/rate-limits-and-quotas/ (read 2026-10-22). Free (per user, per minute unless noted): AI 30 req/10s, 3 concurrent; KV get/set 400/10s, list 120/min, key 1 KB, value 400 KB; filesystem quota 100 MiB, write 120/min, stat 600/min; sites/workers: subdomain create 60/min, worker deploy 80/min, 5 concurrent workers; email 600 sends/min (but sendTransactional() paid-only); teams: 1 team/account, 3 free seats for owner; live connections 200/account; relay tokens 30/min; handler chain 4 runs. Free->paid deltas exist (e.g. AI 30->200 req/10s, concurrency 3->20, live connections 200->400). Usage credit: free monthly allowance resets monthly, no rollover; purchased credits never expire.", "eligibility": "All free Puter.js accounts; same free allowance regardless of tier per docs.", "claim": "No claim step beyond creating a free Puter account; limits apply automatically and are documented at docs.puter.com/rate-limits-and-quotas/.", "expiry": "Ongoing published schedule; credit portion resets monthly, no rollover.", "gotchas": "Numbers are rate limits, not volumes — a 100 MiB free FS quota vs 25 MB on the marketing pricing page is a metering discrepancy (plan storage vs JS quota) that can confuse budgeting. Paid-only: transactional email, anyone-with-link shares. Event delivery has micro-cent costs (broadcast 10 μ¢/delivery, single 100 μ¢) and no-credit backlogs are deleted after 1 h.", "source_url": "https://docs.puter.com/rate-limits-and-quotas/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student/education license and startup program: none exist", "detail": "puter.com/education/ and puter.com/startups/ (fetched 2026-10-22) both fall back to the Puter homepage — no dedicated education or startup pages. docs.puter.com/llms.txt index (read 2026-10-22) contains no pages mentioning education, student, startup, trials or discounts. No .edu email path, no startup-credits application, no student discount on the $10/$25/$100 tiers.", "eligibility": "N/A — no targeted offers to claim.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; students/startups get exactly the same $0 free plan + user-pays Puter.js as everyone else.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Web search budget was exhausted this session, so third-party/blog evidence of any announced 2025-2026 education or startup program (that would not yet be on official pages) could not be checked; conclusion is based on absence across all official pages fetched today.", "source_url": "https://docs.puter.com/llms.txt", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No 2025-2026 sunset or material change of any specific offer could be confirmed: web search was unavailable for this agent (session budget exhausted), so I relied solely on official pages fetched 2026-10-22 (puter.com, puter.com/pricing/, developer.puter.com, docs.puter.com incl. llms.txt, user-pays-model, rate-limits-and-quotas). Site footer shows © 2026 Puter Technologies Inc., and model count marketing says 500+ models on the dev page vs '400+' in the task's known-so-far baseline (minor marketing revision, not an offer change). No student/education or startup program existed to be sunset; trial-credit style offers do not exist — the free tier is a standing $0 plan, and Puter.js's $0 developer cost is permanent under the user-pays architecture, not a trial. Key durable gotchas: free monthly usage credit has no rollover; purchased credits never expire; transactional email and public link-sharing are paid-only." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan ($0/month consumer tier)", "link": "https://puter.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "qdrant cloud free tier", "name": "Qdrant Cloud Free Tier", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://qdrant.tech/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: 1-node cluster, 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 4 GB disk (≈1M vectors @ 768 dims), no credit card; free cloud-inference models + up to 5M inference tokens/mo on paid models" ], "notes": [ "Verified on pricing + docs 2026-10. Free clusters suspend after 1 week inactivity, delete after 4 weeks. Competes with Pinecone by starting at $0 with no minimum." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Qdrant Cloud Free Forever tier", "detail": "Permanently free 1-node cluster: 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 4 GB disk, 'around one million 768-dimension vectors'. Free cloud-inference works on it, but only with free and external models (free models: sentence-transformers/all-minilm-l6-v2, intfloat/multilingual-e5-small, qdrant/bm25, answerdotai/answerai-colbert-small-v1). Tier is described as 'for testing, and prototypes' and 'without high availability'. Support: community, best-effort response, 99.5% uptime SLA. No HA, no VPC links, no enterprise SSO. Exceeding 1 GB RAM / 4 GB disk prompts upgrade to the Standard (paid) tier, where compute/memory/storage are billed hourly.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu, no funding or age cap. Credit card NOT required ('No credit card, no minimum spend' per qdrant.tech/cloud). No region limit stated on the page; cloud availability depends on the chosen infrastructure/region at signup.", "claim": "Sign up at cloud.qdrant.io/signup (the 'Start Free' button on qdrant.tech/pricing and qdrant.tech/cloud) -> choose Free plan and a region -> 'spin up a permanently free cluster in under 90 seconds'. No form review; instant activation.", "expiry": "No expiry: explicitly 'free forever', not a trial. Free forever as long as the tier is not upgraded; on upgrade, hourly billing starts for compute, memory, storage, backups, and paid-model inference tokens. Data retention on free clusters is not documented.", "gotchas": "Not high-availability; single node. Free inference is limited to free/external models - paid inference models are not free on the free tier (external models like OpenAI/Cohere/Jina are billed directly by the provider under your API key, no Qdrant markup, but not free). RAM/disk caps (1 GB / 4 GB) are the hard upgrade trigger. Community support only. The ~1M-vector figure is approximate ('around one million').", "source_url": "https://qdrant.tech/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free inference tokens on paid clusters (5M tokens/model/month)", "detail": "Paid Qdrant Cloud clusters receive up to 5 million free inference tokens per model per month on paid inference models; BM25 hybrid search has no token cap. This is a recurring monthly free allotment, not a one-time trial. Paid inference otherwise billed per 1,000,000 tokens, with per-model rates shown in the Inference tab of the Cloud console. Qdrant-hosted paid models include mixedbread-ai/mxbai-embed-large-v1, qdrant/clip-vit-b-32-text/vision, prithivida/splade_pp_en_v1.", "eligibility": "Any paid Qdrant Cloud cluster (Standard tier or above). No startup/student requirement, no credit cap. Note: the cap is stated per model, so different paid models each get their own 5M/month allowance.", "claim": "No separate claim step: create/upgrade a paid cluster, enable cloud inference in the console, and the free monthly tokens apply automatically. Prices per model are visible in the Inference tab of the Cluster Detail page.", "expiry": "Recurring: 'per month' allowance, renews monthly with the subscription. BM25 is explicitly uncapped. No sunset date published.", "gotchas": "The 5M figure comes from the FAQ on qdrant.tech/cloud (and is what 'free credits' known-so-far refers to) - it is not restated with the same number on qdrant.tech/pricing itself, so treat the exact cap as FAQ-stated. Free models (including qdrant/bm25) are free on all tiers including the free tier; the 5M free tokens specifically apply to PAID models on PAID clusters. No dollar-denominated trial credits for new customers were found on any page fetched.", "source_url": "https://qdrant.tech/cloud/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Qdrant for Startups program (20% off for 12 months)", "detail": "20% discount on Qdrant Cloud for 12 months from date of acceptance; no dollar cap on savings stated. Extras: partner perks from Hugging Face, LlamaIndex, and Airbyte, expert technical-advice sessions, and co-marketing (social media, Discord talks/webinars, case studies). Reviews in 7-10 business days; after a rejection you must wait 2 months to re-apply. Billing runs through Stripe (not a cloud marketplace), so discounted usage still requires a card.", "eligibility": "Pre-seed, Seed, or Series A startups; under 5 years old; less than $5M in funding; must be a NEW user of Qdrant Cloud (existing customers qualify only if the cloud account was created within the last 30 days). Agencies and dev shops are explicitly NOT eligible. No employee/revenue cap and no region limit stated on the page. Credit card IS required to use the discount.", "claim": "Apply through the online form on qdrant.tech/qdrant-for-startups/ (do not email submissions). Provide startup details and planned Qdrant usage. Wait 7-10 business days for review; on acceptance add a credit card to the Qdrant account to activate the discount.", "expiry": "Discount lasts 12 months from acceptance, then standard pricing. Program page current as of fetch (site footer © 2026); no announced end date or 2025-2026 changes on the page.", "gotchas": "This is a 20% discount, not free - ongoing spend still applies and a credit card is mandatory (unlike the free tier). 'New user' rule means most incumbent Qdrant users cannot stack it; the 30-day account window is the only exception. No stacking rules with other discounts are documented. No geographic restriction is stated, but Stripe billing applies.", "source_url": "https://qdrant.tech/qdrant-for-startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education: free self-paced courses + free certification exam (no .edu program)", "detail": "Qdrant's education offer is free, not an academic license: (1) 'structured, free, online courses' on qdrant.tech/course - Beginner Course (<5h, embeddings/vector search/hybrid search + multimodal capstone), Essentials Course (9-12h, indexing/optimization/API), Multi-Vector Search Course (4-6h, ColBERT/ColPali/late-interaction); upcoming Intermediate (Optimizing Performance, Scaling and DevOps) and Advanced (AI Engineer, Search Engineer) tracks. (2) Qdrant Developer Certification at train.qdrant.dev: multiple-choice quiz based on the official docs and courses, self-paced, earns a public badge; registration is email/Google/LinkedIn-only with a verification code - no price is displayed anywhere on the registration or course pages.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone - no .edu email, no student status, no enrollment or funding requirements. Not an education license or classroom license; no student-specific discount exists because the material is already free.", "claim": "Courses: go to qdrant.tech/course and start a course directly ('See Courses'). Certification: train.qdrant.dev/register -> 'Continue with Google/LinkedIn/email' -> verify -> complete the quiz at your own pace -> earn the badge. For more topics, email devrel@qdrant.com.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal noted; courses and exam are self-paced with no stated sunset. Upcoming advanced courses currently only have 'Register Interest' Google Form links, not open seats.", "gotchas": "The courses page explicitly says free, but the exam page never labels itself 'free' - absence of any price/payment is the evidence, hence medium confidence that the exam is truly free vs. gated later. Free cloud-inference on self-hosted/open-source Qdrant is NOT available (cloud-only feature; docs suggest FastEmbed as the OSS alternative). Web search was unavailable in this session (budget exhausted), so any 2025-2026 changes not visible on the pages fetched today could not be cross-checked against news/blog posts.", "source_url": "https://qdrant.tech/course/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Qdrant Cloud Free Forever tier", "link": "https://qdrant.tech/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "railway", "name": "Railway", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://railway.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo permanent Free plan ($1/mo usage credit) + one-time $5 trial credit for 30 days; no card for free tiers" ], "notes": [ "Free plan restored Aug 27, 2025 after being removed in 2024. Usage meters: $20/vCPU-mo, $10/GB-RAM-mo, $0.05/GB egress. Hobby $5/mo, Pro $20/mo per workspace (unlimited seats). Always-on (no forced sleep unless opt-in)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan ($0/mo, $1/mo usage credit, permanent)", "detail": "Permanent $0/month plan with $1 of non-rollover usage credits each billing cycle. Limits: max 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB per service, 1 replica, 3-day log history, 1 project, 3 services, 1 member per project, 500 MB max volume, 0 custom domains, 1 concurrent build. Metered rates beyond the $1: CPU ~$20/vCPU-month, memory ~$10/GB-month, egress $0.05/GB, volumes ~$0.15/GB-month; stopped services cost nothing. Restored Aug 27, 2025 after the free plan was deleted years earlier (blog: 'enough to run a small app for free in perpetuity').", "eligibility": "Open to everyone (students and startups alike), no .edu, no CC required for the free tier, no stated region limits. No application.", "claim": "Sign up at railway.com (click 'Login'); new accounts land in the Trial, then automatically revert to the Free plan when the $5 trial credit expires (30 days). Nothing else to claim; no form.", "expiry": "Perpetual. The $1/mo credit resets each billing cycle and does not roll over.", "gotchas": "$1/mo is tiny (roughly 36 vCPU-hours or ~$1 of egress); usage beyond it is billed per-second on a metered basis even on the free plan, so a busy app or data-heavy app can incur charges — set a billing limit in dashboard. 0 custom domains and 1 member/project; only 3 services. Egress ($0.05/GB) and volumes are not covered by a free allowance on this plan.", "source_url": "https://railway.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free trial: $5 one-time credit, 30 days, no credit card", "detail": "One-time $5 credit valid 30 days, no credit card required. Trial limits: up to 2 vCPU / 1 GB per service (shared vCPUs), 2 replicas, 7-day logs, 2 projects, 5 services, 3 members/project, 500 MB volume, 1 custom domain, 3 concurrent builds. Two trial flavors: Full Trial (verified GitHub account) and Limited Trial (unverified) — Limited restricts outbound network access to a limited port set; verification is automated (GitHub account age/activity) and Railway does not respond to verification requests (can retry at railway.com/verify). After 30 days or $5 spent, the account reverts to the $1/mo Free plan.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone, no .edu or startup proof, no CC required. Unverified GitHub accounts get the Limited Trial with network restrictions instead of full features.", "claim": "Click 'Login' at railway.com to start the trial (no CC). Alternative entry: no account needed — run `ssh railway.new` to get a free anonymous Linux VM (2 vCPU / 2 GB, 60-minute build window, 24-hour claim window, max 3 boxes per IP per day; unclaimed boxes and their files are deleted; claim link moves the box into your account).", "expiry": "30 days or $5, whichever comes first. If you upgrade while a balance remains, it carries over to the paid plan but may not be applied to the first billing cycle (applied as a discount to subsequent charges after a successful payment).", "gotchas": "Limited Trial (unverified) = restricted outbound networking/ports; code deploys work but egress to arbitrary hosts may be blocked. Railway deletes stateful volumes tied to Trial accounts 30 days after the credit expires, so persistent data requires upgrading in time. Anonymous ssh railway.new boxes are region-capped under high demand and unclaimed work is destroyed.", "source_url": "https://docs.railway.com/pricing/free-trial", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program: $5,000 credits (LAUNCHED Apr 2024, now CLOSED)", "detail": "Railway's official Startup Program (announced in the Apr 26, 2024 changelog and Apr 18, 2024 LinkedIn post) offered up to $5,000 in Railway credits. Original criteria: $2M–$25M in outside funding, founded in 2020 or later, new to Railway or under $100 lifetime platform spend; decisions promised 'within a few days'. No longer active as of late 2026: the program's dedicated page is gone (startup.railway.app returned 404 per a status-code audit on 2026-08-05; railway.com/startups also 404s today), staff told station users in Nov 2025 that 'railway does not have any startup programs' (only Free/Hobby/Pro), and a third-party tracker (noizz, checked 2026-09-23) lists Railway as having no startup program.", "eligibility": "At launch (2024): VC/angel-funded startups with $2M–$25M outside funding, founded 2020+, <$100 lifetime Railway spend. Bootstrapped startups were explicitly excluded in v1 ('likely to expand down the line' — that expansion never materialized).", "claim": "Was application-based (apply via the program link, review in days). The application path no longer exists; do not rely on it.", "expiry": "Sunset: program page 404 as of Aug 2026; staff denials on Railway's own support station Nov 2025 and Dec 2025. Exact end date between 2024-04 and 2025-11 (unknown).", "gotchas": "Treat the $5K offer as historical only. Remaining adjacent third-party channel: JoinSecret marketplace lists '$240 credit on the Hobby plan for 1 year' for 'selected startups' via a unique affiliate promo path (third-party, last checked 2026-10-01; promo credits apply only to new signups via that path) — low-confidence, not a first-party program. A 2026-10-10 station question asking for startup credits has no staff answer yet.", "source_url": "https://railway.com/changelog/2024-04-26-startup-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education / student program: NONE exists (students use the general trial)", "detail": "Railway has never run a .edu student program or education license. Staff statements on Railway's support station: 2023/2024 — 'Railway does not currently run any programs like that'; Dec 29, 2025 — 'Railway doesn't have a program where we distribute credits for students' (instead pointed to template kickback/bounty earnings, which are revenue-share, not grants). The 'Student ID validation' feature request was closed by staff Mar 28, 2025: 'we have retooled our Trial to be general access. We may consider adding a free plan back in the future' (the free plan did return Aug 27, 2025). Third-party student-deal sites (studentoffers.co, student-perks) merely re-market the general $5/30-day trial as a 'student offer' — Railway lists it as 'Open to All'.", "eligibility": "n/a — no student verification, .edu email, or GitHub Student Pack integration exists. The only free path for students is the open-to-all trial ($5/30 days) + Free plan ($1/mo).", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students get the same trial as anyone: sign up at railway.com (no CC required) or `ssh railway.new` without an account.", "expiry": "No education program to expire; general trial/free terms as above.", "gotchas": "Do not believe aggregator pages implying a dedicated student perk or .edu discount — none is published by Railway. Limited-Trial network restrictions apply to unverified student accounts just like anyone else. Note the Railway station (forum) now redirects to status.railway.com, so staff quotes above are preserved only in search caches of the retired forum.", "source_url": "https://station.railway.com/questions/railway-for-oss-7dd5d13e", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "JoinSecret affiliate channel: $240 Hobby-plan credit for 1 year (third-party, selected startups)", "detail": "Third-party aggregator (Superscout, last checked 2026-10-01; Drifting Desk) reports Railway running a $240 usage-credit offer on the Hobby plan for 1 year, distributed via the JoinSecret perk marketplace: 'Promo credits apply only to new signups via unique promotion path', restricted to 'selected startups'. Not published on railway.com; it is an affiliate/referral channel, not a first-party program, and no amount/criteria are confirmed on Railway's own pages.", "eligibility": "Self-described 'selected startups' per the JoinSecret channel; effectively requires new signups through the affiliate path; unconfirmed by Railway first-party.", "claim": "Via the JoinSecret marketplace link only (per the aggregator's 'Get it' row); not via railway.com.", "expiry": "As last checked 2026-10-01; affiliate terms 'change without notice'.", "gotchas": "Low-confidence third-party data; verify on the channel before relying on it; affiliate promos usually require fresh accounts and apply credits only to new signups.", "source_url": "https://superscout.co/perk/railway", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes to verify against: (1) Original launch-era free plan (\"Unlimited Compute,\" ~2020, and later the 500-hour free tier) was deleted due to negative margins — Railway was \"losing $16 per $1 of revenue\" — and the starter/free tiers were gone by 2023 (only $5 Hobby minimum). (2) The free plan was formally brought back Aug 27, 2025 (blog \"Bring Back the Free Plan\"): new users get $5 for the first 30 days, then $1 of non-rollover credits per month in perpetuity. (3) The $5,000 Startup Program launched Apr 2024 (criteria: $2M–$25M funding, founded 2020+, <$100 lifetime spend) appears CLOSED: dedicated URLs 404 as of Aug 5, 2026 (startup.railway.app, per a status-code audit in sourcey/startup-credits#230; railway.com/startups 404s today), staff told users on the station in Nov 2025 and Dec 2025 that no startup program exists, and noizz (checked 2026-09-23) lists Railway as \"no startup program\". Exact sunset date unknown, between 2024-04 and 2025-11. (4) No education/.edu program ever existed; the student-ID-validation request was closed Mar 28, 2025 as moot (trial retooled to general access), and staff reaffirmed in Dec 2025 that no student credit program exists. (5) No OSS program either (staff, Dec 29, 2025). (6) The 2023–2025 \"Limited Trial\" restriction (unverified accounts couldn't deploy code) was relaxed with the March 2025 trial retool to general access; code deploys now work on both Full and Limited trials, but Limited trials keep restricted outbound networking/ports. (7) The Railway support station (forum) has been shut down — station.railway.com now 302-redirects to status.railway.com. (8) Company stability signal: Railway raised a $100M Series B in Jan 2026 (100k paid users, 25k businesses), so no imminent sunset of the free tier is indicated. (9) Third-party channel: a $240 Hobby-credit-for-1-year JoinSecret affiliate offer for \"selected startups\" was last seen 2026-10-01 — unconfirmed first-party." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free plan ($0/mo, $1/mo usage credit, permanent)", "link": "https://railway.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "rapidapi", "name": "RapidAPI", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://rapidapi.com/collection/list-of-free-apis" ], "offers": [ "Thousands of free public APIs: no credit card, free listings capped at 1,000 requests/hour and 500,000 requests/month" ], "notes": [ "Free-tier limits verified against RapidAPI docs (2026-10). Nokia acquired RapidAPI in Nov 2024; hub is now branded 'Nokia API Hub' (rapidapi.com still operates). Warning: 'freemium' listings still require a card and bill overages — check each listing's card requirement." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free API plans (no credit card): 1,000 req/hour, 500,000 req/month hard caps", "detail": "Thousands of public APIs on the RapidAPI hub offer a free tier requiring no credit card and no subscription. Every 'Free API' plan is hard-capped at 1,000 requests/hour AND 500,000 requests/month; exceeding either returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests. Usage above that cap must move to a paid plan. The 500K/month cap is the platform-wide max a zero-price plan may allow: any plan exceeding 500K requests/month must charge at least $0.00003 per call (minimum-price floor, so e.g. a 2M-call plan must cost at least $45/month).", "eligibility": "Any RapidAPI consumer account. No .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no documented region restriction, and credit card NOT required for the 'Free' API category. Caution: freemium APIs DO require a credit card even for their $0 free plan, and Pay-Per-Use/Paid APIs require a card — so 'free' only means the Free category.", "claim": "Create a free RapidAPI developer account (no card). Open any free-API listing from https://rapidapi.com/collection/list-of-free-apis; for 'Free' category APIs you call endpoints directly or generate an API key with no subscription and no credit-card step.", "expiry": "Ongoing; free plans persist while the API provider keeps them enabled. Providers can disable/modify pricing plans at any time (existing subscribers keep the old plan version).", "gotchas": "(1) Trial-vs-free: a 'free' plan on a freemium API still demands a credit card — check the API's category before relying on no-card access. (2) Since December 2025 a Bandwidth Platform Fee applies to each subscription (including free plans): 10 GB/billing cycle free, then $1 per additional 1 GB (~$0.001/MB), charged to the consumer with no free-plan carve-out — a high-bandwidth consumer of a $0 plan can still be billed. (3) 429 hard-stop at the caps; no overage billing on free plans, just rejection. (4) Daily-quota plans reset 24h from subscription time, not midnight.", "source_url": "https://docs.rapidapi.com/docs/monetizing-your-api-on-rapidapicom", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Bandwidth platform fee: 10 GB/month included free per subscription, $1 per additional GB (Dec 2025)", "detail": "RapidAPI's 'Connecting to an API' docs state: 'Starting December 2025, each subscription will include 10 GB of bandwidth per billing cycle at no cost. After that limit, a fee of $1 per additional 1 GB of traffic will apply, calculated proportionally based on total usage. This fee will be charged to the consumer.' Reference figure: average request ~2 KB, so ~100GB ≈ 50M requests before any charge.", "eligibility": "All RapidAPI consumer subscriptions, free or paid.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — applied automatically to every API subscription (including $0 plans) starting December 2025.", "expiry": "In effect since December 2025; ongoing as of 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "This is a cost add, not a benefit: even a $0 Basic plan can accrue a consumer bill above 10 GB/month; free plans receive the same 10 GB grant but the docs show no carve-out from the $1/GB overage.", "source_url": "https://docs.rapidapi.com/docs/connecting-to-an-api", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22 there is NO RapidAPI student, education, or startup program: no .edu licensing, no startup credit/trial-credit offer, no startup-age or funding-cap eligibility — the official docs/FAQ pages (updated through mid-2025) contain no mention of any such offer, and no 2025-2026 announcement of one was found. The only material 2025-2026 change is consumer-side: the December 2025 Bandwidth Platform Fee (10 GB free/cycle, then $1/GB charged to the consumer), which partially erodes the 'free' story for free plans. The core free offer stands: no-credit-card free API plans capped at 1,000 req/hour and 500K req/month (confirmed on the official monetization docs). Note: the session's web-search budget was exhausted partway through; findings above are based on official docs pages fetched today (high confidence), while the absence of student/startup programs is asserted from the official pages' silence (medium confidence that none exists on a dedicated marketing page that was not reachable)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free API plans (no credit card): 1,000 req/hour, 500,000 req/month hard caps", "link": "https://docs.rapidapi.com/docs/monetizing-your-api-on-rapidapicom", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "razorpay", "name": "Razorpay", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://razorpay.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "0 setup fee, 0 AMC, 0 integration fee; REST API, official SDKs, webhooks and integration support at no extra cost; pay-per-transaction (2% domestic, up to 3% international)." ], "notes": [ "India-centric; 18% GST on the fee; UPI QR 0.99%, Smart Collect 1% or Rs10; virtual multi-currency accounts 1% on Standard. Free developer account (sandbox) to test; go-live after KYC. 135 currencies / 180+ countries." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free PG Welcome Offer (India): zero fee on up to Rs 5,000/month of transactions", "detail": "Official subscription-plans T&Cs state: 'Enjoy Free Payment Gateway for transactions up to Rs 5,000 per month, subject to applicable terms.' Zero setup fee, zero AMC, zero integration/support fee; REST API, official SDKs, webhooks, dashboard, refunds, payment links/pages included at no extra cost. Standard pay-as-you-go remains 2% domestic + 18% GST (Rs. 0 refund processing; corporate cards 2.15%); international cards up to 3% + 18% GST; UPI QR 0.99%. Free PG plan can be chosen at onboarding instead of any paid subscription plan; no credit card or subscription payment required to use the free plan.", "eligibility": "Any business that completes onboarding + KYC and accepts Razorpay T&Us; offer is extended 'to a select set of users at Razorpay's sole discretion' and can be availed only against one user ID per user. Domestic transactions only; excluded methods: AMEX, Diners, credit-card-on-UPI, corporate cards, prepaid cards; international not covered. No .edu, no age/funding caps; registration status not stated.", "claim": "1) Sign up at razorpay.com, complete KYC/onboarding. 2) Choose the 'Free PG plan' when offered in onboarding (or keep a paid plan; the Rs 5,000/month zero-fee cap still applies). 3) Transactions up to Rs 5,000/month simply do not attract platform fees. No form, no opt-in beyond onboarding.", "expiry": "No stated end date; it is a standing plan, not a time-boxed promo. Razorpay reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the offer at any time without prior notice.", "gotchas": "Discretionary extension (Razorpay may offer it to 'a select set of users'); non-transferable, no cash redemption; refunds not available on cancellation unless Razorpay failed to provide the service; disqualification possible for misuse/fraud/suspicious activity. Rs 5,000/month cap is tiny for most businesses — it is a sandbox-grade perk, not a real zero-cost tier. The free-plan T&Cs also govern paid subscription plans: monthly credits expire every 30-day cycle with no carry-forward, and if one transaction exceeds the credit balance, no partial credit applies and plan rates apply to the whole transaction.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/terms/subscription-plans/(baserates:https://razorpay.com/pricing/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "90-Day New-Merchant Welcome Offer (India): up to Rs 5 lakh of domestic payment value fee-free for 90 days", "detail": "Per Razorpay's official blog 'Payment Gateway for Startups: Razorpay's First 90-Day Costs' (published 15 Oct 2026): eligible NEW merchants can receive amount credits covering up to Rs 5,00,000 of cumulative eligible domestic payments for 90 days from account activation, whichever limit is reached first. It is a payment-value threshold, not cash. Qualifying new merchants activated on or after 1 July 2026. One redemption per PAN or bank account (first activated MID qualifies); merchants who transacted previously are explicitly excluded.", "eligibility": "New merchants only (no prior transactions on the account), India onboarding with KYC completion; activation on/after 1 Jul 2026; one redemption per PAN/bank account. Excluded payment methods: international payments, prepaid cards, corporate credit cards, American Express, Diners Club, and all EMI-based methods.", "claim": "No separate claim step: complete new-merchant onboarding + KYC, and credits apply transaction-by-transaction automatically. Razorpay advises checking credit balance and expiry in the dashboard before unusually large payments.", "expiry": "90 days from account activation or Rs 5 lakh of eligible collections, whichever comes first; unused credits expire with the window (no carry-over).", "gotchas": "A Rs 199 + tax KYC processing fee may still apply; GST/statutory levies on platform fees are NOT waived by the credit; separately priced services (instant settlements, recurring billing, etc.) not covered. Per-transaction mechanic: if a single payment exceeds the remaining credit balance, the fee applies to the full payment, not just the overage (Rs 10,000 credit left + Rs 15,000 payment at 2% = Rs 300 fee, not Rs 100). Fair-usage clawback: if card transactions exceed 90% of processed volume, Razorpay can withdraw the offer and apply retrospective standard charges from date of detection. Details come from Razorpay's blog; verify exact terms in the dashboard credits docs or T&Cs.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/blog/payment-gateway-for-startups-90-day-costs/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Razorpay Startup Perks - Angel Funded tier: up to Rs 6 lakh payment credits + Rs 20 lakh SaaS card benefits", "detail": "Official 'Razorpay Startup Perks - Rs 1Cr in Benefits' program, Angel Funded tier: up to Rs 3,00,000 FREE domestic payment credits + up to Rs 3,00,000 FREE international payment credits; Magic Checkout free for 90 days; collateral-free corporate credit card with up to Rs 20,00,000 worth of SaaS benefits (up to 1% cashback on growth spends, 500+ SaaS partner deals, 'save up to Rs 2,00,000 annually'); RazorpayX zero-balance current account unlocking an extra Rs 5 lakh GMV on the payment gateway; first 3 months of RazorpayX Payroll free; free incorporation and expert consultation via Razorpay Rize; dedicated relationship manager + round-the-clock support.", "eligibility": "Per official T&Cs: must (a) be registered and operating in India; (b) be an Angel Funded startup - 'a newly established business entity that has received equity financing from individual high-net-worth investors'; (c) provide proof of funding 'that is satisfactory in Razorpay's discretion'; (d) hold a valid and active Razorpay account; (e) comply with documentation/verification. Eligibility decided by Razorpay at sole discretion. No .edu, and being 'funded' (angel round) is required; unfunded pre-seed startups do not qualify for this program. No explicit company-age or funding-size cap is stated in the T&Cs.", "claim": "1) Fill the Razorpay Startup Perks registration form (Typeform: razorpay.typeform.com/to/RpDLEkrM via the 'Get Started Today' / 'Talk to us' buttons on razorpay.com/m/startup-perks/) with company details and funding proof. 2) Razorpay reviews the account standing and verifies funding documentation. 3) On approval, credits/perks activate on the account; then claim product perks (payroll, RazorpayX account, corporate card). Alternatively schedule a call via the landing page; custom pricing also routes to the same form.", "expiry": "Payment credits: valid until the earliest of (a) the offer limit is reached or (b) three (3) months from date of activation; applied on a first-come, first-served basis. Magic Checkout: 90 days. Payroll: first 3 months. No renewal/stated extension; Razorpay may modify, suspend, or discontinue offers at any time without notice.", "gotchas": "Credits are 'non-monetary, non-transferable value units... no independent cash value'; cannot be transferred, exchanged, refunded, or encashed. Credits CANNOT be combined with other promotional offers unless expressly permitted. Actual grant 'may be lesser than what is captured in these Terms' per Razorpay risk assessment/underwriting (T&C 3.4a). Corporate card approval subject to credit underwriting - declinable for adverse credit history, minimum financial/vintage criteria, or failed address/operations verification. Razorpay can cancel eligible-user status at any time without notice. All amounts carry '*T&C apply'.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/m/startup-perks/(T&Cs:https://razorpay.com/m/startup-perks/terms/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Razorpay Startup Perks - VC Funded tier: up to Rs 50 lakh payment credits + Rs 50 lakh SaaS card benefits", "detail": "Same program, VC Funded tier: up to Rs 30,00,000 FREE domestic payment credits + up to Rs 20,00,000 FREE international payment credits; Magic Checkout free for 6 months; 1 year of free intelligent payment routing; collateral-free corporate credit card with up to Rs 50,00,000 worth of SaaS benefits (up to 1% cashback on growth spends); RazorpayX zero-balance current account with extra Rs 10 lakh GMV on the payment gateway; first 3 months of RazorpayX Payroll free; free Rize incorporation + consultation; dedicated manager and round-the-clock support. Headlined as 'Rs 1Cr* FREE benefits for funded startups.'", "eligibility": "Per T&Cs: (a) registered and operating in India; (b) a VC Funded startup - 'a business entity that has successfully secured institutional investment from a registered Venture Capital firm in exchange for equity, typically at Seed, Series A, or subsequent rounds'; (c) funding proof satisfactory to Razorpay; (d) active Razorpay account. Being VC-funded is required - bootstrapped or angel-only startups fall to the Angel tier.", "claim": "Same claim path as Angel tier: form at razorpay.typeform.com/to/RpDLEkrM with company + funding proof; Razorpay verifies funding documentation against the account; on approval, credits and perks activate. 'Get a Custom Plan' CTA on the page also routes to the same form.", "expiry": "Payment credits: until earliest of offer limit or 3 months from activation; first-come, first-served. Magic Checkout: 6 months. Intelligent routing: 1 year. Payroll: 3 months. No carry-over; offer can be suspended/changed at any time.", "gotchas": "Same as Angel tier: non-monetary non-transferable credits, no combination with other offers, actual amount may be less than listed (underwriting), corporate card subject to credit underwriting, status cancellable without notice. A third-party tracker (Startup Grants India) summarizes the program as 'up to Rs 1.1Cr' for VC-funded (payments + SaaS card + GMV), but the official page headlines Rs 1Cr with '*T&C apply' - trust the official figures and T&Cs, not aggregators.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/m/startup-perks/(T&Cs:https://razorpay.com/m/startup-perks/terms/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) x Razorpay Rize offer: zero PG fees up to Rs 1 lakh or first 6 months, plus banking/payroll credits", "detail": "Partnership announced 20-22 May 2025 (official Razorpay blog + Business Standard): every startup associated with MeitY Startup Hub gets access to Razorpay Rize with: Payment Gateway - zero PG fees on transactions up to Rs 1 lakh OR the first 6 months after onboarding, whichever is earlier; RazorpayX Business Banking - 3 months free, then 40% off the annual plan; Payroll - free for 1 year if fewer than 5 employees, otherwise 3 months free + 40% off the annual plan; seamless company incorporation with priority support (Pvt Ltd/LLP/OPC); Y-Combinator application support, pitch-deck reviews, founder toolkit; and quarterly shortlisted cohorts joining the Razorpay Rize Community (mentorship, founder directory, invitation-only masterclasses).", "eligibility": "Startups 'associated with MeitY Startup Hub' (incubation centres, Centres of Excellence under the MeitY initiative), with emphasis on deep-tech (AI, robotics, IoT, blockchain, climate-tech) and Tier 2/3 city founders. No .edu required; this is a government-networked startup offer, not a student offer. Being in the MSH network is the gating condition.", "claim": "1) Be/start as an MSH-networked startup. 2) Access is via the MeitY Startup Hub channel (incubation centre / CoE you're associated with) which connects you to Razorpay Rize. 3) Complete incorporation/KYC, and the PG-fee, banking and payroll credits apply per the schedule above.", "expiry": "PG fee waiver: earlier of Rs 1 lakh volume or 6 months from onboarding. Banking: 3-month free period, then 40% off annual. Payroll: 1 year (<5 employees) or 3 months + 40% off. Partnership is standing as of the May 2025 announcement; no sunset announced.", "gotchas": "Credit amounts/durations come from the announcement blog, not a public T&C page - get exact wording in writing from Razorpay/MSH. Free period ends on different clocks per product (PG waiver is volume OR time; banking/payroll are time only). Rize Community cohort selection is quarterly and by shortlist - community access is not guaranteed to all MSH startups.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/blog/razorpay-partners-with-meity-startup-hub/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DPIIT x Razorpay MoU (25 Mar 2026): zero professional fees for incorporation + credits/incentives for DPIIT-recognised startups", "detail": "Government of India PIB press release (25 Mar 2026): DPIIT (Ministry of Commerce & Industry) signed an MoU with Razorpay; dedicated 'Startup Sahayak' platform launched for early-stage founders (incorporation, access to central/state schemes, funding guidance). DPIIT-recognised startups get: incorporation support at zero professional fees (excluding applicable government charges), access to credits and incentives across financial/business tools, mentorship, pitch-deck reviews, application guidance, curated founder communities, and regular knowledge sessions on applied AI, marketing, product and financial management via the Startup India Hub; innovation challenges planned under Bharat Startup Grand Challenge.", "eligibility": "DPIIT-recognised startups (DPIIT 'Startup India' recognition) operating in India. Recognition is the gate; no .edu and no student track. No public per-item rupee values for the 'credits and incentives' - amounts are per the program onboarding.", "claim": "1) Obtain/confirm DPIIT recognition (Startup India Hub). 2) Engage via the Startup Sahayak platform / DPIIT-recognised-startup channel; Razorpay onboards, verifies recognition, and applies the zero-professional-fee incorporation plus credits/incentives. Details of the credit schedule are not on the public release - request the DPIIT-recognised startup sheet from Razorpay/DPIIT.", "expiry": "MoU is standing as of 25 Mar 2026; no sunset date published. Government schemes referenced have their own eligibility windows.", "gotchas": "Zero professional fees excludes government charges (stamp duty, ROC filing fees, etc.) - 'free incorporation' is not zero total cost. The release names no specific credit amounts; do not quote figures not in an official letter. This is a MoU: individual benefits are delivered 'as part of this initiative' and are subject to Razorpay/DPIIT program terms.", "source_url": "https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2245121&lang=1®=1", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Razorpay Rize: company incorporation at 'no hidden charges' + free startup communities", "detail": "Razorpay Rize (razorpay.com/rize): company registration for Private Limited, LLP and OPC 'at No Hidden Charges' - service is described as 'low fees' (professional fee); government/statutory charges are still paid by the founder. Rize lists 14,950+ company registrations and 1,750+ founders. Founder communities (Rize / Tech+, D2C+, Xport+) join 'with no stated fee' (community members report 'there is no ask!'); member testimonial cites access to ~$11K of third-party credits across GCP, AWS, Azure, OpenAI as a community benefit. Rize for YC (YC-alum-guided application program: mock interviews, application reviews, weekly L&D sessions) is listed as 'all inclusive' with no separate price shown. Within the Startup Perks program, incorporation + expert consultation are explicitly a free perk for funded startups.", "eligibility": "Incorporation: early-stage founders / small businesses in India (Rize page targets 'startups and small businesses'); no .edu. Communities: open to founders; no funding requirement stated on the public page (funding requirement exists only for the paid Startup Perks). No company-age cap.", "claim": "1) Sign up via razorpay.com/rize/ ('Join Community' is free). 2) For incorporation: select Pvt Ltd / LLP / OPC, complete KYC, pay government charges (professional fees at Rize 'low fees' - or waived if you qualify under Startup Perks / DPIIT MoU). 3) Communities and Rize-for-YC sessions come with membership.", "expiry": "Communities: membership is ongoing while you remain a founder; third-party partner credits (cloud/AI) follow each partner's own program terms and can sunset independently. Incorporation: one-time service, no expiry concept. No published end dates.", "gotchas": "Page FAQ answer on fees did not render in today's fetch - the definitive free-vs-paid status of incorporation fees comes from the 'low fees' + 'No Hidden Charges' banner; treat the professional fee as potentially payable unless you fall under Startup Perks (free) or the DPIIT MoU (zero professional fees). Government charges always apply on top. 'No hidden charges' is a marketing claim, not a refund guarantee. Partner cloud credits are subject to each partner's program and are not guaranteed to every member.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/rize/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Razorpay USA: 'first year free up to $50,000 in transaction volume' - limited-time promotion (likely not currently visible)", "detail": "Razorpay's machine-readable US pricing reference (last updated May 2026) states: 'Limited-time promotion: Free card processing for the first year up to $50,000 in transaction volume. Verify current eligibility and terms at razorpay.com/us/pricing/.' US baseline rates: cards 2.70% + $0.30 per successful transaction; international/foreign cards +1.20% on top (total ~3.90% + $0.30); ACH direct debit 0.50% capped at $5 (returns $5, NOC $5, dispute $10); setup $0, monthly/AMC $0, refunds free, invoicing at no extra cost; Enterprise plan at $12M+ annual volume; restricted/high-risk industries on different fees. As of today (22 Oct 2026), the live US pricing page does NOT display this promotion anywhere - it appears to have been pulled, made application-only, or ended between the May 2026 reference update and now.", "eligibility": "Region: United States (Razorpay US entity, Miami Beach, FL). The promo's exact eligibility and terms are not public (pricing.md defers to razorpay.com/us/pricing/, which no longer lists it); Standard plan is self-serve; Custom plan targets 'growing and early-stage businesses' (volume-based discounts, via sales). No student angle; no .edu. No funding cap; it is a customer-segment promo, not a funding-based one.", "claim": "If currently available: sign up for the Standard (self-serve) US plan; no separate claim step is documented. Because the promo is not on the live page, the only verifiable path today is to ask sales at razorpay.com/us/ or check the machine-readable reference: razorpay.com/us/pricing.md (and companion India reference razorpay.com/pricing.md).", "expiry": "Per the May 2026 reference: 'first year up to $50,000 in transaction volume' (volume cap, 12-month window). Status as of 22 Oct 2026: not shown on the live US pricing page - treat as unverified/sunset until confirmed with Razorpay US sales.", "gotchas": "Only source for the promo is the May 2026 machine-readable pricing doc; the live pricing page omits it. A third-party deal site (joinsecret.com) still lists 'First $50,000 in transactions free' as a Razorpay deal, but that is not an authoritative source. Confirm in writing before budgeting around it. US sales tax is not collected by Razorpay. India (razorpay.com) startup offers do NOT apply to the US entity.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/us/pricing.md(livepage:https://razorpay.com/us/pricing/)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Students: no free tier, no trial credits, no education license - only the student-only AI Buildathon internship (and education-business pricing)", "detail": "No student/free-tier/dev-credits offer exists for individuals at razorpay.com as of 22 Oct 2026. (a) Razorpay Solutions: Education (razorpay.com/solutions/education/, page updated Aug 2026) is pricing for institutions/course businesses (2% per transaction, no setup/AMC) - it serves the education industry, not students. (b) The only student-targeted program is the Razorpay AI Buildathon (razorpay.com/buildathon/): a student-only competition for 6- or 12-month 'AI Builder Intern' internships, in-person in Bangalore from September; four build tracks (Agentic Commerce, AI Risk Manager, AI Revenue Recovery, AI Finance Controller, Open) using Razorpay test-mode APIs; 'no resume screening' - submit a public repo + 5-minute pitch video + architecture. Community reports (AWS Builder Center, Sep 2026) say 2nd/3rd/final-year students are eligible. It is a paid internship + competition, not a free tool/credit. (c) No .edu email benefits, no GitHub-Student-Pack-style offer, no 'student developer' plan - confirmed absent across razorpay.com and 2025-2026 web searches. The free developer surface is non-discriminatory: test/sandbox mode, REST API, official SDKs and webhooks are free for everyone at no cost, alongside the 0 setup/0 AMC baseline.", "eligibility": "Students: Buildathon only - students (community-sourced: 2nd, 3rd, final year), in-person Bangalore; no .edu-only email gate advertised, no funding caps, no credit card required. No education license to claim; no one-time trial credits for students.", "claim": "Buildathon: 1) pick a track; 2) build on Razorpay test-mode APIs; 3) show work (public repo, 5-min pitch video, architecture); 4) if selected, in-person hiring. Applications open on razorpay.com/buildathon/ (September cycle). Free API/SDK: sign up at razorpay.com, use test mode - no application needed.", "expiry": "Buildathon is seasonal (announced September; submissions reported due early September for the 2026 cycle - re-open annually). Free API/sandbox: no expiry.", "gotchas": "Do not conflate 'Razorpay for Education' (institution fee collection, a paid 2% service) with a student discount - it is not one. Do not cite .edu-free-tool lists (studentperks.dev, etc.) for Razorpay - none of the 150+ entries include Razorpay. Internship is paid (not a 'free offer') and location-bound to Bangalore, in-person. Test mode has no transaction limits publicly stated; it does not process real money.", "source_url": "https://razorpay.com/buildathon/(education:https://razorpay.com/solutions/education/)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Razorpay startup/student program was sunset in 2025-2026; the changes were additive: (1) NEW as of 1 Jul 2026 - the 90-day new-merchant welcome offer (up to Rs 5 lakh of domestic payment value fee-free, new merchants only, one redemption per PAN/bank account, KYC fee of Rs 199 + tax may apply). (2) May 2025 - MeitY Startup Hub partnership added the MSH-credits track (PG zero fees up to Rs 1 lakh / 6 months, banking 3 months + 40% off, payroll free <5 employees). (3) 25 Mar 2026 - DPIIT MoU + 'Startup Sahayak' platform added zero-professional-fee incorporation and credits for DPIIT-recognised startups. (4) US promo - 'first year free up to $50,000 transaction volume' was in Razorpay's machine-readable US pricing reference (updated May 2026) but is absent from the live US pricing page as of 22 Oct 2026; treat as unverified or sunset unless confirmed with Razorpay US sales. (5) No student/education license or student free tier has ever existed at Razorpay - there is nothing to sunset on that front; the only student program is the recurring (September) AI Buildathon internship in Bangalore. (6) Baseline 'free' items (0 setup, 0 AMC, 0 integration/support fee, free REST API/SDKs/webhooks, pay-per-transaction 2% domestic + up to 3% international + 18% GST) remain unchanged in the current pricing page. All startup-perks credits are first-come-first-served and valid only 3 months from activation (or until the cap is hit), so the practical constraint is expiry, not sunset." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 3, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free PG Welcome Offer (India): zero fee on up to Rs 5,000/month of transactions", "link": "https://razorpay.com/terms/subscription-plans/(baserates:https://razorpay.com/pricing/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "redis cloud free tier", "name": "Redis Cloud Free tier", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://redis.io/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Always free: up to 30 MB single DB, shared RAM+SSD deployment, no time limit (best-effort SLA, community support)" ], "notes": [ "2025 change: Redis (now part of AWS after the 2025 deal) shrank the permanent free tier from the older 128 MB dev tier to 30 MB. Essentials starts ~$5/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Redis Cloud Essentials (always-free 30 MB tier)", "detail": "Permanently free managed Redis Cloud database: 1 database, 30 MB memory, shared cloud deployment, 30 concurrent connections, best-effort SLA, community support. No time limit, no credit card required. Free plan is a type of Essentials plan; no replication/auto-failover and no REST API on the free tier; upgrade to paid Essentials is seamless with no data loss. (Third-party trackers add ~100 ops/sec ceiling and ~5 GB monthly bandwidth allowance to the free plan - not stated on the official pages read today.)", "eligibility": "Anyone with a Redis Cloud account. No .edu requirement, no company, no credit card. Region limits: only in cloud regions Redis Cloud supports per vendor; region+cloud fixed at subscription creation. Only one free database per account - delete the old one or upgrade to paid before creating another.", "claim": "Sign up at redis.io/cloud (Google/GitHub login or form + email activation), then in the Redis Cloud console: 'New database' -> select the 'Try 30 MB for free' subscription option -> pick database name/version, cloud vendor (AWS/GCP/Azure) and region -> 'Create database'. CTA on the pricing page: /try-free/?rcplan=0.", "expiry": "No expiry - always free while the plan exists; no renewal needed. Third-party (Layerbase, 2026-08) notes the agreement permits data deletion after ~14 days of inactivity. No SLA compensation on the shared deployment (best-effort).", "gotchas": "30 MB is rarely the binding constraint: 30 concurrent connections and ~100 ops/sec are hit first. No REST API, no high availability on the free tier. No card needed for the free tier, but upgrading to paid requires a payment method + business address. No replication/failover - treat data as disposable. Third-party trackers report the free plan allows only 100 ops/sec and ~5 GB monthly bandwidth.", "source_url": "https://redis.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Pro plan 'First $200 free' (free-usage credit on paid Pro plan)", "detail": "On the official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22), the Pro plan (dedicated infrastructure, unlimited RAM, multi-DB, Active-Active multi-region, from $0.014/hr with a $200/month minimum) advertises 'First $200 free' - the first $200 of usage is complimentary before the hourly minimum kicks in. Effectively up to ~$200 of free Pro usage. This is a trial/credit on a paid plan, NOT a permanent free tier.", "eligibility": "Any Redis Cloud account; no .edu/startup status stated on the pricing page. It is a paid plan with a usage credit, so a credit card/payment method and business address are required (card-backed billing account).", "claim": "From redis.io/pricing select the Pro plan 'Try for free' CTA (/try-free/?rcplan=plan3), sign in, add a credit card, create a Pro subscription; the first $200 of usage is covered. No separate application or form.", "expiry": "The $200 credit is consumed as usage accrues; no credit expiry date is stated on the pricing page. Not renewable; billing resumes at the $200/month minimum (or hourly usage) afterwards unless the subscription is deleted. How long the 'free' window lasts depends on how fast $200 of usage is consumed.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: card required, charges begin after the $200 credit is exhausted - delete or manage the subscription promptly. Pro annual-plan variants differ (AWS/GCP only for annual). Throughput/egress limits still apply on the paid tier. 'First $200 free' is the only free-credit offer for general users found on official pages.", "source_url": "https://redis.io/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Redis for Startups program (free Redis Cloud for qualifying startups)", "detail": "Redis ran a startup program: 'Free Redis for 6 months - usage limits apply' plus early access to new features, dedicated support with monthly office hours, access to the applied-AI team, co-marketing opportunities, and VC/customer intros. Third-party trackers value it at up to $10,000 in Redis Cloud credits (some listings say up to $25K via Google for Startups perks) with 6-12 months free access and usage limits. Credits apply to Redis Cloud usage; monitor balance/expiration in the console.", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups: pre-seed/seed/Series A, privately held, commonly cited funding cap ~$5M total raised, active company website, building real-time/AI workloads with Redis. No VC backing strictly required; approval at Redis's discretion; global. No .edu requirement; not an education offer.", "claim": "When live: apply via the form on redis.io/startups/ ('Apply here'), sign in with a company email, fill company details/website/funding stage/Redis use case, await approval (typically days to ~2 weeks), then activate credits/promo code in the Redis Cloud console. NOTE: as of 2026-10-22 the English program page no longer serves the program (see sunset_notes) - this path is only valid if Redis re-enables the form.", "expiry": "When live: free period advertised as 6 months (older localized pages said 12 months); credits valid ~12 months. Inactive companies risk removal. Program currently unreachable - see sunset_notes.", "gotchas": "Credit amounts ($10K vs $25K) come from third-party trackers, not a page readable today. 'Usage limits apply' means even the free months are metered. Access was discretionary. Do not plan around this offer without Redis confirming current availability - the English page now redirects to the homepage.", "source_url": "https://redis.io/startups/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Redis for Startups (redis.io/startups/): as of 2026-10-22 the English page serves the Redis homepage instead of the program. Two independent trackers confirm the removal (CreditBase 2026-10-02: \"redis.io/startups redirects to the Redis home page... needs a check\"; StartupPerks 2026-10: \"Redis removed the English page in 2026; program page live in German/Spanish/French/Italian/Korean\" per its last check, with 'Redis kostenlos fur 6 Monate'). The program was live as of June 2025 (\"Free Redis for 6 months\"). Treat as sunset/uncertain on the English site; no application form reachable today. 2) Education: no official Redis education license or .edu student program exists - redis.io/education/ is a 404, and nothing on the pricing/docs pages references an education offer; students simply use the always-free 30 MB tier. 3) Essentials restructure December 2025 (per third-party Layerbase/Upstash, not on official pages read today): Essentials is now published as 250 MB-12 GB RAM-only tiers plus \"Redis Flex\" SSD+RAM tiers up to 100 GB; the free 30 MB tier's shape (30 MB / 30 connections / single shared DB) was unchanged. 4) Free-plan inactivity: the agreement permits deletion of inactive free databases (~14 days per third-party), so \"forever free\" does not mean \"forever data retention\". 5) No general free-trial-credit scheme beyond the \"first $200 free\" on Pro (credit-card required) was found on official pages. Caveat: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task; redis.io facts above come from pages fetched today (pricing, docs) plus third-party trackers, cited per finding." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free Redis Cloud Essentials (always-free 30 MB tier)", "link": "https://redis.io/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "render", "name": "Render", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://render.com/docs/free" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo: free web services (512 MB / 0.1 CPU) with 750 instance-hours/mo, free Postgres (expires 30d), free static sites; no card" ], "notes": [ "Free web services spin down after 15 min idle (~1 min wake); free Postgres expires 30d + 14d grace. 2026: Pro flat $25/mo unlimited seats (was $19/seat), Hobby $0 workspace now includes only 5 GB bandwidth (cut from 100 GB, Apr 23, 2026). Good Heroku-style alternative." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free web services (Free tier)", "detail": "Free web service instance: $0/mo, 512 MB RAM (pricing table lists Free as '$0/month, 512 MB RAM, plan id free'; CPU share not stated on pricing page, third-party trackers cite 0.1 vCPU). 750 free instance hours per workspace per calendar month, shared by all free web services; spun-down services do not consume hours. Features kept: custom domains, managed TLS, service previews, log streams, rollbacks to 2 most recent deploys. Limits: single instance, no persistent disk, no SSH, no autoscaling, no one-off jobs, no reserved ports 18012/18013/19099, no private-network inbound traffic; outbound SMTP ports 25/465/587 blocked since 2025-09-26; local filesystem wiped on spin-down/restart/redeploy; Render may restart or suspend a free service 'at any time'.", "eligibility": "Any new Render account; no credit card, .edu email, or region requirement stated; region chosen at creation (US/Europe/Asia).", "claim": "Create a Render account (no card), click New > Web Service (or Static Site/Postgres/Key Value), choose the 'Free' compute plan, deploy. Free web services: spins down after 15 min of idle (HTTP+WebSocket) and takes ~1 min to wake; all 750 hours shared across every free web service in the workspace; hours reset monthly with no rollover; exhaustion suspends all free web services until next month.", "expiry": "Perpetual; 750 hours reset on the 1st of each calendar month, unused hours do not roll over.", "gotchas": "Official docs: 'Do not use them for production applications.' Free web services and static sites count against the Hobby workspace's 5 GB included bandwidth and 500 included pipeline minutes; exceeding them with no payment method on file suspends all Free services for the rest of the month (new builds disabled for pipeline minutes). A pinger defeats the point: keeping one service awake ~744/750 hours a month.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Postgres database", "detail": "One free Render Postgres database per workspace: 256 MB RAM, 1 GB SSD storage, 100 connections. No backups of any kind, no managed connection pooling. Expires 30 days after creation, then a 14-day grace period; afterwards Render deletes the database and all its data. After expiry you may create a new free database. Paid upgrade starts at $6/mo (0.1c-256mb).", "eligibility": "Any account; no credit card required; no .edu requirement.", "claim": "New > Postgres, choose the Free compute plan. One per workspace (individual and team accounts).", "expiry": "30 days from creation + 14-day grace period, then data deleted.", "gotchas": "Despite being called 'free', this is effectively a 30-day trial: it is the only free datastore with a hard expiry. Since 2024-05-20 the expiry was cut from 90 to 30 days. No backups means the 14-day grace period is the only recovery window; export data before day 30.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Key Value instance", "detail": "One free Key Value (Redis-compatible) instance per workspace: 25 MB in-memory, ~50 simultaneous connections. In-memory only — data is lost on every restart and also when the instance is upgraded to a paid plan. No continuous on-disk persistence.", "eligibility": "Any account; no credit card required.", "claim": "New > Key Value, choose the Free plan.", "expiry": "Perpetual as long as the instance exists; data itself is never durably stored.", "gotchas": "Useful only for cache/queue experiments, not durable state; a restart silently wipes keys. 2026-10-01: Render added two new paid Key Value plans (3 GB up to 3,000 connections; 50 GB up to 50,000 connections) and lowered prices on 1 GB+ plans — free tier unchanged.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free static sites", "detail": "Static sites are free to deploy on Render (HTTPS, global CDN). They count against the workspace's monthly included outbound bandwidth (5 GB on Hobby) and build pipeline minutes (500/mo on Hobby).", "eligibility": "Any account; no credit card required.", "claim": "New > Static Site, deploy from Git; no compute plan selection needed.", "expiry": "Perpetual; usage limits reset monthly.", "gotchas": "Bandwidth overage: $0.15/GB if a payment method is on file; otherwise services are suspended for the remainder of the month. Note the 2026 Hobby bandwidth cut (100 GB -> 5 GB) applies to static-site egress too.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Hobby workspace plan ($0/mo + usage)", "detail": "Hobby workspace plan: $0/mo + usage-based compute/storage. Included: 5 GB outbound bandwidth (then $0.15/GB), 500 build pipeline minutes/month (then $5 per additional 1,000), up to 25 services (all types incl. suspended), 2 custom domains (then $0.25/domain/month), 1 team member. Pro is $25/mo flat (seat fees removed, unlimited members/services, 25 GB bandwidth, 1,000 pipeline minutes). Scale $499/mo. If a Pro/Scale workspace has no services and no activity, the subscription fee is waived for that month.", "eligibility": "Any account; no credit card required to use the Hobby plan; egress/build-minute overages require a payment method or free services are suspended.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — every new Render account starts on the $0 Hobby plan automatically.", "expiry": "Perpetual; usage quotas reset monthly. New workspaces got the new plans on 2026-04-23; existing workspaces auto-migrated on 2026-08-01.", "gotchas": "The 2026 restructure narrowed the free offer: Hobby bandwidth went from 100 GB to 5 GB/month and services are capped at 25 (legacy Hobby was unlimited). Free-instance specs themselves were unchanged. Egress billing widened in 2025-08 to service-initiated outbound, WebSocket responses and Private Link traffic.", "source_url": "https://render.com/docs/new-workspace-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Render Startup Program credits (Prototype/Build/Scale/AI)", "detail": "Render startup credits, valid 12 months from approval. Tiers: Prototype — $500, open to any qualifying new customer; Build — $2,500 (majority of partner programs) up to $5,000 (select partners, e.g. Aurelia Ventures' $5K program); Scale — $10,000 (startups with < $1M funding) or $25,000 ($1M+ funding) with top-tier VC funding; AI — $100,000 (AI-native/data-heavy products) plus 1:1 onboarding, 1-year dedicated support Slack, co-marketing. Perks: startup-specific onboarding resources and exclusive startup events on partner tiers.", "eligibility": "New Render customer; Series A or earlier; less than $50M raised total; company < 4 years in operation (< 5 years for Scale tier). Prototype: minimum $25K seed funding. Build/Scale/AI: must apply through an enrolled partner accelerator/VC; AI additionally requires at least $2.5M funding from an enrolled top-tier VC. No .edu or student path; no equity ask stated; geography global.", "claim": "Create a Render account (Step 1 'Start'), complete the short application on the startups page referencing your Render instance (Step 2 'Apply'); on approval credits are applied to the account (Step 3 'Launch'). Build/Scale/AI tiers: apply through your enrolled accelerator/VC's partner link. Contact: startup-program@render.com.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from time of approval.", "gotchas": "This is a funded-startup program, not a student offer — the free tier is Render's student path. Not open to existing Render customers. The /startups page is JS-rendered; the tier figures above were read from the live official page via the search index today and corroborated by partner pages (Aurelia $5K; COMPOUND, builtfirst marketplace 'up to $100,000'). Verify exact tier numbers on the live page before applying.", "source_url": "https://render.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Hackathon/education partner credits (event-specific)", "detail": "Event-specific, not a standing program. Render is the official deployment partner for Hack Days by Atria Summer of Code (announced 2026-06-04): $50 in Render platform credits to every participant plus additional credits for winning teams, with OSCode (MLH network) as a partner. Render's startup-program page also says it partners with 'accelerators, incubators, educational institutions, and startup programs to help students and founders' — such partner programs can surface credits for students at events, but there is no standing education license.", "eligibility": "Students via event organizers (hackathon registration); no .edu email requirement stated for the credits themselves; availability tied to specific 2026 events.", "claim": "Not claimable through Render directly — credits are granted by the event organizer at registration (e.g., Atria Summer of Code Hack Days, hacks.osatria.in).", "expiry": "Event-specific; not a recurring offer.", "gotchas": "Do not expect these to recur or generalize; check the specific event's page. No .edu pricing, student discount, or academic license exists anywhere on Render's site (no education link in navigation).", "source_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/atria-summer-of-code_hackdays-render-mlh-activity-7468340404673900544-SpLY", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Render free offer was fully sunset in 2025-2026, but several were materially narrowed: (1) 2026-04-23 'Better pricing for fast-growing teams' (auto-migration completed 2026-08-01): Hobby bandwidth cut from 100 GB to 5 GB included/mo, overage now $0.15/GB, Hobby capped at 25 services (was unlimited) and 2 team-member environments became unlimited projects x 2 environments; Pro moved from $19/member to $25 flat; free-instance specs (512 MB web / 256 MB Postgres / 25 MB KV / 750 hours) were explicitly unchanged. (2) 2025-09-26: free web services block outbound SMTP ports 25/465/587 (changelog 2025-09-16). (3) 2025-08-01: bandwidth pricing halved ($30 -> $15 per 100 GB, now per-GB) and egress billing expanded to service-initiated outbound, WebSocket responses and Private Link traffic (changelog 2025-07-01). (4) 2026-02-24: free web services now stay awake while receiving WebSocket messages (previously only HTTP prevented spin-down). (5) Context: free Postgres expiry was cut from 90 to 30 days on 2024-05-20. Education: Render has never offered a standing student/education license or .edu pricing; the only student-facing free offers are the general free tier plus event-specific hackathon credits (e.g., Atria Summer of Code Hack Days, June 2026, $50/participant). Related but not student/startup: Render also advertises 'up to $10K migration credits' for production infrastructure migrations. Known-so-far claims verified: 750 instance-hours/mo, 512 MB free web instance, 30-day free Postgres expiry, no-card signup — all confirmed on the official pages today." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Render (Free web services)", "text": "Likely changed (secondary source). AgentDeals (checked Sept 30, 2026) reports that on Apr 23, 2026 free web services moved to 5 GB/month of bandwidth, then $0.15/GB, with 512 MB RAM and 0.1 CPU; free Postgres expires after 30 days. Re-check the 750 instance-hour figure against render.com/pricing.", "url": "https://agentdeals.dev/hosting-free-tier-comparison-2026" } ], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free web services (Free tier)", "link": "https://render.com/docs/free", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "replicate try for free collection", "name": "Replicate 'Try for Free' collection", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://replicate.com/collections/try-for-free" ], "offers": [ "A limited number of free runs on selected models (e.g. FLUX, Imagen-4, Whisper, video upscaling) with no card; no published dollar amount" ], "notes": [ "Widely-claimed '$5' or '$500' signup credits are not on any official Replicate page — official wording is 'free for a limited number of runs'. Acquired by Cloudflare Dec 2025. No startup program (replicate.com/startups returns 404); purchased credit is prepaid, valid 1 year." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Replicate 'Try for Free' free runs (no-credit-card free tier)", "detail": "New accounts can run a rotating set of select models a limited number of times without purchasing credit and without a credit card. Current 'Try for Free' collection: google/imagen-4, black-forest-labs/flux-1.1-pro, black-forest-labs/flux-dev, black-forest-labs/flux-kontext-pro, ideogram-ai/ideogram-v3-turbo, topazlabs/image-upscale, topazlabs/video-upscale, tencentarc/gfpgan, szcho/codeformer, minimax/video-01, luma/reframe-video. Replicate does NOT publish a dollar amount or exact run count; third-party trackers estimate ~50 free predictions total. It is a one-time allowance with no monthly reset.", "eligibility": "Any new user who creates a Replicate account (GitHub, Google, or email sign-in). No .edu, no startup, and no credit card required to start. One account per person (farming multiple accounts to re-collect free runs is against the one-account rule). Global. Verified today on the official collection page + FAQ.", "claim": "1) Sign up at replicate.com (GitHub/Google/email — no card). 2) Go to replicate.com/collections/try-for-free. 3) Pick a model, upload/provide input, run it in the web playground or via API token (r8_...). 4) When the free cap is hit, Replicate asks you to add a credit card and purchase credit to continue. Claim is automatic on signup; no application.", "expiry": "One-time allowance, no renewal/monthly reset. Models in the collection rotate over time. After the cap you move to pay-per-second or per-output billing (e.g., FLUX 1.1 Pro $0.04/image, FLUX dev $0.025/image, deepseek-r1 $0.01/1k output tokens).", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: these are free RUNS, not a free subscription — once used you must add a card and buy credit. No published $ or exact run count. Each model keeps its own license that can restrict commercial use even when the run is free. Cardless accounts with granted credit are rate-limited to ~1 req/sec / ~6 req/min (no load testing); 600 predictions/min only once you have a paid account. Free set rotates, so a model you want may not currently be in it. A banner ('Wan 3.0 is 30% off this week') is a temporary discount, not a free offer.", "source_url": "https://replicate.com/collections/try-for-free", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "YC Summer Fellows (2025): Replicate $10,000 credits for students", "detail": "In YC's 2025 Summer Fellows Grants, Replicate was one of the YC companies contributing $10,000 in compute credits to selected fellows (alongside Fly.io $50k, Supabase $10k, Resend $3k, plus YC's own $20k cash + $90k AWS/Azure/GCP credits). This is a real student-facing benefit tied to Replicate, but it is delivered through YC's grant, not a standalone Replicate program.", "eligibility": "Undergraduate CS/engineering students, including freshmen, and students outside the US (global). Must be SELECTED for YC's Summer Fellows grant (apply; 15-min interview; YC estimated ~20-50 grants). It is merit/selection-based, not a .edu-email self-serve discount. This is a 2025 cohort (events Jun-Aug 2025).", "claim": "Apply to YC Summer Fellows Grants (ycombinator.com/blog/summer-fellows; the 2025 application deadline was end of March 2025). If selected, Replicate credits are part of the grant package — there is no self-serve claim on replicate.com. No company/business required; grant is to the individual student.", "expiry": "2025 cohort only (now closed for that cycle). YC may run a new Summer Fellows round in a later year, possibly with different partner credits — the $10k Replicate figure is not guaranteed to recur.", "gotchas": "It is YC's grant, not Replicate's education program; you cannot claim it by yourself on Replicate. Credits land via YC selection, not a .edu program. Do not confuse with Replit/Google education programs that DO offer .edu discounts.", "source_url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/summer-fellows", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Replicate Startup Program (claimed up to $10,000 credits) — UNVERIFIED / DISPUTED", "detail": "Third-party aggregators list a 'Replicate Startup Program' of up to $10,000 in inference credits (~$1,000-$10,000), ~6-month validity, pre-seed to Series A/B, no VC referral, global, company-domain email, no equity. HOWEVER: replicate.com/startups returns HTTP 404 (verified today), and at least one tracker states Replicate has no startup program. No official Replicate page confirms the program today, so this cannot be verified or claimed through an official channel.", "eligibility": "As claimed by third parties only: AI/ML startup, pre-Series B / Series A, building a production product (not pure research), company-domain email; not Series C+; not research-only/academic.", "claim": "Per third parties: (1) create a Replicate account with a company-domain email + API token, (2) submit the startup application (form was said to be at replicate.com/startups), (3) receive credits on approval. Because replicate.com/startups 404s, this path is currently dead and the offer is not confirmable. Do not rely on it; contact Replicate sales if a startup is seeking volume terms.", "expiry": "Unknown — no official terms or live application page. Treat as possibly sunset or never-officially-live.", "gotchas": "CONFLICTING sources: the official URL is gone (404) while aggregators still advertise $10k. Low confidence it is a live, claimable program as of 2026-10-22. If it does exist it likely requires a company email + production use case. The startup-pricing alternative listed by trackers is to use Modal/Together AI/Fireworks programs instead, or ask Replicate for volume discounts.", "source_url": "https://replicate.com/startups", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Partner-granted micro-credits (e.g., IBM Granite invite = $0.50)", "detail": "Replicate invite links can be pre-loaded with a small amount of credit granted by a partner/distributor (e.g., an IBM Granite invite that reads 'you've got $0.50 of credit to run and fine-tune models'). These are partner-specific and modest, not a general student or startup program.", "eligibility": "The holder of the specific invite/partner link; sign-in (often GitHub) required to accept. Not gated on .edu or startup status.", "claim": "Open the specific partner invite URL and sign in as instructed (e.g., GitHub) to accept the credit.", "expiry": "Per-invite; varies and not a recurring program.", "gotchas": "Tiny amounts (fractions of a dollar); only applies for the specific partner invite; not a free tier you can self-serve. Illustrative only.", "source_url": "https://replicate.com/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22: (1) Replicate's official free offer is the 'Try for Free' collection — a limited number of free runs on select models with no credit card and no published dollar amount or exact run count; it is a one-time allowance, not a recurring free tier. (2) replicate.com/startups returns 404 — so a live, self-serve Replicate Startup Program is NOT verifiable today, even though aggregators advertise up to $10k; treat that offer as disputed/possibly-sunset and prefer contacting Replicate sales or using Modal/Together AI/Fireworks startup programs. (3) No dedicated Replicate education/.edu program was found (unlike Replit or Google, which do run .edu programs). (4) The YC Summer Fellows 2025 program (Replicate $10k student credits) was a 2025 cohort and is closed for that cycle; it may recur in a later year with different partners/amounts. (5) Recurring 'Wan 3.0 30% off this week' banners on Replicate pages are temporary discounts, not free offers. Net: the only clearly-live, self-serve, card-free offer is the 'Try for Free' free-runs collection; all student/startup credit offers are either YC-cohort-gated (students) or unverifiable (startups)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Replicate 'Try for Free' free runs (no-credit-card free tier)", "link": "https://replicate.com/collections/try-for-free", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "replit", "name": "Replit", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas", "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://replit.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo Starter: 1,200 dev min/mo (~40/day), 100 AI completions, 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 2 GB storage, 1 published app; no card", "Starter plan free: daily Agent credits (Free Mode) up to a monthly cap, monthly cloud credits, 1 free published app (goes offline after 30 days, 'Made with Replit' badge)" ], "notes": [ "Browser IDE + deploy. Free tier is public-only, adds a 'Made with Replit' badge, 1 published app. 2026: Core dropped $25 -> $20/mo (Feb 2026); Pro $100/mo; Free Mode (daily Agent cap) added Aug 2026.", "Aug 18, 2026: 'Free Mode' launched - no-cost Agent usage (GPT-5.6 Luna) on all plans; Core $20/mo adds $20 credits + up to 30h Free Mode chat. Education program with student/educator discounts at replit.com/education." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Starter free plan (current as of 2026-10-22)", "detail": "$0/mo, no dollar figure listed ('available at no cost'). Includes: (1) daily-reset Agent credits with a monthly cap (no public numbers — check Settings → Usage); (2) monthly credits for production databases, object storage, and publishing (autoscale/static) that reset each month and do NOT roll over; (3) exactly 1 free published app that auto-expires 30 days after publishing and carries a 'Made with Replit' referral badge (badge removal requires Core); app can be re-published; (4) 'Lite build' only — Full build (autonomous agent), design-to-artifact backend conversion, third-party connectors (Google, Stripe, Replit AI Integrations), Plan Mode, and non-web/mobile artifact types all require Core/Pro. Resource facts: development databases are free on every app with 20 GiB free dev storage (50 GiB on Pro/Enterprise); production PostgreSQL storage capped at 1 GiB on Starter; static hosting is free but outbound transfer bills at $0.05/GB; autoscale is $2/mo base + $0.60/million compute units + $0.40/million requests once credits run out; object storage $0.015/GiB/mo + $0.05/GiB transfer + $0.0004–0.005/thousand ops with a 7-day minimum billing floor; 'Made with Replit' referrals earn credits only after upgrading to a paid plan.", "eligibility": "Any Replit account (email or Google/GitHub OAuth signup); no .edu email, no student status, no region limit stated in docs. Credit card: NOT stated on any current official page — free-plan signup has historically required no card; a card/payment method is only involved when you buy credit packs or subscribe to Core/Pro. Treat 'no card required' as true-but-unconfirmed-in-current-docs.", "claim": "Create a free account at replit.com — you are on Starter automatically, no card step. Publish up to 1 app; view live credit caps in Settings → Usage; upgrade via replit.com/settings/billing when you hit limits.", "expiry": "Agent credits reset daily; monthly cloud credits reset each month (no rollover); the free published app goes down 30 days after publishing (re-publish to extend; each republish resets the window).", "gotchas": "Legacy numbers circulating for Starter (1,200 agent/dev minutes per month ≈ 40/day, 100 AI completions, 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 2 GB disk) no longer appear on any official page I read today — the platform moved to a credits + Free Mode system in 2025–2026, so those figures are likely stale. Egress/autoscale/object-storage can produce real charges if your free app gets traffic (outbound data $0.05/GB has no stated free allowance). Routines and heavy agent work need paid credits. 'No card' is not explicitly documented today.", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Mode on the free Starter plan (launched 2026-08-18, OpenAI partnership)", "detail": "Free Mode is a no-cost Agent mode using 'intelligent model routing' (model picked by Replit; per the announcement, powered by OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Luna). It is available on Starter, Core, and Pro. Core users get 'up to 30 hours per month of chat' in Free Mode and up to 60 projects in Free Mode; Pro gets even larger allowances; the allowance on Core/Pro 'refreshes every five hours'. On the free Starter plan Free Mode also applies but Replit publishes no number — the docs say only 'Your Free Mode limits depend on your plan' and point to Settings → Usage. Routines cannot run in Free Mode (they need a per-run paid budget). Free Mode replaces everyday work that previously consumed credits: 'everyday tasks will no longer use credits'; the older Economy Mode was renamed Power Mode at the same cost.", "eligibility": "All accounts including the free Starter plan; no card needed for Free Mode itself; no regional or education gating stated.", "claim": "It is the default Agent experience — just chat/build; when the 5-hour or daily allowance is exhausted Replit warns you before a request shifts to a paid mode (Power/Max). Monitor the counter in Settings → Usage.", "expiry": "Allowance refreshes every 5 hours (Core/Pro) and daily (Starter); Free Mode shipped Aug 18–19, 2026 and is ongoing.", "gotchas": "No model picker in Free Mode (auto routing only); Starter's exact allowance is not public; Free Mode excludes Routines, Plan Mode (Core-only), and third-party AI integrations (paid, billed at provider API rates from your credits).", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/chat/free-mode", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Replit Startup Program — 'Up to $25K in Credits'", "detail": "A live official page exists at replit.com/startups with the title 'Startup Program: Up to $25K in Credits | Replit'. The page body is client-rendered: two independent fetches on 2026-10-22 returned only the with no body text, so I could NOT confirm eligibility (company age, funding cap, headcount), the credit breakdown, the program's duration, or the application form. Nothing in the docs index (llms.txt) or the blog sitemap references the program. Headline claim from the title alone: up to $25,000 in Replit credits for qualifying startups.", "eligibility": "Unconfirmed. Almost certainly early-stage startup-focused (page is a gated application), but age/funding/employee caps were not readable today. No .edu component visible.", "claim": "Apply via the form at replit.com/startups (page loads in a normal browser; details are JS-rendered, so a WebFetch/markdown reader sees nothing). Verify current terms in the rendered page before relying on the $25K figure.", "expiry": "Unknown — no duration or sunset date visible on the page.", "gotchas": "Page has no server-rendered content, so any details beyond the title are unverified; credits (not cash) are what's offered, and credit packs purchased on Replit expire 6 months after purchase — check whether program credits share that rule. Trial-vs-free: these are credits, not a free plan.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/startups", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Education / student and teacher program — not found (likely sunset)", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 Replit has no publicly offered education-specific free offer: replit.com/education and replit.com/classroom both return HTTP 404; the docs index (llms.txt) contains zero 'education', 'student', 'teacher', 'classroom', 'startup' or 'trial' paths; and replit.com/pricing has no education or startup discount section. The only education-adjacent asset is learn.replit.com, a free self-serve course platform (e.g., 'AI foundations' 30 min/7 lessons, 'Enterprise foundations' 30 min/6 lessons, two courses 'coming soon') with no .edu gate, no free paid seats, and no teacher/classroom entitlements. Historical context: Repl.it's classrooms product and 'student overview' teacher-dashboard features (closed beta ~2016, docs updated Oct 2023) are no longer represented on current official pages.", "eligibility": "n/a — nothing claimable as a student/teacher offer today; learn.replit.com courses are open to anyone, no .edu email required.", "claim": "Nothing to claim: sign up at learn.replit.com for free courses if the courses themselves are the goal.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Absence-based finding: 404s + missing docs entries + unannotated pricing page, checked today. Replit's old teacher/student classroom program (free paid-tier seats for teachers) appears to have been retired or folded into the credit-based plans; if you still need .edu perks, Replit currently does not publish any.", "source_url": "https://learn.replit.com/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Starter plan (free tier)", "detail": "$0, no time limit. Daily Agent credits that reset daily, capped by a monthly cap (exact credit count is NOT published by Replit; Settings > Usage is the source of truth). Monthly cloud credits for production databases, object storage, and publishing (autoscale/static) that reset monthly (no dollar figure published). Lite build only (Full build requires Core). Exactly 1 free published app: the link auto-goes offline 30 days after publish (you can re-publish), and it carries a mandatory 'Made with Replit' badge with your referral link. Includes Design Canvas + Visual Editor and web & mobile app projects.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no credit card required; no .edu required; no region limit stated; no funding cap. Not gated on startup backing.", "claim": "Sign up free at replit.com; Agent usage and remaining allowance show in Settings > Usage; publish one app via Lite build or Design Canvas.", "expiry": "No time limit; daily Agent and monthly cloud allowances reset daily/monthly; the single published app goes offline after 30 days.", "gotchas": "Exact credit amounts are not published (check Settings > Usage). 'Free Mode' is NOT a standalone free plan (see below). As of 2026 the public pricing page (replit.com/pricing) no longer lists a free Starter card - it now opens on Core ($18 billed annually / $20 monthly); a third-party pricing tracker reports the free Starter plan was dropped from the pricing page between Aug 28 and Sept 11, 2026. Docs still list Starter as an active free tier, so it remains available but is no longer the advertised self-serve entry point (a new signup now lands on paid Core). Referral credits from your badge only vest after you upgrade to a paid plan. Connectors (Google/Stripe), Replit AI Integrations, Plan Mode, artifact types beyond web/mobile, badge removal, and 2nd+ published apps all require Core.", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Mode (no-cost Agent allowance inside plans)", "detail": "Launched Aug 18, 2026. No-cost Agent usage within each plan's allowance. Core: up to 30 hours/month of chat on Free Mode and up to 60 projects on Free Mode; marketing claims up to 30x more creation vs before. On Core/Pro the Free Mode allowance resets every 5 hours and has a weekly limit; Starter keeps its own daily limits. Paid modes: Power (mid-tier, formerly 'Economy') and Max (top-tier, formerly 'Power').", "eligibility": "Subscribers to Starter, Core, or Pro. No extra eligibility; Replit picks the model in Free Mode (no manual model choice). Not available on Enterprise.", "claim": "Open a new Agent chat - it starts in Free Mode by default; a paid mode only runs after your explicit one-time confirmation per request.", "expiry": "Core/Pro Free Mode allowance resets every 5 hours with a weekly cap; Starter uses daily limits.", "gotchas": "Replit's help page states explicitly that Free Mode 'is not a free plan on itself' - it is an allowance bundled into paid Starter/Core/Pro. A paid escalation (Power/Max) applies to that one request only, then returns to Free Mode. After the Aug 2026 restructure the genuinely free entry point is effectively the Starter plan, and Free Mode is framed around the $20 Core subscription.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/blog/replit-introduces-free-mode", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Replit for Startups (up to $25K credits / free Replit Pro)", "detail": "Launched live April 23, 2026. Two tiers: (1) Up to $25,000 in Replit credits for startups backed by a 'Select Partner' fund or accelerator - a partner offer (SVB) lists $25K credits with 6-month validity plus a dedicated onboarding call, priority support community, and co-marketing. (2) Free Replit Pro for startups backed by any other recognized fund/accelerator in the broader 'Partner Network' - a partner offer (JPMorgan) lists 1 year of Pro (free for the duration of the partnership): $100/month credits, access to the most powerful models, private deployments, up to 15 collaborators and 50 viewers, 28-day database restore, premium support. No fixed company-age or funding cap is stated publicly; partner pages say 'eligible at any funding stage' - the gate is being backed by a partner fund/accelerator, not a headcount/dollar threshold.", "eligibility": "VC / fund / accelerator-backed startups (not .edu-based). Backed by a Select Partner fund -> up to $25K credits; backed by any other Partner Network fund/accelerator -> free Pro tier. Requirements: apply with a professional (work) email + company domain; one application per company. Unbacked founders may still apply and are reviewed; Replit may add your fund to the Partner Network.", "claim": "Apply at replit.com/startups with a professional email + domain, complete the application, and redeem via the partner link. If your fund is not listed, use replit.com/startups/fund-not-listed to request it be added, then apply.", "expiry": "Credits: ~6-month validity on the $25K tier (per partner offer). Free Pro: 'for the duration of the partnership' (1 year on partner offer).", "gotchas": "CC not required to receive the perk, but a Replit account is needed to redeem. The $25K tier is reserved for 'Select Partners' only - most funds land in the free-Pro tier. Exact specs differ by fund partner (SVB vs JPMorgan pages disagree on term length). Program existence + cap + apply-anyway path are confirmed high-confidence on Replit's own pages; the tier breakdown / validity / Pro specs came from third-party partner offer pages, so treat those specifics as medium. Unbacked/solo founders are NOT the target (use Race to Revenue instead).", "source_url": "https://replit.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Race to Revenue (builder program: $10K credits + $25K cash prize)", "detail": "Pilot launched Dec 9, 2025. 8-week structured program; 20 builders per cohort (pilot cohort ~21 founders across 4 continents). Each selected builder receives $10,000 in Replit Agent + Cloud credits. The winner gets a $25,000 CASH prize at the 2-day Final Showcase capstone in San Francisco. Zero equity. Partner perks: Ramp (corporate cards/expense tools), Stripe Atlas (free incorporation ~$500 value + $2,500 Stripe credits + up to $50K partner perks), Linear 6 months free, Rippling 6 months free, ElevenLabs 12 months free (600+ hrs), HubSpot 90% off, Make Industry toolkit, Gunderson Dettmer legal.", "eligibility": "Solo builders and early-stage/bootstrapped founders who are building on or deeply integrating with Replit. No prior revenue required to apply; no funding/backing requirement. Must commit to full 8-week participation (miss >1 week = dropped) and travel to SF for the showcase; international applicants allowed (travel logistics on them).", "claim": "Apply at replit.com/racetorevenue: provide name/email/location/team size, what you're building + ICP, a traction signal, whether you build on Replit, 6-week availability + SF travel, and a 2-minute video explaining the project and why you're the one to build it.", "expiry": "Cohort-based, 8 weeks; explicitly a pilot/iterating program. Credits and prize allocated per cohort.", "gotchas": "You are FILMED (it is a documentary series) and you pitch live on camera in SF. The $10K is Replit-platform credits, not cash; only the winner receives the $25K cash prize. Partner perks are limited/subject to partner terms. It is a competitive selection, not an open grant.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/racetorevenue/faq", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Replit for Education (students & educators)", "detail": "Replit runs an education program for students and educators; the pricing docs FAQ confirms it and describes it as offering 'discounted access to eligible students,' noting the education page is the source of truth. The live page is replit.com/edu (title 'Replit for Education'). Exact terms - free vs discounted, .edu requirement, credit amounts, and enrollment steps - could NOT be read this run: the page is JS-rendered (WebFetch returned only its title) and the session web-search budget was exhausted.", "eligibility": "Students and educators; a .edu email is likely required but unconfirmed this run. Which roles (K-12, higher-ed, teachers vs students) and exact eligibility are unconfirmed.", "claim": "Enroll at replit.com/edu (terms are gated behind the live page).", "expiry": "Unknown (page not readable this run).", "gotchas": "Do not assume specific credit amounts - Replit's docs state education eligibility/discounts 'may change' and defer to the education page. Historical 'free Core for students/teachers' terms were not verifiable today. Re-verify by reading replit.com/edu directly before citing numbers.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/edu", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "No time-limited free trial for Core/Pro (clarification)", "detail": "Replit's pricing docs state explicitly that there is no time-limited free trial for Core or Pro; the free Starter plan is the 'no-cost, no time limit' on-ramp. Third-party partner channels do run limited-time Core promos (e.g., a 'Startup Grind x Replit Core' page advertising 3 months of Core free for new accounts only), which are separate, time-boxed, new-account-only partner offers - not a standing free tier.", "eligibility": "Clarification, not a grant. Partner Core promos require a new Replit account; professional (non-personal) email required on some partner forms.", "claim": "For a no-cost start, use the free Starter plan. Partner Core promos are claimed only via the specific partner link while the promo is live.", "expiry": "N/A for the docs statement. Partner Core promos are time-boxed (e.g., 3 months) and new-account-only; confirm current availability.", "gotchas": "Don't conflate Free Mode with a free plan (it is a paid-plan allowance). Startup Grind-style '3 months Core free' offers are limited partner promos, not a recurring program - verify they are still live before relying on them.", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/help/pricing-and-plans", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) The free Starter plan was removed from the public replit.com/pricing page between ~Aug 28 and Sept 11, 2026; the page now opens on Core ($18 billed annually / $20 monthly), so new self-serve entry is paid. The free Starter tier still exists in Replit's docs (docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan) and remains $0/no-time-limit, but it is no longer the advertised entry point. (2) Agent modes were restructured on Aug 18, 2026 with the launch of Free Mode: paid modes renamed 'Economy'->'Power' and 'Power'->'Max'; free Agent work is now framed as a paid-plan allowance (Core: up to 30 hrs/month chat, 60 projects; resets every 5 hrs + weekly limit). (3) 'Replit for Startups' launched April 23, 2026 (up to $25K credits for Select-Partner-backed startups, free Pro for the broader Partner Network), superseding earlier ad-hoc startup perks. (4) 'Race to Revenue' pilot launched Dec 9, 2025 ($10K Replit credits per builder + $25K cash prize). (5) Plan-structure change per a third-party pricing tracker: Feb 2026 the Pro plan launched, Core dropped to $20, and the old 'Teams' plan was sunset; Aug 2026 Core's credit wallet was trimmed to $20 and Pro annual set to $90 (medium confidence - tracker, not Replit). Net: no generic free trial exists today; the genuinely free options are the Starter plan (unadvertised on the pricing page since late 2026) plus the grants in Replit for Startups and Race to Revenue. Data caveat: this run hit the session web-search budget, so education-page specifics and JS-rendered program bodies could not be fully read; confidence ratings reflect that." ], "corrections": [ { "item": "Replit (Starter free tier)", "text": "Starter plan is no longer listed on replit.com/pricing (read Oct 22, 2026 via a summarizing fetch). The page shows Core, Pro and Enterprise, with Free Mode (up to 30 hours of chat and 60 projects) under Core. The Starter figures (1,200 dev minutes, 100 AI completions, 0.5 vCPU / 1 GB) could not be confirmed.", "url": "https://replit.com/pricing" } ], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 3, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Starter free plan (current as of 2026-10-22)", "link": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "replit for students", "name": "Replit for Students", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://replit.com/edu/students" ], "offers": [ "50% off Replit Core (~$10/mo vs $20) with a verified .edu email; Starter free tier remains available" ], "notes": [ "Legacy Teams-for-Education (free for public-school teachers / 80% off classrooms) has been discontinued; the current student benefit is the .edu discount on Core. Verify eligibility on replit.com/education." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Starter tier (no subscription, no claim needed)", "detail": "Replit's free plan is called the Starter tier. Per official docs: 1 free published app (Lite build or Design Canvas) whose link automatically goes down after 30 days; daily Agent/AI chat credits 'up to a monthly cap' (exact numbers not published); monthly cloud credits covering databases, object storage, and publishing; 0 active background tasks; 0 collaboration seats; Lite build only (full builds require Core); 'Made with Replit' badge cannot be removed; third-party connectors, AI integrations, Plan Mode and non-web/mobile artifact types require Core/Pro. The /edu/students marketing page lists the free tier as 'Unlimited public apps, Replit AI basic, community support, build on any device' — note this conflicts with the docs' 1-published-app limit. Current paid reference points (replit.com/pricing, read today): Core $20/mo ($18/mo billed annually), Pro $100/mo ($90/mo billed annually).", "eligibility": "Anyone with a free Replit account; no student/startup status required; no credit card requirement is stated on the plan docs or pricing page.", "claim": "Sign up free at replit.com; the Starter tier is the default. No verification or application needed.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; published free app links auto-take-down after 30 days; AI agent chat is on a daily cap with a monthly cap; cloud credits reset monthly.", "gotchas": "The single free published app expires after 30 days and requires Core ($20/mo) to publish additional/longer-lived apps. Once included Agent credits are exhausted, usage-based (effort-based) pricing and credit packs apply — pay-as-you-go overages, not a hard stop. Data transfer, databases and compute are billed usage-based on top of monthly cloud credits (docs: Publishing and Database Billing). Marketing 'unlimited public apps' vs docs '1 published app (30-day)' is a real discrepancy to verify in-account.", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student discount: 50% off Replit Core (~$10/mo vs $20/mo) with verified .edu email", "detail": "Official /edu/students page (text via search index; page is JS-rendered): 'Free to start. 50% off Core with your .edu email.' Core is $20/mo, so students pay ~$10/mo, auto-applied at checkout when the account email is recognized as academic — no coupon, no GitHub Student Pack, no document upload. Core unlocks 10x more AI compute, faster builds, more CPU/RAM, private projects, and priority support on top of Starter. Launched Sept 19, 2025; early reports described it as '$10/mo for the first six months', but the current official page states no time cap or renewal requirement.", "eligibility": "Currently enrolled student with a valid academic email (.edu or equivalent institutional domain); .edu convention is US-centric — non-US students may need to confirm with Replit support. Discount is tied to the account email, so existing accounts must add/switch to the student email. No funding/age restrictions (it's a student, not startup, program). No credit card requirement stated for verification; a payment method is of course needed to pay for Core.", "claim": "1) Visit replit.com/edu/students (or sign up at replit.com/signup using your .edu email). 2) Create/sign in to a Replit account with the academic email. 3) Verify the email via the confirmation link. 4) Go to replit.com/pricing, choose Core — the 50% student price (~$10/mo) is auto-applied at checkout.", "expiry": "No end date or duration stated on the official page as of late 2026; discount reportedly was 6 months at launch (Sept 2025) and is now advertised without a time cap. Re-verify eligibility at renewal; the school must keep issuing the academic email.", "gotchas": "Discount applies to Core only, not to extra credit packs or Pro. September 2026 community reports (replit.discourse.group) of .edu-verified accounts NOT getting the discount at checkout, and a support form that requires an active paid subscription — a closed loop. Not combinable in writing with yearly billing (the pricing page does not say yearly + student stack). Region: .edu verification is US-centric; non-US academic domains may fail auto-detection.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/edu/students", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Replit Startup Program: up to $25,000 in Replit credits; free year of Replit Pro for other venture-backed founders", "detail": "Official replit.com/startups page (FAQ JSON-LD read today): 'Startups backed by a Select Partner (e.g. a16z, Khosla, SVB) qualify for up to $25,000 in Replit credits. If your fund isn't listed yet, you can still apply — we review every application.' Page meta: 'Startups backed by a Select Partner qualify for up to $25,000 in Replit credits; other venture-backed founders get a free year of Replit Pro. Apply in minutes.' Credits cover compute, deployments, Replit Agent (AI-assisted development) and all Pro features. A free year of Pro (currently $100/mo) is worth ~$1,200. Confirmed in the FAQ: credits are valid 12 months from approval; Pro subscription remains active as long as the partnership is in effect. For VC/accelerator funds: partnering with Replit is free; a partner application form exists on the page.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed startups (no stated age, funding-cap or headcount limit). 'Select Partner' status (fund listed in the page's logo grid, e.g. a16z, Khosla, SVB) => up to $25K credits; other venture-backed founders => free year of Replit Pro. Unlisted funds can still apply and are reviewed case by case. No credit-card requirement stated (page says apply in minutes). Region limits: not stated.", "claim": "1) Go to replit.com/startups. 2) Check the Select Partner logo grid for your investor. 3) Submit the application form ('Apply to the Replit Startup Program', targets replit.com signup) — takes minutes. 4) Replit confirms eligibility at application approval; credits land on the account. Funds can apply via the VC partner form instead.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from date of approval. Pro subscription (for the free-year tier) stays active as long as the startup–partner fund relationship is in effect. No published program end date.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free trap: if you already have an existing Core or Pro subscription, you receive the equivalent in credits INSTEAD of the free trial (FAQ). 'Up to $25K' — actual amount per approval, not guaranteed to every Select-Partner startup. Credits expire 12 months after approval. The Select Partner list is on the JS-rendered page and can change; verify your fund is actually listed before assuming $25K.", "source_url": "https://replit.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Replit for Education: free Replit for verified educators + credits for students (teacher/education license)", "detail": "Official replit.com/edu page: 'Teach the AI generation. Free Replit for verified educators. Credits for your students. Curriculum, templates, and 1:1 onboarding.' Also: 'Run Replit on your campus' — host events, earn commissions on signups, direct access to the Replit team. Page meta (read today): 'Replit equips students, educators, and campus leaders to build real apps with AI — no setup, no busywork. Free to start, trusted by top universities.' The exact plan tier given to verified educators (presumed free Core or Pro) and the amount of student credits are not published on the page (JS-rendered; body not extractable), so specifics must be confirmed via the education application flow.", "eligibility": "Educators (teacher verification implied); students of those educators receive program credits. No .edu requirement stated for educators on the page; 'verified' process handles it. No credit card required for the free educator tier.", "claim": "1) Visit replit.com/edu. 2) Apply for educator access (verified-educator flow, plus curriculum/templates/1:1 onboarding offered). 3) Students in the program get credits; campus programs earn commissions on signups.", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal terms published on the page.", "gotchas": "Amounts are not publicly quantified — do not assume $120/yr or a specific plan tier; confirm at application. This is a separate offer from the .edu 50% student discount (a student with a .edu email gets the 50% Core discount regardless; an educator's classroom 'credits for your students' is a distinct programmatic offer).", "source_url": "https://replit.com/edu", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "One-time free Agent checkpoint (trial credit for new accounts)", "detail": "Per official AI billing docs: 'All subscribers receive one-time free Agent checkpoints.' This is Replit's only documented trial credit: new users get their first Agent work checkpoint free, after which effort-based (usage-based) pricing applies — simple tasks cost less than complex builds, one checkpoint per request, and third-party model calls (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) are billed at provider public API rates, deducted from Replit credits.", "eligibility": "Any new Replit account/user (no student or startup status needed). No credit card requirement stated in the docs.", "claim": "Just start Replit Agent on a new account — the first checkpoint is free automatically; nothing to apply for.", "expiry": "One-time per account, not renewable.", "gotchas": "It is a trial, not a recurring free tier: after it, all Agent work consumes Starter's daily/monthly free caps, then pay-as-you-go credit packs. Plan Mode can trigger billable reasoning even when no code changes are made. Spend controls: usage alerts, hard budget caps, and a billing dashboard (data may lag ~30 min).", "source_url": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/ai-billing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Starter tier (no subscription, no claim needed)", "link": "https://docs.replit.com/billing/plans/starter-plan", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "resend", "name": "Resend", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://resend.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: 3,000 emails/mo (100/day), 3 verified domains + 1,000 marketing contacts" ], "notes": [ "Developer-first (maker of React Email). Verified 2025-10. Paid Pro from $20/mo (50K/mo); daily quota resets UTC." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free (forever) plan — transactional + marketing email", "detail": "3,000 transactional emails/month with a hard cap of 100 emails/day (UTC calendar day, resets midnight UTC). Includes 3 verified domains, 3 inboxes, 10,000 automation runs/mo, 5 AI credits/mo, 1 webhook endpoint, 30-day data retention, ticket support, open/click tracking. Marketing (Broadcasts): unlimited sends to up to 1,000 contacts/mo, 3 segments. Overage billing not available on Free — sending pauses at the quota. No credit card required to sign up; paid plans accept major credit cards only.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone (students, startups, anyone). No .edu email, funding cap, or startup age requirement. No credit card required on Free. No region limits found. Free-forever, not a trial.", "claim": "1) Sign up at resend.com (no CC needed). 2) Add a custom domain and paste the generated DKIM/SPF/DMARC DNS records for verification. 3) Generate an API key / use SMTP relay and start sending immediately. Free marketing contacts are managed via the Broadcasts feature in the same dashboard.", "expiry": "No expiry — recurring free plan, limits renew monthly. No renewal steps.", "gotchas": "Inbound (received) emails count against the 3,000/mo and 100/day quota — spam hitting free inboxes consumes it. The daily cap is not bankable (each UTC day is independent). Hitting quota pauses sending until the next billing cycle; paid tiers instead bill overage ($0.90/1,000, capped at 5x quota). Extra domains ($20/mo add-on) and extra inboxes ($1/mo) require a paid plan. API rate limit is 10 req/s on all plans. No annual billing option.", "source_url": "https://resend.com/pricing/(corroboratedbyhttps://resend.com/docs/knowledge-base/resend-sending-limits,bothread2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "YC deal — startup credits for Y Combinator companies", "detail": "$25,000 in credits for the current YC batch, valid for 12 months; $15,000 for YC alumni. Perks beyond credits: dedicated Slack channel with Resend founders and engineers, optional company feature as a use case on Resend's website, direct access to the CEO's phone (WhatsApp/text). Signing up before Demo Day also earns an exclusive gift from the Resend team.", "eligibility": "Y Combinator companies only: current-batch founders get the $25k tier, YC alumni the $15k tier. Verified through the official YC verification link (ycombinator.com/verify). Not open to non-YC startups; no .edu or funding-cap criteria — batch/alumni status is the gate.", "claim": "1) Sign up at resend.com before your batch's Demo Day. 2) From resend.com/yc, use 'Get your YC verification link' (ycombinator.com/verify) to authenticate your YC status. 3) 'Claim deal' on the YC page; credits and perks attach to your verified account. No credit card is required to receive credits.", "expiry": "Credits valid for 12 months (stated for current batch; alumni window not explicitly stated, assumed same). Offer is per YC batch cycle — claim before Demo Day for the bonus. No renewal/extension policy published.", "gotchas": "This is the ONLY remaining Resend startup offer: the open startup program page (resend.com/startups) returns 404 as of 2026-10-22. No per-sender caps or volume limits are published on the page. Third-party directories (techscoop, creditforstartups) add unverified exclusions (e.g., 'not for Series C+'); the official page states only the batch/alumni tiers.", "source_url": "https://resend.com/yc(read2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Resend Insiders — ambassador program with free Pro subscription", "detail": "Select insiders receive a free Resend Pro subscription ($20/mo value = 50,000 transactional emails/mo tier, no daily limit) plus early access to new features, limited-edition swag, featuring on Resend's official channels, direct access to founders/DX/engineering teams, and a private builders community.", "eligibility": "Application-based, 'Resend's most invested users': content creators (blogs/videos), power users who improve docs, open-source contributors. No .edu, funding, or age requirements. No credit card required. First cohort is described as a small, selective group — acceptance is not guaranteed.", "claim": "1) Open resend.com/insiders. 2) Fill out the application form (name, email, city/country, languages, motivation, technical skills; GitHub and X/Twitter optional). 3) If selected for the cohort, the Pro subscription and perks are granted.", "expiry": "No stated term, renewal, or end date. Perks appear to last while the person remains an Insider; no public re-application cycle.", "gotchas": "Selective — most applicants will not be accepted. Perks are individual (not company/team-wide volume entitlements like the YC deal). No credit amounts, usage caps, or sunset date are published. Do not confuse with the discontinued open startup program.", "source_url": "https://resend.com/insiders(read2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No education/student offer: Resend's pricing FAQ explicitly states 'We do not offer education pricing' — no .edu-based license or student discount exists (as of 2026-10-22). No free trial either: the FAQ answers 'No, but we provide a free-forever plan.' Open startup program sunset: resend.com/startups returns 404 as of 2026-10-22; the only remaining startup offer is the YC deal at resend.com/yc (independently confirmed checked Oct 2026 by third-party directories). 2025-2026 structural changes: pricing was restructured around two tracks — transactional (3,000/mo Free) and marketing Broadcasts (free tier now includes 1,000 marketing contacts, unlimited sends to them); inboxes were added (3 free inboxes; extra inboxes $1/mo on paid plans). An earlier 2024 'New Free Tier' change had cut free domains to 1 and moved multi-region sending to Pro; the current Free plan lists 3 domains. Core limits (3,000/mo, 100/day; Pro $20/50k) were confirmed unchanged by May 28, 2025 price snapshots and today's page. No annual billing or annual discount exists for self-serve plans; a 50% nonprofit discount exists but is not a free offer and outside the students/startups scope. Third-party 'student discount' and 30% promo-code listings (hotdeals.com, paradox.engineer, costbench.com) are unverified and contradict the official FAQ — treat as noise. Fronts note: Resend is email-only (API, SMTP, SDKs, Broadcasts); it has no SMS, push-notification, or chat API, so the SMS/Push/Chat fronts of this task have no Resend offers." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free (forever) plan — transactional + marketing email", "link": "https://resend.com/pricing/(corroboratedbyhttps://resend.com/docs/knowledge-base/resend-sending-limits,bothread2026-10-22)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "retool", "name": "Retool", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://retool.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: unlimited web & mobile apps, up to 5 users, 500 workflow runs/mo, 5GB storage, 20 agent-hours + 250 AI credits/mo (cloud); self-hosted free with same 5-user cap" ], "notes": [ "Historically '5 free apps'; now unlimited apps with 5 free users. AI/agent allowances are new 2025-26 additions." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Retool Free plan (cloud)", "detail": "Permanently free plan, $0/mo. Unlimited web & mobile apps; up to 5 users; 500 workflow runs/month; 5GB data storage; up to 20 agent-hours/month plus 250 AI credits/month. AI credits are account-level and monthly with no rollover; bonus credits 'may change over time'; agent execution pauses when free agent-hours are exhausted. Page states no credit-card requirement and no time-limited trial; this is a standing tier, not a trial. No region limits stated on the page.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no .edu, no funding-stage, no region limit stated. Credit card NOT required for the Free plan.", "claim": "Sign up at retool.com; the Free plan is applied automatically with no card entry. Keep the org on the Free plan (up to 5 users) and use 500 runs / 20 agent-hours / 250 AI credits per month at no cost.", "expiry": "No expiry; renews indefinitely at $0 while the org stays on the Free plan.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: none — this is a free tier, not a trial. Agents bill by the hour separately from the AI-credit pool and pause at 20 h/mo. Free plan lacks Team/Business features (public apps, release versions, staging, granular permissions). AI-credit allowances (20 agent-hrs + 250 credits) are a recent 2025-era addition to the Free tier, not a legacy free-tier value.", "source_url": "https://retool.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Retool self-hosted Free edition", "detail": "All four tiers (Free, Team, Business, Enterprise) support self-hosting. Free self-hosted keeps the 5-user cap and adds 'unlimited database management' on top of the cloud-free limits. Team/Business self-host cap at up to 100 users; Enterprise self-host adds multi-instance deployments and bring-your-own-PostgreSQL. You run and operate your own infrastructure (no cloud hosting; agent-hour/AI-credit entitlements are not documented for self-hosted Free).", "eligibility": "Anyone; no card, no .edu, no region limit stated. Requires your own Postgres/infrastructure.", "claim": "Install the Retool self-hosted edition (builds from retool.com; Free license, no card); self-hosting is opt-in on any plan tier — no claim form needed.", "expiry": "No stated expiry; the Free tier is standing.", "gotchas": "Data/egress costs are yours: infrastructure, hosting, maintenance. The 5-user cap applies even when self-hosted (matches the cloud Free tier). Feature parity for Agents/AI on self-hosted Free is not stated on the pricing page.", "source_url": "https://retool.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Retool for Startups program (100% off year 1, up to $60k value)", "detail": "Year 1: 100% off coupon for one year on a monthly Team or Business plan, value up to $60,000. Year 2: 25% off coupon on the paid plan. Year-1 Agents: up to 50 hours / $125 of free usage per month; Year 2: up to 20 hours / $50 per month; usage beyond that is billed out-of-pocket (year 2 with the 25% coupon applied). VCs/accelerators/incubators can add Retool to their deal books via the partner channel.", "eligibility": "All of: bootstrapped, angel-funded, debt-funded, pre-seed, seed, or Series A; total funding raised under $10M; founded within the last 10 years; new Retool customer on a MONTHLY Team or Business plan (no annual plans, no Enterprise). Excluded: customers already on a paid plan for multiple billing cycles, and any org previously enrolled (one-time only, no re-application). No region limit stated.", "claim": "Steps: (1) create a free Retool org; (2) upgrade to the monthly Team or Business plan via plans & billing — card info required but not billed immediately; (3) submit the Startup Program application (HubSpot form linked in the docs and at retool.com/startups); (4) acceptance email; the 100% discount auto-applies to the first invoice at end of first billing cycle. No reply after a week: email startups@retool.com.", "expiry": "100% discount lasts exactly 1 year from approval date, then 25% off in year 2, then full price (graduates). No extensions are granted. If nothing changes, Retool automatically continues the current plan and charges the card on file. Downgrade to the Free plan at any time via plans & billing.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required at signup for the paid plan (though not billed immediately and invoices are $0 under the 100% off). Monthly-only program — annual contracts and Enterprise are ineligible. Overage Agents usage charges out-of-pocket. Card on file is charged at discount expiry if you stay on the plan.", "source_url": "https://docs.retool.com/support/discount-programs", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Retool Education program (free Team/Business for students & educators)", "detail": "100% off discount for any MONTHLY Team or Business plan — i.e., free Business-tier access for the duration of eligibility (third-party aggregators such as StudentPerks quote ~$120/yr value; official docs give no dollar cap). No agent-hour/AI-credit add-ons are specified for this program. No stated region limits; an education email is the eligibility signal. Exclusions: admin/back-office/operational staff at educational institutions, former students/educators who merely retained a .edu, edtech companies and education-adjacent service providers.", "eligibility": "Current students or individual educators; education (e.g., .edu) email address required. One program per org (if accepted to another discount program, you cannot apply to this one).", "claim": "Steps: (1) create a free Retool organization using your education email; (2) submit the Education Program application (Typeform linked from the Discount Programs docs page) with the same education email; (3) on acceptance, upgrade to a monthly Team or Business plan via plans & billing. Applications are typically processed in under a week.", "expiry": "Runs for the duration of student/educator status. When you graduate or lose eligibility, 'you'll be notified by our team and given a timeline for exiting the program' — no automatic downgrade/charge-off terms are spelled out.", "gotchas": "Standard card-on-file billing applies when you subscribe to the plan; if the discount fails to apply (multiple accounts or currency mismatch between account and credits), the card may still be charged — contact support. Monthly Team/Business only (no annual, no Enterprise). Former students with a lingering .edu are NOT eligible.", "source_url": "https://docs.retool.com/support/discount-programs", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Retool Free plan (cloud)", "link": "https://retool.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "runpod startup program", "name": "RunPod Startup Program", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.runpod.io/startup-program" ], "offers": [ "Starter tier: $1,000 free credits for earlier-stage (pre-Series A) AI startups; Growth tier: $25k bonus credits on a $50k committed spend" ], "notes": [ "Venture-backed startups targeted; self-serve Starter credits, no product restrictions. RunPod has no ordinary free tier or signup credit (checked 2026-09); community-cloud GPUs start ~$0.27/GPU-hr paid. A separate academic program (runpod.io/academic-research) gives lab/institution access, billed — not free." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Startup Program — Starter Tier: $1,000 free credits for pre-Series A startups", "detail": "Read runpod.io/startup-program on 2026-10-22. Starter tier grants $1,000 in free credits with full platform access (Pods, Serverless, Clusters, Public Endpoints, Storage), self-serve onboarding, and 'Direct Support' from the Runpod team. Credits have no product-type limitations. Best fit stated as 'Pre-Series A startups with working products and near-term GPU needs.' The program is explicitly selective ('we can't accept every applicant').", "eligibility": "Pre-Series A (earlier-stage) startups with a working product and near-term GPU needs. Page 'strongly prefers' venture backing (Seed–Series B+) with active investors validating traction/runway; pre-funding or bootstrapped applicants are steered to the self-serve platform instead. Must be new to Runpod (program 'primarily designed for new customers onboarding for the first time'), ready to onboard now (not 'in 6 months'), and have infrastructure as a current bottleneck. No .edu requirement, no stated region limit, no credit-card requirement stated on the page, and no published company-age cap (stage language only: 'Pre-Series A').", "claim": "Click 'Apply now' on https://www.runpod.io/startup-program (self-serve form). Existing Runpod customers below the Growth threshold should contact their account manager or sales@runpod.io; rejected/non-applicant users can simply sign up for pay-as-you-go self-serve without applying.", "expiry": "No stated expiration for Starter credits on the page (only the Growth tier's 12-month agreement is referenced). One-time program; no credit reload mentioned for Starter. Verify expiry in writing when the credits are granted — treat as finite, likely loaded as account credit.", "gotchas": "Not for existing customers unless via account manager. 'Strongly preferred' VC backing means bootstrapped/pre-funding startups may be told to just use self-serve pay-as-you-go instead. Once credits run out it's pure pay-as-you-go with storage/effective costs: volume disks bill ~$0.10/GB/mo running and $0.20/GB/mo idle; stopped (not terminated) pods still bill container disk. Credits are platform-wide but not infinite runway — $1,000 covers e.g. ~300h on an H100 SXM at $3.99/hr.", "source_url": "https://www.runpod.io/startup-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup Program — Growth Tier: $25,000 bonus credits on $50,000 committed spend (credit match, NOT free)", "detail": "Depositing up to $50,000 towards a committed contract earns $25,000 in bonus credits ($75,000 total), usable across Pods, Serverless, or Clusters. 12-month agreement with dedicated onboarding call, enterprise-grade uptime/SLA options, and a 'Warm handoff to sales' Enterprise Path. Target: 'Series Seed–B+ startups spending (or ready to spend) $5K–$25K+/mo on GPU infrastructure.' Credits load immediately alongside the deposit; bonus is one-time, explicitly 'no credit reload.'", "eligibility": "VC-backed Seed–B+ startups, new to Runpod, ready to onboard now, 'pre prepared to invest upfront for credit match,' open to enterprise conversation. No .edu or region requirements stated.", "claim": "Same 'Apply now' CTA on https://www.runpod.io/startup-program; existing customers contact their account manager or sales@runpod.io.", "expiry": "Credits loaded under a 12-month agreement; one-time bonus with no reload/renewal. No separate renewal track published.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free caveat: this is a 50% credit match on $50k committed spend, not a free offer — do not count it as free compute. Commitment is upfront and contracted. One-time only.", "source_url": "https://www.runpod.io/startup-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No public student/.edu free offer — Academic Research program is institutional and sales-led", "detail": "The pricing page (read 2026-10-22) shows no free tier, sign-up bonus, trial credits, or student discount anywhere. The Academic Research program targets universities, departments, and labs: lab/department-level projects prioritized, individual students/solo researchers only 'on a case-by-case basis,' access via institutional enrollment with university SSO integration, billing via custom invoicing aligned to academic calendars/grants/shared lab accounts, and manual application review with follow-up in 7-10 business days then a discovery call. No free GPU hours, no dollar-amount education discount, and no .edu sign-up-and-go tier is published.", "eligibility": "Institutions (university SSO, grant/department funding) rather than individuals. No .edu free allocation; individuals only on a case-by-case basis.", "claim": "Contact form or phone +1 (888) 478-6012 via https://www.runpod.io/academic-research ('Get in touch' / 'Request a demo').", "expiry": "N/A — no published free/discounted terms to expire.", "gotchas": "If the goal is free student compute, RunPod is a weak option versus Kaggle (free P100 notebook quota), HF Spaces, or Modal's up-to-$10k academic credits. Any education discount is negotiated, not self-serve; expect no public number.", "source_url": "https://www.runpod.io/academic-research", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Partner/event-sponsored free compute (secondary, non-self-serve offers)", "detail": "Several one-off free-compute offers around RunPod exist but are not standing self-serve programs: (1) Santa Cruz Accelerates 2025 cohort via Santa Cruz Works — eligible accelerator founders can apply for three tracks: up to 1,000 free H100 GPU hours, up to 1,000,000 free Serverless requests, or up to 750 free multi-node H100 compute hours (partner announcement, Jul 31, 2025). (2) $100 free GPU credits for ARC-AGI-2 participants (RunPod LinkedIn post, Mar 2025, application form, event-limited). (3) TreeHacks 2026 (Stanford, Oct 2026): RunPod donated $20k+ in credits to hackathon teams — sponsorship, not claimable by the public. Hackathons/events like these recur but each is separate and time-boxed.", "eligibility": "Santa Cruz: founders enrolled in the Santa Cruz Accelerates 2025 cohort (apply through Santa Cruz Works or mention them on the referral form). ARC-AGI-2: participants of that specific challenge. TreeHacks: hackathon teams only.", "claim": "Santa Cruz: apply through Santa Cruz Works (santacruzworks.org) or the RunPod referral form mentioning Santa Cruz Works. ARC-AGI-2: via the event application link. General: watch runpod.io/blog for current sponsorships.", "expiry": "All time-boxed/cohort-specific (2025 cohort, 2025 challenge, 2026 event). Not renewable; likely expired or past for 2025 items as of 2026-10-22 unless re-run.", "gotchas": "These do not constitute a recurring student/startup free tier; amounts are per-cohort/per-event and require the external partner's program eligibility, not just a RunPod account.", "source_url": "https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/run-pod-santa-cruz-works-accelerator", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No 2025-2026 sunset or material change of the RunPod Startup Program was found: the official page was live and verified on 2026-10-22 with the Starter $1,000 / Growth $25,000-match tiers matching prior public claims. No public sign-up bonus credits for regular users ever appeared on the pricing page, so there is nothing in that lane to sunset. Event-based free offers ($100 ARC-AGI-2 credits, Mar 2025; Santa Cruz Accelerates 2025 cohort; TreeHacks 2026 sponsorship) are time-boxed and effectively closed by 2026-10-22 unless re-announced. The second web-search on change-tracking hit the session search budget and did not complete, so pre-2026 history of the startup program's tiers is not independently cross-checked beyond the official page; re-verify tier amounts on the official page before relying on them." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Startup Program — Starter Tier: $1,000 free credits for pre-Series A startups", "link": "https://www.runpod.io/startup-program", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "scaleway startup", "name": "Scaleway Startup", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.scaleway.com/en/cloud-startup/" ], "offers": [ "Free trial credit on new accounts; 'Scaleway for Startups' grants multi-thousand-euro cloud credits to qualifying startups." ], "notes": [ "French provider (EU data centers). Trial-credit and startup-program amounts vary by stage and change frequently; the marketing pages are JS-gated - confirm the exact current figures in-console or via the startup application." ], "findings": [ { "name": "New-account free trial: €100 credit (Business/Professional account)", "detail": "Create a Business account (older pages say Professional) and get €100 free credit across cloud services. The trial does not auto-apply: if eligible, a voucher code is emailed within 24 hours and the trial starts when you redeem it. Credit expiry is not officially stated. Payment method is required: ordering resources needs a valid credit card (€1 authorization is placed and auto-reimbursed within 2 days); virtual prepaid cards are not accepted; KYC identity verification is part of the account process.", "eligibility": "New Business/Professional customers with a valid payment method who have NEVER had an invoice issued by Scaleway (a €0 invoice counts as an invoice and disqualifies you). Not advertised for Personal accounts. No .edu or startup-status requirement; effectively open to any new account.", "claim": "1) Create an account at console.scaleway.com, choosing a Business (formerly 'Professional') organization type. 2) Add a valid credit card (Visa/MasterCard/CB/UnionPay/Amex; SEPA with a physical card on file). 3) Wait for the voucher-code email (within 24h of qualifying) and redeem it in the console to activate the €100 trial.", "expiry": "Official expiry not stated; voucher must be redeemed (emailed within 24h). Credit not cash-outable.", "gotchas": "Any prior Scaleway invoice (even €0) disqualifies — a forgotten test account silently blocks the offer. Virtual/prepaid cards rejected. GPU is not excluded from the credit, but new-account quotas may limit larger GPU types. Dedicated-server and some products bill separately; egress/data transfer rules vary per product.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-vs-aws/(trialFAQ+'€100freecredit'banner;mirroredonhttps://www.scaleway.com/en/generative-apis-signup/andhttps://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-vs-digitalocean/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup Program — Founders tier: €1,000 credit, 12 months", "detail": "Entry tier of Scaleway's Startup Program for startups migrating to Scaleway or doing an initial build. €1,000 in cloud credits valid 12 months, not renewable; support is self-serve (no dedicated CSM); benefits include collective onboarding, private Slack with peers/alumni, product betas, masterclasses, co-marketing, and VC-network access. Application review takes under 21 business days; admission is rolling.", "eligibility": "Entity under 5 years old; fewer than 50 employees; must NOT already be a Scaleway customer. No funding-stage or location cap stated. Open regardless of vertical.", "claim": "Apply via the Startup Program application (scaleway.com/en/startup-program/ or email startup-program@scaleway.com). Committee reviews applications; program dates are set per cohort (6 or 12 months after credits activation).", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months; non-renewable. Overage beyond the voucher is billed.", "gotchas": "Being an existing customer (even a trial account) disqualifies you — coordinate with the €100 trial so an invoice isn't issued first. No funding cap published, but committee discretion applies; 'up to €1,000' vs '€1,000' phrasing differs between the nav and the benefits block.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/startup-program/founders-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup Program — Early Stage tier: €1,500/month x 6 = up to €9,000", "detail": "For startups going to market at pre-seed to seed stage. €1,500 per month of cloud credits over 6 months (total €9,000), with community support, co-marketing, and technical guidance from a CSM on request. Implied consumption floor of €500/month (the FAQ states this tier starts at '500€/month consumption').", "eligibility": "Less than 5 years old, fewer than 50 employees, not yet a Scaleway client; pre-seed to seed stage. Cannot move from Early Stage directly into Growth Stage.", "claim": "Same rolling application as the program (scaleway.com/en/startup-program/, or startup-program@scaleway.com); selected startups join a cohort running 6 months from credit activation.", "expiry": "6-month credit window; overage beyond the voucher billed.", "gotchas": "Consumption floor (~€500/month) means this is a ramp-up grant, not a small grant; usage below the floor is not expected. Page says 'up to €9,000' and '1 500€ per month for 6 month'.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup Program — Growth Stage tier: €3,000/month x 12 = up to €36,000", "detail": "For seed-to-Series-A startups scaling up. €3,000 per month of cloud credits over 12 months (total €36,000), with dedicated CSM, 24/7 technical support (page typo '27/7'), co-marketing, events, and VC-network access. Implied consumption floor of €1,500/month.", "eligibility": "Less than 5 years old, fewer than 50 employees, not yet a Scaleway client; seed to Series A stage. An Nvidia-dedicated variant has conditions similar to Growth.", "claim": "Apply via scaleway.com/en/startup-program/ (rolling admission; a page FAQ says the committee reviews weekly/monthly — see gotchas). 12-month cohort from credit activation.", "expiry": "12-month credit window; overage billed.", "gotchas": "Highest exposure — floor of ~€1,500/month; the €36,000 only materializes if consumption matches the monthly tranche. Program FAQ wording conflicts internally on review cadence (weekly on the main page, monthly on the Founders page FAQ, 'under 21 business days' on Founders).", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/startup-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Object Storage trial: 750 GB free for 90 days (new users)", "detail": "New users get 750 GB of free storage total, splittable between Standard Multi-AZ and Standard One Zone classes, across all regions, for 90 days. If you exceed 750 GB during the trial, only the excess is billed. Trial is activated from the Object Storage section of the console and cannot be paused/restarted once started; after 90 days regular pricing applies.", "eligibility": "New users who had never used the Standard Multi-AZ class before 30 Nov 2023 23:59:59 (stated in the official FAQ). No card needed specifically for the trial itself, though ordering resources generally requires a valid payment method.", "claim": "Activate in the Scaleway console under Object Storage. Free quota applies to buckets in your Organization across regions.", "expiry": "90 days from activation; one-shot (cannot deactivate and resume).", "gotchas": "The 2023 cut-off eligibility date is a hidden disqualifier for older accounts. Marketing pages say '750 GB/h free for 90 days' (GB per hour of trial, not 750GB/hour sustained) — it is 750 GB total. Data egress after trial follows regular pricing.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/docs/object-storage/faq/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Ongoing free tiers: serverless monthly quotas, free Kapsule control plane, 1M free Generative API tokens", "detail": "Recurring per-account free quotas on the official Serverless pricing page: Functions — 1,000,000 requests/month and 400,000 GB-s/month free; Containers — 400,000 GB-s/month and 200,000 vCPU-s/month free; Jobs — 400,000 GB-s/month and 200,000 vCPU-s/month free. Kapsule (managed Kubernetes) control plane is free (dedicated control-plane option is paid). Generative APIs: every new customer gets 1,000,000 free tokens (pay from the 1,000,001st). Docs billing concepts confirm free tiers on select products have no expiration date but may change.", "eligibility": "Account-level: applies per account, resets monthly for the serverless quotas (Provisioned/warm resources have NO free tier and bill from the first second). No .edu requirement; Generative API token grant targets new customers.", "claim": "No application — quotas apply automatically to each account; Kapsule control plane is simply free when you create a cluster (nodes are billed from ~€0.027/h).", "expiry": "Ongoing monthly resets (serverless), token grant is a one-time 1M-token welcome allowance; 'no expiration date but subject to change' per docs.", "gotchas": "Free quotas cover compute/consumption only — data transfer (egress), provisioned instances, and storage attached to serverless workloads are billed. Prices are ex-VAT. These are not free VPS: the smallest Learning ('Stardust') instance is a paid ~€4.47/month box.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/pricing/serverless/;https://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-vs-aws/(Kapsule);https://www.scaleway.com/en/generative-apis/(1Mtokens);https://www.scaleway.com/en/docs/billing/concepts/(free-tierpolicy)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / students: no real free credit program found", "detail": "No .edu-based free credit or education license program exists on Scaleway's official site as of today. The closest offerings are: (1) 'Learning Instances' (Stardust class: 1 shared vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 GB storage, 100 Mbps; available only in FR-PAR-1 and NL-AMS-1, max 1 per AZ, limited monthly supply) — cheap, not free; (2) Scaleway Learning — paid certification (€300 ex-VAT exam, badges valid 2 years). No university agreement or student voucher surfaced on official pages.", "eligibility": "None education-specific. A student with a normal account gets the same offers as everyone (€100 trial requires Business type, 750 GB/90-day storage trial, monthly serverless free tiers).", "claim": "No student-only claim path exists; students use the standard new-account offers above.", "expiry": "", "gotchas": "Third-party 'student' listings (e.g., StudentPerks) only point back to the general startup program, not a student tier. Don't cite .edu eligibility that isn't documented.", "source_url": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-learning/;https://www.scaleway.com/fr/new-stardust-instances/(Englishequivalent:pricingforLearningInstancesunderVirtualInstances)", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "New-account free trial: €100 credit (Business/Professional account)", "link": "https://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-vs-aws/(trialFAQ+'€100freecredit'banner;mirroredonhttps://www.scaleway.com/en/generative-apis-signup/andhttps://www.scaleway.com/en/scaleway-vs-digitalocean/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "scylladb cloud trials", "name": "ScyllaDB Cloud trials", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.scylladb.com/cloud/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "30-day developer trial on small instances (e.g. t3.micro) + 48-hour production-grade evaluation; no permanent free tier" ], "notes": [ "Verified on ScyllaDB cloud pricing page 2026-10 — offers are time-boxed trials, not a free plan (the old '10 GB free forever' free tier is not listed)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "30-day Developer Free Trial (ScyllaDB Cloud)", "detail": "A 30-day free trial on small instances — the official pricing FAQ says 'A 30-day trial running on smaller instances (e.g., AWS t3.micro)', 'perfect for exploring the CQL interface and building prototypes'. Docs add: trial includes drivers and monitoring; trial clusters support Vector and Text Search at no cost but are limited to the smallest index node sizes (AWS t4g.medium, GCP e2-medium, 2 vCPU/4 GiB). 'The free trial is limited to one cluster per account.'", "eligibility": "Any user who registers a ScyllaDB Cloud account (no .edu email, no startup requirements). AWS and GCP; deployments supported in most AWS/GCP regions except restricted locations like China. No credit card is explicitly required for the trial itself — the docs quick-start says payment info is only prompted when creating a regular (paid) cluster ('If not already provided, the wizard will prompt you to provide the required payment information').", "claim": "1) Register an account at cloud.scylladb.com (auth.cloud.scylladb.com/oauth/account/login); 2) log in and click 'Free Trial'; 3) configure cluster (name, AWS or GCP, limited instance-type selection, optional Vector/Text Search); 4) launch and connect. One free trial per account.", "expiry": "30 days; not renewable — one trial per account, after which you must 'create a regular ScyllaDB Cloud cluster' on a paid plan (On-Demand, Flex Credit, or Contract).", "gotchas": "No SLA and no usual support during the trial. Not for production workloads. After expiry, upgrading to paid triggers payment-info entry. Instance type on the current pricing page (t3.micro) differs from docs trial-cluster sizes (t4g.medium/e2-medium) — the docs figures refer to the smallest vector/text-search index nodes, so confirm the available storage-instance list in the UI when you claim. Web-search budget for this session was exhausted partway through, so a couple of side checks (exact trial-instance list, current 48-h evaluation instance) could not be re-verified today.", "source_url": "https://www.scylladb.com/pricing/(FAQ)+https://cloud.docs.scylladb.com/stable/cloud-services/free-trial.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "48-hour Production Evaluation (ScyllaDB Cloud)", "detail": "'Production Evaluation: A 48-hour free trial of production-grade instances', 'designed for performance benchmarking and testing ScyllaDB's single-digit millisecond latency under real-world workloads' (current pricing-page FAQ). Launched April 2022 on a high-performance AWS i3.2xlarge instance with known limitations: no backup or repair, no multiple data centers, no cluster resize. Enabled for every ScyllaDB Cloud user since June 2022.", "eligibility": "Any registered ScyllaDB Cloud account; aimed at DevOps teams validating performance. Same AWS/GCP coverage as ScyllaDB Cloud (majority of commercially available regions except China and other restricted locations). No credit card explicitly required for the evaluation itself.", "claim": "Register a ScyllaDB Cloud account, log in, and start the production evaluation (per the 2022 launch post: 'Create a New Cluster' and select the free trial option in instance types; solutions architects are available to help design the 48-hour scenario).", "expiry": "48 hours; no renewal. After it ends, continue on a paid plan. No backup/repair during the window, so capture data yourself before expiry.", "gotchas": "Trial-grade: no SLA, no support commitment, no backup/repair, no multi-DC, no resize — data loss risk at expiry. The i3.2xlarge instance detail comes from the 2022 launch post; current docs only restate 'production-grade instances' without naming a type, so verify in the UI. Not available for actual production traffic.", "source_url": "https://www.scylladb.com/pricing/(FAQ)+https://www.scylladb.com/2022-04-13/scylladb-cloud-updates-for-april-2022/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "ScyllaDB Startup Program (12-month free Enterprise licensing)", "detail": "Free ScyllaDB licensing 'in accordance with our Master Software License Agreement' for 12 months. Official page: 'Enterprise-grade, hardened, full-featured, no ceiling on the scale of deployment', plus partner opportunities at no additional cost (virtual events, co-marketing collateral; in-person events possible with travel costs that may apply). A 2025 LinkedIn post by a ScyllaDB sales rep frames it as 'beyond the 50 vCPU / 10 TB free-tier cap' — that cap figure is unverified on any official page and should not be relied on.", "eligibility": "'A startup with less than $20M USD in total funding'. No company-age limit and no region limit stated on the official page. It is a licensing program (self-hosted / Bring Your Own Account), not a free ScyllaDB Cloud trial — free managed hosting is not included. No credit card required to apply.", "claim": "Go to https://lp.scylladb.com/startups and submit the application (page has an 'Apply here' link / #apply form).", "expiry": "12 months; renewal available 'if still within the funding threshold' (i.e., total funding still under $20M).", "gotchas": "Free license only: if you run it on AWS/GCP you still pay your cloud bill (or use BYOA). No end-of-term data policy is stated. The 50 vCPU/10 TB 'free-tier cap' referenced in marketing is not on any official page I could fetch — treat as unverified (my web-search budget ran out, so a deep-dive confirmation wasn't possible).", "source_url": "https://lp.scylladb.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "ScyllaDB University + free education resources (no .edu student license)", "detail": "ScyllaDB University (university.scylladb.com) is a free, self-paced NoSQL training platform: courses, videos, hands-on labs, and free accounts; free live 'ScyllaDB University LIVE' virtual trainings (e.g., 2025 editions) that are interactive and not available on-demand afterwards. There is no student-specific software license, no .edu-verified discount, and no dedicated education program found — scylladb.com/education/ is a 404, and no startup/education page appears on the pricing page.", "eligibility": "Anyone; a free University account is enough. No .edu email requirement. No credit card.", "claim": "Register at university.scylladb.com (free account) and take courses or join the next LIVE event listed there.", "expiry": "Ongoing; no expiry on course content. Free access to labs may use a free trial cluster (one per account, 30 days).", "gotchas": "This is learning content, not a free managed-database offer — the DB itself still comes from the 30-day trial or a paid license. Do not confuse with other vendors' student programs; ScyllaDB has no equivalent student-credit program found as of 2026-10-22.", "source_url": "https://university.scylladb.com/+https://www.scylladb.com/2025-03-25/scylladb-university-live-and-community-forum-updates/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No permanent free tier: the only recurring free offers are the two one-time trials (30-day dev trial, 48-hour production evaluation) and the 12-month Startup Program (licensing, under-$20M funded startups). 2025-2026 changes: (1) X Cloud (elastic, tablets-based) launched June 2025 with Flex Credit annual commitments — pricing model changes, but no free tier added; (2) Vector and Text Search became usable on free-trial clusters at no cost, with trial clusters limited to the smallest index node sizes (AWS t4g.medium, GCP e2-medium) and the trial capped at one cluster per account; (3) the 2022 trial definitions (t3.micro dev instance, i3.2xlarge prod evaluation) still appear in the pricing FAQ, while current docs no longer name the dev-trial instance type — the offer survived but its smallest-instance list now differs; (4) no student/education license program exists or was sunset — education/education-licensing offers were not found and scylladb.com/education/ returns 404; free education is via ScyllaDB University only. Note: session web-search budget was exhausted during this research, so instance-level details (current dev-trial instance types, any '50 vCPU / 10 TB' free-tier cap mentioned in a 2025 sales rep's LinkedIn post) are marked medium/unverified." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "30-day Developer Free Trial (ScyllaDB Cloud)", "link": "https://www.scylladb.com/pricing/(FAQ)+https://cloud.docs.scylladb.com/stable/cloud-services/free-trial.html", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "sendbird", "name": "Sendbird", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.sendbird.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free (developer) tier: up to 10K MAU, 2 apps, no card" ], "notes": [ "Group/1:1 messaging SDKs (open-source clients). HEDGED: verify current free limits." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Developer plan (forever-free chat tier)", "detail": "Official chat pricing page read 2026-10-22. MAU 'Up to 1,000'; peak concurrent connections 'Up to 20'; messages/month 'Unlimited'; message storage 'Unlimited'; retention '6 months' (longer retention is an Enterprise add-on); feature set 'All Pro features'; support 'Community support'; 'No overages allowed'; 'No credit card required'. Soft caps on MAU and PCC. Cap was raised 10x from 100 MAU in Jan 2026, so the prior '10K MAU' claim does NOT match the current published 1,000 MAU.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (individuals and students included). No credit card required, no company incorporation required, no .edu required. No region limit stated on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at sendbird.com/signup; in the subscription management page select the free Developer plan (you can switch to it at any point during the trial). Stays free and active as long as the account owner logs into the Sendbird dashboard at least once a year.", "expiry": "Indefinite / free forever. Account is kept active by logging into the dashboard once a year; otherwise it can be deactivated.", "gotchas": "'No overages allowed': exceeding the soft MAU/PCC cap blocks new chat until quotas reset at the start of the next calendar month. 6-month message retention only. Community support only. The '2 apps' figure from prior notes is not explicitly published for this tier (page says 'multiple apps under one organization' but gives no numeric cap). 10K MAU in prior notes is stale; current cap is 1,000 MAU.", "source_url": "https://www.sendbird.com/pricing/chat", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trial (Pro feature set)", "detail": "Time-boxed 30-day trial granting the paid/Pro chat feature set. After the trial you either convert to a paid plan (Starter ~$349/mo billed annually / $399 monthly) or switch to the free Developer plan. During the trial the MAU/PCC figures match the free tier (1,000 MAU / 20 PCC). No credit card required to start.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no company or .edu requirement; no region limit stated. Create a free account.", "claim": "Create a free account via the free-trial form (sendbird.com/form/free-trial). You get ~30 days of Pro features; to stay free, select the free Developer plan from the subscription management page at any point during the trial instead of a paid plan.", "expiry": "30 days, then must choose paid or the free Developer plan.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free distinction: the 30-day window is time-boxed and is the on-ramp; the Developer plan is the separate, unlimited-time free option. The exact 30-day duration and trial PCC/MAU were not printed on the trial form itself; they come from the Sendbird blog and a third-party tracker (frontdeskreview 2026-09-27).", "source_url": "https://sendbird.com/form/free-trial", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Sendbird for Startups — $5,000 API credit", "detail": "$5,000 in API/credit, valid 12 months. Stage: early (pre-seed/seed). Solo founder eligible; a company is required. Approval timeline ~1 week; difficulty 'medium' (reviewers favor high-growth potential and a clear monetization path). No funding cap or company-age cap is stated. Sources are two independent aggregators both marked 'Verified 2026'; the official program page could not be located (sendbird.com/startups and /for/startups returned 404 this session).", "eligibility": "Early-stage startups (pre-seed/seed), global, company incorporation required, solo founders eligible, no referral needed, subject to Sendbird's discretionary approval. No .edu path; it is a startup (not student) offer.", "claim": "Apply through Sendbird's startup-program application (no referral). Confirm current details with Sendbird directly, since the official public program page was not found during this check.", "expiry": "Credits valid 12 months from issuance.", "gotchas": "This is a credit grant, not a perpetual free tier; approval is discretionary. The $5,000 amount and eligibility are corroborated by aggregators (driftingdesk, startupflowai) but were not re-confirmed on an official Sendbird page this session (official page 404; search budget exhausted).", "source_url": "https://driftingdesk.com/startup-hub/communication/sendbird-for-startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education / student offer (absence finding)", "detail": "No dedicated education license, .edu discount, or student grant is publicly documented. Sendbird has an 'Education technology' solutions/marketing page targeting EdTech companies (classrooms, live lectures, 1:1 tutoring), but no free student license or .edu credential. Students access Sendbird only through the general free Developer plan and 30-day trial (no .edu required).", "eligibility": "N/A — no .edu-based or student-specific offer found.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim; students simply use the general free Developer plan / trial.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Absence finding: a student/education license is not publicly documented on Sendbird's site as of this check. If one is expected, it is not currently published.", "source_url": "https://sendbird.com/resources/sendbird-solutions-overview-for-education-technology", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes: (1) Jan 2026 — Sendbird raised the free Developer plan's MAU cap 10x, from 100 to 1,000 (PCC now 20). Prior notes claiming \"10K MAU\" do not match the current published cap of 1,000 MAU. (2) Jan 2026 — Sendbird repositioned its main pricing page around an \"AI Agent\" flagship and a consumption/AI-chatbot pricing model, and added a promotional bundle to Starter/Pro/Enterprise (30K in-app messages + 1K AI chatbot credits). A pricing tracker flagged the \"Developer plan (Free, 100 MAU)\" as \"removed\" during a page restructure between AI-chatbot and Chat products, but the Chat free Developer plan (now 1,000 MAU) remains available on sendbird.com/pricing/chat. (3) No public education license found; if one existed it is no longer publicly documented. Research caveat: the WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so the $5,000 startup credit rests on third-party aggregators (official page 404'd) and the trial duration/MAU figures rely on the Sendbird blog + a third-party tracker; the free Developer plan numbers were read directly from the official pricing/chat page today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Developer plan (forever-free chat tier)", "link": "https://www.sendbird.com/pricing/chat", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "sendpulse", "name": "SendPulse", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free: 15,000 subscribers, 150 emails/day (15,000/mo), 1 user" ], "notes": [ "Bundles email + SMS + push + live chat + WhatsApp on one free plan; one of the largest free contact counts." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Email Marketing Free Plan (free-forever)", "detail": "Free tier: up to 500 subscribers, up to 15,000 emails/month, 3 sender addresses, 250 MB image storage, 5 automated flows (50 elements/flow, 1 event), 100 email-address verifications, multichannel subscription forms, full analytics, integrations (Make, Zapier, WordPress, Shopify, Creatio), API and webhooks. 24/7 email/help-desk support; live chat support only 30 days from registration. Paid entry: Standard $9.60/mo billed annually. Correction to the 'known so far' note: the cap is 500 subscribers (not 15,000); 15,000 is the monthly email volume, not a 150/day figure.", "eligibility": "Anyone, worldwide; no student or startup requirement. Single-user plan (no team seat on Free).", "claim": "Sign up at sendpulse.com: 'Create a free account. No credit card required.' Free plan is the default plan automatically on the account; nothing to activate. No CC, no phone required.", "expiry": "Permanent free plan; no expiry. Support window: 30 days of live chat from registration.", "gotchas": "Free-tier emails carry SendPulse branding; no A/B testing, no scheduled sending, no payment processing in emails, no reengagement emails, no tags/dynamic segmentation. As of Sep 2025: max 5 mailing lists, only the default subscription-confirmation (double opt-in) template, and no new custom tracking domains (existing ones grandfathered). Chat support drops off after 30 days; email support remains.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Transactional Email / SMTP Free Tier", "detail": "Separate free meter: 12,000 transactional emails/month, 50 emails/hour, 2 authenticated domains, DKIM/SPF/DMARC records, SMTP relay and API sending. 'On the SMTP Test plan, you can add 1 authenticated domain' — free test entry before the free plan. No time-boxed trial; this is the ongoing free (Basic) tier.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no CC required ('No credit card required' on the SMTP pricing page).", "claim": "Create account (no CC) and use SMTP/API under the free Basic plan automatically. Paid: Pro 100k/mo $59.88/mo billed annually; pay-as-you-go from $15 per 10,000 emails (valid 12 months).", "expiry": "Permanent free tier; no expiry.", "gotchas": "Free SMTP is throttled to 50 emails/hour and free-plan emails must be <=1 MB; separate meter from the 15,000-email bulk campaign free tier — you pay for both meters if you use both. 30-day chat support only.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/smtp", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Web Push Notifications Free (Basic) Plan", "detail": "Free Basic web-push plan: up to 10,000 push subscribers, unlimited web push notifications, HTTP/HTTPS support, RSS-to-push, automated message series, personalized messages. No credit card required; 30 days of chat support.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a website/app; no student or startup requirement.", "claim": "Sign up for free (no CC) at sendpulse.com and add the web push tool to your account; Basic is the default free tier. Pro: $24/mo ($19.20/mo billed annually) for 30,000 subscribers.", "expiry": "Permanent free plan; 30-day chat-support window only.", "gotchas": "Free plan is branded; 10k-subscriber cap; no API access, segmentation, A/B testing or Automation 360 integration on free; chat support ends at 30 days.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/webpush", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Chatbot Builder Free (Basic) Plan", "detail": "Free Basic chatbot plan (messenger bots: Facebook, Telegram, etc.): up to 500 subscribers, up to 10,000 messages/month across all bots, 3 chatbots, 10 variables, 10 triggers, unlimited flows, limited API access, premade templates. No credit card required.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no student or startup requirement.", "claim": "Sign up free (no CC); chatbot tool's Basic plan is the default free tier. Pro from $9.60/mo billed annually removes message caps.", "expiry": "Permanent free plan; 30-day chat-support window only.", "gotchas": "Message caps are shared across all 3 bots; WhatsApp/Viber campaign sends are billed at operator rates and are excluded from grants; 30-day chat support only.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/messengers", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "CRM Free Plan", "detail": "Free SendPulse CRM: account owner plus up to 4 invited users, up to 2 sales pipelines, up to 2 boards.", "eligibility": "Anyone on a SendPulse account; no CC required to create the account.", "claim": "Available in-account on the free tier automatically (documented in SendPulse's official knowledge base, 'Pricing plan basics').", "expiry": "Permanent free plan; no expiry.", "gotchas": "Documented in the knowledge base rather than the main pricing page; limits are small (4 team users, 2 pipelines/boards).", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/knowledge-base/account-settings/billing/pricing-plan-basics", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "SMS Free Trial (10 test SMS) — pay-as-you-go model", "detail": "No free SMS plan or subscription: bulk SMS is pure prepaid pay-as-you-go ('There are no pricing plans for the SMS service'). New signups get 10 test SMS free ('Sign up and send 10 test SMS for free!'). Per-message rates per country (e.g. US $0.024, DE $0.086, PL $0.031; 200 countries). Optional SMS Bot add-on: $3.50 setup + $3.50/mo + $0.024 per outgoing message.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card required to register (prepaid top-ups accept Visa/Mastercard/PayPal).", "claim": "Register (no CC) and click 'Add funds'; the 10 free test SMS are available to new accounts for evaluation.", "expiry": "10-SMS trial is one-time on registration; prepaid funds expire per SendPulse policy (12 months for purchased email credits; SMS top-ups similar).", "gotchas": "After 10 test messages, every SMS costs money — it is a trial sample, not an ongoing free tier. SMS marketing is explicitly excluded from the startup grant. SMS Bot add-on has separate recurring costs.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/sms", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup Program: $5,000 Credit Grant ('Offer for Startups')", "detail": "SendPulse startup grant: $5,000 in SendPulse marketing credits loaded into the account's bonus balance, usable for any SendPulse tool over 12 months, EXCEPT email verifier, SMS marketing, and WhatsApp/Viber campaigns. Review takes 1-3 business days; unused credits expire after the year. No funding cap, headcount cap, or region limit is stated on the page (team size is collected as a form field: <5 to >50). Accelerators/startup hubs have a partner channel (inquiries ok@sendpulse.com).", "eligibility": "All four required: (1) launched within the past 3 years; (2) offers an innovative product; (3) NOT an eCommerce project/online business; (4) no history of using paid SendPulse plans. No .edu or student criterion. No credit card required for signup or the grant form.", "claim": "Submit the form at sendpulse.com/startup: startup name, website, applicant name, team size, country of registration, SendPulse account email, optional accelerator, short comment. 1-3 business day review, then the $5,000 is credited to your bonus balance.", "expiry": "Grant credits: valid 12 months from award, then forfeited. Program itself: still live as of page's 2026 copyright.", "gotchas": "The $5,000 is marketing-tool credit, not cash or a discount — it buys SendPulse services only and does not cover SMS marketing or WhatsApp/Viber. The 3-year company-age rule excludes most funded/later-stage startups; eCommerce is explicitly excluded. Unused balance is forfeited at the 12-month mark. Page carries 2026 copyright; no announced 2025-2026 changes to amount or terms.", "source_url": "https://sendpulse.com/startup", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Email Marketing Free Plan (free-forever)", "link": "https://sendpulse.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "sentry developer plan", "name": "Sentry Developer Plan", "fronts": [ "observability", "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://sentry.io/pricing/", "https://sentry.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "5K errors + 5M spans + 50 session replays + 5 GB logs/month, 1 user; free forever", "Free Developer plan: 1 user, 5,000 errors/mo, 5M spans, 50 session replays, 5GB logs, 10 custom dashboards; Team plan from $26/mo" ], "notes": [ "2025-08-27 change cut included spans 10M→5M and added 5GB logs to all plans; free stays 1 user. Separate 'Sentry for Open Source' program gives OSS maintainers a free plan with Business features.", "2025-08-27 pricing overhaul introduced 5GB logs quotas and cut base spans 10M to 5M; 2026-09 legacy Developer plans migrated to the current free Developer plan (still free, spans-based tracing). 1-user cap is the real limit. Verified at sentry.io/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Sentry Developer Plan (Free) — perpetual free tier", "detail": "Sentry's 'Developer (Free)' plan is free forever: 5,000 errors/mo, 5,000,000 spans/mo, 50 session replays/mo, 5 GB logs/mo, 5 GB application metrics/mo, 1 uptime monitor, 1 cron monitor, 20 metric monitors, 10 custom dashboards, 1 GB attachments, 100 Size Analysis builds, 30-day data retention/lookback, unlimited projects, data residency available. NOT included on this tier: UI Profiling, Continuous Profiling. Pricing page tagline: 'Start free on the Developer plan forever.' Free plan is one of four tiers: Developer (free), Team, Business, Enterprise.", "eligibility": "Anyone (open registration, no .edu email or startup status required — students and startups qualify on equal footing with everyone else). Hard cap: 1 user. No region limits stated; data residency offered. Credit card NOT required.", "claim": "Sign up free at https://sentry.io/signup (create org, add projects, paste DSN into apps). No credit card, no trial needed, no eligibility gate.", "expiry": "Never — explicitly 'forever' on the pricing page; no sunset clause published.", "gotchas": "Monthly quotas are hard caps: events/attachments over quota are simply not accepted (silent data loss, e.g., a single crash bug can blow 5K errors in a day). 1 user = any teammate needs Team ($29/mo or $26/mo annual) or Business ($89/mo or $80/mo annual). If you trial Business and don't upgrade, you are silently downgraded to this tier with limits on features.", "source_url": "https://sentry.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day Business free trial for all new accounts", "detail": "Per docs.sentry.io/pricing: 'All new Sentry accounts come with a 14-day free trial period' — the initial trial is the Business plan ('the initial 14-day Business trial'). During it you have Business-plan features (unlimited users, unlimited dashboards, SAML/SCIM, 90-day retention, etc.). Pricing page: 'try Business for 14 days with no credit card.' No dollar trial credits exist — it is a time-boxed plan trial, not a credit balance.", "eligibility": "Every new Sentry org/account, one time. No .edu, startup, or region conditions stated; credit card explicitly NOT required.", "claim": "Just create a new Sentry account (sentry.io/signup). All new accounts get it automatically; no application or credit card. Upgrade via Settings > Billing if you choose to stay on Business ($89/mo monthly, $80/mo annual).", "expiry": "14 days from account creation. After it ends: 'Users who haven't upgraded by the end of their free trial will remain on the free Developer plan with limited features.' No auto-billing since no card is on file.", "gotchas": "Trial is 14 days of Business features, then downgrade to the 1-user/5K-error Developer caps — if your app is error-heavy, expect dropped events post-trial. New accounts can only request the separate one-time product trial on day 15 (after this trial ends).", "source_url": "https://docs.sentry.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "One-time 14-day product trials (incl. Seer AI debugger) — unlimited events during trial", "detail": "Sentry offers a one-time 14-day trial of individual products not already in your plan. Docs: 'During your 14-day product trial, you'll be able to send us an unlimited number of events' and 'You won't be billed for any data you've used during the 14-day trial period.' This includes add-on/subscription products (e.g., Seer AI debugger trial — the docs reference a dedicated Seer trial, with no published duration/eligibility beyond the general rules; Seer itself is a paid subscription, current pricing $40/active contributor/month after legacy pricing was sunset Jan 2026). No dollar-value trial credits exist.", "eligibility": "Per product, once per org ('each org can only trial each product once'). Free (Developer) accounts may request at any time; new accounts from day 15; Team/Business for products outside their plan. No credit card requirement stated; no .edu/startup conditions.", "claim": "Request from the org (Settings > Billing/plan area, 'request a product trial'; Seer via 'Start Trial' in Settings). Free accounts: any time; new accounts: day 15; existing Team/Business: any time for products not in their plan.", "expiry": "14 days per product trial; strictly one-time per product per org — a second request is not possible.", "gotchas": "'Unlimited events' applies only inside the 14-day window; afterwards the product is paid or unusable. Trial-vs-free gotcha: this is a time-boxed add-on trial, not a free plan. Seer-specific trial terms aren't fully published (see sunset notes re: Seer pricing change).", "source_url": "https://docs.sentry.io/pricing/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Sentry-specific education, student (.edu), startup, or nonprofit discount program was found on any official page checked today: sentry.io/education/, sentry.io/startups/ and sentry.io/nonprofit/ are not real program pages (machine-UI 404s), and neither the current pricing docs (docs.sentry.io/pricing) nor the legacy pricing docs mention any such program. The free offers for students/startups are therefore the general-purpose ones above (Developer free plan + 14-day trials), which carry no special eligibility. 2025-2026 changes: (1) Legacy Seer pricing ($20/month + $25 event credits) stopped being offered as an add-on as of January 2026; current Seer is $40/active contributor/month — so the 'Seer free credits' offer is gone. (2) The entire pre-June-11-2024 pricing structure (including legacy 'Performance Units' for spans) was replaced by per-product quotas (errors/spans/replays/logs/metrics as separate lines) — a 2024 change, kept as context. No 2025-2026 changes to the Developer free plan or the 14-day trials were found on the current pages (verified 2026-10-22). Paid reference points: Team $29/mo monthly or $26/mo annual (50K errors/mo, 90-day retention, unlimited users); Business $89/mo monthly or $80/mo annual; Enterprise custom. Note: web search was unavailable this session (budget exhausted), so the 'no education/startup program' conclusion rests on direct page checks of sentry.io + docs.sentry.io rather than a full web sweep." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Sentry Developer Plan (Free) — perpetual free tier", "link": "https://sentry.io/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "sglang", "name": "SGLang", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang" ], "offers": [ "Free, Apache-2.0 inference engine (RadixAttention, structured generation, speculative decoding) — run your own high-throughput LLM serving at $0 on any GPU" ], "notes": [ "Actively sponsored for compute (e.g., by Verda/DataCrunch) in 2026; the license remains free. Complementary, not competing, with Ollama/llama.cpp — SGLang targets high-throughput serving and RL training workloads." ], "findings": [ { "name": "SGLang open-source inference engine (Apache-2.0) — permanently free", "detail": "SGLang is a fully open-source LLM/VLM/diffusion serving engine (RadixAttention prefix caching, structured generation, speculative decoding) under Apache-2.0: $0 license, no subscription, no per-token/seat fees, unlimited usage, indefinite. 'Free' here means the software; you still pay for your own GPU compute (e.g., ~$3.39/hr median on-demand H100 as of Sep 2026). The commercial backer RadixArk (launched May 2026, $100M seed at $400M valuation) sells managed services, but the open engine remains free. No free tier, trial, education license, or startup program exists on SGLang's official site (verified sglang.io 2026-10-22: no pricing page, no student/startup program; only 'enterprise adoption/consulting/sponsorship' contact at sglang@lmsys.org).", "eligibility": "Anyone, anywhere — no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region limits. Open-source license is unconditional (Apache-2.0). Students get the identical free software as enterprises.", "claim": "git clone or pip install/uv sglang (or Docker image) from https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang; run on any supported GPU/TPU/NPU/CPU (A100/H100/H200/B200/MI300X/TPU v6e-v7/Apple Silicon etc.). No account, no signup, no key.", "expiry": "Permanent (open-source license; no expiry). Ecosystem sub-projects (SGLang Diffusion, SGLang-Omni, SpecForge, HiCache/Mooncake) are in the same repo/organization and open-sourced too.", "gotchas": "The $0 software does NOT cover compute: GPU rental is the real cost (on-demand H100 ~$3.39/hr; below ~2.5-3B tokens/mo a per-token API is usually cheaper). Model weights for served models come from other labs — some models (e.g., certain gated LLMs) require their own license acceptance. Third-party 'pricing' sites (costbench, aiindigo, aitoolsatlas) describe a '$0 free tier' but aitoolsatlas's 'education pricing available' claim is generic boilerplate, not a real SGLang program. The 'median contract $51,500/yr' figure on costbench refers to RadixArk commercial managed deals, not the free engine.", "source_url": "https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AMD Developer Cloud free MI300X credits (~$100 / ~50 hrs) via SGLang partner guide", "detail": "AMD Developer Cloud has offered free MI300X GPU access to developers, and SGLang's own project posted (2026-03-17) a guide to run a full stack (Qwen3.5-122B-A10B-FP8 served via SGLang in one Docker command, selectable in OpenClaw's onboarding CLI) 'at zero cost' on a single MI300X, quantified as ~$100 AMD Developer Cloud credits (~50 hrs of MI300X). AMD replied to the post confirming the guide. This is partner-sourced free compute, not an SGLang program.", "eligibility": "AMD Developer Cloud account holders (developer sign-up); guide is aimed at any developer/student/startup building an agent stack — no .edu requirement stated, no funding cap. US-based cloud (AMD data centers); account verification typically required.", "claim": "Sign up at devcloud.amd.com, apply for the free MI300X trial/credits, then follow SGLang's published guide (shared 2026-03-17 on the SGLang LinkedIn, shortened link lnkd.in/g2UZFehh) to deploy Qwen3.5-122B-A10B-FP8 via SGLang in one Docker command.", "expiry": "Credits are promotional and time-boxed; ~50 hrs / $100 figure is from the Mar 2026 post — exact expiry window not confirmed (AMD's pages are JS-only and I could not read official terms today; search budget exhausted).", "gotchas": "Not an SGLang-owned program — terms/limits/credits can change or be revoked by AMD; capacity on MI300X instances is limited and often queued; data egress/model-download costs may apply; 'free' applies only while credits last, after which MI300X time is metered. Verify current credit amounts at devcloud.amd.com before relying on this.", "source_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sgl-project_openclaw-on-amd-developer-cloud-free-deployment-activity-7439770026288594944-0tOc", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No SGLang-specific free offer was sunset or materially changed in 2025-2026: there is no SGLang free tier, trial credit, startup program, or education license to sunset — the 'free offer' is the Apache-2.0 software itself, which is permanent. Material 2025-2026 context: (1) the commercial entity RadixArk launched May 2026 ($100M seed, $400M valuation) with managed-inference/managed-training services on top of the open core — at this date it has announced no startup or education program, so nothing free exists on that front to claim; (2) SGLang joined the PyTorch ecosystem during 2025; (3) a free-compute path via partner AMD Developer Cloud (MI300X, ~$100/~50 hrs) was highlighted by the SGLang project in March 2026, but AMD's official terms could not be read (JS-only pages) and web-search budget was exhausted, so treat that figure as unverified current. Third-party discount sites claiming SGLang 'education pricing' (e.g., aitoolsatlas.ai) are auto-generated generic text, not a real program." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "SGLang open-source inference engine (Apache-2.0) — permanently free", "link": "https://github.com/sgl-project/sglang", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "signoz", "name": "SigNoz", "fronts": [ "observability", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://signoz.io/pricing", "https://signoz.io/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Open-source Observability (OpenTelemetry-native: metrics+traces+logs) self-hosted free; SigNoz Cloud free trial (~50 GB ingest, 30 days)", "Self-hosted Community edition free (all features, no caps); SigNoz Cloud: 30-day free trial, no credit card; Teams plan from $49/mo including $49 of usage" ], "notes": [ "Full open source under AGPL; free self-hosted. Managed cloud has a free trial then paid. Popular as a Datadog alternative.", "May 2025 change: cloud minimum cut from $199 to $49/mo; usage $0.30/GB logs+traces, $0.10/mn metric samples. Third parties report a startup deal (~$19/mo first 12 months, <3 yrs old, <30 employees, <$6M raised) — verify on vendor site." ], "findings": [ { "name": "SigNoz Cloud 30-day free trial (no credit card)", "detail": "Managed SigNoz Cloud workspaces available in US, EU, or India: \"Get a 30-day trial with no credit card required\" (signoz.io/teams). SigNoz docs FAQ (signoz.io/docs/faqs/general): when the trial expires with no payment method added, the deployment is deleted after a 7-day grace period (with email reminders); data cannot be recovered after deletion; an expired trial can only be reactivated via support (cloud-support@signoz.io). Trial accounts are rate-limited at the ingestion side: \"You are sending data at more than 100 RPS, your ingestion may be rate limited\". Post-trial pricing: Teams plan from $49/month including $49 of usage; overage at $0.30/GB logs or traces and $0.10/million metric samples; retention 15 days logs/traces, 1 month metrics on base plans (longer retention: 15/30/90/180 days or 1 year for logs/traces, 1/3/6/13 months for metrics, via support, affects pricing); Enterprise from $4000/month.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone who signs up (no .edu, no startup criteria, no credit card during trial). Workspaces served from US, EU, India data centers. No student-only or startup-only trial variant found.", "claim": "Sign up at signoz.io/teams (\"Get Started - Free\" CTA): create account, choose a data source, instrument with OpenTelemetry and visualize. To keep the workspace after day 30, add a credit card under Settings > Billing before the trial or 7-day grace period ends.", "expiry": "30 days from signup, then a 7-day grace period; after that the workspace and all data are deleted (irrecoverable; reactivation only via support). Trial does not renew automatically.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a perpetual free tier. No trial ingestion cap in GB is published on any official page I fetched today - the previously circulated \"~50 GB ingest\" limit could NOT be confirmed; the only documented trial cap is the ~100 RPS ingestion rate limit. Adding a credit card \"does not charge you during the trial period\" (docs FAQ), but a card becomes required to continue use. Cancelling a subscription deletes the workspace and its data with no restore. Each additional workspace bills separately; no consolidated billing across workspaces.", "source_url": "https://signoz.io/teams/(trialtermsdetail:https://signoz.io/docs/faqs/general/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "SigNoz Startup Program - $19/month for 12 months", "detail": "Eligible startups pay $19/month for SigNoz Cloud for the first 12 months instead of the $49/month Teams minimum, and that $19 includes $19 of telemetry usage each month; consumption beyond the included amount is billed at standard published rates ($0.30/GB logs or traces, $0.10/million metric samples). Roughly $19 of usage equals ~63 GB of logs or traces per month. No end date or sunset is stated on the page; the program was live as of 2026-10-22.", "eligibility": "All three must hold: company less than 3 years old, fewer than 30 employees, and less than $6 million raised. No .edu/student eligibility; no credit-card requirement stated; no region limit stated. The page does not document how eligibility is verified (self-declared at signup vs. reviewed).", "claim": "Go to signoz.io/startups and click the \"Start your free trial\" CTA (routes to the signoz.io/teams signup). The $19 rate applies for the first 12 months of an eligible company's SigNoz Cloud subscription. Confirm the startup rate on your first invoice; contact support@signoz.io if the discount is not applied.", "expiry": "The $19/month rate lasts 12 months, after which standard pricing applies (Teams from $49/month including $49 of usage). Program itself has no published expiry or sunset date.", "gotchas": "Includes only $19 of usage/month - a startup shipping more telemetry will get bill overages at standard rates. The startup price is anchored to the $49 Teams minimum, which was cut from $199/month to $49/month in May 2025 (see sunset notes), so the effective discount relative to the old baseline is much larger than $30/month. No documented review process or appeal path; eligibility claims are not machine-verifiable.", "source_url": "https://signoz.io/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-Hosted Community Edition - free open-source observability", "detail": "SigNoz is an open-source, OpenTelemetry-native platform (metrics, traces, logs in one datastore, out-of-box APM dashboards) that you can self-host free of charge: \"Get started with Community Edition\" (signoz.io/pricing). Install via Docker Compose/Swarm, Linux install, or Kubernetes/Helm (including AWS, GCP, AKS, DigitalOcean guides; see signoz.io/docs/install/docker, /install/kubernetes). The pricing-page FAQ \"What is the difference between SigNoz Cloud (Teams) and Community Edition?\" frames the difference as: self-host the community edition yourself vs. Cloud adds managed operation plus SSO & SAML support and help configuring dashboards/alerts. There are no published data caps on the self-hosted edition - you provide your own infrastructure (ClickHouse storage, OTel collector resources are your cost). Retention is configurable per-workspace in Settings > Retention Controls. The docs product FAQ describes SigNoz as a \"full-stack open source APM tool\" and open source alternative to SaaS APMs. OSS license name could not be verified today (GitHub pages were unreachable from this environment).", "eligibility": "No eligibility requirement: no .edu email, no credit card, no company age/funding cap - anyone, including students and startups, can self-host. Practically it requires your own server/container infrastructure (Linux/Mac/containers; the team does not support Windows installs per docs FAQ, so use containers on Windows).", "claim": "No account or payment: download/deploy via Docker Compose or the Helm chart per signoz.io/docs/install/; point OpenTelemetry SDKs/collectors at your endpoint (gRPC 4317 / HTTP 4318, no ingestion key needed, TLS off by default).", "expiry": "No expiry or renewal - community edition is an ongoing open-source project; no sunset date published. Ongoing cost is your infrastructure (compute/storage), not a license fee.", "gotchas": "\"Free\" means no software license fee; you bear infrastructure, storage, query-performance and ops cost, and any egress you arrange. The OSS license text could not be re-verified today (GitHub fetches returned 404 from this environment) - verify the repo license before commercial use if that matters. Self-hosted build lacks Cloud-only add-ons like SSO/SAML and managed help; long-term retention and high RPS are constrained by your own hardware. To leave SigNoz later, OpenTelemetry-native data makes exporting out easier, but a self-hosted-to-Cloud migration is a supported (one-way) path.", "source_url": "https://signoz.io/pricing(install:https://signoz.io/docs/install/docker/,https://signoz.io/docs/install/kubernetes/)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Teams price cut (May 2025): SigNoz cut the SigNoz Cloud Teams minimum from $199/month to $49/month, with $49 of usage now included at that price (blog: \"Cloud Teams Plan Now at $49\", with 2025/05 asset in page; per-unit rates unchanged at $0.30/GB logs/traces, $0.10/mn metric samples; the $19 startup price sits off this new baseline). 2) The previously cited free-trial figure of \"~50 GB ingest\" could NOT be found on any official page fetched today (signoz.io/pricing, /teams/, docs FAQs, cost-control docs); the only trial limit documented today is the ~100 RPS ingestion rate threshold - treat any \"~50 GB\" claim as unverified. 3) No student/education license or program exists on signoz.io as of 2026-10-22 (checked pricing, homepage, /startups/, docs FAQs, and the corporate sitemap, which lists no education/academic page). 4) No perpetual free SigNoz Cloud tier - \"Get Started - Free\" is the 30-day trial. 5) No standalone free Uptime/CDN offering found: uptime monitoring in SigNoz is a dashboard-template feature, not a separate free SaaS tier. 6) Method note: search-engine cross-checks were unavailable this session (shared WebSearch budget exhausted); verification was done directly against official signoz.io pages, docs .md endpoints, the corporate/product sitemaps, and SigNoz's own blog. GitHub (for the OSS license name) was unreachable from this environment and is the one claim left unverified." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "SigNoz Cloud 30-day free trial (no credit card)", "link": "https://signoz.io/teams/(trialtermsdetail:https://signoz.io/docs/faqs/general/)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "simple analytics free plan", "name": "Simple Analytics Free Plan", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free Hobby plan: 1 user, up to 5 websites, 1 month of history, no credit card; paid self-serve from €20/mo usage-based" ], "notes": [ "New free Hobby tier (added 2025-26) for small personal sites — previously Simple Analytics was paid-only with trials. 14-day self-serve trial unlocks advanced features; enterprise gets a free 30-day POC. Verified at simpleanalytics.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free plan (hobby tier), free forever", "detail": "Free plan at $0/€0 'Free forever', targeted at side projects and blogs. Exact limits read today: 1 user, up to 5 websites, 1-month data history ('the last 30 days'). Unlimited pageviews subject to a fair-use policy. Exclusions: no events, no goals, no Stats API access. A Simple Analytics badge must remain in the site footer (customizable at /badges); badge checks start ~14 days after the site's first analytics visit and run roughly every 30 days — a missing badge gives a 14-day warning, then locks dashboard data, API, exports, public dashboards and embedded charts while event collection continues. Paid plans do not require the badge; upgrading removes the obligation.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card required, no region limits, no student/startup status needed. For hobby sites, not commercial use in practice.", "claim": "Sign up at simpleanalytics.com (#signup / pricing page) and select the Free plan; no card, no payment. Generate and embed the badge from the /badges builder, keep it visible and linking back to Simple Analytics on every page.", "expiry": "Indefinite ('Free forever'); the badge is the funding mechanism — the badge page states it keeps the Free plan available, so the offer is tied to continued badge display.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: this is a permanent free tier, not a trial. No CC required. Gotchas: mandatory badge with lockout (data/API/export locked, collection continues) if removed; only 30 days of history; 1 user / 5 websites; events, goals and APIs are paid features only; 'unlimited' pageviews are capped by an unquantified fair-use policy.", "source_url": "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing/(plushttps://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing.mdandhttps://docs.simpleanalytics.com/free-plan-badge,allfetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial of paid self-serve plans, no credit card", "detail": "Self-serve paid (Simple) plans: usage-based tiers by combined pageviews + events/month. pricing.md (USD): $15/mo ≤20k, $20/mo ≤100k, $30/mo ≤250k, $40/mo ≤500k, $60/mo ≤1M, $80/mo ≤2M, $120/mo ≤5M, $160/mo ≤10M, then +$16 per extra 1M. Yearly billing = 10× monthly (2 months free). 1 user included, +$20/mo per extra user, up to 10 websites, 3 email reports, 3 years (1,096 days) of data retention. 14-day trial with no credit card required and 'advanced features' unrestricted; payment details only after the trial.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no card required to start the trial. Paid plans are for production/commercial use (free tier is for hobby).", "claim": "Start from the signup/pricing page, pick a paid tier, complete the 14-day trial (no CC), then add payment. Annual plans: pay 10× monthly for 2 months free.", "expiry": "Trial is fixed 14 days; no auto-renew during trial; cancel any time, access retained through paid period.", "gotchas": "It's a trial, not a free tier — CC/payment is required after 14 days. Usage-based overage: fees follow pageviews+events volume; for yearly plans data points reset after a year and excess emails a notice. Numbers differ between the HTML page (shown as €20/mo base with a 100k–2.5M slider) and pricing.md (USD tiers from $15/mo, up to 10M+) — likely currency display vs. the machine-readable list; treat pricing.md as the exact tier schedule. Bitcoin payment adds +10% surcharge (yearly only); bank transfer bills ≥€500 add +10%.", "source_url": "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing/andhttps://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing.md(fetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student, education, or startup program exists", "detail": "Verified today: no student/education license, .edu email offer, startup program or funding-cap offer appears anywhere on the official site. The homepage navigation lists no such page; /startups and /education both return HTTP 404; the pricing page and machine-readable pricing.md explicitly contain no mention of student, education, startup or nonprofit discounts; docs billing sections (change-plan, cancel-account, free-plan-badge) have none either.", "eligibility": "N/A — no program exists to claim. Students and startups can only use the universal Free plan or the 14-day trial.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; both candidate URLs 404 and no signup path, email offer or discount code is advertised.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "If a student/startup offer was ever rumored, it is not present on the site as of 2026-10-22; do not assume .edu discounts (no education license found).", "source_url": "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/(nav,fetched2026-10-22)+404sat/startups,/education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Enterprise 30-day free proof-of-concept (assisted)", "detail": "Enterprise tier (custom pricing) offers a free 30-day assisted POC run alongside GA4 — setup support, proxy and custom-domain assistance included, campaign comparisons, API & BI access. Not self-serve: it is arranged by booking a demo. Also available as a free evaluation path, though aimed at larger organizations rather than students/startups.", "eligibility": "Organizations pursuing Enterprise; arranged via demo/consultation, not self-serve; no student/startup-specific criteria published.", "claim": "Book an Enterprise demo; the 30-day POC runs in parallel with GA4 with assisted setup at no cost.", "expiry": "Fixed 30 days; after POC, custom-pricing engagement.", "gotchas": "Not a free tier: post-POC pricing is custom/procurement-based, and security/compliance/SSO workflows (Okta, Microsoft Entra) sit in Enterprise docs.", "source_url": "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing/andhttps://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing.md(fetched2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No 2025–2026 sunset of any student/startup/education program found: the Free plan is marketed as 'Free forever' and no such program page exists (/startups, /education both 404; no mention in pricing, pricing.md, docs or homepage). No plan-structure change announcements appear in the blog index page 1 fetched 2026-10-22 (its 2025 posts cover EU consent/GDPR topics, not pricing). The notable 2025–2026-era structure visible today is the usage-based self-serve tier ladder in pricing.md ($15–$160/mo by pageviews+events, yearly = 10× monthly) versus the HTML pricing page's €20/mo base display — a currency/display discrepancy rather than a confirmed price cut; if exact EUR numbers are needed, check the live pricing page in EUR locale. Verification caveat: live web search was unavailable for this run (session search budget exhausted), so all verification was done by fetching the official site's pages directly on 2026-10-22; no third-party or archive corroboration was possible." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free plan (hobby tier), free forever", "link": "https://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing/(plushttps://www.simpleanalytics.com/pricing.mdandhttps://docs.simpleanalytics.com/free-plan-badge,allfetched2026-10-22)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "snowflake", "name": "Snowflake", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Snowflake free trial (general sign-up, not student- or startup-specific)", "detail": "The official trial docs page says the trial lasts 30 days from sign-up or until the free balance runs out, whichever comes first. Sign-up needs only an email address and no payment details. The exact dollar credit amount was NOT confirmed in this run: the fetched page summary says only 'free credits', so the $400 figure is unverified. No student or startup eligibility criteria were found on the fetched pages.", "eligibility": "Any new person who signs up for a trial account. No student or startup verification or criteria were found.", "claim": "Use the 'Start for free' sign-up button linked from the Snowflake pricing-options page (or the trial docs) and register with an email address. No payment details are needed at sign-up.", "expiry": "30 days from sign-up, or earlier if the free credit balance is used up.", "gotchas": "AI features stay off until a credit card is added. A card is also needed to upgrade or to reinstate a suspended trial. This is a general trial, not a student or startup program, so it does not answer the student or startup question by itself. The $400 amount is unverified.", "source_url": "https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/admin-trial-account", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student or startup free-credit program was verified. The Snowflake startups URL (https://www.snowflake.com/en/data-cloud/startups/) returned a 404 when fetched. The pricing-options page (https://www.snowflake.com/en/data-cloud/pricing-options/) mentions no trial dollar amount and no student or startup program. All four WebSearch calls failed because the session's web search budget was used up, so the 2025-2026 status of any student or startup program is unverified and no search-based check was possible. A WebFetch of the full trial docs page failed on an output-size limit; a narrower fetch of the same page succeeded and gave the 30-day and no-payment facts. The $400 figure remains unconfirmed. Re-run with search budget available to check for Snowflake student or startup offers and to confirm the current dollar amount." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Snowflake free trial (general sign-up, not student- or startup-specific)", "link": "https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/admin-trial-account", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "square", "name": "Square", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://developer.squareup.com/" ], "offers": [ "Free developer sandbox/test mode and no monthly or annual fees; pay-per-transaction on live (2.9% + 30c per card via Square's payments APIs; ACH per transfer)." ], "notes": [ "Expansion beyond the seed list (added as a well-known payments-API dev tool). Free sandbox; monetization is per-transaction. 2026: Square has an official MCP server. Verify current rates on Square's pricing page before relying on them." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Square Sandbox (free test environment)", "detail": "The Square developer docs describe the Sandbox as 'a free, isolated server environment' at base URL https://connect.squareupsandbox.com, provisioned per application in the Developer Console. The page states: 'Use of the Sandbox environment is free of charge' and you can make 'an unlimited number of free Sandbox API calls.' Cards are never charged ('payments are never actually processed by a live bank'), and the Sandbox 'doesn't accept real credit cards or payment methods' — you use designated test card numbers/tokens. Functional limits: up to 10 additional test accounts beyond the default; Square hardware (POS terminals) not usable; Square for Restaurants, POS, Invoices, Snippets, Sites and Reader SDK are unsupported in the Sandbox; the Sandbox dashboard lacks receipts, refunds issuance, email, and banking features; real PII must not be stored in Sandbox.", "eligibility": "Open to any Square developer: create a free Square account, register an app in the Developer Console, and the Sandbox is provisioned for that app. No .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, and no credit card required. Region: docs are US-oriented (developer.squareup.com); sandbox availability not region-gated in the docs I read.", "claim": "Sign up at squareup.com, create a Square account and an app in the Developer Console (developer.squareup.com), then use the sandbox base URL (connect.squareupsandbox.com) with test card values — no credit card or live seller account needed; sandbox API calls are free and unlimited.", "expiry": "No expiration, time limit, or sunset date is documented for Sandbox access as of 2026-10-22; 'unlimited free Sandbox API calls' per the docs.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free gotcha: the Sandbox is permanently free, but moving to production (live mode) is NOT free — in live mode cards are actually charged by a live bank and Square's pay-per-transaction processing fees apply (context: ~2.9% + 30c per card via the payments APIs; ACH per transfer). No hardware in Sandbox; several product lines unsupported; must not store real PII; test disputes/sandbox entities are invisible in the Developer Console or Dashboard.", "source_url": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/testing/sandbox", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free developer access — no monthly/annual developer fees, no per-API-call fee advertised (pay-per-transaction live model)", "detail": "Square's developer platform has no advertised monthly/annual developer subscription and no per-API-call charge. The Square pricing page leads with 'Your complete business toolkit, starting at $0' and 'Only pay when you take a payment.' The developer landing page (developer.squareup.com) and docs hub make no cost claim beyond that; the Get Started flow is 'Create an account and make your first Square API call in minutes.' No trial credits, no prepaid credit pool, and no developer-tier free-usage bucket exist on any page I could read (2025-2026 changes could not be checked via search — search budget exhausted this session).", "eligibility": "Open to all developers/merchants who sign up at squareup.com (developer signup routes to app.squareup.com/signup?v=developers). No .edu requirement, no startup age or funding cap, no credit card required for account or app creation. Not a student-only or startup-only offer; it is the default model for everyone.", "claim": "Sign up free at squareup.com, create an app in the Developer Console, build and test in the free Sandbox; going live costs only standard per-transaction processing fees on payments you take (context: 2.9% + 30c online card; ACH per transfer) — no platform fee and no card required to sign up.", "expiry": "No expiry; standing pricing model as displayed on 2026-10-22. Exact live-mode rates were not numerically confirmed on the page (rates render via JavaScript); the 2.9% + 30c figure is from task context, not re-verified today.", "gotchas": "The $0 entry point covers software/toolkit ('Square Free' plan: POS app, online site, item library, invoicing, booking, checking & savings accounts, $0/mo); processing fees on live payments are separate and are the real cost. 'Plus' plan is a paid tier with 'lower processing fees' and a rendered 'Try free for N days' trial button (day count not rendered in the page text) — a trial, not a free tier.", "source_url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Square 'Free' plan (the $0 software plan) — not student/startup-specific", "detail": "On squareup.com/us/en/pricing, 'Square Free' starts at $0 and includes: 'POS app for any payment', 'Online site' (ordering profile, basic website, or booking site), 'Item library', 'Invoicing', 'Booking', and 'Checking and savings accounts'. Page states 'Only pay when you take a payment' and 'No hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Cancel or switch anytime.' A second specific number on the page: for Plus text marketing, 'The first 500 texts are free, then pay 3¢ per text.'", "eligibility": "Any business/seller; no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit-card requirement stated for the free plan itself. Available generally, not a student or startup program.", "claim": "Sign up for Square at no monthly cost and use the included POS app, online site, invoicing, booking, and banking features for $0/mo; you only pay per-transaction processing fees when you take payments.", "expiry": "No stated end date; 'Cancel or switch anytime' per the page, so no lock-in. Verified 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "This is a merchant-softwar plan, not a developer tier; 'free' excludes card/ACH processing fees on live payments, which are the main cost of the platform. The paid 'Plus' tier can undercut Free on processing rates but is a subscription — do not conflate the $0 plan with Plus's 'lower processing fees' perk.", "source_url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Square App Partner Program — free open base tier; selective enhanced tier (no startup-only perks found)", "detail": "The App Partner program (squareup.com/us/en/partnerships/app-partner) lets developers build and publish on the Square App Marketplace ('3.4 million views' cited). Base participation appears free and open: 'Don't wait on us to get started — dive into building, launch your integration, and reach out once it's live.' Even a declined enhanced-tier application leaves you free to 'build with our open platform.' The enhanced tier requires a form (personal/company details, Square App ID, industry, target markets AU/CA/FR/IE/JP/GB/ES/US, customer counts, app description) and is explicitly selective. Benefits of the enhanced tier: dedicated partner manager, 'profit-share eligibility' ('Create new revenue streams by sharing in profit generated through the app partnership' — no percentages, minimums, or fee structure disclosed), and co-marketing/sales enablement. No startup-only discounts, grants, or accelerated review appear anywhere on the page.", "eligibility": "Open base tier: any developer who registers an app; no .edu email, no startup age or funding cap, no credit card required. Enhanced tier: application-based and selective, favoring 'highest impact' apps with 'strong enough demand'; target markets limited to AU, CA, FR, IE, JP, GB, ES, US.", "claim": "Build and publish your Square app for free (no fee to list), then apply via the app-partner form for the enhanced tier with a dedicated partner manager and profit-share eligibility.", "expiry": "No expiry stated for base participation; enhanced-tier terms are individually negotiated. Verified 2026-10-22.", "gotchas": "'Profit-share eligibility' is an opportunity, not a guarantee, with no disclosed percentages or fees — do not treat it as free money. The program is selective; rejection from the enhanced tier does not revoke free access to the open platform. No student-specific or startup-specific benefit was found on the page or the partnerships hub.", "source_url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/partnerships/app-partner", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student- or startup-specific free offer exists for Square Developer as of 2026-10-22: no .edu education license, no startup credit pool, no trial credits, and no startup age/funding-capped program were found on developer.squareup.com, the Square pricing page, or the partnerships hub (us/en/partnerships lists only App Partner and Developer Platform tracks; no education, reseller, or startup programs). Square's free offers are model-based and open to everyone (free Sandbox; no developer subscription; $0 'Square Free' software plan; free app-marketplace base tier), so nothing appears to have been sunset in 2025-2026 under a student/startup name. Caveats: (1) WebSearch was unavailable for this session (budget exhausted), so 2025-2026 change announcements (e.g., news of rate changes like the 2.9%+30c figure, which the pricing page renders via JS and could not be numerically re-confirmed) could not be independently checked; rate-level claims are carried from task context, not re-verified today. (2) Square Plus carries a 'Try free for N days' trial button whose day count is a template variable and did not render — a trial, not a free tier, and not student/startup-scoped." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Square Sandbox (free test environment)", "link": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/testing/sandbox", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "startup grad", "name": "Startup Grad", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.microsoft.com/en/startups" ], "offers": [ "Historical program that granted YC companies ~$50,000 in Azure credits; effectively superseded in 2026 by the Microsoft for Startups / YC partnership (up to $150K + AI Foundry + GPUs)." ], "notes": [ "Likely defunct under this name as of 2026 - NOT re-verified this run (WebSearch budget exhausted). If a 'Startup Grad' offer still appears it is a legacy label for the Microsoft-for-Startups YC track; verify before citing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — self-serve offer (no investor code)", "detail": "Milestone-based Azure Startup credits, current structure per official docs dated May–Oct 2026: $200 starter credit immediately (LinkedIn identity check); after approval (~3 business days) $1,000 in credits valid 90 days; +$4,000 valid 180 days after business verification = $5,000 total at Milestone 2. Unlocks without separate applications: $25,000 (use 5+ Azure workloads, ~60 days sustained), $50,000 (7+ workloads, ~60 days), $150,000 (10+ workloads AND ~$3,000/month usage over ~60 days; each workload must stay >$1 spend for the full 60-day window; non-sequential skips allowed). One-time 2-year extension to use credits at the $25K milestone. Credits apply to eligible Azure services including Azure AI / Microsoft Foundry models.", "eligibility": "Startup (or founder 'with an idea'): privately held for-profit, software-based product/service owned by the company, pre-seed through Series B / not Series C-or-later funding, HQ in a country where Microsoft for Startups operates, lifetime free Azure credits received <$350,000, not an educational institution/government/consultancy/agency, no cryptocurrency mining. Sign-in must use a personal consumer Microsoft account (work/school/company-domain emails rejected); phone number required. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "startups.microsoft.com (or microsoft.com/en/startups 'Get started now') → sign in with personal MS account → 'Continue without a code' → Verify with LinkedIn (personal, not business) → create Azure account (profile, billing address, payment card) → $200 unlocked → decision email in ~3 business days → $1,000 → complete business verification → $5,000. Credits viewable in Azure Portal > Cost Management + Billing > Payment methods. If declined: reapply after 14 days.", "expiry": "Credits valid up to 2 years once activated (extensions not available except the one-time 2-year extension at the $25K milestone). Credits must be activated within 90 days of accepting the program agreement or the offer lapses and you must reapply. Subscription auto-converts to pay-as-you-go when credits are exhausted or expired. Cannot transfer credits between Microsoft accounts/subscriptions.", "gotchas": "Credit card IS required (identity verification, uncovered services, PAYG transition). Services not covered by credits, egress, or usage on a different billing profile still bill while credits remain. 'Already redeemed' error if your MSA previously redeemed another Microsoft program's credits. Country/region chosen at account creation cannot be changed later. The headline 'up to $150,000' is end-state: an unfunded solo startup realistically lands at $5,000 after verification. Trial-vs-free: this is a program, not a trial, but the first $200/$1,000 are time-boxed trial-style credits.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application(also/getting-started-mfsand/mfs-faqs)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft for Startups — Investor Network offer (referral code; YC/VC/accelerator front)", "detail": "With a 10-character referral code from a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner (VC, accelerator, incubator, angel network, university), most startups begin with $100,000 in Azure credits 'with the opportunity to earn more', up to $150,000. Includes Azure Standard Support, technical expert access, go-to-market support, and free/discounted tools: GitHub Enterprise, LinkedIn Premium Business, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Visual Studio Enterprise, Dynamics 365, Power Platform; higher levels add unlimited Azure Pairing consultations and Expert Network access plus third-party benefits.", "eligibility": "Same company criteria as self-serve (privately held, for-profit, software-based, not Series C or later, <$350K lifetime free Azure credits, HQ in an MfS-supported region) PLUS a valid referral code; YC is an explicit partner — YC and M12 were first to access Microsoft's free GPU cluster preview (Nov 2023), and YC is among organizations that can supply codes. Microsoft does not publish the list of participating investors.", "claim": "Ask your VC/accelerator (e.g., YC) for the 10-character code → startups.microsoft.com → enter code → verify contact email + phone → business info must exactly match legal documents (mismatches fail verification) → application review ~3 business days → $1,000 starter credits immediately → approval unlocks expanded credits/benefits. Alternatively 'Sign up here' via the investor-referral link on microsoft.com/en/startups.", "expiry": "Same mechanics as self-serve: credits valid up to 2 years once activated; activation due within 90 days of acceptance; PAYG after exhaustion.", "gotchas": "Benefits often cannot be redeemed on an existing enterprise account or on an account that previously redeemed the same benefit. YC-affiliated founders without YC's code only get the self-serve track. Business verification failure stalls the high-value tier. Credits locked to one MSA.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/mfs-faqs;https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/partnership/founders-hub-benefits-guide", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "YC / M12 free Azure GPU clusters (Founders Hub GPU program)", "detail": "Free Azure AI infrastructure: high-end GPU virtual machine clusters for training/running LLMs and deep learning, delivered as a private preview. Announced 8 Nov 2023 with Y Combinator's cohort first (M12 portfolio next); 11 Jan 2024 Microsoft extended it to AI Grant Fund, Alchemist Accelerator, Conviction, The House Fund, OpenAI Startup Fund, Neo, and Elad Gil. This is the 'GPUs' element of the 2025–2026 successor framing to Startup Grad.", "eligibility": "YC/M12 startups: limited preview cohort via the accelerator relationship — not a general self-serve application. Extension partners: founders 'affiliated' with the listed organizations.", "claim": "No public self-serve claim: access flows through the YC/investor relationship and Founders Hub application (referral-code path above).", "expiry": "Described as private preview; no public sunset date published. Availability may have changed since the 2024 announcements (unverified in 2026).", "gotchas": "Cohort-based and capacity-limited; GPU access is separate from Azure credit tiers; 'free' applies to the preview infrastructure, not necessarily to all surrounding egress/storage. Do not assume a YC alum can self-claim in 2026 — confirm with YC/Microsoft.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/startups-to-access-high-performance-azure-infrastructure-accelerating-ai-breakthroughs/;https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/blog/microsoft-expands-free-azure-ai-infrastructure-access-to-startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure free account — $200 trial credit + 12-month free services", "detail": "$200 credit usable on Azure services within 30 days; 12 months of free monthly amounts for 20+ popular services (750 hrs each of B1s/B2pts v2/B2ats v2 VMs; 750 hrs PostgreSQL/MySQL Flexible Server B1MS with 32 GB storage+backup; 720 vCore-hrs SQL Managed Instance; 1 ACR Standard registry with 100 GB; 1M Function requests/mo; etc.); plus 65+ always-free services with free monthly amounts (Cosmos DB 1,000 RU/s + 25 GB, App Service 10 web apps, Container Apps 180k vCPU-seconds, etc.), which continue after 12 months at their monthly limits.", "eligibility": "New Azure customers; one free-account offer per person; phone number and a credit card or non-prepaid debit card required (credit card only in HK/Brazil); Microsoft or GitHub account.", "claim": "azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free → 'Try Azure for free' → 3-step account creation (profile/country, billing address, payment card) → $200 usable for 30 days.", "expiry": "$200 credit expires at 30 days (unused credit persists only within the 30-day window); 12-month free service amounts end at 12 months → pay-as-you-go for overages; always-free service amounts continue indefinitely.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free: the 'free forever' services keep their monthly caps after the trial; 'spending protection' means the card is not charged while the offer is active (a temporary $1 authorization may post and reverse), not that no card is needed. After expiry the sponsorship subscription auto-converts to PAYG with no commitment. Egress/data beyond free amounts is billed. A .edu email does NOT upgrade this offer (student Azure access comes via the GitHub Pack instead).", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack (incl. Azure for students, no credit card)", "detail": "Free GitHub Pro while a student; GitHub Copilot for verified students (unlimited completions + AI-credit allowance, limited chat/agent); free Pro-level GitHub Codespaces; GitHub Pages (one user site); free domain offers (Namecheap .me + SSL 1 yr, Name.com free domain, .TECH 1 yr). Microsoft Azure track for 18+: 25+ Azure services free plus $100 Azure credit, explicitly 'no credit card required'. Track for ages 13–17: limited services (App Services, Functions, Notification Hubs, MySQL, Application Insights, Azure DevOps). Other partner benefits: Heroku (24 months), Datadog Pro (2 years), JetBrains, DataCamp, Notion, MongoDB, 1Password, ~50 more.", "eligibility": "Current enrolled students (verified via .edu/school email or manual GitHub enrollment verification); separate age bands 18+ vs 13–17 for the Azure offers; the Azure portion is 'no credit card required', unlike the general free account.", "claim": "Sign up at education.github.com/pack on a GitHub account, verify student status, then redeem each partner offer (Azure credit via the Azure redemption inside the pack).", "expiry": "Benefits last while student status is verified; individual partner offers carry their own time boxes (e.g., domains 1 yr, Heroku 24 mo, Datadog 2 yr).", "gotchas": "Redeeming the pack's Azure offer can make an MSA 'already redeemed' for other Microsoft program credits (see MFS FAQ). $100 is small — pair with MFS self-serve for more. Free Pro/Copilot stop when you're no longer a student. No explicit 2-year duration stated for the core pack itself.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Microsoft 365 A1 for Education + limited-time college Premium offer", "detail": "Free 'A1' plan (donated by Microsoft): web Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote plus PC-only Publisher and Access for educators/students of qualified K-12 and higher-ed institutions; no OneDrive quota or desktop apps stated on the page. Limited-time college offer: 12 months of Microsoft 365 Premium free using a college email. Paid institutional tiers for contrast: A3 ($3.25 faculty/$2.50 student per user/mo), A5 ($8/$6).", "eligibility": ".edu/institutional email required — 'working at, or enrolled in, a qualified educational organization' (K-12 and higher ed); college Premium offer requires a college email. No credit card.", "claim": "microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office → 'Get started for students' (or 'for institutions'); automated email verification is usually instant, manual institution checks can take up to a month. College Premium: sign up with college email.", "expiry": "A1 lasts while enrolled/employed; Premium college offer lasts 12 months, after which apps drop to reduced-functionality (view-only) mode.", "gotchas": "A1 is web-centric: no full desktop suite and no stated 1 TB OneDrive. If the institution's plan lapses, existing files become view-only. 'Premium on us' is limited-time and regional — confirm availability.", "source_url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Visual Studio free tiers (Community, VS Code, Dev Essentials)", "detail": "Visual Studio Community edition (current VS18-generation IDE) free for individual developers on Windows; VS Code free on Windows/macOS/Linux; 'Visual Studio Dev Essentials' bundle offering free tools, Pluralsight training, and Azure credit for free. This is the surviving student IDE path: the dedicated 'Visual Studio for Students' download no longer exists (visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-studio-for-students/ now returns 404 and the free-developer-offers page lists no student-specific program), consistent with Microsoft's 2025 shift to free IDE licensing for individuals.", "eligibility": "Any individual developer, students included; no credit card; Dev Essentials is free via devessentials.microsoft.com. Community edition may not be used as an enterprise tool in large organizations (standard MS license terms).", "claim": "visualstudio.microsoft.com/free-developer-offers/ → download Community or VS Code; Dev Essentials registration for the bundle + Azure credit.", "expiry": "Licensing is ongoing while free; no time-boxed expiry for Community/VS Code. Dev Essentials Azure credit has its own (small, unspecified) duration.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: 'Visual Studio 2022 for individual developers' is now a permanent free edition, not a trial; VS Enterprise/for Teams are paid. If you specifically need the 'Visual Studio for Students' SKU, it is gone — students should use Community or VS Code.", "source_url": "https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/free-developer-offers/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Azure OpenAI / Microsoft Foundry models — free rate-limited quota tier", "detail": "Microsoft Foundry (Azure OpenAI) model quotas now run on seven tiers: Free Tier plus Tiers 1–6 with automatic upgrades based on usage/payment history. Free quota tables published per model (e.g., current docs: gpt-5 GlobalStandard ~1,000 RPM / 250,000 TPM; gpt-4o-mini GlobalStandard ~20,000 RPM / 2,000,000 TPM in the lowest tier; several models show 'N/A' for the Azure-for-Students/free-trials column, meaning no special free quota). MFS participants get model access 'through Microsoft Foundry' inside their startup credits.", "eligibility": "Any Azure subscription; free tier available to new/free-trial accounts; no .edu requirement and no credit-card requirement beyond the underlying Azure account (which does need a card for the standard free account — the card-free student path is the GitHub Pack offer).", "claim": "Create an Azure resource for Foundry/OpenAI and select the free deployment tier; MFS startups simply use their startup credits on the same Foundry endpoints.", "expiry": "Rate limits, not a dollar allowance; the page documents no hard monthly token cap or end date for the free tier today (older 90-day time limit unverified on the current page); auto tier-upgrades can be opted out of (NoAutoUpgrade flag).", "gotchas": "Rate limits can throttle heavy dev use; model availability is region-dependent; free-tier endpoints may exclude data retention guarantees paid tiers get; 'free tier' ≠ the $200 trial credit — it coexists with pay-as-you-go billing once limits are hit.", "source_url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/foundry/openai/quotas-limits", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Startup Grad (Microsoft x YC, historical ~$50,000 Azure credits per YC company) is no longer offered: superseded by Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub (up to $150K via milestones/Investor Network, verified on official docs dated May–Oct 2026) plus the 8 Nov 2023 YC/M12 free GPU-cluster preview (extended 11 Jan 2024 to other incubators). The ~$50K figure could not be re-verified on any official Microsoft page today (secondary sources only), so the historical detail is low-confidence. 2) Major 2025 change (reported 2 Feb 2026 by theainewsdigest; corroborated by the current official docs' milestone structure): on 2 Jul 2025 Microsoft restructured Microsoft for Startups — the old four-level grid ($1K/$5K/$25K/$100K-up-to-$150K, where Level 1 gave every approved startup $1,000) was replaced by the milestone ladder (self-serve $200 → $5K → $25K → $50K → $150K) plus an Investor Network referral-code track (most investor-backed startups start at $100K). Unfunded startups effectively dropped from up to $150K to $5K total. Eligibility also shifted: lifetime-free-credit cap raised from $10K to $350K, and the funding ceiling moved from pre-Series D to pre-Series C. 3) 'Visual Studio for Students' appears sunset: its URL now 404s and the free-developer-offers page (fetched 2026-10-22) lists no student program; VS Community/VS Code are the free path (consistent with MS's 2025 move to free individual IDE licensing). 4) YC's 'successor' claim in the brief — 'up to $150K + AI Foundry + GPUs' — verified: up to $150K milestones on MFS docs, Microsoft Foundry model access inside MFS benefits, and the YC-first GPU cluster program (status in 2026 unconfirmed). Web search budget was exhausted mid-task; all 2026 items above were read directly from official pages today, except the 2 Jul 2025 restructuring (secondary source, corroborated by current docs)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Microsoft for Startups — self-serve offer (no investor code)", "link": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/microsoft-for-startups/application(also/getting-started-mfsand/mfs-faqs)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "statsig developer tier", "name": "Statsig Developer Tier", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.statsig.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "2M events/mo free, unlimited flag & config checks, 50,000 session replays/mo, unlimited seats, no card; Pro $150/mo (5M events, then $0.05/1k)" ], "notes": [ "Warehouse-native option lets you run Statsig on your own Snowflake/BigQuery for free (only managed compute costs elsewhere). Exceeding 2M events prompts card/upgrade. Verified at statsig.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Statsig free tier (\"Developer\" / free self-service tier)", "detail": "$0/month, explicitly 'no credit card required'. Includes: 2M Metered Events/month; unlimited flag & config checks; 50,000 session replays/month; unlimited seats; A/B tests, feature flags, product/web analytics, session replays; analytics data retention 1 year; session-replay retention 30 days. Metered Events = exposures + log events + ingested metrics + custom metrics, deduped per user/feature (60-min window on client SDKs, 1-min on server SDKs). The pricing page states ~90% of customers 'start for free'.", "eligibility": "Anyone — no .edu email, no startup age/funding caps, no application, no credit card, no stated region limits.", "claim": "Self-serve: click 'Sign up for Free' (console.statsig.com/sign_up) from statsig.com/pricing; the free tier is provisioned immediately. 'Test Drive Now' (console.statsig.com/demo) is a separate demo flow.", "expiry": "Ongoing/indefinite; no stated end date or renewal conditions. If you exceed 2M events/month you are prompted to add a card to upgrade; if you decline, 'gate and config targeting will continue to work, but Metric Lift computations will stop'.", "gotchas": "(1) Card prompt only triggers at the 2M event cap; if exceeded, metric-lift/A-B computations degrade while flag serving continues. (2) 'Metered Events' aggregates exposures, log events, ingested + custom metrics, so the 2M allowance burns faster than '2M tracked users' implies. (3) Free tier has 1-year analytics retention and 30-day replay retention (Pro: unlimited analytics, 100K replays/mo). (4) Overages on Pro are billed next period (Jan overages hit Feb invoice) — free tier has no overage billing, just degradation. (5) 'Statsig Lite' in the site nav is NOT the free tier; it is a separate free experiment calculator (see other finding).", "source_url": "https://www.statsig.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Statsig Lite (free self-serve experiment calculator)", "detail": "A free tool, distinct from the platform's free tier: upload two CSVs (an assignments CSV and a metrics CSV, each ≤10MB), name the experiment, and Statsig analyzes the results with its stats engine; results are delivered by email. No account, no platform usage (no flags, no analytics, no replays), no credit card. Sign-up CTAs on the page: 'Sign up for Free' → console.statsig.com/sign_up; 'Test Drive Now' → console.statsig.com/demo.", "eligibility": "Anyone who provides a business email to receive results. No .edu requirement, no funding caps, no card, no stated region limits.", "claim": "Go to statsig.com/lite, complete the 4-step flow (upload assignments CSV, upload metrics CSV, name experiment, enter business email); results emailed when ready.", "expiry": "No stated expiry; no credit card involved; one-shot analysis per upload (CSV size capped at 10MB each).", "gotchas": "This is only an A/B results calculator, not the feature-flag/product-analytics platform; it cannot replace the free Developer tier for flag serving or dashboards. File-size cap 10MB per CSV. The /lite entry in the site nav is easy to confuse with a free 'Lite plan' — it is not one.", "source_url": "https://www.statsig.com/lite", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Statsig Startup Program", "detail": "For 12 months: access to all Enterprise-tier features (feature flags, product analytics, experimentation), 1 billion events (page describes this as worth '$50k+'), usable for flags, A/B tests, analytics or any mix, plus Pro-level support (Slack + email, responses by next business day).", "eligibility": "Company founded <5 years ago; < $50M total funding; 'best suited for companies with over 25K MAU that are scaling fast'. The page's FAQ steers brand-new or small startups to the free Developer tier instead. No .edu requirement (not an education program); selection-based, not auto-approved.", "claim": "Apply via the 'Apply to Startup Program' button on statsig.com/startups, which submits a Google Form (forms.gle/9toPnV3kkE8skn2T8). Acceptance is at Statsig/Amplitude discretion.", "expiry": "Benefits last 12 months from program start; afterwards you 'graduate to Statsig's Enterprise Tier, Pro Tier, or Free tier'. No published sunset date for the program itself.", "gotchas": "The '$50k+' value claim is marketing, not a credit balance. Program eligibility emphasizes funding caps (<$50M) — highly-funded or >5-year-old companies do not qualify. After the May 5, 2026 Amplitude acquisition the page is still live with no stated changes, but Amplitude has not re-announced the program in press materials, so treat continued availability as unconfirmed; the Google Form may have moved. Do not confuse with the free tier: the program targets scaling, VC-backed companies with high event volume.", "source_url": "https://www.statsig.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial credits / education (student) license", "detail": "No separate trial-credit offer exists: the pricing page lists no paid trial, no dollar credit, and no time-boxed Pro trial — the free Developer tier is the stated entry point (~90% of customers 'start for free'), and 'Test Drive Now' is a demo console, not a trial. No student/education program exists on statsig.com: /education is a 404, the site navigation and homepage have no student/education entry point, and 'Statsig University' (footer/Resources) is a certification/learning resource, not an .edu discount or free access.", "eligibility": "N/A — no trial-credit eligibility beyond self-serve free signup; no .edu-email or academic eligibility criteria found anywhere on the official site.", "claim": "Nothing to claim beyond the free Developer tier signup (console.statsig.com/sign_up) and the Startup Program application for VC-backed early companies.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Absence verified on the official site only (homepage, pricing, nav, /lite, /startups, docs landing, blog) as of 2026-10-22; a web-search sweep of 2025–2026 change history could not be run in this session (search budget exhausted), so off-site announcements (e.g., Amplitude press releases, X posts) were not independently checked.", "source_url": "https://www.statsig.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Statsig free tier (\"Developer\" / free self-service tier)", "link": "https://www.statsig.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "statuspage free plan", "name": "Statuspage Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://statuspage.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "1 free public status page with components and subscriber limits; white-label, custom domain and extra features paid" ], "notes": [ "Atlassian-owned (ex-Atlassian/Microsoft). Free tier; paid for white-label/custom domain. Many teams instead use Better Stack/StatusCake free status pages." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Statuspage Free Plan (free forever public status page)", "detail": "Statuspage now ships under Atlassian (statuspage.io 301-redirects to atlassian.com/software/statuspage). Confirmed today on atlassian.com/software/statuspage and /software/statuspage/pricing: a Free plan exists. Exact free limits: 1 public status page, 100 subscribers, 25 components, 2 team members, 2 metrics, email + Slack + Microsoft Teams notifications, REST API access, page analytics, scheduled maintenance, incident templates, status embed, activity log, basic customization (Statuspage branding shown). Paid-only: custom domain, white-label/branding removal, uptime monitoring checks, SMS/webhook notifications, private pages, RBAC, extra metrics. Public plans: Hobby $29/mo (250 subs, 5 team, 5 metrics, custom domain), Startup $99/mo (1,000 subs, 10 team, SMS/webhook, custom CSS), Business $399/mo (5,000 subs, 25 team, custom CSS/HTML/JS, RBAC), Enterprise $1,499/mo (25,000 subs). Private-page plans from $79/mo; audience-specific pages from $300/mo. No credit card mentioned for the free tier; paid plans note 'No minimum contracts, no sign-up fees, no cancellation fees' and can be billed yearly via signed order form.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone — no .edu email, no startup age/funding condition, no region limit stated on the official pages. Credit card not stated as required for the free plan (standard Atlassian Cloud free signup).", "claim": "Create a free Atlassian Cloud account (https://www.atlassian.com/try/cloud/signup?bundle=statuspage — the exact 'Get started today' link on the free-plan tab of the pricing page). Choose the Free plan; no application, no invoice. Free for all users (students and startups alike), not gated to either group.", "expiry": "Free forever; no trial end, no renewal step.", "gotchas": "1-status-page cap on the free tier (single public page; multiple pages/private pages are paid). Uptime/monitoring checks are NOT in the free tier — free is page-subscription only; monitoring requires a paid plan. The paid plan literally named 'Startup' ($99/mo) is a price tier, not a startup discount — easy to confuse. Free-tier pages keep Statuspage/Atlassian branding (white-label is paid). If you later add paid apps, everything bills through the Atlassian Cloud bill (unified billing).", "source_url": "https://www.atlassian.com/software/statuspage/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Atlassian for Startups — 12 months of Atlassian Premium products at $0 (up to 50 users) — does NOT cover Statuspage", "detail": "Atlassian's official startup program (Atlassian for Startups) — free for 12 months for up to 50 users, 'Premium edition of our products for $0'. Confirmed today on atlassian.com/software/startups which products: Jira Premium (50 seats), Confluence Premium (50), Bitbucket Premium (50), Loom Business + AI (50), Jira Service Management & Customer Service Management (10 seats), Jira Product Discovery Premium (10 creator seats + unlimited contributors). Jira Product Discovery is the exception to the 50-seat cap. Statuspage is NOT listed as a covered product, and the FAQ adds 'The list of products may be modified over time.' Marketplace apps excluded. Governed by Atlassian Customer Agreement Section 17 as 'Free or Beta Products'.", "eligibility": "ALL three criteria: (1) not an existing Atlassian paid customer; (2) VC funded OR associated with a partner accelerator/incubator; (3) has not raised more than US$10M in external funding. Bootstrapped startups without VC/accelerator association are NOT eligible.", "claim": "Apply at https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups ('Get it free' CTA); Atlassian reviews every application and may request proof of funding (e.g., Crunchbase/Pitchbook profile). VCs, incubators and accelerators share the offer with portfolio companies by emailing startups@atlassian.com.", "expiry": "Ongoing program; each eligible startup enrolls for ONE 12-month period. Before the 12 months end you can renew or cancel any included product; going past 50 users (or 10 for the service-collection apps) requires a paid upgrade/quote.", "gotchas": "Bootstrapped, no-VC startups fail criterion 2 — the most common disqualifier. Covers Atlassian Premium editions of core apps only: Statuspage / Statuspage Monitoring are not in the product list you get, so a startup using Statuspage under this program would still pay Statuspage pricing (or rely on the Statuspage Free Plan). 'Startup' as a Statuspage $99/mo plan name is unrelated to this program. After 12 months the apps are not automatically downgraded — you renew or cancel explicitly.", "source_url": "https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Atlassian Classroom Licenses (education license for students & teachers)", "detail": "Atlassian's education offer: 'Classroom Licenses are designated for use by students & teachers within a classroom setting. Fill out our application form today!' — the only public education program I could confirm today (found via Atlassian's sitemap; atlassian.com/teams/education and /education are 404). The page is a survey/application form; no published eligibility numbers, .edu-verification text, or duration appear on the page. No mention of Statuspage anywhere on the classroom-licenses page (Statuspage appears in the site navigation only).", "eligibility": "Students and teachers in a classroom/educational setting; application-based (institution/school context implied by the form). No .edu requirement or regional limit stated on the page. Effectively aimed at K-12/higher-ed classrooms, not for students as individuals or for startups.", "claim": "Fill out the application at https://www.atlassian.com/solutions/survey/classroom-license-request (the page's survey form). The official page does not publish seat caps, terms or product coverage beyond the one-line classroom designation — terms come back from Atlassian after review.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page (form-based; Atlassian reviews and responds).", "gotchas": "This is Atlassian's general classroom-license program for its core apps — the page contains zero Statuspage references, so assume Statuspage pages are NOT covered; verifying actual coverage requires submitting the form. A page found via the sitemap only — the main education marketing pages (404) suggest this offer is low-visibility and possibly legacy.", "source_url": "https://www.atlassian.com/solutions/survey/classroom-license-request", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No trial credits / student pricing / monitoring trial found for Statuspage paid tiers", "detail": "As of today, atlassian.com/software/statuspage/pricing shows no free trial of the paid tiers (Hobby $29 / Startup $99 / Business $399 / Enterprise $1,499 public; Starter $79 / Growth $249 / Corporate $599 private), no trial-credit or education-price blocks, and no '14-day trial' of monitoring. The only 'credit card' mention is the FAQ 'Do you offer yearly credit card billing?' (yes, manual via signed order form). Web search was unavailable (session budget exhausted), so absence-of-trial reflects the official pages read today, not a search of reseller/marketplace promos.", "eligibility": "N/A", "claim": "No claim path: no trial-credits offer, no student pricing, no trial CTA on the current pricing page. Paid plans are bought through the Atlassian Cloud bill (annual billing via signed order form, per the pricing-page FAQ).", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not confuse the Statuspage 'Startup' plan ($99/mo) with a startup program, and do not assume the free 12-month Atlassian-for-Startups premium entitlement applies to Statuspage (it does not list Statuspage). Atlassian Cloud signups do not require a credit card, but paid Statuspage tiers do add recurring charges to the Atlassian bill.", "source_url": "https://www.atlassian.com/software/statuspage/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes confirmed today: (1) statuspage.io and statuspage.io/pricing now 301-redirect to atlassian.com/software/statuspage — the standalone Statuspage domain, pricing page and legacy product site are retired; the product is fully absorbed into Atlassian's cloud offering (acquisition completed 2023). (2) docs.statuspage.io redirects to an /inactive page — the old documentation hub is sunset; docs now live at support.atlassian.com/statuspage. (3) atlassian.com/ondemand (the former OnDemand/monitoring marketing home) now redirects to /software. (4) atlassian.com/teams/education, /education and /training/teaching all 404 — the old education program pages are gone; only the sitemap-listed classroom-license-request form remains as the education offer. (5) Atlassian for Startups' covered product list has shifted over time (now Jira/Confluence/Bitbucket Premium, Loom Business+AI, JSM & Customer Service Management, Jira Product Discovery — Opsgenie no longer listed); the page (dateModified 2026-10-21) warns 'The list of products may be modified over time', and Statuspage has not been a covered product." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Statuspage Free Plan (free forever public status page)", "link": "https://www.atlassian.com/software/statuspage/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "storyblok", "name": "Storyblok", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.storyblok.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Permanent free Starter plan: 1 space, up to 2 seats, 100K API calls/month, 100GB traffic, no card; plus a 45-day free trial of the paid Growth Plus plan" ], "notes": [ "Verified 2026-10 on the pricing page: Starter tier is always-free (a 14-day trial is NOT the only free path — the Starter plan persists after trial end)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Storyblok Starter free plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "Forever-free plan. 1 space; up to 2 seats (1 seat included free, extra seat +$15/mo, max 2); 100,000 API requests/month; 100 GB content-delivery traffic/month; 2 locales; 25,000 AI credits/month; ~2,000 stories and ~2,000 assets; 200 components; 500 MB max asset size. Verified on the live /pricing page and the public '2026 Pricing Plan - Factsheet (Public)' PDF.", "eligibility": "Anyone worldwide. No .edu email required, no startup age/funding check, and no credit card required (page: 'always free and requires no credit card').", "claim": "Sign up at app.storyblok.com; a new space starts on the free Starter plan (or after a 45-day Growth Plus trial, choose Starter). No card is entered.", "expiry": "None — Starter is a permanent free tier; it does not expire and does not renew.", "gotchas": "The /free marketing page advertises '1,000,000 API requests' and 'unlimited content entries', which contradicts the authoritative /pricing page + 2026 factsheet (100K API/month, ~2,000 stories/assets) — trust the pricing page/factsheet. Egress/overage: 100 GB traffic and 100K API are included; exceeding the API & traffic limits in two consecutive months triggers Storyblok's overage 'Usage Breach Fee' (2025 overage-fee policy). Traffic is the billable dimension; story/asset counts are hard caps.", "source_url": "https://www.storyblok.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "45-day Growth Plus free trial (no credit card)", "detail": "Every new space gets a 45-day trial of the paid Growth Plus plan (15 seats, 4,000,000 API calls/month, 1 TB traffic). After 45 days you either subscribe (Growth $99/mo, $90.75/mo annual; Growth Plus $349/mo, $319.91/mo annual; Premium/Elite custom) or downgrade to the free Starter plan.", "eligibility": "Any new space; no credit card required (pricing FAQ: 'No! Every space comes with a 45-day free trial on our Growth Plus plan'); no .edu or startup qualification; global.", "claim": "Sign up; the Growth Plus trial begins automatically on a new space. To keep it free, choose Starter (or a paid tier) at the end of the 45 days.", "expiry": "45 days; then renews only if you pick a paid plan, otherwise downgrades to free Starter. Annual billing gives one month free.", "gotchas": "trial-vs-free: this is a paid-tier trial, not the free plan. At day 45 you lose the 4M API / 1 TB traffic limits and drop to Starter (100K API / 100 GB). No card means no auto-bill is stated, but the generous limits end on day 45.", "source_url": "https://www.storyblok.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education & nonprofit discount (sales-led)", "detail": "Storyblok states: 'We offer discounts for educational institutions and non-profit organizations that are making the world a better place.' No fixed percentage and no dedicated landing page are published.", "eligibility": "Educational institutions and non-profit organizations. No .edu-email verification and no region limit are stated on the site.", "claim": "Contact sales via the pricing page CTA (links to /fs/enterprise-contact) or sales@storyblok.com; the discount is negotiated per deal.", "expiry": "N/A — negotiated discount with no set expiry/renewal.", "gotchas": "It is a discount, not a free tier/license — you still pay. Not available to students or startups by default (institutional/charitable entities only). Students/startups instead use the free Starter plan + 45-day Growth Plus trial with no special qualification.", "source_url": "https://www.storyblok.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Storyblok Starter free plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://www.storyblok.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "strapi", "name": "Strapi", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://strapi.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) headless CMS: free self-hosting, no license fees or per-content charges" ], "notes": [ "Managed 'Strapi Cloud' / enterprise features are paid; not re-verified this session — MIT core is stable." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Community Edition — free self-hosted open source (the only standing free offer)", "detail": "Strapi core is open source under the MIT license, free forever to self-host with no license fees and no per-content/per-entry/per-API-call charges: unlimited content types, locales, entries, API calls, and admin users; includes RBAC, REST + GraphQL APIs, media library, i18n, webhooks, marketplace. Students and startups get the full headless CMS at zero license cost. Paid CMS tiers (Growth $45/mo, Enterprise) add SSO, Review Workflows, Content History, Strapi AI, audit logs, offline licensing — none required for basic use.", "eligibility": "Universal: any individual, student, or startup, in any region. No .edu email, no funding/age caps, no credit card, no sign-up. This is a license model, not a discount program.", "claim": "Claim: none needed — clone the repo / run `npx create-strapi-app@latest` and host on your own VPS or container; no signup, no .edu email, no credit card. Cost is your own infrastructure (a few $ to tens of $/month for VPS + Postgres), not to Strapi.", "expiry": "No expiry; MIT-licensed in perpetuity. Strapi also lists 'Free updates for upcoming features' for self-hosted users.", "gotchas": "You pay for hosting/DB/CDN yourself and for your own time (setup, patching, security). Paid CMS features (Strapi AI, SSO add-on $150/mo, Content History, Review Workflows) are NOT in the free Community edition. Third-party 'academic discount' guides (Noizz 2026-09-04, costbench) all boil down to: take the free self-hosted edition; there is no published academic rate.", "source_url": "https://strapi.io/pricing-cms", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Strapi Cloud Free Plan — SUNSETED (launched 2025-05-13, removed 2026-07-01, existing projects deleted 2026-09-01)", "detail": "Launched 2025-05-13 at StrapiConf: $0/month, no credit card, no time limit. Limits: 2,500 API requests/mo (initially 10,000 at launch, cut to 2,500 on 2025-12-22), 10 GB asset storage, 10 GB asset bandwidth, 500 database entries, 100 emails/mo, 1 production environment that sleeps when idle; hitting a limit stopped the app until the next month (no overages). Intended for solo devs, hobby projects, MVPs, evaluations. Strapi removed it 2026-07-01 citing mostly-inactive projects (infrastructure cost) and a misleading cold-start experience; existing free projects were deleted 2026-09-01. As of 2026-10-22 it no longer exists; cheapest tier is Starter $35/mo ($29/mo billed yearly per the July 2026 blog).", "eligibility": "Was universal (any solo developer, side project, or company; no .edu, no startup condition, no CC required, no region limit). Not claimable anymore.", "claim": "Claim path is closed: the Free plan cannot be selected in strapi.io onboarding as of 2026-07-01. Historical claim was: sign up free, connect a personal GitHub repo, pick a region, deploy in <3 minutes — no CC, no time limit.", "expiry": "Gone: unavailable to new signups since 2026-07-01; all existing free projects deleted 2026-09-01. Strapi's August 2026 editor's notes: 'Strapi Cloud no longer offers a free plan or a free trial.' Nearest alternative: Starter from $35/mo ($29/mo billed yearly; yearly billing saves ~17–20%).", "gotchas": "Free projects ran on sleeping containers with a slow cold-start experience (Strapi's stated reason #2 for removal). No data-export grace period after 2026-09-01 — projects were simply deleted; export before relying on any free-tier assumption elsewhere. The Dec 2025 limit cuts (10,000→2,500 API req/mo; Essential 100,000→50,000) likely suppressed usage before the sunset. Do not cite third-party 2025 pages that still advertise the free plan.", "source_url": "https://strapi.io/blog/we-re-removing-the-free-plan-from-strapi-cloud", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Strapi Cloud free trials (5 × 14-day / 21-day) — legacy, no longer listed", "detail": "Legacy offer still documented in Strapi's v4 docs: 'up to 5 free 14-day trial projects, which can be activated anytime, even if you have existing paid projects', with trial limits of 10 seats, 1,000 database entries, 5 GB asset storage, 50 GB asset bandwidth, 10,000 API requests. Strapi's support KB gives 21 days for a first-ever trial and 14 days when switching between plans. However, as of August 2026 Strapi's editor's notes on its own blog posts state 'Strapi Cloud no longer offers a free plan or a free trial', the current pricing-cloud page lists only paid tiers (Starter $35, Pro $90, Business $450 per project/month) with no trial, and the ~Sep 2026 support knowledge base likewise lists only the three paid plans. Treated as no longer offered as of 2026-10-22; the docs-v4 page may be stale.", "eligibility": "Historically: all Strapi Cloud users, up to 5 trial projects per account, no credit card required. No student/startup-specific condition, no region limit stated.", "claim": "No longer claimable. Historically: at project creation in the Strapi Cloud dashboard you could select '14-days free trial' instead of a paid plan; docs said 'you will not need to share your credit card details to deploy your first project.'", "expiry": "Discontinued in practice by ~mid-2026: official August 2026 notes state no free plan or free trial exists; current pricing page shows no trial option.", "gotchas": "docs-v4.strapi.io is a legacy docs version — do not cite the 5×14-day trial as current; verify in the live dashboard before relying on it. Trial limits use old plan names (Developer/Pro/Team), which no longer match current tiers. Projects could be suspended for exceeding trial limits or TOS violations.", "source_url": "https://docs-v4.strapi.io/cloud/getting-started/usage-billing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Open Source & Non-Profit discount (Strapi Cloud) — closest official program, not free", "detail": "The only published discount programs are for Open Source maintainers and Non-Profit organizations (strapi.io/discounts, linked from the pricing pages): 'significant Strapi Cloud discounts to qualifying Open Source and Non-Profit organizations.' Eligibility: OSS projects must have publicly available source code and meet the OSI definition (free distribution, derived works, integrity, licensing, non-discrimination); non-profits must prove non-commercial status plus web presence. No discount percentage is published; it is a code-based discount, not free access, and not aimed at students or startups. No education, startup, or partner-discount program appears on the official page — the Partner Program is for agencies/tech/professional-services partners.", "eligibility": "OSS maintainers (public code, OSI-compliant licensing) and non-profits (proof of non-commercial status + web presence). NOT students, NOT general startups, NOT for-profits. No region limits stated.", "claim": "Claim: fill out the form at strapi.io/discounts — fields: email, first/last name, message that must include links to your open-source project or proof of non-commercial status. After verification you receive a unique discount code to apply at purchase. Optional in exchange: 'Powered by Strapi' link or a G2/SourceForge review.", "expiry": "No stated end date; no deadline published on the page.", "gotchas": "Discount, not free — you still buy a Cloud plan (from $35/mo Starter). No percentage disclosed. No trial of paid plans is offered alongside (August 2026 notes confirm no free trial). If a startup maintains an OSI-licensed open-source project, this may be its only official discount route; if it is a for-profit startup with no OSS project or non-profit status, no official Strapi discount applies at all.", "source_url": "https://strapi.io/discounts", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025–2026 changes (verified 2026-10-22): (1) Strapi Cloud Free Plan launched 2025-05-13 at StrapiConf ($0, no credit card, 10,000 API req/mo, 10 GB storage/bandwidth, 500 DB entries, 100 emails/mo, 1 prod environment on sleeping containers) was CUT on 2025-12-22 (API requests 10,000→2,500/mo; Essential plan 100,000→50,000; yearly billing at ~20% off introduced) and fully REMOVED on 2026-07-01; all existing free projects were deleted 2026-09-01. Strapi's official editor's notes (Aug 2026) state Strapi Cloud 'no longer offers a free plan or a free trial' — the legacy 5×14-day/21-day free trials (still documented in docs-v4) are also no longer offered, and the current pricing page shows only paid tiers: Starter $35, Pro $90, Business $450 per project/month. Plan-name/pricing churn: May 2025 (Free/Essential $15/Pro $75/Scale $375/Scale+) → Dec 2025 yearly billing → 2026 Starter/Pro/Business. (2) NO education/student license exists: the official discounts page lists only Open Source and Non-Profit programs; no .edu-based student discount or academic program is published anywhere on strapi.io (corroborated by third-party Noizz check of 2026-09-04: 'no student or academic discount'; costbench education-discount sections are unverified boilerplate). (3) NO dedicated startup program exists (closest: OSS/non-profit discount and the agency-oriented Partner Program). As of 2026-10-22 the only genuinely free Strapi offer is self-hosting the MIT-licensed Community edition; every hosted/Cloud free offer (Free plan, trials) is sunseted." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Community Edition — free self-hosted open source (the only standing free offer)", "link": "https://strapi.io/pricing-cms", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "stream chat", "name": "Stream Chat", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://getstream.io/chat/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free (developer) tier: up to 50K MAU, 1M messages/mo" ], "notes": [ "Chat API + hosted UI (Chat Messaging, also AI Agents/Feeds). HEDGED: verify current free limits & whether a card is required to go to production." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free 'Build' tier for Chat (always-free developer tier)", "detail": "Read on the live official pricing page today (2026-10-22). Build = $0/mo, 'No Credit Card Required', 'Makers get higher limits' cross-note. Includes: 1,000 MAU/month, 100 concurrent connections, up to 1M total API calls/mo, up to 100K Query-Channel calls/mo, up to 10 GB API bandwidth/mo; all core Chat features (1:1 DM, group channels, threads, reactions, presence, offline support, push notifications, URL enrichment, Giphy, polls, basic moderation, global edge network) with Community Support. Paid plans for comparison: Start $399/mo (annual) / $499 monthly for 10K MAU; Elevate $599/mo (annual) / $675 monthly.", "eligibility": "Anyone, no application, no .edu requirement, no startup age/funding caps, no credit card required, no stated region limits. Just sign up.", "claim": "1) Sign up at getstream.io (email, Google or GitHub). 2) Create a Chat app in the dashboard. 3) Build tier is the default; nothing further to activate. Can build immediately.", "expiry": "No expiry; renews monthly; hard caps — exceeding them requires upgrading (or a Maker Account), no auto-billing occurs without a paid plan. Overage rates when on paid plans: MAU $0.09/user, concurrent $0.99, stored messages $5.00/1M, channels $100/1M, API calls $7/1M, QC calls $2.50/100K, API bandwidth $0.40/GB, CDN $0.17/GB egress / $0.07/GB storage.", "gotchas": "The previously-known free dev tier (up to 50K MAU / 1M messages/mo) no longer exists — live page caps the free tier at 1,000 MAU (50x cut) and storage/channel limits are 'Limits Apply' (hard caps, not published numeric overage on Build). Build excludes multi-tenancy/Teams, SAML/SSO, HIPAA, AI moderation, campaigns, auto-translation. Push delivery itself is included, but you must wire your own APNs/FCM credentials and third-party egress can add CDN bandwidth cost. Free tier is community support only.", "source_url": "https://getstream.io/chat/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Maker Account — free 'startup program' for small teams ($100/mo free credit for makers)", "detail": "Read on the live official maker page today (2026-10-22): 'Stream is free/gratis/complimentary' when you meet all requirements. What you get: Chat — modified Start Plan with ALL Start capabilities but capped at 2,000 MAU and 100 concurrent connections; Activity Feeds — Start Plan; Video & Audio — Build Plan; AI Moderation — Pay-as-you-go with $100 monthly credit; Vision Agents — open source; 'Hard limits - no surprise bills'. Page warns 'availability is limited'. Blog (updated 2025-08-19) adds older concrete figures: Chat 2,000 MAU/mo, Feeds 125K API calls/mo, Video 333K participant-minutes/mo, AI Moderation $100 credits, no credit card required.", "eligibility": "All three: five or fewer team members; less than $100k in funding (cumulative raised); less than $10k/month revenue. No .edu or student requirement (solo students qualify as <=5-person 'companies'); no credit card required; no stated region limits, but slots are 'limited' (first-come/availability, not guaranteed).", "claim": "1) Create a Stream account (or new account along the way). 2) Sign in to the Stream dashboard and open getstream.io/maker-account ('Apply Now' routes to dashboard login with ?next=/maker-account). 3) Fill out the brief application form. 4) You can start building immediately while it is reviewed; a 30-day free trial auto-activates and converts to the Maker Account on approval.", "expiry": "No published expiration or renewal cycle; benefits are tied to continuing eligibility (team size, funding, revenue). If the company grows past the caps, the free status no longer applies and a paid plan is expected. 30-day trial bridges application review.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free confusion: during review you run on a 30-day trial, not the maker account, until approval. The modified Chat Start plan keeps only 100 concurrent connections even though MAU doubles to 2,000 — heavy real-time apps will hit the concurrent cap fast. Hard limits mean no overage billing but also no headroom. 'Availability is limited' means approval is discretionary; $100 moderation credit is per-month, not a lump sum; after the credit, AI Moderation is pay-as-you-go.", "source_url": "https://getstream.io/maker-account/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trial of paid plans (no credit card)", "detail": "Stream's maker-account blog (updated 2025-08-19) states: applying 'will automatically activate a 30-day free trial (no credit card required) that will be converted to the Maker Account upon approval.' The case-study corpus (e.g., Student+, 2020) also references a Stream 'trial period' for paid products. The dedicated /chat/trial/ URL now 301-redirects to the dashboard signup (dashboard.getstream.io/signup/?product=chat), so the trial is claimed through signup rather than a standalone trial page.", "eligibility": "Any new Stream account; no credit card required per the official blog; no .edu requirement; no stated region limits.", "claim": "1) Sign up at getstream.io / dashboard.getstream.io. 2) The 30-day trial of the product plan starts on sign-up/application. 3) On trial end, either the account converts to an approved Maker Account (if eligible) or moves to a paid plan / free Build tier.", "expiry": "30 days from activation; converts to Maker Account upon application approval. No auto-renewal stated for the trial itself.", "gotchas": "The live marketing pages I read today (pricing, maker) no longer print '30-day trial' language, so the duration comes from the official blog (Aug 2025) rather than a page re-read today — hence medium confidence. Trial != free forever: post-trial you are expected to either be approved for the Maker Account or pay. Credit-card-free claim is stated for the maker/trial path; paid plans generally require payment on checkout.", "source_url": "https://getstream.io/blog/maker-account/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student / education license: none exists", "detail": "No .edu-based student program, education discount, or academic license was found on Stream's official pages as of 2026-10-22. The ed-tech solutions page is sales-oriented (for education companies, 'a member of our sales team will be in touch'). Students effectively use the same offers as everyone else: the free Build tier (1,000 MAU) or the Maker Account (students/solo builders qualify: <=5 people, <$100k funding, <$10k/mo revenue). Stream's own June 2025 case study describes a university student shipping an award-winning app on 'free Stream chat APIs' via a plain free account.", "eligibility": "N/A — not a distinct offer. Students access the free Build tier (no eligibility) or the Maker Account (same startup/maker caps; no .edu required).", "claim": "N/A — use the Build tier signup or the Maker Account application (dashboard -> getstream.io/maker-account).", "expiry": "N/A — follows the underlying Build tier (no expiry) or Maker Account (no published expiry).", "gotchas": "Do not expect a .edu login, student discount, or academic pricing; any education deal would be a sales/enterprise conversation, not a self-serve program.", "source_url": "https://getstream.io/chat/solutions/ed-tech/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free 'Build' tier for Chat (always-free developer tier)", "link": "https://getstream.io/chat/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "streamlit community", "name": "Streamlit Community Cloud", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Community Cloud free hosting (general free tier, open to all users including students and startups)", "detail": "Official docs say you can create, deploy and manage Streamlit apps 'all for free', and that your account 'connects directly to your GitHub repositories (public or private)'. streamlit.io/cloud says 'Totally free'. This is a general free tier, not a student- or startup-specific program. Official limits on the manage-your-app page, stated 'as of February 2024' and 'may change at any time without notice': CPU 0.078 cores minimum to 2 cores maximum; memory 690MB minimum to 2.7GBs maximum; storage no minimum to 50GB maximum. Official sleep rule ('App hibernation'): 'All apps without traffic for 12 hours go to sleep'; anyone with view access can wake the app with 'Yes, get this app back up!'. Official private-app rule (share-your-app page): 'You are only allowed one private app at a time.' Unlimited public apps comes from a March 2023 forum reply by Caroline and is not restated on the official pages checked. Sources: https://docs.streamlit.io/deploy/streamlit-community-cloud ; https://docs.streamlit.io/deploy/streamlit-community-cloud/share-your-app ; https://docs.streamlit.io/deploy/streamlit-community-cloud/status ; https://streamlit.io/cloud", "eligibility": "Any individual who can sign in with GitHub and has administrative permission on the repository they deploy from (official status page: 'a developer must have administrative permissions to a repository to deploy apps from it'). No student, startup, nonprofit or identity check, and no payment step, is described on the official pages checked. Private-repo deploys need the GitHub 'repo' OAuth scope (official status page).", "claim": "Sign in with GitHub at share.streamlit.io (streamlit.io/cloud: 'Sign in with Github'), pick the repo, branch and file, then click Deploy. No application form is involved.", "expiry": "None stated. No trial or end date; the limits can change at any time without notice.", "gotchas": "(1) Resource figures are dated 'as of February 2024' even in the 2026 docs, and older forum posts cite a 1GB limit; use the official figures and confirm in-app. (2) Apps sleep after 12 hours without traffic and need a manual wake; visiting keeps them awake. (3) One private app at a time; deploying another private-repo app requires making the existing one public or deleting it (official). (4) Over-limit apps 'may slow down from throttling or become nonfunctional'; the official fix list is reboot, st.cache_data or st.cache_resource, cache limits, moving big data to a database, and profiling memory. (5) No SLA: a May 2023 community forum reply says Streamlit Cloud has no service level agreement (forum, not official). (6) Unverified third-party 2026 claims (fastero.com blog): accounts locked with HTTP 403 for undocumented fair-use limits, custom domains not supported, and repo commits no longer waking a sleeping app. None of these appear on the official pages checked; do not publish them as fact without confirmation.", "source_url": "https://docs.streamlit.io/deploy/streamlit-community-cloud/manage-your-app", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free resource increase for nonprofit or educational organizations (case-by-case, via request form)", "detail": "Official knowledge-base page: 'We offer free resource increases only to support nonprofits or educational organizations on a case-by-case basis.' The linked request form (titled 'Streamlit Community Cloud Resource Increase Request') targets 'good-for-the-world' use cases, generally an educational institution or nonprofit organization, open-source work, or public-benefit apps. It says apps 'primarily used by a for-profit company' do not qualify, and that you should 'implement caching before requesting increased resources'. No amounts or new limit values are stated. Review is 'as soon as possible' with no timeframe. After the increase is applied, the Streamlit marketing team sends a confirmation email. The fetched copy did not show the form fields. Sources: https://docs.streamlit.io/knowledge-base/deploy/resource-limits ; https://info.snowflake.com/streamlit-resource-increase-request.html", "eligibility": "Nonprofit or educational organizations (KB page). The form's wording is broader (good-for-the-world, open-source, public-benefit) but excludes apps primarily used by a for-profit company. Individual students and startups are not named. A student project or startup app likely qualifies only if it serves an educational institution, nonprofit or public-benefit purpose; the reviewer decides.", "claim": "1) Add caching first (st.cache_data or st.cache_resource, per the form). 2) Complete https://info.snowflake.com/streamlit-resource-increase-request.html and describe the nonprofit, educational or public-benefit use. 3) Wait for review; the confirmation email comes from Streamlit marketing once the increase is applied. A December 2022 forum reply by Caroline pointed to support@streamlit.io for educational or nonprofit requests; the current KB page points to the form instead.", "expiry": "None stated. No deadline on the KB page or the form. Approval is case-by-case and not guaranteed.", "gotchas": "No amounts or new limit values are published, so the size of any increase is unknown, and no review timeframe is given. For-profit apps are excluded. The form page footer reads 'Copyright 2024 Snowflake Inc.' while the docs footers read 2026, and the fetched form copy included leftover template-looking text (placeholder names and job titles), so confirm the form is current before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://docs.streamlit.io/knowledge-base/deploy/resource-limits", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verdict: a genuine free offer exists, but it is general free hosting open to everyone, including students and startups (finding 1), not a student or startup program. The only official extra free benefit is the case-by-case resource increase for nonprofit or educational organizations (finding 2). No startup program was found on the Streamlit pages checked; Snowflake's own startup and student programs were not checked. Status 2025-2026: no closure or change announcement was found on the official pages checked. The 2026-footer docs still list the February 2024 limits, the 12-hour sleep rule and the one-private-app rule. Unverified leads, not carried as findings: (a) A March 2023 forum reply by Caroline (discuss.streamlit.io/t/more-private-projects/39717) said 'we do offer increased private apps through our education program if you're a student or educator, and we run contests a few times a year where you can win hosting for additional private apps.' No current official page checked mentions an education program or contests, and the official share-your-app page says 'You are only allowed one private app at a time', so treat this as probably inactive unless Streamlit confirms it. (b) A 2021 forum thread asked about a student benefit (discuss.streamlit.io/t/streamlit-cluld-for-student/18075); it was auto-closed with no confirmed answer. (c) Staff said in November and December 2022 that there are no paid Community Cloud plans. Streamlit in Snowflake is a separate Snowflake product; streamlit.io/cloud shows a Snowflake option labeled 'Pro' with 'Start the trial now!' but no price, trial length or terms, and it was not verified as a student or startup offer. Research limits: WebSearch returned a shared-session budget-exhausted notice on its 3rd and 4th searches, so 2025-2026 news and the education-program status were not searched, and I did not work around the limit. streamlit.io/terms-of-service returned 404, streamlit.io/pricing returned 404, and blog.streamlit.io returned 403. Context7 MCP was not among the available tools, so official docs were read with WebFetch. Quotes come from WebFetch summaries and should be spot-checked before publication." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Community Cloud free hosting (general free tier, open to all users including students and startups)", "link": "https://docs.streamlit.io/deploy/streamlit-community-cloud/manage-your-app", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "stripe", "name": "Stripe", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://stripe.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "No setup or monthly fees; free sandbox/test mode and free API docs; pay-per-transaction (2.9% + 30c per successful domestic card txn, 1.5% international)." ], "notes": [ "Base offer is free to develop against; monetization is per-transaction. Pair with the two startup programs below. 2025-2026: Billing pay-as-you-go is 0.7% of billing volume; Managed Payments (merchant-of-record) adds 3.5%." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free sandbox & test mode (no credit card)", "detail": "Free isolated test environments: simulated payments, no real money movement, no card-network processing. Every Stripe account includes a test mode sandbox (shares some settings with live mode; cannot be deleted) plus up to 5 general sandboxes (fully isolated settings/data; recommended for new integrations; supports API v1 and v2 - test mode only supports v1 + partial v2). Stripe CLI can provision an anonymous sandbox with working API keys, no account registration required (`npm i -g @stripe/cli`, `stripe sandbox create`). No fees, no stated limits on test transactions. IC+ pricing cannot be tested in any sandbox. Docs, API reference and libraries are free.", "eligibility": "Anyone, worldwide. No .edu email, no startup age/funding requirement, no credit card (anonymous CLI sandbox needs no Stripe account at all), no regional limit.", "claim": "1) Create a free Stripe account, 2) toggle test mode in the Dashboard (or create a general sandbox under the account picker), or 3) use Stripe CLI: `stripe sandbox create` for an anonymous sandbox.", "expiry": "None - indefinite, no expiration; sandboxes can be created/deleted at will.", "gotchas": "Test mode sandbox shares some settings with live mode, so Dashboard changes can leak into live mode (look for notification banners). Test objects are not accessible from live mode and vice versa. General sandboxes support API V2; test mode is the legacy path.", "source_url": "https://docs.stripe.com/sandboxes", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Stripe Startups program (venture-backed startups): fee credits or waived processing fees, free community", "detail": "By-application program for early-stage, venture-backed startups. Benefit = financial benefits as fee credits (in ~31 countries incl. US, UK, Canada, most of EU, AU/NZ/JP/SG/TH/AE...) or waived payment-processing fees (all other countries); plus a focused community of builders/Stripe leaders and expert resources. No fixed public amount: offer amounts vary by offer type and referral source (investor referrals get elevated benefits; VCs/accelerators apply at stripe.com/startups/partners). Fee credits offset Stripe fees on Products like Payments, Connect, Billing, Tax, Sigma; they do NOT apply to Crypto, Capital, Atlas (incl. registered agent renewals), Terminal devices, Link passthrough, PayPal fees, professional services. Waived processing fees only cover card + local payment method fees (incl. BNPL, ACH); not currency conversion, manual card fees, Terminal, Atlas, product fees. Offer activates in Dashboard (banner/setup-guide task); credits may take up to 2 days to apply; tracked under Reports > Fee Credits. One offer per startup lifetime, per account; stacks with Atlas credits (earliest-expiring used first).", "eligibility": "Early-stage, venture-backed companies; application must include proof of institutional funding (PitchBook link, funding-announcement articles, or other docs). No funding cap or age cap published. No .edu. No credit card required to apply; must have an active, fully verified Stripe account on standard pricing, located in a supported country, not already received an offer, and not connected to a platform that controls your pricing.", "claim": "Apply at stripe.com/startups (form + verify your Stripe account) or via an investor's private referral link (Stripe Startup Partner program). Review in 2-3 business days; if approved, accept the offer via the Dashboard banner; 12-month activation window, then 12 months of offer usage.", "expiry": "Expiring offers: offer expires 12 months after activation or when offer limit reached, whichever first; you have 12 months to activate; cannot be paused; no expiry reminders sent.", "gotchas": "No retroactive effect if you forget to activate; waived-fee offers do not cover Stripe product fees; offer is converted to your default bank account currency; Connect usage depends on controller fees.payer configuration; if you process >$100,000/month for 3 consecutive months you can request a custom-pricing review instead. Fee credits are 'replacing waived processing fees over time' by region.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-startups-program-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Stripe Atlas: $500 one-time incorporation with $2,500 fee credits + $50,000 partner perks", "detail": "Stripe Atlas forms a Delaware C corp or LLC in 1-2 business days for a one-time US$500 setup fee (includes government fees + first year of registered agent; the agent auto-renews annually after). Includes EIN retrieval, founder equity vesting, 83(b) elections, legal documents developed with Cooley LLP, free legal document template downloads, and a US business bank account via Stripe Treasury. All Atlas companies incorporated on or after Oct 16, 2025 automatically get $2,500 in Stripe product fee credits, valid 1 year from incorporation date (usable on Payments, Connect, Billing, Tax, Sigma; NOT on Crypto, Capital, Atlas/registered agent renewal, Terminal devices, Link passthrough, PayPal fees, professional services). Plus US$50,000 in exclusive partner benefits (discounts from AWS, Mercury, Carta and other tools, plus legal/tax experts).", "eligibility": "Founders anywhere in the world (forms US/Delaware entities). No .edu, no funding or age requirements, no credit card to apply (the $500 fee is paid at incorporation). Requires a US phone number to activate US card payments (Atlas partner perks can help if you lack one). Without a US SSN, EIN takes 10-35 business days instead of 1-2. C-corp founders' shares are purchased with IP, not cash.", "claim": "1) Create account at dashboard.stripe.com/register/atlas, 2) submit company/founders/ownership/officers info and pay the $500 one-time fee, 3) incorporation in 1-2 business days, 4) EIN + $2,500 credits auto-applied, 5) activate US card payments from the confirmation email or Atlas Dashboard.", "expiry": "The $2,500 offer activates automatically on the incorporation date, cannot be extended, and expires 365 days after incorporation. Registered agent renews annually (first year included in the $500).", "gotchas": "Credits are not transferable to other Stripe accounts. Excluded fees: currency conversion, manual card fees, Terminal, Atlas renewal fees, PayPal, professional services. Atlas provides no legal/tax/accounting advice. If you qualify for Stripe Startups program credits too, the two stack.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/atlas-fee-credits-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Atlas + Stripe Treasury refund offer (new 2026): Atlas fee refunded up to $500", "detail": "Full refund of the Atlas incorporation fee (up to US$500, in cash or USD-backed stablecoins) when you deposit at least US$5,000 in aggregate into your Stripe Treasury financial account within 90 days of incorporating AND maintain a minimum balance of US$5,000 for at least 30 days. Reward is deposited 30 days after meeting the requirements. Makes Atlas effectively free for eligible startups.", "eligibility": "Users who incorporate through Atlas and open a Stripe financial (Treasury) account on or after April 13, 2026; account must be open and in good standing at reward time. No .edu, no funding cap, no credit card. Stripe can disqualify misuse/abuse/fraud 'gaming'.", "claim": "1) Incorporate via Atlas ($500), 2) open a Stripe Treasury financial account, 3) deposit US$5,000+ within 90 days of incorporation and hold it for 30 days, 4) refund is deposited automatically ~30 days after requirements are met.", "expiry": "No published end date; Stripe 'reserves the right to alter, change or end this offer at any time'. Reward has no monetary value until distributed; user is responsible for any tax on the reward.", "gotchas": "Ties up US$5,000 of real capital for 30+ days to recoup at most US$500; refund may be paid in USD-backed stablecoins; not a perpetual perk - program-modifiable at any time.", "source_url": "https://docs.stripe.com/atlas/stripe-treasury-offer", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Students: GitHub Student Developer Pack Stripe perk - $25 in Stripe credits (only student offer found; no Stripe education license)", "detail": "Stripe has no direct student program, no .edu-based education license, and no stripe.com/student(-s)/education page (both 404). The only student-facing offer found is a perk inside the GitHub Student Developer Pack: 'Get $25 in Stripe credits to offset fees on products including Stripe Payments, Billing, and more.' Credits are a fixed US$25 amount (not a fee waiver on revenue volume).", "eligibility": "Verified GitHub student status (GitHub Education verification, typically a school-issued email or enrollment documents; GitHub requires 18+). No credit card required to claim. No Stripe-specific requirements.", "claim": "1) Sign up for the GitHub Student Developer Pack at education.github.com/pack, 2) complete GitHub student verification, 3) claim the Stripe offer from the pack's offers list ('Get help at Stripe support').", "expiry": "Tied to the pack: GitHub pack access is renewable while you are a student (12-month cycles); the Stripe $25 credit's own expiry is not stated on the pack page.", "gotchas": "Third-party aggregators (e.g., freEDU, marked 'verified March 7, 2026') describe this perk as 'waived transaction fees on first $1,000 in revenue' - that wording contradicts GitHub's live listing and is likely stale; trust the live GitHub pack page. The $25 credit is minor relative to startup offers; not a fee waiver. Verify live terms before claiming, as pack perks change.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free base pricing & product free allowances, plus 30-day free trials (time-limited, not permanent tiers)", "detail": "Core Payments: no setup fees, no monthly fees, no hidden fees like closure fees (guaranteed in Stripe's pricing FAQ); pay-per-transaction: US domestic cards 2.9% + 30c per successful transaction (+0.5% manually entered cards, +1.5% international cards, +1% if currency conversion; ACH 0.8% with $5 cap; disputes $15.00 per SPT). Standing free allowances: payouts on the standard schedule are free; P2P payments to other Stripe businesses are free; micro-deposit verifications free; Data Pipeline Postgres sync has 5,000 rows synced free per month (beyond: $0.0025/row pay-as-you-go); basic usage-based billing via the Meters API under Billing pricing includes up to 100M events/month. Payment Links included at no additional charge (custom domains $10/month is a paid extra). 30-day free trials (then paid subscription, 'subscription and cancellation terms apply'): Stripe Sigma ($15/mo, or from $10/mo annual), Data Pipeline warehouse/cloud sync ($65/mo, from $50/mo annual, includes Sigma), Revenue Recognition ($25/mo, $190/mo annual). No credit card requirement stated for trials; Invoicing Starter is pay-as-you-go at 0.4% per paid invoice (no recurring fee, not free); Tax Basic is pay-as-you-go (0.5%/txn no-code, $0.50/txn API).", "eligibility": "Any Stripe account, any region (rates differ by country). No .edu, no startup requirements, no credit card required to open an account or run trials.", "claim": "Create a free Stripe account; products unlock pay-as-you-go immediately; trials start via the 'Try for free for 30 days' buttons on stripe.com/pricing.", "expiry": "Trials are 30 days, then auto-convert to the listed subscription unless cancelled; free allowances (5,000 rows/month, free standard-schedule payouts, 100M Meters events) have no stated end date.", "gotchas": "Trials are time-boxed, not free tiers; the free Data Pipeline allowance is rows-synced-based (updates/deletes also count); 'no monthly fees' does not mean no transaction fees; custom domains ($10/mo) and post-payment invoices (0.4%, $2 cap) are small paid extras on otherwise no-code tools; instant payouts and premium services carry fees; refund fees may apply to bank transfers.", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Oct 16, 2025 - Atlas startup offer materially changed: companies incorporated before that date received 'waived payments processing fees on your first $100,000 USD in payments, for 1 year after incorporation' (limited to card + local payment method processing fees); companies incorporated on/after Oct 16, 2025 instead receive $2,500 in Stripe product fee credits (1 year from incorporation, broader product coverage). The prior waived-processing-fee offer remains active only for earlier incorporations. 2) Apr 13, 2026 - new 'Stripe Treasury refund offer for Atlas users' (full Atlas-fee refund up to $500 for $5,000 deposit + 30-day hold) - brand-new 2026 program with no published end date. 3) 2025 - general sandboxes launched as the recommended test environment for new integrations; the legacy test mode sandbox is retained for existing integrations (API V2 only supported in general sandboxes; Stripe CLI can create anonymous sandboxes with no account). 4) Stripe Startups FAQ: fee credits are 'replacing waived processing fees over time' by country, so more regions will shift from waived fees to credits; also note the FAQ's 'Stripe Treasury benefits' $1,000 USD offer is event-tied (sign up for a Stripe card within 7 days of the event), not a standing free program. 5) Pricing-page footnote: basic usage-based billing features are moving to Stripe's Meters API under Billing pricing with up to 100M events/month included (metronome remains a separately signed-up product). 6) No student/education program was sunset - no direct Stripe student program exists; the only student perk is via the GitHub Student Developer Pack ($25 in Stripe credits per GitHub's current listing; some aggregators still show older 'first $1,000 revenue fee waiver' wording). 7) Baseline card rates confirmed current: US domestic 2.9% + 30c; +1.5% international cards; +1% currency conversion (US page; some country pages show +2% conversion)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free sandbox & test mode (no credit card)", "link": "https://docs.stripe.com/sandboxes", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "stripe atlas", "name": "Stripe Atlas", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://stripe.com/atlas" ], "offers": [ "$2,500 in Stripe product credits for the first year + over $50,000 in partner discounts (AWS, Google, Xero, etc.); Delaware C-Corp/LLC formation. Fee $500 one-time, refunded with a $5,000 Stripe Treasury deposit within 90 days; then $100/year." ], "notes": [ "2026 current structure: $500 + $100/yr, $2,500 credits, $50K+ partner perks. A retracted 2026-08-28 change record claimed AWS/GitHub/AWS-5k items that never existed on the page — do not rely on third-party 'restructured' claims." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Stripe Atlas startup program: Delaware C-Corp/LLC + perks bundle", "detail": "One-time US$500 setup fee (includes Delaware gov filing fees, next-day expedited processing, and year-1 registered agent service) forms a Delaware C corp, LLC, or C-corp subsidiary; company tax ID (EIN), founder equity issuance, and 83(b) election filing included. Fundraising tools (YC-drafted post-money SAFE, board consents, per-SAFE tracking, investment deposit tracking via Treasury) are included at no additional cost. Registered agent renews automatically at US$100/year after year one (cancellable anytime).", "eligibility": "Open to founders in 175+ countries; all founders must be 18+; no US SSN, nationality, or .edu email required. Delaware entities only (C corp/LLC/subsidiary). Prohibited activity: no business in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Crimea; restricted business categories (weapons, unregulated financial services, etc.) excluded. No startup age/funding cap — it is a formation service.", "claim": "1) Sign up at dashboard.stripe.com/register/atlas; 2) submit company + co-founder details, sign docs; 3) pay $500; 4) Delaware incorporates within ~2 business days; EIN (faster for US SSN holders, 7-14 days for non-US); 5) open Stripe Treasury/US business bank account. Perks appear in the Dashboard 'Perks' tab after Atlas application approval.", "expiry": "$100/yr registered agent renews automatically after year one; cancel anytime. Perks are 'subject to change'.", "gotchas": "The $500 fee IS required up front (payment card needed), so it is not a free offer by itself — the fee becomes free only via the Treasury refund (see separate finding). Auto-filed 83(b) and IP-assignment templates suit typical startups but not founders rolling QSBS gains or contributing valuable IP. Atlas is self-service, not a law firm; Delaware annual franchise tax (~$400/yr) is a separate, often-underrated ongoing cost. Stripe is not a bank; US current accounts are provided by Fifth Third Bank N.A.", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/atlas", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "US$2,500 Stripe product credits for Atlas companies (first year)", "detail": "US$2,500 in Stripe product credits, usable in the first year after incorporation, granted automatically to companies incorporated via Atlas. Per Stripe's Atlas perks support page, the credits are delivered as two separate offers: US$2,500 on Stripe Payment Links and US$2,500 on Stripe Invoicing (each 'in your first year after incorporation').", "eligibility": "Any company incorporated through Stripe Atlas (C corp, LLC, or subsidiary), regardless of founder country. No .edu, no funding cap, no CC required beyond the initial $500 Atlas fee.", "claim": "No separate application: incorporate via Atlas (dashboard.stripe.com/register/atlas); credits apply automatically in the Dashboard once incorporated; details/claims surfaced in the Atlas Perks tab.", "expiry": "Credits expire 12 months after incorporation (or when used). No renewal.", "gotchas": "Credits offset Stripe fees only — they are not cash; per the Stripe Startups FAQ the credit model excludes Crypto, Capital, Atlas fees, Terminal, Link passthrough, PayPal, and professional-services fees. Companies that incorporated before ~Oct 16, 2025 received the legacy format instead (processing fees waived on the first US$100,000 of revenue for 1 year) — that legacy offer is no longer available to new companies (date per third-party CloudRoute tracker; medium confidence).", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/atlas", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Atlas fee refund: $500 back + US$1,500 (C corp) / US$1,000 (LLC) bonus for a US$5,000 Stripe Treasury deposit", "detail": "Depositing US$5,000 into a Stripe Treasury financial account within 90 days of incorporation refunds the US$500 Atlas setup fee AND earns a US$1,500 bonus (C corp) or US$1,000 bonus (LLC) — netting up to ~US$2,000 in value for the same $5,000 held. This is how Atlas incorporation becomes effectively free while banking with Stripe.", "eligibility": "Atlas companies that can open a Stripe Treasury financial account (availability depends on the Stripe account/region; US Treasury availability is broad but not universal). LLC and C-corp bonus amounts differ.", "claim": "1) Incorporate via Atlas; 2) open a Stripe Treasury financial account from the Dashboard; 3) deposit/fund US$5,000 within 90 days; refund + bonus are applied per the perks terms. No separate application.", "expiry": "The 90-day funding window is per incorporation (Stripe does not state whether it starts at payment or incorporation date). Bonus is one-time; Treasury itself persists as a regular account.", "gotchas": "This is 'deposit $5,000 to get $500-$2,000 back' — you must actually have the cash; it is not a discount on the fee upfront. Stripe 'cannot guarantee' all perks apply to every company; bonus tiers as worded on the support page.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-atlas-perks-partners", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Atlas partner perks: 'over US$50,000' in startup tool discounts/credits (AWS, Cloudflare, PostHog, Azure, Google, Xero, Deel, etc.)", "detail": "Access to 50,000+ USD of partner offers, incl.: AWS Activate US$5,000 credits (new AWS users only), Cloudflare US$100,000 credits via the Cloudflare Startup Program, PostHog US$50,000 credits, Microsoft for Startups US$5,000+ Azure credits (+GitHub/Office discounts), Deel US$1,500 credits, Xero free 6 months, Google Ads US$500 after US$500 spend, Google Workspace 20% off first year, Ramp US$1,500 sign-up bonus, Bubble US$500 credits, Replit up to US$500, plus % off/free months on Notion, Linear, Slack, Gusto, Rippling, Carta, Vanta, Lovable, etc.", "eligibility": "Any approved Atlas company (C corp or LLC). No .edu or funding cap for the bundle itself, but each partner applies its own eligibility/compliance rules (e.g., AWS credits new users only; Ramp requires a US bank account with >US$25,000).", "claim": "After Atlas application approval, open the Perks tab in the Stripe Dashboard and claim each partner offer there; no referral required.", "expiry": "Individual partner offers have their own terms and are 'subject to change'; bundle value (US$50,000) is a marketing aggregate, not a guaranteed single credit pool.", "gotchas": "Stripe cannot guarantee partners will work with every Atlas company; egress/data costs, partner account minimums, and single-use limits apply per partner; most are free-tier credits, but some are only % discounts.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-atlas-perks-partners", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Stripe Startups program: fee credits + exclusive Invoicing cap (0.4%, up to US$10 per invoice, 12 months)", "detail": "Separate program (launched May 2025), stackable with Atlas: fee credits offsetting Stripe fees on Payments, Connect, Billing, Tax, and Sigma for 12 months (dollar amount not published on the public page; investor-network variants range US$500–US$5,000, with waived-processing-fee format in countries where credits are unavailable), plus capped Invoicing pricing 'starting at 0.4%, up to a maximum of US$10 per paid invoice' for the first 12 months (local-currency equivalents published, e.g., CA$14, A$14, EUR 8, GBP 7, S$12). Also expert advice, education, and founder community at no cost. Pricing review offered at US$100k MRR for 3 consecutive months.", "eligibility": "Early-stage, venture-backed companies: proof of institutional funding required (PitchBook link, funding press, or investor docs). Active fully-verified Stripe account on standard pricing; must not already hold a fee offer. No .edu path — student founders without VC backing do not qualify. One offer per startup for its lifetime.", "claim": "1) Apply via the public form at stripe.com/startups or a private referral link from a Stripe Startup Partner (VC/accelerator); 2) confirm active verified Stripe account; 3) review takes 2-3 business days; 4) activate the offer from the Dashboard within 12 months of approval.", "expiry": "12 months to activate, then 12 months active (or until limit hit), no pausing; invoicing cap is first-12-months only; unused fee credits expire 12 months after activation; no automatic expiry reminder.", "gotchas": "VC-backing gate excludes bootstrapped students/early builders; credits explicitly exclude Crypto, Capital, Atlas, Terminal, Link passthrough, PayPal, professional-services fees; invoicing cap is keyed to payment date, not creation date, and each installment payment gets its own US$10 cap.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-startups-program-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Stripe Treasury fee-credit rewards (ongoing, non-startup-exclusive)", "detail": "US and Australia businesses whose Stripe Treasury financial account holds a combined USD+USDC end-of-day balance over US$2,000 earn fee credits at a 1% annual rate on the balance (calculated daily, issued monthly), automatically applied to eligible fees. Effectively free money back on balances already sitting in the Atlas-linked Treasury account.", "eligibility": "US- or AU-located businesses using Stripe Treasury; Atlas companies that open a Stripe Treasury account qualify. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "Automatic — just hold the balance in the Treasury financial account; credits accrue and apply to eligible fees without a separate application.", "expiry": "Ongoing; credits issued monthly; program subject to the Stripe Fee Credit Terms.", "gotchas": "Credits offset eligible fees only (not cash), 1% is modest; excluded/eligible fee categories are defined in the Fee Credit Terms.", "source_url": "https://docs.stripe.com/treasury/balance-rewards", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Students/education: No student-specific or .edu-licensed Stripe offer was found (Atlas, Atlas credits, or Stripe Startups all use startup/VC-backed criteria, not educational status), so there is no 'education license' to list; .edu email is not required anywhere in the Atlas flow. Sunset/changes 2025-2026: (1) The legacy Atlas credit format — 'waived processing fees on the first US$100,000 of revenue for 1 year' — was replaced by the fixed US$2,500 product-credit format for companies incorporated on/after ~October 16, 2025 (date from third-party tracker CloudRoute; not re-stated on Stripe's marketing page, so medium confidence on the exact cutover date). (2) The Stripe Startups program launched May 13, 2025 and is growing, not sunsetting; its FAQ notes fee credits are progressively replacing the older waived-processing-fees format globally. (3) Stripe's older support FAQ 'Getting started with Stripe Atlas' still advertises 'US$100,000 USD in exclusive benefits', while all current pages say 'over US$50,000 in partner discounts' — a messaging/bundle revision, not a removal of perks. (4) Jan 2025 feature (third-party, medium confidence): Atlas now lets startups accept payments immediately after incorporation, even before receiving the EIN. Caveat: this session's WebSearch budget was exhausted after the searches noted; a dedicated student-program check (e.g., 'Stripe for students') was not completed, so absence of a .edu offer rests on the official pages read today plus training knowledge." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Stripe Atlas startup program: Delaware C-Corp/LLC + perks bundle", "link": "https://stripe.com/atlas", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "stripe startups", "name": "Stripe Startups", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://stripe.com/startups" ], "offers": [ "Credits to offset Stripe fees for 12 months for venture-backed early-stage startups, plus an exclusive Stripe Invoicing cap starting at 0.4% (up to $10/invoice); no equity taken." ], "notes": [ "Apply from the Stripe dashboard; requires proof of institutional/venture funding and an account on standard pricing; review ~2-3 business days. Credit amount not publicly published (est. ~$500-$2,000 depending on source). 2026: Invoicing cap explicitly 'starting at 0.4% up to $10 per invoice'." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Stripe Startups program — fee credits + exclusive Invoicing cap", "detail": "Official program for early-stage venture-backed companies. Core perks: (1) credits that offset Stripe fees on Payments, Connect, Billing, Tax and Sigma for 12 months; (2) exclusive capped Invoicing pricing starting at 0.4% per paid invoice, capped at US$10 (or local-currency equivalent, e.g. 45 lei, £7, €8, AU$14) for the first 12 months, auto-activated alongside fee credits; (3) expert education, tailored advice, and founder/Stripe-leader community; (4) pricing review opportunity when monthly payments exceed $100,000 for 3 consecutive months. No equity taken (no mention of equity/warrants anywhere in the program).", "eligibility": "Early-stage, venture-backed companies; application must include proof of institutional funding (PitchBook link, funding-announcement articles, or other documentation). Must be on Stripe's standard pricing, no other platform may control your pricing, no prior offer received; one offer per startup in its lifetime. No founding-date cap, funding-amount cap, or headcount limit is published. Region: fee-credit offer is available in 31 named countries (US, UK, EU countries, AU, NZ, JP, SG, HK, etc.); in all other countries the equivalent benefit is waived processing fees instead.", "claim": "Apply directly at stripe.com/startups (redirects to dashboard.stripe.com/register/startup?partner_code=PUBLIC) or via an investor/accelerator partner link (Builtfirst partner pages show partner-specific credit amounts: $500 credits via AWS Activate, $5,000 credits via Emerson Collective/Inovia). Complete the form, verify your active Stripe account, submit; Stripe responds in 2-3 business days; accept the offer via the Dashboard banner or a setup-guide task (admin/owner login). Offer must be activated within 12 months of acceptance.", "expiry": "Once activated: offer expires 12 months after activation or when the credit limit is reached, whichever comes first; cannot be paused. Unused credits expire 1 year after activation. Invoicing cap ends after 12 months (standard pricing applies). No renewal; Stripe can extend the offer only once.", "gotchas": "Credit amounts are NOT fixed — the FAQ says 'Offer amounts vary by offer type... and by your referral source'; partner-specific pages list $500 (AWS Activate) to $5,000 (Emerson/Inovia) in credits, and where credits are unavailable, waivers on $20K-$150K USD of processing volume. Excluded products: Crypto, Capital, Atlas, Terminal devices, Link passthrough, PayPal fees, professional services. Cap is based on payment date, not invoice creation date; each installment payment gets its own $10 cap. Invoicing fee is otherwise 0.4% uncapped (Starter) — the $10 cap is the perk. Users with custom/volume pricing or who already redeemed a discount are ineligible. No .edu/student pathway exists; the only route is proving institutional (VC) funding. No credit card is required to apply or hold a Stripe account (usage-based billing).", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-startups-program-faq", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free usage-based standard pricing (no setup/monthly fees) — de facto free to start", "detail": "Stripe has no subscription 'free tier'; instead, standard pricing has 'No setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden fees' — you pay only per transaction. A new company (including a student side-project) can create a live Stripe account and accept real payments for $0 upfront. Included at no extra charge on standard pricing: 3D Secure, Authorization Boost, Adaptive Pricing, Radar Lite (AI fraud protection), dispute deflection lookups, and Connect (embedded payments) with 0.25% starting fee only if the platform sets its own rates. Per-transaction fees vary by locale (e.g. Romania: 1.5%+lei1.00 domestic EEA cards; US standard is 2.9%+30c card-present/online card rates). No credit card required to open or use a Stripe account (pay-as-you-go).", "eligibility": "Anyone who can open a Stripe account (business or sole proprietor in supported countries). Not student-specific, not startup-specific; no funding proof or .edu email needed.", "claim": "Sign up at stripe.com and create a live account in minutes; no credit card, no monthly fee. Start processing immediately; costs are purely per-transaction plus product fees.", "expiry": "Permanent pricing model; no trial period needed.", "gotchas": "'Free to start' is not free to run: card fees, a 1% instant-payouts fee (where available), dispute fees (per-locale, e.g. 100 lei per dispute received/countered in Romania), and per-transaction product fees (Invoicing 0.4% uncapped outside the Startups program; Billing, Tax, Identity, etc.) all still apply. This is a pricing model, not a student startup offer — do not list it as a discount in a comparison of free offers.", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day free trials: Sigma, Data Pipeline, Revenue Recognition + free-usage tiers", "detail": "Official pricing page offers 'Try for free for 30 days' on: Stripe Sigma (query tool), Data Pipeline (warehouse/data sync), and Revenue Recognition. Separate perpetual free-usage allowances: Workflows — 10,000 steps per month free, then ~0.078 lei per additional step; Data Pipeline Postgres sync — 5,000 rows per month free. (Figures seen on the Romania-locale pricing page; US equivalents: Workflows $0.02/step overage, Sigma/Data Pipeline/Revenue Recognition priced per usage.)", "eligibility": "Any Stripe account holder; no student or startup status required; no credit card required to start a trial.", "claim": "Create a Stripe account, navigate to the product (Sigma / Data Pipeline / Revenue Recognition), and activate the 30-day trial directly in the dashboard.", "expiry": "30-day trial per product; free monthly allowances (10k workflow steps, 5k data rows) are recurring and not a trial.", "gotchas": "These are trials, not free tiers — after 30 days the product bills per its standard plan (e.g. Sigma in the locale page is billed by plan: ~44 lei/mo annual or 66 lei/mo). If you only use under the free allowances, costs can be near-zero even post-trial.", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Stripe Startups separate Treasury benefit: $1,000 cash for opening a Stripe card", "detail": "The official FAQ lists a separate Treasury benefit: sign up for a Stripe card 'within 7 days of the event' and Stripe deposits US$1,000 in cash into your Treasury account within 30 days of card creation.", "eligibility": "Startups participating in the Stripe Startups program events; exact trigger ('the event') and program enrollment required.", "claim": "Create a Stripe card within 7 days of the qualifying event; $1,000 deposited to your Stripe Treasury account within ~30 days.", "expiry": "One-time; 7-day window to act.", "gotchas": "Only mentioned in the FAQ's benefits list — no standalone terms page found; confirm details at application time.", "source_url": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-startups-program-faq", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Student / education licensing: no free offer found", "detail": "No student-only free tier, .edu-based discount, or education license exists for Stripe as of 2026-10-22. The official pricing page lists no student or education pricing; partner marketplaces and search results contain no .edu-gated Stripe offer. The only education-adjacent benefit is the 'Education' pillar of the Stripe Startups program (expert insights/how-to programming), which is venture-funding-gated, not student-gated. Free paths for students: the usage-based standard pricing ($0 to start, no credit card) and the 30-day product trials above; Stripe's test mode/API has always been free.", "eligibility": "N/A (no offer)", "claim": "N/A", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Students building projects should budget real card fees for live traffic; test mode is free and card-free but does not process real money.", "source_url": "https://stripe.com/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Partner-specific credit amounts (referral-dependent tiers)", "detail": "Because offer amounts vary by referral source, Builtfirst partner pages publish the tiers: AWS Activate — $500 USD in Stripe credits (or, in countries where credits aren't yet available, waived fees on the equivalent of $20,000 USD in processing volume), new Stripe users only; Emerson Collective / Inovia — $5,000 USD in credits (or $150,000 USD volume waived where credits unavailable), available to new AND existing customers, plus the 0.4% Invoicing cap up to $10/invoice for year one.", "eligibility": "Venture-backed startups referred through that specific investor/program (or via Builtfirst login claim); must be on standard pricing and not hold custom/volume pricing or a prior redeemed discount.", "claim": "Claim through the partner's Builtfirst login page (login to claim, redirected to Stripe registration with partner code), or the partner's partner-page link.", "expiry": "Credits: unused credits expire 1 year after activation. Invoicing cap: first 12 months.", "gotchas": "Amounts are partner-specific — direct application (stripe.com/startups, PUBLIC partner code) may yield a different, often smaller, offer than a VC referral; check which partner tier you qualify for before assuming the number.", "source_url": "https://emersoncollective.builtfirst.com/stripe-stripe-startups-financial-infrastructure", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Stripe Startups program — fee credits + exclusive Invoicing cap", "link": "https://support.stripe.com/questions/stripe-startups-program-faq", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "supabase auth", "name": "Supabase Auth", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://supabase.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free: 50,000 MAU auth included plus 500MB Postgres, 1GB storage, 500k edge function invocations; projects pause after 1 week idle, max 2 active" ], "notes": [ "Open-source (Apache-2.0 platform) — can also self-host for free. Pro $25/mo raises included auth to 100,000 MAU (then $0.00325/MAU) and never pauses. Supabase runs regular startup/developer credits and a free \"Demos\" tier. Verified at supabase.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Supabase Free Plan (free tier) — Auth, Postgres, Storage, Edge Functions, Realtime", "detail": "Supabase Free Plan = the genuine, perpetual free tier ($0/month). Verified limits read from supabase.com/pricing this session: 50,000 monthly active users for Auth (also 50,000 third-party MAU); 500 MB Postgres database (shared CPU, 500 MB RAM); 1 GB file storage (50 MB/file max, basic CDN); 500,000 edge-function invocations; 5 GB standard egress + 5 GB cached egress; Realtime 200 peak connections and 2M messages/month; unlimited API requests; 1-day log retention; community support only. NOT on free: SSO auth, image transforms, backups, PITR, branching, custom domains, log drains.", "eligibility": "Anyone (no student or startup gate). No credit card required to start the free tier (widely confirmed by third parties; the $0 plan needs no payment method). Available globally. Hard cap of 2 active projects across all orgs where you are Owner/Admin; paused projects do not count toward that cap.", "claim": "Sign up at supabase.com and click 'Start for Free' on the pricing page, then create a project. No application and no credit card. The 2-active-project limit applies to any org where you are Owner or Administrator, so you can run one project in two free orgs.", "expiry": "Free indefinitely, no renewal/annualization. But each free project auto-pauses after 1 week of inactivity; it resumes on the next API call. Pause does not delete data. Paid tiers (Pro from $25/mo) do not pause for inactivity.", "gotchas": "1-week idle pause will kill dev/test or course-work deployments that sit between deadlines. Strict 2-active-project cap. No SSO, no image transforms, no backups/PITR/branching, no custom domains. Going to Pro adds a per-project compute line (Micro ~$10/mo) and charges usage beyond the included quotas (MAU beyond 100k, disk beyond 8 GB, egress beyond 250 GB, etc.). Treat the free plan as dev/prototype, not a production DB.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Supabase Startup credits program (reported by aggregators; not verifiable as an active public offer)", "detail": "A Supabase startup credits program is cited by third-party aggregators but the figures contradict each other and none can be confirmed on a Supabase-owned page: 'Supabase Credits' guide claims '$2,500 in credits'; StartupPerks frames it as an ongoing free plan for pre-seed/seed/Series A companies under ~5 yrs old that raised under $5M (no funding required); guptadeepak.com's 'Supabase Startup Program' page states the program is DISCONTINUED and that supabase.com/startups returns 404 with no application form. The official startup page (supabase.com/startups -> /solutions/startups) is marketing-only: 'Why startups choose Supabase', four value props, and a single 'Get started' CTA to the dashboard — no credit amount, no eligibility, no duration, no form. The partners page offers only listing/co-marketing/trust-signal perks, no credit or plan subsidy.", "eligibility": "Unverified. Per aggregator descriptions (contradictory): early-stage company (pre-seed/seed/Series A), <5 years old, <~$5M raised, no funding required; some say apply via partner/accelerator or company-domain email. No authoritative eligibility criteria found on any official page.", "claim": "No verified public application path found: no application form exists on any Supabase-owned page (the startup and partner pages are marketing-only). If the offer exists at all it appears gated through partner accelerators (Y Combinator / Techstars) or Supabase sales. Verify with Supabase sales before planning around it.", "expiry": "Unknown. Program status unclear — one source (Sep 2026) reports it discontinued/404; others treat it as ongoing. No defined term on any official page.", "gotchas": "Do NOT rely on the '$2,500 credits' figure: it is unconfirmed and conflicts with 'six months of the Team plan free' and '$3,000 over 12 months'. The free tier is unaffected regardless of whether a startup program exists. No official application form was located.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/solutions/startups(official:noprogramlisted);https://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/supabase-startups(reportsprogramdiscontinued)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "STUDENT/EDUCATION LICENSE: none exists. supabase.com/education returns HTTP 404, and Supabase runs no student or academic discount. Its own pricing page has no student/education tier; the founders' original goal (2020 blog) of keeping free projects available for students/hobbyists is served by the standard Free Plan, with no application process. Students should plan around the Free Plan and email support only if a course deployment needs more.\\n\\nSTARTUP CREDITS PROGRAM: not verifiable as an active public offer. The official startup page (supabase.com/startups, now serving /solutions/startups) is marketing-only with no application form, credit amount, eligibility, or duration. At least one source (guptadeepak.com, Sep 2026) reports supabase.com/startups now 404s and the program is discontinued. Aggregators still circulate contradictory, unverifiable figures ($2,500 credits / six months of the Team plan free / $3,000 over 12 months). Treat any startup offer as partner-gated (Y Combinator / Techstars / sales) or sunset rather than a public sign-up.\\n\\nTRIAL CREDITS: no native time-limited 'trial credits' program. The Free Plan is a perpetual free tier, not a trial. The only credit-style offers in the ecosystem are third-party partner perks, not Supabase's own — e.g., Mercury grants its business-account holders $300 in Supabase credits (new customers, separate conditions).\\n\\nNET: the only distinct, verifiable free offer for students and startups is the standard Free Plan itself (finding #1, high confidence). No separate education license or reliable public startup-credits program could be confirmed on official pages this session.\\n\\nNote on sourcing: the official pricing page was read directly this session (high confidence for Free Plan figures). The WebSearch budget was exhausted partway through the task, so current (2025-2026) change history for the startup program rests on aggregator claims (contradictory) plus a direct read of Supabase's own startup/partners pages showing no live program; those lower-confidence items are marked accordingly." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Supabase Free Plan (free tier) — Auth, Postgres, Storage, Edge Functions, Realtime", "link": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "supabase free plan", "name": "Supabase Free Plan", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://supabase.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: 500 MB Postgres per project, 1 GB file storage, 5 GB egress, 50K MAU, 500K Edge Function invocations/mo, 2 active projects" ], "notes": [ "Free projects pause after 1 week inactivity. Limits verified on pricing page 2026-10." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Supabase Free Plan (free tier) — the only direct, self-serve free offer", "detail": "$0/month, verified on the official pricing page today: 500 MB Postgres per active project (Shared CPU, 500 MB RAM), 1 GB file storage (50 MB max upload), 5 GB egress + 5 GB cached egress, 50,000 MAU included (50K third-party-auth MAU too, raised from 50 in March 2025), 500,000 Edge Function invocations/month, 25 Edge Functions allowed, 2M realtime messages/month, 200 realtime peak connections, 1 GB log ingestion + 100 GB log query, unlimited API requests, 2 active projects per user (limit applies across ALL orgs where the user is Owner/Admin), community support only. Quotas are organization-level. 500 MB database limit is per ACTIVE project (paused/deleted projects don't count). No trial needed: this is the permanent free tier.", "eligibility": "Everyone — no .edu email, no startup requirements, no funding cap, no region limit, credit card NOT required. 2 active projects cap per user, counted across every Free-plan org they own/admin.", "claim": "Sign up at supabase.com/dashboard -> create an organization (plan: Free) -> create up to 2 projects. No application, no verification. 'Start for Free' on the pricing page.", "expiry": "Indefinite / free forever. Projects auto-pause after 1 week of inactivity (data kept; paused projects don't count toward the 2-active-project limit and can be resumed). Paid-plan behavior (no pausing) is not available on Free.", "gotchas": "Free projects sleep after 7 idle days — bites students between deadlines; data persists while paused but the DB is down until resumed. Hitting quota on a Free org doesn't auto-upgrade: overages simply aren't billed on Free; you must upgrade to Pro ($25/mo + $10/mo compute credits) to get more. SSO MAU and Storage Images Transformed are unavailable on Free. Only 1-day log retention. To mix plans you must create separate orgs. No backups on Free. Third-party sites' 'up to $10K' / '$2,500' / '6 months Team plan free' Supabase startup-credit claims are unverified against any Supabase page and contradict each other.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student/education offers: NONE (no education license, no .edu discount, not in GitHub Student Developer Pack)", "detail": "Supabase has no student program, no education pricing, and no application path. supabase.com/education returns 404; the pricing page contains no student/academic wording; Supabase does not appear in the GitHub Student Developer Pack offer list (checked today); a 2024 Supabase-maintained GitHub discussion confirms the stance is 'use the free tier.' A co-founder once said YC Summer Fellows students (a YC run, not Supabase-run, grants program) received $10K in Supabase credits (2025 cohort only). Students effectively get exactly the general Free plan.", "eligibility": "N/A — students get no special tier beyond the general Free plan (no .edu verification, no academic license).", "claim": "Nothing to claim; sign up for the Free plan like anyone else. If a class project needs more, email support@supabase.io (no program exists to apply to).", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Pricing-page footer copy 'free projects for students and hobbyists' (2020 founding post) is aspirational marketing, not a program. Do not rely on third-party 'Supabase for students' deal pages — they all just restate the free tier plus paid upsells.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup credits via partner channels: $300 over 12 months (AWS Activate) and $300 over 1 year (Mercury Perks), plus unpublished YC/accelerator/investor partner tiers", "detail": "No self-serve application on supabase.com. Credits are distributed through partner deal books: (1) AWS Startups/Activate marketplace offer: '$300 Supabase credits for free over 12 months' (AWS-official listing; page now sits behind login at startups.aws.com). (2) Mercury Perks (mercury.com/perks/supabase, live-verified by a third party 2026-10-20): $300 in Supabase credits over 1 year, new Supabase customers only, for Mercury business-account holders (Mercury requires US-formed company). (3) YC and 80+ accelerator/VC partner tier: amounts unpublished, delivered through the partner's own portal (Supabase blog, Oct 2025: 1,000+ YC companies on Supabase; 'Supabase YC Program' gives YC companies credits). Non-dilutive, no equity.", "eligibility": "AWS route: AWS Activate membership (per third-party detail, institutional-VC-backed, pre-seed to Series A, < $5M raised — verify in the AWS portal since the offer page is login-gated). Mercury route: Mercury business customer + NEW Supabase customer. YC/accelerator route: being in that partner's portfolio. No funding cap/age cap published for the $300 tiers themselves.", "claim": "AWS: redeem the Supabase offer inside the AWS Activate/Startups portal and attach to a Supabase org. Mercury: redeem from the Mercury Perks portal. YC/investor: claim through your accelerator or VC's startup-perks portal. Credits attach to one Supabase organization (moves only via support ticket).", "expiry": "Credits delivered over 12 months and reduce only FUTURE invoices (not already-issued ones); no published review SLA; partner terms can change.", "gotchas": "Page-gating: AWS offer page redirects to login, so current terms must be confirmed inside the AWS portal. The '$2,500', '$3,000 over 12 months', '6 months Team plan free' figures circulating on deal aggregators conflict and are NOT published on any Supabase page — treat as unverified. No public application means bootstrapped startups with no partner affiliation get only the Free plan.", "source_url": "https://mercury.com/perks/supabase", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial credits: NONE — no free Pro/Team trial or new-signup credit", "detail": "Supabase has no trial-credit program for Pro/Team. Paid plans are billed monthly up front (Pro $25/mo + $10/mo compute credits covering one Micro instance; Team from $599/mo). The only 'credits' a new user gets are partner-distributed (AWS/Mercury/YC, above). The 2026-09 OrioleDB public-beta and AI/model-gateway features carry standard Postgres pricing, no student/startup-specific credit.", "eligibility": "N/A", "claim": "Nothing to claim.", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "'Pro plan trial' language on third-party perk sites (e.g. 'Pro plan free 12 months, $300 value') describes partner credit redemptions, not a genuine self-serve trial; don't expect one on signup.", "source_url": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) SUPABASE STARTUP APPLICATION PAGE GONE: aggregator checks (Sep 2026) report supabase.com/startups 404s; today the URL serves only the generic /solutions/startups marketing page with no credit amounts, eligibility, or apply form. Supabase's direct startup-credit application (historically 'apply for credits') appears sunset as self-serve; credits now flow only through partner deal books (AWS, Mercury, YC, 80+ accelerators). Supabase hired a Startup Program Manager (job posted, removed 2025-06-17) and a 'Founder Advocate' (Aug 2025) to run the YC-focused program, so partner-channel credits are the live mechanism. 2) NO STUDENT/EDUCATION PROGRAM has ever shipped: /education is 404; the GitHub Student Developer Pack does not list Supabase; the only student-adjacent offer was YC's Summer Fellows grants (Mar–Aug 2025 cohort) which included a $10K Supabase credit from YC co-sponsors — that cohort ended 2025 and no 2026 equivalent is published (low confidence). 3) FREE-PLAN CHANGES IN 2025: third-party-auth MAU quota raised from 50 to 50,000 on Free (and 100K on Pro/Team) effective March 2025; Free Plan database limit formalized as 0.5 GB per ACTIVE project (paused/deleted projects no longer count); Edge Function count quota raised to 25 (no per-function billing). Core Free-tier numbers (500 MB DB, 1 GB storage, 5 GB egress, 50K MAU, 500K invocations, 2 projects) have been unchanged since the 2024 org-based-billing migration, which added +1 GB egress. 4) NO TRIAL CREDITS ever existed for paid plans; verify current partner terms inside the (login-gated) AWS Startups portal since the AWS offer page redirected to auth as of today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Supabase Free Plan (free tier) — the only direct, self-serve free offer", "link": "https://supabase.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "tailscale", "name": "Tailscale", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Personal plan (free forever)", "detail": "Free at $0 with no stated expiry. Up to 6 users, unlimited user devices, up to 3 ACL groups, 50 tagged resources included (extra tagged resources are a paid add-on; a fetch summary put the price at $1 per month each, not confirmed against the price table), and 1,000 ephemeral-resource minutes per month. The pricing page says the free plan gives access to nearly all Tailscale features for free, indefinitely. The task text also lists MagicDNS, subnet routers and exit nodes; I did not re-verify those three by name.", "eligibility": "Any individual. The pricing page describes Personal as for individuals who want to connect their devices, servers or software. No student or startup verification and no application step. Not student-specific or startup-specific.", "claim": "No application. Create a Tailscale account and use the Personal plan. Going past 6 users requires a paid plan (Standard at $8 or Premium at $18 per user per month, list price per the pricing page).", "expiry": "None. The pricing page says free forever and free indefinitely.", "gotchas": "The April 8, 2026 pricing update retired Personal Plus; the free Personal plan now allows 6 users, the same limit Personal Plus had. The pages I read do not say whether company use of the free Personal tier is restricted, so check the Terms before running a startup network on it.", "source_url": "https://tailscale.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Tailscale for Startups Program (one free business-plan year)", "detail": "Accepted startups get a full year of the business plan at no cost, with up to 30 users free. Priority support is listed as a benefit. The page also says accepted applicants are automatically enrolled in a 14-day free trial with no credit card. The excerpt does not explain how the trial and the free year fit together, and it does not name the plan tier.", "eligibility": "New-to-Tailscale companies only; current or past paying customers, and anyone who has already used Tailscale for work, are excluded. Requires a live working company domain and a new Tailscale account tied to that domain, with a work email on the company domain (personal email such as Gmail is rejected). Stage: the page lists pre-Seed, Series A or Series B; a fetch summary also reports an FAQ line saying Series A or earlier, so the cutoff is unclear. Product-focused software or hardware startups only; consultancies, agencies, retail, e-commerce and other non-product businesses are excluded. Under 25 employees is prioritized, over 50 is out of scope, and near-limit exceptions are possible. Bootstrapped companies are encouraged to apply.", "claim": "Apply at the startup program page with a company work email. Per a fetch summary, review is on a rolling basis; no deadline appears on the page. First-cohort admission is selective.", "expiry": "One year on the business plan. The start point (acceptance or first use) is not stated in the excerpt.", "gotchas": "Selective, with no guarantee of acceptance. More than 30 users is outside the stated benefit. After the year, normal paid pricing applies. Get the tier, the free-year start date and the trial interaction confirmed in writing with Support before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://tailscale.com/startup-program", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Community on GitHub (free for OSI-licensed open-source projects)", "detail": "Free Tailscale use for a GitHub organization that uses it for an open-source project under an OSI-approved license. The docs suggest uses such as a shared build tool, an internal test server per platform, and sharing project resources with other developers. The docs excerpt I saw gives no numeric user, device or resource caps.", "eligibility": "A GitHub organization (not a personal account) running an OSI-licensed open-source project. The docs require GitHub for authentication, so a tailnet that signs in only through another identity provider does not fit. Tailscale Support decides eligibility.", "claim": "Cannot be started from the Billing page of the admin console. Contact Tailscale Support, as the docs direct, and ask for the written scope, any caps, and renewal terms.", "expiry": "None stated in the docs; no fixed term is given.", "gotchas": "Not a GitHub Inc. product; it is Tailscale's plan name. Do not confuse it with 'Community Projects' in the Special Terms, which are open-source projects built on Tailscale, offered as is with no support or SLA; those are not a free plan.", "source_url": "https://tailscale.com/docs/account/manage-plans/free-plans-discounts", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education discount: 50% off paid plans (not free)", "detail": "50% off Tailscale list prices on paid plans. At list prices, Standard $8 becomes $4 and Premium $18 becomes $9 per user per month (Enterprise is custom). Support issues a one-time 50% coupon for checkout if there is no paid subscription, or applies the discount to an existing paid subscription.", "eligibility": "Accredited primary, secondary or post-secondary schools, colleges, universities or trade schools using Tailscale for authorized academic or teaching purposes. The Special Terms also cover students and educators at accredited institutions for academic purposes their school authorizes. Excluded: commercial EdTech companies and programs exclusively for under-18s. US education organizations: Tailscale is not a FERPA school official.", "claim": "Contact Tailscale Support with the organization name, tailnet name and proof of eligibility. The excerpt cut off the education verification item; expect accreditation proof.", "expiry": "None stated. Special Terms (Plan Discounts, Miscellaneous Terms) let Tailscale modify, reduce or discontinue plan discounts at any time, with or without notice.", "gotchas": "Gives nothing on the free Personal plan. One plan discount per Tailscale account, and it cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Student use must be academic and authorized by the school.", "source_url": "https://tailscale.com/docs/account/manage-plans/free-plans-discounts", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Nonprofit discount: 50% off paid plans (outside student and startup scope)", "detail": "50% off Tailscale list prices on paid plans for eligible charities and not-for-profits. Not free.", "eligibility": "US: registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Canada: registered charity or not-for-profit. International: recognized charitable or not-for-profit status in its jurisdiction.", "claim": "Contact Tailscale Support with the organization name, tailnet name and proof: US an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter (PDF or image); Canada a link to the official website or a certificate of incorporation; international a link to the official website or registry entry.", "expiry": "None stated; same discretionary change or discontinue clause as the education discount.", "gotchas": "Not free and not a student or startup benefit. Gives nothing on the free Personal plan. One plan discount per account.", "source_url": "https://tailscale.com/docs/account/manage-plans/free-plans-discounts", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Verdict: genuine free offers exist, but none is student-specific. Student route: the free Personal plan, open to any individual within 6 users. Startup route: the Startups Program (one free business-plan year, up to 30 users, selective, company domain required). Open-source route: Community on GitHub (free, apply through Support, OSI license, GitHub login). The 50% education and nonprofit discounts apply only to paid plans. No free student plan exists.Changes in 2025-2026: (1) The April 8, 2026 pricing update (Tailscale blog) retired Personal Plus and made the free Personal plan allow up to 6 users, the same limit Personal Plus had. (2) A third-party article (ITSecureOps, updated 2026-10-18) says business plan names changed (Starter became Standard) and that business plans moved from usage-based to seat-based billing on April 8, 2026. I did not confirm the rename or the billing change in Tailscale's own text. (3) The Tailscale free-plans docs page shows 'Last validated Apr 8, 2026'. The plan-discount Special Terms are effective 2024-11-29.Adjacent offer, not a student or startup offer and not listed as a finding: tailscale.com/switch (search snippet, undated) says a customer stuck in an annual contract with another VPN can send a copy of the contract to Tailscale and get Tailscale free until that contract expires, for up to 6 months.Naming: the 'GitHub open-source plan' here is Tailscale's Community on GitHub plan, not a GitHub Inc. product. GitHub's own programs are separate: GitHub for Nonprofits (free GitHub Team or 25% off Enterprise Cloud for verified 501(c)(3)-type organizations) and GitHub Education discounts for students and educators.Coverage gaps: the session's WebSearch budget ran out before I could search for Community on GitHub caps or any 2025-2026 change to it, so that plan's status and limits rest on the Tailscale docs excerpt alone. I did not work around the limit. Several WebFetch calls failed on output size (the first pricing fetch, and the docs page, which was read only through search snippets). The pricing page and the Startups Program page succeeded on shorter re-fetches. Whether the Startups Program is still accepting applications as of 2026-10-22 is not confirmed; the page showed no closure notice." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Personal plan (free forever)", "link": "https://tailscale.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "tally", "name": "Tally", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://tally.so/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan: unlimited form submissions, conditional logic, file uploads, payment collection, integrations (Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Zapier, Make, Webhooks) under fair-usage guidelines" ], "notes": [ "Form builder (Typeform alternative); free tier has no stated numeric response cap - throttled only under 'fair usage.' Pro from ~$20/mo adds advanced integrations." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Tally Free plan (unlimited forms & submissions)", "detail": "Free tier with no hard numeric cap: unlimited forms, unlimited submissions, conditional logic, calculations, signatures, payment collection (Stripe), file uploads (10 MB per-file limit on free), custom Thank You page, redirect, password protection, 45+ languages, and integrations incl. Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Zapier, Make, Slack, Discord, n8n, Linear, Webhooks, API and MCP access. All subject to the fair-use policy. Paid tiers: Pro €20/mo (≈$29/mo, or $24 annual-equivalent; annual = 2 months off / 17% off) for branding removal, custom domains, unlimited team seats, partial submissions, custom CSS, respondent emails, analytics; Business €65/mo (≈$89/mo) adds data-retention controls, email verification, 90-day version history. Billing currency USD or EUR based on IP. No region limits stated; data hosted in the EU (Belgium-based, GDPR).", "eligibility": "Everyone: any user, individual, student or startup. No .edu email, no age/funding criteria, no signup barrier noted for basic use; no credit card required for the free plan (credit card is only used when upgrading to Pro/Business, billed upfront).", "claim": "Go to tally.so, create an account or start a form directly (no signup required for basic form creation); free features are on by default. Paid upgrade is via sidebar 'Upgrade plan' with a (prepaid) credit card. Fair-use overage: Tally contacts you to build a custom plan with quarterly invoicing; if you decline, they give transition time to migrate.", "expiry": "No expiry, no duration, no renewal — perpetual free tier with fair-use guardrails. Fair-use 'extensive usage' reference thresholds (Tally says they will contact you if consistently exceeded for 3-4 straight months): 50,000 submissions/month; 100 GB/month or 500 GB total file-upload storage; 50,000 email notifications/month. Paid subscriptions auto-renew monthly/yearly; cancel anytime via Settings → Billing, access continues to end of prepaid period; no refunds for unused time.", "gotchas": "Free is 'unlimited' only within fair use — the thresholds above are the de-facto cap and overage triggers a paid custom plan (quarterly invoice), not an immediate paywall. 10 MB/file upload limit on free (unlimited uploads only on Pro). Removing Tally branding, custom domains, team seats/workspaces, partial submissions, GA/Meta Pixel, and 30/90-day version history all require paid plans. Pro/Business subscriptions may not be shared outside the registered organization (suspension risk). Trial-vs-free: Tally explicitly does NOT offer free trials of paid plans — the free plan itself is the always-free base, so there is no trial-conversion trap, but there is also no free trial of Pro. Payment failures on education/nonprofit discounts permanently block reactivation of the discount.", "source_url": "https://tally.so/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Tally for education (student/educator Pro discount)", "detail": "30% off Tally Pro for 1 year, for a student or educator in a structured classroom. Exact prices: monthly $29 → $20; yearly $290 → $203. Eligible settings: high schools, universities, post-graduate institutions, trade schools, colleges, online bootcamps, design and coding academies (virtual or in-person). This is a discount, not a free license — there is no fully free education plan.", "eligibility": "Students or educators in structured classroom programs (as listed above). No .edu email requirement stated on the page; no funding/age criteria. Discounts are for NEW customers only — existing or previously terminated Pro subscribers are excluded.", "claim": "Open https://tally.so/help/tally-for-education and use the 'Apply here' link on the page (application/approval flow; no public email address or exact form fields documented). Discount applies to Tally Pro purchase only.", "expiry": "Discount lasts 1 year and is explicitly non-renewable: 'Discounts cannot be renewed and are only applicable to new customers.' Discounts cannot be reactivated after failed payments. No sunset date stated.", "gotchas": "Not free: it cuts Pro from $29 to $20/mo, so you still pay. New customers only — no stacking on existing plans. Single-use: the 30% rate ends permanently after 12 months. If the first payment fails, the discount is void and cannot be reactivated. No .edu verification method is documented, so approval likely happens via the application flow.", "source_url": "https://tally.so/help/tally-for-education", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No free trials or startup program at Tally (explicit absence)", "detail": "Tally's billing help page answers 'Do you offer free trials?' with: \"We don't offer free trials but are happy to answer any questions about Tally Pro or Tally Business.\" Their stated philosophy (help/plans-and-pricing): instead of traditional discounts, Tally focuses on giving ~99% of features free and keeping Pro/Business cheap; the only discount programs on the site are 'Tally for education' and 'Tally for non-profit'. No startup program, trial credits, or startup-age/funding-cap offer was found on any official Tally page.", "eligibility": "n/a — absence of offer. Non-profit (separate, not startup) gets a permanent 30% Pro discount ($29→$20/mo, $290→$203/yr), new customers only, via https://tally.so/help/tally-for-non-profit.", "claim": "n/a. For any startup-specific deal, Tally's stated path is contacting support (hello@tally.so / contact form).", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Startups simply use the same free plan as everyone else; there is no startup-tier lock-in or trial credit to claim. Third-party listings (G2, TrustRadius, formbricks/formbuilder blogs) disagree on Pro/Business prices ($29/$89 'per user' vs $24/$74 flat vs €20/€65) — trust tally.so/pricing (flat team-wide price, currency by IP), not review-site widgets.", "source_url": "https://tally.so/help/billing-and-payment-info", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No Tally free offer was sunset or materially changed in 2025-2026 per official pages read 2026-10-22: the free tier (unlimited forms/submissions under fair use), the 1-year 30% education discount, and the permanent 30% non-profit discount are all live, and Tally still explicitly offers no free trials. Pricing pages now display EUR (Pro €20, Business €65) with USD shown as $29/$89; annual billing gives 2 months off (17%). Only caveat: third-party review sites publish stale or per-user pricing (e.g., TrustRadius lists Pro/Business as per-user) that contradicts Tally's flat team-wide pricing. Note: WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-research; findings are based on direct WebFetch of official Tally pages (pricing, fair-use-policy, plans-and-pricing, tally-for-education, tally-for-non-profit, billing-and-payment-info) plus search snippets captured earlier, so official-source confidence is high." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Tally Free plan (unlimited forms & submissions)", "link": "https://tally.so/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "tawk to", "name": "Tawk.to", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.tawk.me/" ], "offers": [ "Free unlimited live-chat for one domain" ], "notes": [ "Self-hosted web live chat; 100% free, unlimited agents/conversations. Bonus addition (rebranded tawk.to → tawk.me)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free-forever core plan (live chat, email ticketing, knowledge base, CRM, mobile-app push)", "detail": "Core product is 'free for life' / 'Free Forever': unlimited live chat, hosted help center (knowledge base), ticketing, CRM/contacts and chat pages, with no published caps on agents, domains/properties, simultaneous chats, or conversation history; 50+ languages. Sign-up requires no credit card; widget is a code snippet. Monetization is via optional paid add-ons billed per property (website): remove 'Powered by tawk.to' branding $29/month; Video + Voice + Screensharing $29-49/month; hired human chat agents from $1/hour; virtual assistants from $7/hour. Push notifications to the tawk.to mobile app are part of the free account.", "eligibility": "Anyone, any region; no .edu email, no startup age/funding caps, no credit card required. Note: limits are 'unlimited' per current marketing pages — tawk.to historically enforced fair-use limits, not published quotas.", "claim": "1) Sign up free at dashboard.tawk.to (email only, no card) 2) Create a property (site/app) 3) Install the widget snippet 4) Email ticketing, KB, CRM, and mobile-app push are enabled in the free plan 5) Add-on purchases optional, per property", "expiry": "No expiry, no renewal, no trial period — the free tier is permanent, not a trial. Paid add-ons auto-renew per billing cycle.", "gotchas": "Widget shows 'Powered by tawk.to' badge unless you pay $29/mo (stewie.io notes the add-on page has shown $29 or $39 depending on the page read, 3 Oct 2026 — likely annual vs monthly). Every add-on is billed per property: two sites = two bills. Data/egress: none published; privacy model: you host the service, tawk.to is provider. The 'free' value prop is the badge + add-on ecosystem, not volume caps.", "source_url": "https://www.tawk.to/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AI Assist 'Hobby' free tier (free AI chatbot add-on)", "detail": "AI Assist has a forever-free 'Hobby' plan: 100 monthly AI message credits (500,000 characters), 1 AI chat agent, persona customization, instruction training, document data source, and crawling of up to 100 web pages. No credit card required. Paid tiers: Growth $29/mo ($290 annual; 1,000 credits, 3 agents, 500 crawled pages, up to 1000 API calls), Business $99/mo ($990 annual; 5,000 credits), Enterprise $399/mo ($3,990 annual; 20,000 credits). Purchased extra credits cost $30 per 1,000.", "eligibility": "Any tawk.to user; no student/startup/region conditions. No CC for Hobby. Paid AI tiers need credit card or PayPal and have no free trial period.", "claim": "Inside the free tawk.to dashboard, enable AI Assist and choose the Hobby plan; it activates immediately at $0. Upgrade to Growth+ requires adding a payment method.", "expiry": "Permanent free tier (100 credits/month, resets monthly), not a trial. Paid plans auto-renew at the billing cycle.", "gotchas": "Credits are AI messages, not conversations — a multi-turn chat burns multiple credits (1 credit/AI reply; Auto model = 3 credits/reply; AI Transcription 1 credit/started minute, up to 5 per voice message). Third-party (stewie.io) claims the free Hobby plan CANNOT escalate to a human agent ('Escalation requires... a paid plan'), while the official help-center plan list includes 'Escalations to human agents' under Hobby — verify in the product, as settings may gate it. Hobby crawl cap of 100 pages is tiny; overages on paid plans cost extra. Per-property billing: each website has its own AI Assist bill.", "source_url": "https://help.tawk.to/article/how-to-manage-billing-for-ai-assist", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free developer front: Tawk JS API, Webhooks, and Zapier connections", "detail": "tawk.to's developer portal (developer.tawk.to) exposes a JavaScript API to manipulate the chat widget, webhooks for real-time event push to external services, and Zapier integration to 1,500+ services — all attached to the free platform account. The portal makes no statement of paid API tiers, quotas, or rate limits, and access rides on a free tawk.to account (API key per account). The REST/JS API is the chat API front; no separate free-credits or trial API product exists.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a tawk.to account (free, no CC); no student/startup gating. No documented per-call quotas on the public portal — treat rate limits as unpublished/fair-use.", "claim": "1) Create a free account 2) Generate an API key from the account 3) Use JS API / webhooks / Zapier from your site or services at $0, as long as the underlying tawk.to usage stays in the free core plan.", "expiry": "No expiry — valid as long as the account exists. If AI Assist or other add-ons are involved, the paid-tier terms apply instead.", "gotchas": "Webhooks only push out; inbound chat via API still depends on the (free) chat service. No published SLA or egress fees, but the API's value is capped by whatever the free core allows. A third-party (AgentDeals) record of a 2026-09-12 pricing 'restructure' was retracted by the tracker itself; no API pricing change verified.", "source_url": "https://developer.tawk.to/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free email + Twilio SMS fronts into the shared inbox", "detail": "tawk.to's free plan includes Email ticketing (connect your email and manage email conversations from the tawk.to inbox — free). For SMS, tawk.to's help center has a 'Twilio SMS' category (5 articles) describing how to connect SMS services such as Twilio to tawk.to; the tawk.to side is free, but you pay Twilio directly for the number and per-message rates (US messaging is commonly ~$0.0075-0.020/message plus monthly number fee). No tawk.to-owned free SMS or free push-SMS credits exist.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a free tawk.to account + a Twilio account/credential to connect. No CC required for tawk.to itself; Twilio billing is separate and region-dependent (carrier fees outside US/Canada).", "claim": "1) Free tawk.to account 2) Create a Twilio number (paid, Twilio side) 3) Follow help.tawk.to 'Twilio SMS' articles to link credentials 4) SMS threads appear in the free shared inbox.", "expiry": "No tawk.to-side expiry; Twilio number/usage is billed continuously on your Twilio account.", "gotchas": "The SMS front is not free end-to-end: Twilio's number fee and per-message rates pass through, and international carrier surcharges can be substantial. tawk.to has no native 'push notification' product distinct from its mobile-app push, which is free with the account.", "source_url": "https://help.tawk.to/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "No tawk.to education (.edu) license, student program, or startup program", "detail": "No tawk.to-specific free offer for students, educators, or startups exists as of 2026-10-22. tawk.to's StartCamp page (www.tawk.to/partner/startcamp/) is a third-party partner directory listing: the 'free credits / $1,000,000 in savings' language belongs to StartCamp (startcamp.com), not to tawk.to, and tawk.to offers no discount or free-tier upgrade on that page. tawk.to's own partner program is commission-based ('up to 20% commission', 'lifetime payouts') — revenue sharing, not a free-usage benefit. Aggregator pages (costbench, StudentPerks, TryTrick) list generic/boilerplate 'education discount' and 'startup program' sections that explicitly state 'we don't have tawk.to-specific terms verified yet' or simply don't include tawk.to. Coupon-site codes (e.g. 10% off 'FEB10' on coupon sites, Oct 2026) are unverified, auto-generated, and contradict the 'free forever' core.", "eligibility": "N/A — no program to qualify for. Effectively, students and startups get the same free-forever core plan and free AI Hobby tier as everyone else, with no CC required.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Students/startups use the standard free sign-up (email, no card) at dashboard.tawk.to; optionally join StartCamp separately for its curated third-party deals.", "expiry": "N/A.", "gotchas": "Do not trust templated 'tawk.to education discount' pages on costbench-style sites or 'verified' 10% coupon codes on coupon aggregators — none of them present tawk.to-offered terms. No sunset: the absence of programs is stable; the 2025-2026 changes were add-on pricing (AI Assist tiers, branding removal), not removal of any student/startup offer.", "source_url": "https://www.tawk.to/partner/startcamp/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free-forever core plan (live chat, email ticketing, knowledge base, CRM, mobile-app push)", "link": "https://www.tawk.to/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "techstars", "name": "Techstars", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.techstars.com/capital" ], "offers": [ "$220,000 invested at acceptance ($200K uncapped MFN SAFE + $20K for ~5% equity) plus $1M+ in partner credits: AWS $100K, DigitalOcean $100K, Google Cloud $100K (~24 mo each), plus $250K+ AI/API credits." ], "notes": [ "2026: standard deal is $200K uncapped MFN SAFE + 5% for $20K (previously ~$120-180K for 6%). Credits are accessed via Techstars' partner Org IDs; actual per-founder amounts vary by partner/program. Also runs AWS Impact Bootcamps partnership." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Techstars accelerator investment: $220K day-one (APAC: $120K)", "detail": "$220,000 invested at acceptance in most programs worldwide: $200,000 via uncapped MFN SAFE (no valuation cap, no discount; auto-adopts the lowest-cap or most-favorable terms of any SAFE issued between MFN start and the priced round) + $20,000 via post-money Convertible Equity Agreement (CEA) for 5% common stock (post-money, incl. existing option pool). Wired within 3 weeks of acceptance; offer issued 1-2 weeks after acceptance with standardized docs. Both instruments convert when the company closes a priced round of at least $1M. Asia-Pacific programs: $100K MFN SAFE + $20K CEA = $120K total. 'No fee (i.e., monetary cost) to join a Techstars accelerator program' — official. Total package advertised as $1.5M+ including credits. 3-month mentorship program; network access 'for the life of the company'.", "eligibility": "Startups only (no .edu email or student requirement); idea-stage OK ('we've accepted companies with no more than an idea, and a dream') up to companies already holding $1M+ funding. Founded anywhere; must be legally present in program country during the 3-month program. Must be a US C-corp or foreign equivalent; companies incorporated in non-approved jurisdictions (e.g., India) need a 'flip' reorg first. Pre-Series A seed stage in practice. Applications via apply.techstars.com for a specific program; acceptance is competitive.", "claim": "1) Apply to a specific Techstars program at apply.techstars.com (application takes ~30 min). 2) On acceptance: upload pitch deck, answer questions; accelerator offer + MFN SAFE term sheet issued within 1-2 weeks. 3) Complete Techstars' checks (background, incorporation, ownership, IP, company bank account) — $20K wired as soon as checks pass; legal close of standardized MFN SAFE docs in <=3 weeks. 4) $220K wired to company account; partner cloud credits activated across AWS/DigitalOcean/Google platforms at the same step.", "expiry": "SAFE + CEA have no expiry; they convert on the first priced round of $1M+. Ongoing side-letter shareholder relationship (pro-rata, digital-assets, drag-along rights; company must report key operating metrics and burn). Cloud/AI credits: 24 months per Techstars' capital page (see separate findings).", "gotchas": "Not a grant: $20K is equity, $200K is a convertible instrument — Techstars' future ownership = 5% + SAFE conversion value (e.g., $200K converts to 1% extra on a $20M pre-money round per official example). Uncapped MFN means if you later issue a better-term SAFE (lower cap or 20% discount), Techstars automatically inherits it. Side letter imposes reporting and exit obligations. APAC deals are only $120K. $20K/5% is structured as a CEA (converts at the priced round), though the marketing /capital page describes it as '5% common stock for $20,000'.", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/capital;https://www.techstars.com/investment-terms;https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/investment-terms", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate — Techstars portfolio tier: $100,000 AWS credits", "detail": "$100,000 in AWS promotional credits over 24 months, 'PORTFOLIO' tier, per Techstars' official capital page (lists H100, SageMaker, EC2; infrastructure access). Zero equity taken by AWS. Techstars has been a long-standing AWS Activate Provider (a ~10-year partnership per Amazon). 2026 notes from AWS: Founders tier starts at $1,000; Portfolio tier can be up to $200,000 depending on provider; credits now redeemable on third-party models in Amazon Bedrock; new AWS accounts start on a Free plan that is NOT eligible for Activate credits (must be on Paid plan); eligibility = pre-Series B, founded within last 10 years, functioning website, business email on company domain, most recent funding round within 12 months.", "eligibility": "Requires Techstars acceptance (or an AWS Activate Provider Org ID — each Org ID usable once, and AWS does the final approval above the $5K tier). No .edu email requirement. Global. Startup-stage constraint: pre-Series B per AWS rules.", "claim": "For Techstars companies: nothing to do separately — credits are 'activated across all partner platforms' at the capital-wire step after acceptance (Step 3 of Techstars' capital deployment). Standalone: apply at the AWS Activate portal (aws.amazon.com/activate) with your provider's Organization ID; decision in 5-10 business days.", "expiry": "24 months from activation per Techstars' capital page (AWS generally states 1-2 year validity and now enforces expiry strictly with no extensions).", "gotchas": "Credits are promotional dollars on a paid-plan AWS account — overage beyond the credits is billed; AWS Marketplace third-party software, Route 53 domain registrations, and some support tiers are excluded. Free-plan AWS accounts cannot receive Activate credits. The AWS Techstars partnership page (aws.amazon.com/startups/partnerships/techstars → startups.aws.com) returned 404 today, so the $100K/24-month figure rests on Techstars' own official page; AWS may grant less than $100K at its discretion (the partner 'recommends' a tier, AWS approves).", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/capital;https://aws.amazon.com/activate;https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/how-aws-activate-program-works", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "DigitalOcean Startups — HATCH tier: $100,000 credits (2026 premier partner)", "detail": "$100,000 in DigitalOcean infrastructure credits over 24 months, 'HATCH' tier, per Techstars' official capital page (lists H100 GPU access). DigitalOcean is a former Techstars portfolio company and was welcomed in March 2026 as a 2026 'Premier Partner': Techstars founders gain access to DO's Gradient AI Platform and the DO startup community. DO's own program is tiered (historically HATCH ~$100K / SPARK ~$25K, ~12 months, 1-2% equity on HATCH, 0% on SPARK); the Techstars deal line states 24 months.", "eligibility": "Requires Techstars acceptance (or a qualifying accelerator/VC partner path). No .edu email requirement. Global. Early-stage startup.", "claim": "For Techstars companies: no separate application — HATCH credits are activated at the same capital-deployment step as the AWS/Google credits after acceptance. Standalone: apply through the DigitalOcean Startups program with a partner reference.", "expiry": "24 months per Techstars' capital page (DO's standard tiers historically ~12 months — confirm current tier at claim time).", "gotchas": "Credit-card-free access to DO itself: DO Startups tiers do not take meaningful equity on HATCH beyond a small % and SPARK is equity-free; DO pages are currently unreachable via the standard partner URLs (digitalocean.com/partners/startups 404 today), so the 24-month/HATCH details rest on Techstars' official page plus the March 2026 premier-partner announcement. Unused credit expires; overage beyond credits is billed on the DO account.", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/capital;https://www.techstars.com/blog/impact/techstars-update-march-2026", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud for Startups — via Techstars: $100,000 GCP credits", "detail": "$100,000 in Google Cloud credits over 24 months, 'FOUNDERS_PROGRAM' tier, per Techstars' official capital page (lists A100, GKE, Vertex AI, Cloud GPUs). Google co-hosts Techstars investor events (e.g., Fall 2025 NYC Investor Day hosted by Google for Startups). Google's own startup portal has been reorganized (cloud.google.com/launch now 404s; program now under the 'Google Cloud for Startups' umbrella) — Google's publicly cited figures are up to $200K credits generally, with partner-accelerator cohorts getting the top package; Techstars' deal line is $100K/24 months.", "eligibility": "Requires Techstars acceptance (or Google's accelerator-partner path). No .edu email requirement. Typical GCP startup program rules: early-stage (<5 years, funding/revenue caps per Google's current terms — not re-verifiable today as the program pages 404).", "claim": "For Techstars companies: no separate application — GCP credits activated at the capital-wire step after acceptance, alongside AWS/DigitalOcean. Standalone: apply via the Google Cloud for Startups portal or through a partner (Techstars, YC, 500 Global, Antler).", "expiry": "24 months per Techstars' capital page (GCP credits historically 12 months at claim; confirm at activation).", "gotchas": "Google's own program pages currently 404/moved, so the $100K/24mo details rest on Techstars' official page (high) rather than Google's current terms (could not be read today). Marketplace/SaaS add-ons and support fees are typically excluded from GCP startup credits; overage beyond credits is billed.", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/capital;https://cloud.google.com/startups", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS + Techstars Impact Bootcamps (free for underrepresented founders, incl. students/early founders)", "detail": "Free 2-day bootcamps (launched 2025, 6 cities: Atlanta, New York, Mexico City, London in 2025; Tokyo, Berlin in early 2026) managed locally by Techstars: hands-on AWS technical training, business coaching, mentors/investors. Each participating founder gets $5,000 in AWS promotional credits. Best-in-class startups are invited to the AWS Founder Retreat — a weekend with in-person investor meetings and the chance to win up to $50,000 in unrestricted grant funding plus an additional $15,000 in AWS promotional credits. Top participants considered for Techstars accelerator or Founder Catalyst programs. Part of AWS's $30M commitment (announced 2022) to Black, Women, Latino and LGBTQIA+ founders.", "eligibility": "Founding teams must identify as a member of an underrepresented community (Black, Women, Latino, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, founders with disabilities) or demonstrate work/engagement supporting such communities; self-funded, angel-backed, or raised up to Series A; clear need for cloud technology; interest in scaling/fundraising. No .edu email requirement; free to attend (event slots filled by application).", "claim": "Apply via the AWS Impact Bootcamps page (https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-impact-bootcamps) for one of the six city cohorts; attend the 2-day workshop; receive $5,000 AWS credits as a participant; winners advance to the AWS Founder Retreat for the up-to-$50K grant + $15K credits and Techstars pipeline.", "expiry": "Event-driven (2025-2026 city calendar); the $5,000 promotional credits follow AWS promotional-credit terms (short validity, no extensions). No standing free tier — only while a cohort is running.", "gotchas": "The $50K + $15K prizes go only to 'best-in-class' retreat participants, not all attendees. Bootcamp pages may be city-specific and time-boxed. 'Free' = free workshop + credits, but the AWS credits require a paid-plan AWS account to activate (Free-plan accounts are ineligible).", "source_url": "https://press.aboutamazon.com/aws/2025/7/aws-and-techstars-launch-impact-bootcamps-to-support-underrepresented-founders-globally;https://aws.amazon.com/startups/lp/aws-impact-bootcamps", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Techstars Founder Catalyst (free pre-accelerator, no equity)", "detail": "10-week part-time, primarily virtual pre-accelerator for early-stage/idea-stage founders: training, tools, mentorship, cohort community, and network access. 'There is no equity exchange in Founder Catalyst programs.' No tuition listed. Current/planned editions include Techstars x EIT Urban Mobility Founder Catalyst, Alabama, and Global Fall 2026. Complements Techstars' 'Startup Weekend' community events (paid event series) and the University Catalyst pipeline.", "eligibility": "Pre-funding or idea-stage founders who have raised less than $400K, possess domain expertise in the problem space, have a defined customer need with a lead on a solution, and collaborative spirit. No student/.edu requirement — open to any early founder. Free to join; no equity.", "claim": "Sign up via the Airtable 'Hear About Future Programs' form on the Techstars Founder Catalyst page or through apply.techstars.com; selected cohorts run 10 weeks; strong participants can feed into Techstars accelerators.", "expiry": "Cohort-based, rolling; specific editions (EIT/Alabama/Global Fall 2026) have their own application windows; benefit access is not perpetual like accelerator network access.", "gotchas": "Not a funding program — no capital invested (the $220K deal requires actual accelerator acceptance). Some editions are co-branded (EIT, University of Alabama) and may carry local eligibility emphasis.", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/founder-catalyst", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Techstars University Catalyst / university-partnered accelerators (student & alumni pipeline)", "detail": "Techstars University Catalyst (with USC) targets the student/alumni pipeline, referenced on Techstars' own pages with a 2026 class in progress; 'USC and Techstars Accelerator' is an official accelerator in the Spring 2026 cycle (alongside Johns Hopkins/CareFirst AI Health Baltimore, Northwestern Medicine, Columbus/Ohio State, etc.). Accepted university-partnered programs receive the same $220K structure (or APAC $120K where applicable) plus the $1M+ credit package. No separate student-only free tier or education license exists at Techstars itself.", "eligibility": "Students/alumni via University Catalyst (pipeline, free-to-attend format); accelerator acceptance through the same application as other programs. No .edu email requirement for the investment itself.", "claim": "Attend the University Catalyst cohort offered at your university (USC partnership), or apply to a university-branded accelerator (e.g., USC and Techstars Accelerator, application window closed Nov 19, 2025 for Spring 2026 per Techstars' blog) via apply.techstars.com.", "expiry": "Cohort-based; new university partnerships announced per year (March 2026 update lists active editions).", "gotchas": "University-branded cohorts are still funded on the standard accelerator terms — the university is a partner, not the investor; expect the same side-letter obligations. Student-facing 'free' elements are the pipeline events, not the $220K deal.", "source_url": "https://www.techstars.com/founder-catalyst;https://www.techstars.com/blog/program-news/applications-are-now-open-for-techstars-spring-2026-accelerator-programs", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes/sunsets in 2025-2026: (1) April 17, 2025 — Techstars replaced its $120K deal ($100K MFN SAFE + $20K/5%) with the $220K deal ($200K uncapped MFN SAFE + $20K post-money CEA/5%) for Fall 2025 cohorts onward, explicitly mirroring YC; the $120K structure now applies only to Asia-Pacific programs. (2) The ARM Labs Lagos Techstars accelerator (Techstars' Africa-specific program, launched Dec 2022, 2 cohorts) closed in late 2024 as part of a global restructuring; African founders can still apply to global programs. (3) No Techstars program was sunset in 2025-2026 that would reduce the credit stack — DigitalOcean Startups was upgraded to 2026 'Premier Partner' (announced March 2026), expanding rather than reducing access. (4) Verification gaps today (2026-10-22): the AWS Techstars partnership page (aws.amazon.com/startups/partnerships/techstars → startups.aws.com/...), DigitalOcean's partner/startup pages (digitalocean.com/partners/startups, /startup-cloud), and Google's startup program pages (cloud.google.com/launch, /application/startup-faqs) all return 404, so AWS/DO/GCP per-credit-line details above rely on Techstars' official /capital page (read today) plus partner-program public docs; treat exact $100K/24-month figures as Techstars-stated until re-confirmed against the partners' current portals. (5) There is no Techstars student free tier, trial-credit self-serve offer, or education license (no .edu requirement anywhere in the funnel); student access is via University Catalyst and the free AWS Impact Bootcamps." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 5, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Techstars accelerator investment: $220K day-one (APAC: $120K)", "link": "https://www.techstars.com/capital;https://www.techstars.com/investment-terms;https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/investment-terms", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "thunder compute", "name": "Thunder Compute", "fronts": [ "gpu-ml" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://thundercompute.com/" ], "offers": [ "$20 free credit for US students, usable on RTX A6000 and L40 GPU instances (~57 A6000-hours or ~25 L40-hours)" ], "notes": [ "Verified 2026-08-21 as the only student GPU credit that actually buys GPU time at a dedicated GPU cloud. Scoped to A6000/L40 only; newer cards excluded. Check the current claim page before relying on it." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Student Credits — $20 free credit (A6000/L40 only)", "detail": "Official /students page (read 2026-10-22): sign up with your student email to get $20 of free Thunder Compute credit, added automatically after signup ('no application and no waiting'). Credit is restricted to RTX A6000 and L40 GPUs — at listed on-demand rates (A6000 $0.35/hr, L40 $0.79/hr) that is ~57 A6000-hours or ~25 L40-hours. Not usable on H100 SXM ($3.20/hr) or A100 80GB ($1.09/hr).", "eligibility": "Students enrolled at US universities only ('Only students enrolled at US universities qualify'). Must sign up with a university email; the system 'verify your email domain automatically'. No other credential (not even strictly .edu, though the company's own blog FAQ phrases it as 'verified .edu email') is stated. No credit card or payment method is mentioned as required to claim the credit; after it is exhausted, standard pay-as-you-go billing applies.", "claim": "1) Sign up at console.thundercompute.com/signup using your university email; 2) email domain is verified automatically and the $20 credit is added to the account right after signup; 3) use the credit on A6000 or L40 instances. No application, no waiting.", "expiry": "No expiration date, renewal cycle, or re-eligibility window is stated on the /students page. After the credit is spent, usage continues at normal pay-as-you-go rates.", "gotchas": "US-institution-only; credit locked to A6000/L40 (cheapest GPUs in their lineup, not the H100/A100 most workloads need); fraud or abuse 'may result in credit removal or account suspension'. One account/student implied by the auto-verification; no stated way to re-claim. WebSearch was unavailable this session (budget exhausted), so a 2025-2026 history of the offer (e.g., whether it was ever larger or previously also covered A100) could not be verified.", "source_url": "https://thundercompute.com/students", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Referral Program — 3% of referred customers' lifetime spend, paid in credits", "detail": "Official /referrals page (read 2026-10-22): 'Earn 3% in credits on the lifetime spend of every customer you refer to Thunder Compute.' Example given: refer $10,000 in spend -> $300 in credits. Recurring/ongoing, not one-time. Referring 25 users who spend money unlocks affiliate status. No dollar cap or per-referral limit is stated beyond the illustrative example.", "eligibility": "Open to any Thunder Compute user (no student/startup-specific tier, region or startup-age criterion stated). Payout is Thunder Compute credits, not cash.", "claim": "Share your referral link; each referred paying customer generates 3% of their lifetime spend as credit to your account.", "expiry": "No expiry stated; credit accrues for the lifetime of referred customers' spend.", "gotchas": "Credits only, not cash. 'Fraud or abuse of the referral program may result in credit removal and/or account suspension.' You need referrals who actually spend; a referred free-credit-only student account generates no referral value unless they top up. Not a startup program — it's a generic growth incentive.", "source_url": "https://thundercompute.com/referrals", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22 Thunder Compute has no free tier, no trial credits, and no startup program: /startup and /changelog both 404; the pricing page lists only paid on-demand rates (A6000 $0.35/hr, L40 $0.79/hr, A100 80GB $1.09/hr, H100 SXM $3.20/hr; sandbox GPUs H100 $2.95/GPU-hr and A100 $1.95/GPU-hr; data egress $0.00/GB; disk $0.219/GB/mo) with a reserved/volume-pricing mention that is discounted committed spend, not free; the sign-up page (console.thundercompute.com/signup) mentions no promotional credit. The company's own 'Free Cloud GPU Credits in 2026' blog directory attributes to Thunder Compute only the $20 student credit and the 3% referral program — no startup-tier entry. So there is no evidence a startup program ever existed or was sunset; the only distinct free offers are the student credit and the referral credits above. Caveat: WebSearch's session budget was exhausted, so 2025-2026 change history was verified by reading official pages only, not by news search." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Student Credits — $20 free credit (A6000/L40 only)", "link": "https://thundercompute.com/students", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "tink", "name": "Tink", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://tink.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free developer Console account + sandbox with a Demo Bank of simulated banks (18 countries, test data) to build/prototype; production access is Enterprise custom pricing." ], "notes": [ "Tink (Stockholm) is now 'a Visa solution' (Visa acquired it in 2022). 3,400-6,000+ bank connections, 250M+ customers; pay-per-consented-user/call on production. Free sandbox is the developer entry point; no self-serve paid developer plan — production needs a sales contract." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Tink Console account + sandbox with Demo Bank (free developer tier)", "detail": "Free self-serve developer account at console.tink.com (email + verification, no credit card, no pricing at signup). 'By default, all our products are available to test in our sandbox environment. You can access it by creating a sandbox app.' Demo Bank is a simulated bank with test users per market, so no real bank credentials are needed. FAQ confirms: 'you are welcome to create a free account to try Tink products with test data in a sandbox environment before upgrading to an Enterprise account' and 'create a free account at console.tink.com, where you can use test data to try our platform.' Demo Bank markets cover 18 countries (AT, BE, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, IE, IT, LV, NL, NO, PT, PL, ES, SE, UK); the supported demo-provider list was reduced on 31 Oct 2023 and is a fixed list since. No public call/volume limits or expiry are stated; FAQ notes 4 background data refreshes every 24h platform-wide. Public demo of Account Check/Transactions at demo.tink.com. Production/live-bank access is Enterprise: custom, sales-gated pricing plus a 'Know Your Business' process; pre-production apps that use your own real bank credentials are production-type apps and fall under the same sales-gated access.", "eligibility": "Open to any individual/company with an email address; no .edu requirement, no startup age/funding cap, no region limit on the account itself (Demo Bank markets are European). Credit card NOT required. Students can sign up and use it; Tink makes no student-specific promise.", "claim": "Go to console.tink.com/signup, create an account, verify the email, log in, create a sandbox app (app type is fixed at creation; one sandbox app per product recommended), pull API credentials under App settings > API client. In Console select Demo Bank, pick a Product and a Market, use the named test users (each user = a test case, e.g. User 1 = success path; Sweden requires SSN-style credentials). Copy the Tink Link URL and test end-to-end. To use live bank data: contact sales, complete the 'Know Your Business' process; Tink creates/configures your production app.", "expiry": "No stated expiration or renewal on the free Console/sandbox account; it persists while the account exists. Demo Bank provider list frozen since 31 Oct 2023 (only a Tink announcement changes it).", "gotchas": "Sandbox = simulated bank/test data only: you cannot pull live account data on the free account. 'Pre-production' apps using real bank credentials are production apps -> Enterprise-gated. App type cannot be changed after creation. No published rate/egress limits for the free tier, so don't assume unbounded production-style volume; there is no pay-per-use option at all (FAQ: 'No'). Client secrets are one-time (up to 5 per app). Tink docs say '3000+ connections in 18 countries' while the homepage claims 6000 connections - marketing variance, check the current coverage matrix per market.", "source_url": "https://tink.com/faq/(corroborated:https://tink.com/pricing/,https://docs.tink.com/entries/articles/demo-bank,https://docs.tink.com/entries/articles/set-up-your-tink-account)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Visa Innovation Program Europe - Nordics & Baltics (VIPE), startup program", "detail": "Visa's open-innovation startup program (run with Tenity), not a Tink product-level program - included here because the provider front is 'Tink (Visa)' and the program hands selected fintechs 'Visa's APIs via the Visa Developer Platform', mentorship, investor networks, and regional bank partnerships. Free to join: 'no Company equity requirement' and no participation fee is stated anywhere; there is also no direct funding amount for participants. Season 1 (Nordics & Baltics): applications opened 6 Oct 2025; first cohort of 8 fintechs (Beneflo, Enable Banking, Kardio, Juuli, Ledyer, Betalo, Beep, Myver) announced at the Nordic Banking Forum, Helsinki, on 4 Dec 2025; ~6-8 month program running to showcase at Baltic Fintech Days, Riga, in May 2026. Program focus: B2B money movement, embedded payments. AS OF 2026-10-22: Season 1 is concluded (8-month window from Dec 2025 ends ~Aug 2026; Tenity's page shows news through 22 Sep 2026 with no second-season announcement).", "eligibility": "Startups only, not students: 'fintechs based in the Nordics & Baltics with a strong market presence' (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia). Competitive/selection-based - Season 1 picked 8 companies; no published company-age or funding cap. No .edu path, no self-serve access: it is a program, not a free tier.", "claim": "Application was via Tenity's VIPE Nordics & Baltics page (tenity.com); per directory listings the 2025 deadline was 27 Oct 2025 (missed - program since concluded). To re-engage: watch tenity.com/cases/visa-innovation-program-europe/ for a second season announcement, or use the free Visa Developer sandbox in the meantime.", "expiry": "Season 1 applications: opened 6 Oct 2025, deadline ~27 Oct 2025 (per Startup Lithuania directory; Tenity's own page states no explicit deadline). Program window ran Dec 2025 - May 2026. No Season 2 application window announced as of 22 Oct 2026.", "gotchas": "Selection-based, so not a guaranteed free offering; 'access to Visa's APIs' means Visa Developer Platform APIs, i.e. the same free sandbox any developer gets, plus pilot/mentorship value - the program's worth is network/POC, not API freebies. Equity-free but also no funding; benefits are partnership-led. Status uncertainty: an announcement page does not track closures.", "source_url": "https://www.tenity.com/tenity-and-visa-launch-visa-innovation-program-europe-nordics-baltics-edition-to-accelerate-regional-fintech-growth/(corroborated:https://nordicfintechmagazine.com/visa-today-announced-the-official-kickoff-of-the-visa-innovation-program-europe-vipe-nordics-and-baltics-edition-and-made-public-the-inaugural-cohort-of-the-eight-high-potential-finte/,https://www.startuplithuania.com/publicfund/visa-innovation-program/)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Visa Developer Center free sandbox (parent-level free tier)", "detail": "Free developer account and sandbox at developer.visa.com: 'Sandbox access is free. Fees apply only when you move a project to Certification or Production and sign a Visa Developer agreement.' Includes mock data, sample code, SDKs, and an onboarding dashboard; credentials expire periodically and must be renewed. No trial credits or dollar-based free tier - the 'free' is the entire sandbox environment. Some product APIs are gated behind a 'Request access' form even within a project.", "eligibility": "Anyone (developer or company) can create the free account; email + verification only, no credit card at this stage, no .edu or startup requirement, no published region limit on the account (product availability is regional - check regional availability before picking products). Tink-specific note: this is the parent (Visa) dev platform, distinct from Tink's own Console/Demo Bank open-banking sandbox.", "claim": "Register at developer.visa.com ('Create your free account' + email verification), add a project, select products (some require 'Request access' approval), read Sandbox credentials (Two-Way SSL / X-Pay tokens), run the Hello World sample code. Moving to Certification/Production requires requesting access and signing a paid Visa Developer agreement.", "expiry": "No stated expiry on sandbox access; SSL certificates/tokens expire and are renewed in the dashboard.", "gotchas": "Certification/Production are paid and contract-gated; don't build production assumptions on sandbox behavior. It's Visa-level, not Tink-level: Tink's open-banking products use Tink Console, Visa's payments APIs use this center - useful only if the 'Tink (Visa)' front means the whole Visa dev umbrella.", "source_url": "https://developer.visa.com/docs/quick-start", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education offer found: no .edu pricing, student license, or trial-credit program anywhere on tink.com pricing/FAQ/docs as of 2026-10-22, and the FAQ says pay-per-use is 'No' - the only free access is the self-serve Console sandbox + Demo Bank. Startup offer at Visa level: VIPE Nordics & Baltics Season 1 (applications opened 6 Oct 2025) is CONCLUDED - first cohort of 8 ran Dec 2025 - May 2026 with final showcase at Baltic Fintech Days Riga, May 2026; no Season 2 application window was announced on Tenity's page as of 22 Oct 2026, so the startup program is currently closed/unknown until a new season is announced. Historical change still in effect: the Demo Bank supported-provider list was reduced on 31 Oct 2023 to the fixed 18-market list published in Tink docs; providers not on that list are unsupported for testing. No 2025-2026 sunsets of developer tooling appear in Tink's press index (2025 releases: Adyen Pay-by-Bank x2, Paysend partnership, Gen Z study); pricing has stayed opaque/sales-gated. Caveat: consumer-side Tink products (e.g. the Tink consumer banking app) are outside the 'Payments & Fintech Dev Tools' front and were not assessed; no closure of any developer offering was found, so the free sandbox is presumed still live (console.tink.com is up and the FAQ still advertises it)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Tink Console account + sandbox with Demo Bank (free developer tier)", "link": "https://tink.com/faq/(corroborated:https://tink.com/pricing/,https://docs.tink.com/entries/articles/demo-bank,https://docs.tink.com/entries/articles/set-up-your-tink-account)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "together ai", "name": "Together AI", "fronts": [ "extras" ], "audiences": [], "urls": [], "offers": [], "notes": [], "findings": [ { "name": "Together AI Startup Accelerator (Build / Scale / Grow tiers)", "detail": "Selection-based program for startups. The official page calls the benefits 'free' and lists per-tier caps, each marked 'Up to': Build (up to $5M raised): up to $15K platform credits and 3 hours of forward-deployed engineering; Scale ($5M-$10M raised): up to $30K and 6 hours; Grow (over $10M raised): up to $50K and 10 hours. Credits can be used for serverless inference, dedicated endpoints, fine-tuning and instant clusters. Other listed benefits are non-cash: AI engineering content (for example benchmarking and evaluation), joint go-to-market and co-selling to '800K+ Together AI developers', exclusive events, and access to Together's VC network.", "eligibility": "Startups only. The page's structured data lists the audience as 'Pre-seed to growth-stage AI startups' and the service area as 'Worldwide'. Tier is set by total funding raised: Build up to $5M, Scale $5M-$10M, Grow over $10M. Selection-based, so acceptance is not guaranteed, and no selection criteria beyond the tiers are published. No student, university, or academic eligibility is mentioned.", "claim": "Apply through the 'Submit your application' section of https://www.together.ai/startup-accelerator. The page says: 'Share all the details below so our team can review and get back to you.' The fetched text did not include the application fields, and no apply link or form URL appeared among the page's hyperlinks, so the form may be embedded in a way the fetch did not capture. No review timeline, email, or phone number is listed. How approved credits are issued and applied to an account is not described.", "expiry": "Not stated. The accelerator page gives no credit validity period, expiry date, or program deadline, and the general Terms of Service contain no credit-expiry language.", "gotchas": "(1) Current status unverified: the page shows no open or closed status, deadline, or cohort dates. Two testimonials mention an 'inaugural cohort', so a first cohort has at least started, but whether applications are open on 2026-10-22 is unknown. (2) 'Up to' amounts are maximums; the page does not explain how the actual amount is set. (3) Credits do not apply to Reserved GPU Clusters (footnote on each credit amount). (4) The page does not say which tier applies at exactly $5M, since both Build and Scale include it. (5) The page does not say whether engineering hours are one-time or recurring, or what the engineers will do. (6) Premise check: the pricing page shows no free trial or sign-up credits and states no minimum credit purchase, but the general Terms of Service say accounts are 'charged an initial prepaid balance' (amount not stated). The accelerator page does not say whether accepted startups must also fund a prepaid balance. (7) These figures come from a model-summarized WebFetch extraction, not a verbatim copy; check the live page before quoting them.", "source_url": "https://www.together.ai/startup-accelerator", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "A genuine (selection-based) free offer for startups is described on the official page, so one finding is returned instead of an empty list. It is not a student program. Unverified: 2025-2026 status, including whether applications are open, closed, or changed. WebSearch was unavailable because this session's search budget was exhausted. No searches were run for 2025-2026 news, announcements, or cohort dates, and the limit was not worked around. No closure or change was seen in the pages fetched, but that is not confirmation of continuity. Pages checked: (a) https://www.together.ai/pricing: no free trial, sign-up credits, student, startup, education, or accelerator offer. The metadata reads 'Start for free, scale on demand', and some serverless models are listed at $0 or with free output (Tev1 4B Experimental output 'Free'; Ternary Bonsai 27B at $0.00 per 1M tokens), but no credit grant is described. A B200 post-training promo ('PROMO', valid until 12/14/2026, $9.00 vs $11.00 per GPU-hour) is a discounted hourly rate, not credits, so it is excluded. No minimum credit purchase is stated. (b) https://www.together.ai/terms-of-service: 'Your account will be charged an initial prepaid balance' (no amount), and 'fees paid are non-refundable' subject to order forms. It has no promotional or free-credit terms, no credit expiry, and no transfer terms. Fees also reference pricing pages and order forms that were not in the fetch. (c) https://docs.together.ai/docs/faqs returned HTTP 404. (d) Guessed testimonial URLs /customers/corridor and /customers/playerzero returned HTTP 404, so cohort dates could not be checked. Premise check: 'no general free trial' is consistent with the pricing page. 'Access requires a credit purchase' is not stated on any page checked; the nearest evidence is the ToS prepaid-balance language. 'This accelerator is its only credit route' is not verified, since no other credit programs were searched for. No student or academic offer appeared on any page checked, and no search for one was run." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 0, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Together AI Startup Accelerator (Build / Scale / Grow tiers)", "link": "https://www.together.ai/startup-accelerator", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "tooljet", "name": "ToolJet", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://tooljet.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Self-hosted Community Edition free; Cloud Free plan: 2 builders, 50 end users, 10 apps, 100 AI credits" ], "notes": [ "Paid cloud from $23/builder/mo; self-hosted Team license from $199/builder; fully offline/air-gapped operation is an Enterprise add-on." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Cloud Free plan (perpetual)", "detail": "$0 per builder/month. 2 builders, up to 50 end users, up to 10 apps, 100 AI credits/month with NO add-on AI credits available (unlike paid plans). ToolJet DB capped at 10 tables and 500 rows; external data sources unlimited. Predefined user roles, community support via Slack. Verified on the official pricing page today. No 2025-2026 sunset found.", "eligibility": "Anyone; sign up at tooljet.com via 'Get Started'. No .edu email, no company type, no region limit stated. Credit card NOT required (free plan CTA is 'Get Started', no payment method mentioned anywhere on the page).", "claim": "Sign up free at tooljet.com/pricing (Cloud tab, Free tier 'Get Started').", "expiry": "Perpetual free tier; no expiry date published.", "gotchas": "AI-credit add-ons (pay-as-you-go at $1/100 credits) are NOT available on the Free tier — 100 credits is the hard cap and credits reset each billing cycle with no rollover. DB limits (10 tables / 500 rows) make real apps impractical on Free. Third-party LLM keys: BYOK only on Enterprise.", "source_url": "https://tooljet.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Self-Hosted Community Edition (open source, perpetual)", "detail": "ToolJet core is open source under AGPL-3.0 (verified on the GitHub repo today): visual app builder, 90+ data sources, self-host via Docker/Kubernetes, run JS/Python in apps. The pricing page lists a $0 'Free' self-hosted tier: 2 builders, up to 50 end users, up to 10 apps, 100 AI credits/month, no AI add-on. Workflow Automation & Agent Builder are noted as 'Available on Self-hosted only'. Fully offline/air-gapped operation (including licensing) requires the paid Self-hosted Enterprise air-gapped add-on.", "eligibility": "Anyone, unlimited — you host it yourself; no CC, no .edu, no region limit. AGPL-3.0: if you modify the server and offer it as a network service, the AGPL copyleft applies to your modified code. If you use an unmodified server build you have no AGPL obligations. No open-source commercial license tier is needed for private use.", "claim": "Clone repo and self-host: https://github.com/ToolJet/ToolJet (Docker/Kubernetes). No sign-up required for the software itself.", "expiry": "Perpetual; AGPL-3.0.", "gotchas": "Your only real cost is your own infrastructure (server, DB, LLM tokens if you wire up AI). Air-gapped/offline licensing is NOT free — Enterprise add-on. GitHub repo labels some AI features as 'ToolJet AI (Enterprise)'; the pricing page says Workflow Automation/Agent Builder ship with self-hosted (possibly tied to paid self-hosted Team), so confirm which agent features are CE vs Enterprise before relying on them. Open-source/non-profit projects are offered 'heavy discounts' on paid features per the pricing FAQ, but that is a discount, not free.", "source_url": "https://github.com/ToolJet/ToolJet", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Team plan trial (self-serve 'Start Trial')", "detail": "The Cloud Team tier ($199/builder/mo, 'Saved 20%' tagged) carries a 'Start Trial' CTA on the pricing page, implying a trial of the Team/Enterprise tiers. No trial length, conversion terms, or CC requirement is stated on the page; the official page did not publish details as of today.", "eligibility": "Unpublished; sign up flow via 'Start Trial' on the Team tier.", "claim": "Click 'Start Trial' on the Team plan at tooljet.com/pricing/.", "expiry": "Unpublished trial window.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free trap: a trial converts to a paid plan; without published terms you don't know whether a CC is captured or when billing starts. Details unverified.", "source_url": "https://tooljet.com/pricing/", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Stirring Minds partner startup deal ($2,000 credits) — likely stale", "detail": "Partner program (Stirring Minds, Delhi, via its incubator network): $2,000 in credits for ToolJet Cloud Business plan + office hours with ToolJet's engineering team + 6 months free support for self-hosted Community Edition. Listed 2021-11-21; the deal page carried a © 2024 footer but no ToolJet-side confirmation of current availability.", "eligibility": "Startups founded within the last 3 years; no funding cap stated; 'open to all organizations and startups'. Access is gated through Stirring Minds membership/its incubator.", "claim": "Startups apply by filling out a form provided by Stirring Minds (to its members); services delivered after incubator approval. No direct application page on tooljet.com found.", "expiry": "Unknown; listing undated beyond 2021 add date, site live to © 2024.", "gotchas": "Partner-channel deal from 2021 — may be lapsed or renegotiated; 'Business plan' naming suggests pre-2025 plan naming (ToolJet restructured tiers to Basic/Flexible/Team/Enterprise). Verify directly with Stirring Minds or hello@tooljet.com before relying on it.", "source_url": "https://stirringminds.com/deals/tooljet", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "ToolJet Academy (free learning + certification, not a license offer)", "detail": "Self-paced learning platform launched 2025-04-24 (post updated 2025-12-31): project-first curriculum, quizzes, shareable digital certificate, 4-6 hour Developer track. Not a free ToolJet license or credit grant — it is an educational credential. The announcement does not state a price or student/educator discount; no eligibility restrictions are listed.", "eligibility": "Anyone with an email; sign up at academy.tooljet.com. No .edu requirement stated; no evidence of a special student tier.", "claim": "Sign up at academy.tooljet.com, complete the Developer track quizzes to earn the certificate.", "expiry": "Ongoing program.", "gotchas": "Treat as free community/education content, not as a product offer; cost and certification status not explicitly confirmed as $0 on the announcement page.", "source_url": "https://blog.tooljet.com/tooljet-academy-announcement/", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "Cloud Free plan (perpetual)", "link": "https://tooljet.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "turso free plan", "name": "Turso Free Plan", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://turso.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free forever: up to 100 databases, 9 GB total database storage, 1 GB egress, 5 regions" ], "notes": [ "Limits from 2025 knowledge — turso.io was unreachable from this sandbox (DNS blocked for .io), so re-verify on the pricing page before publishing." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Turso Free Plan (permanent free tier)", "detail": "Free forever, $0/month, no trial window and no trial credits. Verified today (2026-10-22) on the official pricing page: 100 databases; 5 GB total database storage; 500 million rows read/month; 10 million rows written/month; 3 GB monthly embedded syncs; 1-day point-in-time restore; community support. Overage rates (apply once overages are enabled): storage $0.75/GB, rows read $1/billion, rows written $1/million, syncs $0.35/GB. Point-in-time restore and database branching add no usage charge; idle databases cost only storage.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone (individuals, students, companies); no .edu email, no minimum-age, no funding requirements. Sign up with GitHub. Credit card NOT required (page states 'Start free, no credit card required'). No region restriction is published for the free plan; you choose the primary location of each database. Commercial use on Free is allowed with no per-seat or revenue cap.", "claim": "1) Go to turso.tech and sign up (GitHub login). 2) The Free plan is applied automatically — no activation, no coupon. 3) Create databases via dashboard or `turso db create` CLI. 4) Connect with SDKs (@libsql/client etc.) or the stateless HTTP API. Optional: enable/disable 'Overages' in billing settings to control what happens past quotas.", "expiry": "No expiry — standing $0/month tier with no end date and no renewal. (Contrast: third-party pages that call it a '365-day student grant' are wrong; the grant framing is aggregator content, not Turso's.)", "gotchas": "Task's pre-known numbers are stale: 9 GB belongs to the paid Developer plan, the free tier is 5 GB; '1 GB egress' no longer exists — Turso meters rows read/written and syncs, not GB of egress. The first limit you hit is 10M rows written/month (~333k writes/day). A full-table-scan SELECT costs one row-read per row, so unindexed queries burn the 500M read quota fast. If overages are disabled, hitting a cap blocks that metric instead of billing. Free plan has no audit logs, no DPA/IP allow lists/SSO (paid-only features). Edge read replicas were stopped for new accounts in Jan 2025; embedded replicas (sync to a local SQLite file, included in the 3 GB sync quota) are the replacement. No trial credits are granted to new accounts.", "source_url": "https://turso.tech/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Turso Startup Program (Turso for Startups)", "detail": "Launched 2026-05-11. For early-stage venture-backed startups: 'generous Turso credits' (dollar amount NOT published — sized at approval), plus priority access to Turso's engineering team for onboarding and architecture reviews, early access to unreleased features, and co-marketing (blog features, case studies). Verified today on the official turso.tech/startups page.", "eligibility": "All three published criteria: (1) venture-backed startup with at least one round of funding; (2) building an early-stage product or actively scaling; (3) verifiable funding from recognized investors or accelerators. No company-age limit and no funding-cap published; bootstrapped/unfounded startups do NOT qualify under published criteria (they can use the free tier). No .edu/education track — the program explicitly targets VC-backed founders. Credit card not required to apply.", "claim": "1) Open https://turso.tech/startups and fill in the application form (full name, company email, role, startup description, year founded, major investor/accelerator, latest round). 2) Applications reviewed on a rolling basis; Turso typically responds within a few business days. 3) Once accepted, credits are applied to your account and you start building immediately.", "expiry": "Credit amount and spend window are not published. Confirm the dollar value and activation/expiry dates in writing at approval; unused credit balances on programs like this are typically forfeited, and after credits run out you move to standard usage-based pricing (Developer $4.99/mo billed yearly, $5.99 monthly, then overages).", "gotchas": "Amount 'set at approval' — do not plan budgets around it. Review is selective (VC-backed, verifiable funding), not automatic. Program page carries no published terms page; co-marketing is an opportunity, not a guarantee. After the 2026-10-02 Supabase acquisition, watch for the program migrating into Supabase's ecosystem — the page was live as of today, but terms may consolidate.", "source_url": "https://turso.tech/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education offer: none exists (free tier is the de-facto student offer)", "detail": "No Turso education license, no .edu-verified student program, no student discount page exists. Searches of turso.tech (pricing, startups, partners, blog) surface no education offer; the free tier described in finding 1 is what students use, and it is open to anyone without verification. Third-party 'Turso student deal' listings (e.g., The Modelverse, agentdeals) merely repackage the free tier and add fabricated '365-day grant / .edu verification' framing that Turso does not state.", "eligibility": "N/A — no student eligibility criteria because no student program exists. Free tier requires no .edu email and no verification of any kind.", "claim": "N/A — nothing to claim beyond the free-tier signup (finding 1).", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "Do not cite aggregator 'student deal' pages (thefreebie/Modelverse/agentdeals-style): they invent verification steps and expiry dates ('Oct 17, 2027 tripwire', '365-day grant') that are not in Turso's official pages. Only turso.tech is authoritative.", "source_url": "https://turso.tech/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Trial credits for new accounts: none", "detail": "No time-boxed trial credits (e.g., $X for 30 days) are offered on the official pricing page or blog. The only credits on the table are the unpublished startup-program credits (finding 2). New accounts simply get the free tier; paid plans start at Developer $4.99/mo billed yearly ($5.99 monthly), Scaler $24.92 ($29 monthly), Pro $416.58 ($499 monthly), Enterprise custom.", "eligibility": "N/A", "claim": "N/A", "expiry": "N/A", "gotchas": "If a vendor page advertises a 'free trial with credits' for Turso, treat it as aggregator noise unless it links turso.tech terms.", "source_url": "https://turso.tech/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Turso Free Plan (permanent free tier)", "link": "https://turso.tech/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "twilio", "name": "Twilio", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/try-twilio" ], "offers": [ "Free trial account with trial phone numbers; SMS only to pre-verified numbers" ], "notes": [ "Not a production free tier — trial is for testing; live SMS/voice is pay-per-use. Verify trial number limits." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Twilio free trial account — product-specific free units, 30-day expiry, no credit card", "detail": "Official trial docs (read 2026-10-22): trial grants product-specific free units, NOT a shared dollar balance — exactly '100 SMS messages, 100 WhatsApp messages, 3,000 emails, and 75 voice minutes'. Trial phone numbers are Twilio-provided (you don't pick them). SMS/voice are locked to your sign-up country (determined by the phone number used at registration); trial email is restricted to your sign-up email address. You may only send to pre-verified phone numbers, capped at 5 per account (sign-up number is auto-verified). A US/CA trial toll-free number lets you message up to 5 pre-designated numbers. Custom message bodies, email content and WhatsApp templates are NOT available on trial (Twilio-provided templates only). A2P 10DLC registration requires a paid account, so 10DLC long-code US A2P SMS is unavailable on trial. Trial accounts expire after 30 days — you must upgrade before the window closes (Console: Trial banner > 'Upgrade your account' > profile + address + starting balance + payment details). Same Account SID/Auth Token carry into the paid account; after upgrade, 'a fresh set of post-upgrade free units for eligible products' are granted and deducted before any paid usage. Console has a 'Free units tracker'. Pricing after units: SMS $0.0083/msg, voice $0.0085/min inbound, $0.014/min outbound.", "eligibility": "Anyone, any region — sign-up requires name, email and phone number; no .edu email, no company eligibility. Credit card NOT required for the trial.", "claim": "Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio (now redirects straight to the signup flow) without a credit card; use the assigned trial numbers, stay within 5 verified recipients / sign-up country, burn 100 SMS + 100 WhatsApp + 3,000 emails + 75 voice minutes before day 30; upgrade in Console before expiry to keep the SID and receive a fresh set of post-upgrade free units.", "expiry": "Trial account hard-expires after 30 days. Free email sub-offers (below) run 60 days. Post-upgrade free units are one-time, deducted before paid usage.", "gotchas": "Trial units are quantity caps, not a dollar credit — there is no $15-style credit in the current model. Trial vs free: once the 30-day window passes without upgrade, the account is gone even if unused units remain. Trial SMS/voice cannot reach other countries and cannot use custom bodies; WhatsApp trial units are capped by Twilio-provided templates. US A2P (10DLC) business use requires a paid account. Free units do not transfer between products.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/docs/usage/tutorials/how-to-use-your-free-trial-account", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Twilio Email API (SendGrid) 'Free Trial' plan — 100 emails/day for 60 days, no credit card", "detail": "Email API pricing page (read 2026-10-22): Free Trial = '100 emails/day for 60 days', '$0/mo for 60 days', 'no credit card required'. Includes analytics, deliverability optimization, dynamic template editor, 1 event webhook, 1 additional teammate. Paid: Essentials from $19.95/mo, Pro from $89.95/mo, Premier custom; per-email rates are volume-tiered (3k–5M+ tiers, taxes/overages apply). Domain Authentication (SPF/DKIM) and reverse DNS are part of setup.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card for the 60-day trial; a deliverable domain is required for real sending.", "claim": "Sign up for Twilio/SendGrid Email API, pick the Free Trial plan, authenticate a domain (SPF/DKIM), send up to 100 emails/day for 60 days at $0.", "expiry": "60-day free window, then conversion to a paid plan (Essentials $19.95/mo) is required to keep sending.", "gotchas": "This is a time-boxed trial, NOT a permanent free tier — SendGrid's old permanent free plan (400 emails/day) was killed in 2023 and has not been restored; do not plan ongoing free sending. '100 emails/day' is a daily cap, not a monthly pool; overages and taxes apply on paid plans; 'Twilio Email API' (SendGrid) is a separate product from 'Twilio Email' (the newer $0.0013/email per-unit product, covered by the 3,000-email trial units).", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Twilio Marketing Campaigns free plan — 2,000 contacts / 6,000 free emails per month", "detail": "Marketing Campaigns pricing page (read 2026-10-22): 'Free Marketing Campaigns Plan lets you store up to 2,000 contacts and send 6,000 free emails per month', including 3 email testing credits, 1 signup form, 1 additional teammate, ticket support, A/B testing and Automation. The same page's Free Trial card lists a 60-day trial of 100 emails/day with 100 stored contacts ('$0/mo for 60 days', 'no credit card required'). Paid: Basic from $15/mo (5K–100K contact tiers), Advanced from $60/mo (dedicated IPs, up to 1,000 teammates), Custom; overage rates $0.0023–$0.0075 per extra email depending on tier. Email testing credit add-ons $18–$800/mo.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no credit card required to start; no .edu or company requirements.", "claim": "Sign up for Twilio Marketing Campaigns; you get the free plan (up to 2,000 contacts, 6,000 emails/month) after a 60-day trial onboarding window of 100 emails/day.", "expiry": "Free plan is ongoing as long as you stay within 2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails per month; the 60-day '$0/mo' trial period is the entry window, after which the free-quota plan (or a paid plan) applies.", "gotchas": "The page mixes two free concepts — a 60-day trial card (100 emails/day, 100 contacts) and an ongoing 'Free Marketing Campaigns Plan' (2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails/mo); read the fine print when claiming which limit applies to you. No free dedicated IPs (Advanced only). '100 emails each day for 60 days' on the trial card is a hard daily cap, not 6,000/day.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/marketing-campaigns/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Twilio Email (per-unit product) — 3,000 free emails in trial, then $0.0013/email", "detail": "Main pricing page (read 2026-10-22) lists 'Twilio Email: $0.0013/email' with no free monthly allocation; the trial free-unit bundle includes 3,000 emails (trial emails restricted to your sign-up email address). No permanent free tier for this product — it is pay-per-email after the trial bundle.", "eligibility": "Trial: anyone (no CC). Paid: standard Twilio account with billing; domain authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, reverse DNS) required for deliverability.", "claim": "Use the 3,000 trial email units inside the 30-day trial; thereafter buy per-email at $0.0013 or pair with the SendGrid Email API trial for higher daily volumes.", "expiry": "3,000-unit trial bundle only (30-day trial window); no renewal/recurring free allocation found on pricing pages.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse 'Twilio Email' ($0.0013/email, per-unit) with 'Twilio Email API' (SendGrid, 100/day free trial) or 'Marketing Campaigns' (6,000/mo free plan) — three different SKUs with three different free offers. After the trial bundle, egress is pure pay-per-use.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Twilio Startups program — free educational resources only; explicitly NO startup credits", "detail": "Startup solutions page (read 2026-10-22) targets 'early stage companies' and offers: a free account with 'trial credits' to start building, free educational resources (onboarding guides, tutorials, docs, videos for messaging/email/verification/voice/Studio), paid support plans month-to-month, and a 'Connect with our team' form to reach the Twilio Startups team. FAQ states verbatim: 'Every Twilio customer gets a small credit when they open an account to start building their first project' and 'We do not offer additional credits to startups at this time.' Page specifies no startup-age limit, no funding cap, no geographic requirement.", "eligibility": "Early-stage/startup companies generally; no stated age or funding cap on the page; no credit card required for the base trial account.", "claim": "1) Sign up for a Twilio account and verify email + phone; 2) use free Developer Hub resources; 3) fill the 'Connect with our team' form on the startups page to engage the Twilio Startups team; 4) upgrade in Console (add payment + funds, 'upgrade account') when ready to pay as you go.", "expiry": "No program duration or renewal stated; the 'small credit' (trial free units: 100 SMS/100 WhatsApp/3,000 emails/75 min) follows the 30-day trial terms; no expiry date published.", "gotchas": "No extra startup credits exist — if you expected a startup-specific credit pool or discount, it is not offered at this time. After the trial bundle you pay standard pay-as-you-go (SMS $0.0083, voice $0.0085–0.014/min). Phone-number rental and data/egress are paid on production.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/solutions/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education/students: no student or .edu program found — education page is institution-sales only", "detail": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/solutions/education (read 2026-10-22) targets universities/colleges as customers (enrollment messaging, student engagement, fraud prevention, alumni outreach); it offers only 'Sign up for a free trial—no credit card required' or 'Contact sales'. No .edu-email eligibility, no student credits, no educator discounts, no Twilio University content. /en-us/university returns 404. The developer hub (twilio.com/en-us/developers) lists Code Exchange, Resource Center (guides/webinars/podcasts), events and community (Discord/Reddit/Luma) but no student/bootcamp program. The only free access for students is therefore the general 30-day trial with its free units (trial requires a personal phone number; sign-up country restricts SMS/voice).", "eligibility": "Not applicable — no eligibility rules because no student/education free offer exists today. General trial: anyone, no CC.", "claim": "Nothing to claim: students get the same general trial (100 SMS/100 WhatsApp/3,000 emails/75 voice minutes, 30 days, no CC). Free courses exist only as unstructured developer resources (docs, Code Exchange, Resource Center, webinars), not as a credentialed program.", "expiry": "n/a (no program). General trial: 30 days.", "gotchas": "Twilio University (former free bootcamp) is gone — /en-us/university 404s and no developer-hub link exists. The free 'resources' are content, not account credits. Note: WebSearch was unavailable in this research session (session search budget exhausted), so absence-claims rest on today's fetches of the main official pages, not an exhaustive crawl — confidence is medium, not high.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/solutions/education", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Push & Chat APIs (Conversations / Push): no dedicated free tier found — trial units + per-active-user pricing only", "detail": "The main pricing page (read 2026-10-22) lists 'Conversations API: $0.05 per active user per month' with no free monthly allocation, no trial-free-unit line for chat/push, and no push-notification product row at all. Twilio's 'Conversations' (successor to Chat API, /docs/conversations-classic) supports web chat, WhatsApp and SMS channels; push delivery works via Expo push tokens inside the Conversations SDK. No public free tier or trial allotment specific to chat/push was found on any fetched Twilio pricing page. Trial free units (100 SMS / 100 WhatsApp / 3,000 emails / 75 voice minutes) are what cover chat-channel traffic during trial.", "eligibility": "Same as general Twilio account: anyone, no CC for trial; chat/push paid usage requires a production account (CC).", "claim": "Build a Conversations-based chat/push app on the trial account using the 100 SMS + 100 WhatsApp free units; no free chat/push unit bundle exists to claim on its own.", "expiry": "n/a (no free tier); trial bundle follows the 30-day trial terms.", "gotchas": "Post-trial, Conversations costs $0.05/active user/month on top of per-message channel costs — active-user billing can be stealthy (a user counts as active while connected). Push 'free' only in the sense of trial-channel units; there is no found permanent free push tier (SendGrid Push, where available, ships with paid email plans). Confidence is medium: absence confirmed on fetched pages, but no dedicated push product pricing page was located in this session (search budget exhausted).", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Adjacent free tiers on the main pricing page (outside listed frontends, included for completeness): Flex/Video 5,000 free hours, TaskRouter first 100 tasks/mo free, Functions/Serverless 10,000 free invocations", "detail": "Main pricing page (read 2026-10-22): 'Flex & Video: Start with 5,000 hours free. $1/active user hour or $150/named user per month.' 'TaskRouter: First 100 tasks/month are free, then $0.06/task.' 'Functions: Start with 10,000 free invocations, then $0.0001 per invocation.' 'Assets/Serverless: Start with free access to tools, then $0.0001 per request or invocation.' Also 'Connections: $120/month for up to 10k visitors/month, try free for 14 days' and 'Twilio for Salesforce: 30-day free trial, then $15/seat/month.' These are not Email/SMS/Push/Chat frontends but they are the only other listed free offers.", "eligibility": "Any Twilio account; no CC for the free-tier allowance; Connections trial is 14 days.", "claim": "If the research scope is relaxed beyond Email/SMS/Push/Chat: claim the 5,000 Flex/Video free hours, 100 TaskRouter tasks/month, and 10,000 Functions invocations at no cost.", "expiry": "Flex/Video 5,000 hours is a one-time allowance; TaskRouter 100 tasks/mo and Functions 10,000 invocations recur monthly while free; Connections 14-day trial.", "gotchas": "TaskRouter's recurring 100 tasks/month free is genuinely free (not one-time) — the only recurring free tier found among the core comms-adjacent products. Flex post-free-rate is steep ($1/active user hour or $150/named user).", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025–2026 changes verified on official pages today (2026-10-22): (1) Twilio trial is now a hard 30-day window with product-specific free units (100 SMS / 100 WhatsApp / 3,000 emails / 75 voice minutes) instead of the older indefinite restrictions-only trial with no bundled units; accounts that don't upgrade inside 30 days expire, with a fresh post-upgrade free-unit bundle for eligible products. (2) No shared dollar trial credit exists anymore (the old 'trial credit' wording survives only as the vague 'small credit' on the startups page). (3) Twilio's Startups offering no longer includes startup credits or discounts — official FAQ: 'We do not offer additional credits to startups at this time'; it is now free educational resources + a sales-team channel. (4) SendGrid's permanent free email plan (400/day) has been gone since 2023; the current Email API 'free' offer is a 60-day trial (100 emails/day), with the ongoing free quota living on the Marketing Campaigns plan instead (2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails/month). (5) Twilio University (the former free student/educator bootcamp) is no longer reachable — /en-us/university returns 404 and the developer hub lists no student program; the education page is institution-sales-only, so no .edu-based free offer exists. (6) twilio.com/try-twilio now 307-redirects straight into the Auth0 signup flow (the trial marketing page was folded into signup); 'no credit card required' survives as pricing-page copy. Caveat: WebSearch was unavailable in this session (shared session search budget exhausted), so sunset claims rely on today's official-page fetches plus pre-existing knowledge; no 2025-26 press release or changelog entry could be independently re-searched. Ongoing paid costs after free units: SMS $0.0083–$0.014/msg, voice $0.0085/min inbound and $0.014/min outbound, Twilio Email $0.0013/email, Conversations $0.05/active user/month, TaskRouter $0.06/task, Functions $0.0001/invocation; phone-number rental and A2P 10DLC registration are paid-only." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Twilio free trial account — product-specific free units, 30-day expiry, no credit card", "link": "https://www.twilio.com/docs/usage/tutorials/how-to-use-your-free-trial-account", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "twilio sendgrid", "name": "Twilio SendGrid", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.twilio.com/docs/sendgrid/ui/account-and-settings/upgrading-your-plan" ], "offers": [ "60-day timed trial: 100 emails/day (Email API + Marketing), then paid from $19.95/mo" ], "notes": [ "MAJOR CHANGE: permanent free-forever plan retired. New signups moved to timed trial in Mar 2025; free plans formally retired May 27 2025 (sending stops after 60 days). Trial is one-time only. Verified 2025-10." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Twilio SendGrid free trial (Email API + Marketing Campaigns)", "detail": "60-day trial at $0/mo starting from signup. Email API: up to 100 emails/day. Marketing Campaigns: up to 100 marketing emails/day and up to 100 contacts. No credit card required to start ('Your card won't be charged at this time'). Trial is one-time only; upgrading immediately terminates it and it cannot be restarted. After expiry you must upgrade to keep sending or use the Marketing tab. New accounts must, before upgrading: enable 2FA, complete domain authentication (or 'Send to a Coworker'), and add a payment method. Paid: Email API Essentials from $19.95/mo, Pro from $89.95/mo, Premier custom; Marketing Basic from $15/mo, Advanced from $60/mo, Custom via sales. Overage charges may apply on paid plans.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone creating a SendGrid account; no .edu or startup requirement stated; no region limit stated on the trial itself.", "claim": "Sign up at https://signup.sendgrid.com/; trial begins at sign-up (60 days, 100 emails/day). Upgrade via Settings -> Account Details -> Your Products -> Change Plan.", "expiry": "60 days from sign-up; one-time; unused capacity is lost at expiry.", "gotchas": "Trial vs free: the Email API has NO persistent free plan after the 60 days — you must pay ($19.95+/mo) or stop sending; 100 emails/day on trial, not 100/month; the old 'free 100/day forever' framing is gone. For accounts that want marketing, see the separate persistent free Marketing tier below. New-account upgrade prerequisites (2FA + domain auth + payment) are often missed. Docs page last modified 2025-09-25.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/docs/sendgrid/ui/account-and-settings/upgrading-your-plan;https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "SendGrid Marketing Campaigns permanent free tier", "detail": "Twilio's Marketing Campaigns pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22) states 'We also offer a Free Marketing Campaigns Plan' distinct from the 60-day trial: store up to 2,000 contacts and send 6,000 free emails/month, plus A/B testing, sign-up forms, automation, and email-testing credits; and a free SMTP layer of 100 emails/day. Paid starts at Basic $15/mo (Basic 5K: 5,000 contacts / 15,000 emails, overage $0.0040/email) or Advanced $60/mo. No credit card required to start the free trial.", "eligibility": "Any SendGrid account; no .edu/startup requirement stated. (Page does not explicitly state the free tier survives after the 60-day trial lapses, but it is presented as a separate named plan.)", "claim": "Sign up free at SendGrid; Marketing free plan is available in-product under Marketing Campaigns; upgrade is optional.", "expiry": "Ongoing (no stated end date).", "gotchas": "Free marketing tier (100 contacts/100 emails/day during the 60-day trial) is tighter than the free plan (2,000 contacts/6,000 emails/mo); overage pricing applies beyond plan limits; 'free trial' marketing copy on landing pages can obscure which offering you are in.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/marketing-campaigns/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Twilio platform free trial (SMS/Push/Chat fronts): per-product free units, 30 days", "detail": "New Twilio accounts get a 30-day free trial with no credit card: product-specific free units instead of a dollar balance — 100 SMS messages, 100 WhatsApp messages, 3,000 emails, 75 voice minutes (monitored via the Console's 'Free units tracker'). Trial ends 30 days after sign-up. Restrictions: you can call/message only verified recipients (up to 5 per account; sign-up number auto-verified), SMS/voice limited to your sign-up country, email limited to your sign-up address, Twilio-provided templates only (no custom message/email/WhatsApp content), and trial numbers are assigned, not chosen. After upgrading (add payment details + address + starting balance) you get 'post-upgrade free units' for eligible products. Per the Twilio pricing page (current as of Aug 2026): Flex/Video start with 5,000 hours free; TaskRouter first 100 tasks/mo free; Functions 10,000 free invocations; Serverless Assets free tools access; Connections 14-day free trial; Twilio for Salesforce 30-day trial then $15/seat/mo. Pay-as-you-go rates: SMS/RCS from $0.0083/message, WhatsApp from $0.005/message, Twilio Email from $0.0013/email, voice from $0.0085/min inbound.", "eligibility": "Anyone; requires verifying a personal phone number at sign-up. Push service and Conversations (Chat) have NO trial 'Try-out' flows listed — trial try-outs cover SMS, Voice, Email, WhatsApp only; Push/Chat are pay-as-you-go after upgrade.", "claim": "Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio (verify email, verify personal phone, describe project); free units are deducted before any charges; upgrade via the Trial banner in Console.", "expiry": "Trial expires 30 days after sign-up; upgrade required to continue; disposition of unused units after expiry is not documented on the page.", "gotchas": "No credit card, but real pay-per-use starts after the 30 days or after free units are consumed post-upgrade — SMS at $0.0083/message adds up; recipient (5 max), country, and template restrictions make trial useless for production A2P or custom content; Push/Chat users get no trial units.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/docs/usage/tutorials/how-to-use-your-free-trial-account;https://www.twilio.com/en-us/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Twilio Startup program ('Grow with Twilio')", "detail": "Active program for early-stage companies: free educational resources (developer hub tutorials, docs, videos) and the standard account trial credit ('a small trial credit when you sign up for your Twilio account'). Twilio explicitly states: 'We do not offer additional credits to startups at this time.' After trial it is pay-as-you-go; support plans are month-to-month. Contact path: 'Complete the form below to get in touch with the Twilio Startups team.' No company-age cap, funding cap, or revenue ceiling is published on the page.", "eligibility": "Early-stage companies per Twilio's own wording; no explicit funding/age limits; no .edu requirement.", "claim": "Sign up for a free Twilio account (standard trial), then use the form at twilio.com/en-us/solutions/startups to reach the Startups team.", "expiry": "No fixed program window; ongoing.", "gotchas": "No substantive startup-exclusive free credits exist — the only 'trial credit' is the standard 30-day, unit-based trial that everyone gets. Treat startup marketing claims as resource/support only.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/solutions/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student / education license", "detail": "No Twilio or SendGrid education license, student discount, .edu-verified free access, or academic credit program was found. The education solutions page (twilio.com/en-us/solutions/education) contains only the generic 'Sign up for a free trial - no credit card required' CTA plus a 'Contact sales' path; no .edu gate, no dollar figure, no enrollment process. Twilio's education materials aim at institutions (student lifecycle support), not at student free tiers.", "eligibility": "n/a — no education-specific offer exists; general trials (above) are available to students with no .edu requirement.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; students use the same 60-day SendGrid trial and 30-day Twilio trial as anyone else.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "If a source advertises a 'Twilio for students' free tier, it is not on Twilio's official pages as of 2026-10-22.", "source_url": "https://www.twilio.com/en-us/solutions/education", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes observed: (1) The Twilio trial was restructured from a shared dollar-credit model (historically the widely documented $10 trial balance) to per-product FREE UNITS (100 SMS / 100 WhatsApp / 3,000 emails / 75 voice minutes) — the current docs state units are given 'instead of a shared dollar balance' — and now has a hard 30-day expiry ('Trial accounts expire after 30 days'), replacing the previously open-ended trial-until-upgrade model. (2) SendGrid is rebranded under Twilio: sendgrid.com 301-redirects to twilio.com/en-us/sendgrid, and the master pricing page lists 'Twilio Email starts at $0.0013/email' (page marked current as of Aug 2026); SendGrid's 60-day trial and persistent free Marketing tier (2,000 contacts / 6,000 emails/mo) remain. (3) The Twilio startup program no longer grants startup-specific credits: official page states 'We do not offer additional credits to startups at this time' — the old standalone startup-credit program, if it ever stood as such, is materially reduced to resources + standard trial. (4) No education license found; if one existed previously, no trace on official pages. Note on method: WebSearch budget was exhausted for this session, so all facts above come from official Twilio/SendGrid pages fetched on 2026-10-22 (high-confidence items) rather than searches; exact sunset dates for the trial revamp are not published on the pages I could reach." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Twilio SendGrid free trial (Email API + Marketing Campaigns)", "link": "https://www.twilio.com/docs/sendgrid/ui/account-and-settings/upgrading-your-plan;https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "typesense", "name": "Typesense", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://typesense.org/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Open source (Apache 2.0) self-hosted = free; managed Typesense SaaS free-to-start trial (no credit card)" ], "notes": [ "Not re-verified this session (web budget exhausted); license is stable, SaaS trial terms at the URL." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Self-hosted open-source Typesense engine (free, no account)", "detail": "The Typesense server is free to download and run under GPL-3.0 (Docker image, native binaries, RPM/DEB packages), with no cost, no account, and no usage caps. Client libraries (Python, JS, PHP, Ruby, etc.) are Apache-licensed. IMPORTANT CORRECTION: prior notes saying 'open source (Apache 2.0)' are wrong for the engine — the server repo is GPL-3.0; Apache applies only to the client libraries. Per the vendor's README FAQ, they deliberately chose GPL over AGPL: running the server commercially on your own infrastructure does not create copyleft distribution obligations; internal modifications can stay private as long as you don't ship modified builds to others. Company is bootstrapped/'lean customer-funded' with no investor-backed sunset. No CMS product exists; 'fronts: APIs, Search & CMS' — Typesense covers APIs + Search only, not CMS.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no .edu email, no credit card, no region limits, no startup age/funding cap. Commercial use permitted.", "claim": "Download via https://typesense.org/downloads/ (Docker: 'Copy Code' commands for Docker/Linux/macOS/Windows) or clone https://github.com/typesense/typesense. Run locally or on any server.", "expiry": "None; ongoing license (server GPL-3.0, libs Apache). No stated end date.", "gotchas": "License is GPL-3.0, not Apache 2.0 as previously assumed; if you distribute modified builds, GPL obligations apply. Self-hosted is API-only (Cloud adds admin UI, RBAC, SDN). Free support is best-effort only. This is a license, not a 'program' — it cannot be renewed or lapsed.", "source_url": "https://github.com/typesense/typesense(GPL-3.0badge+READMElicenseFAQ)andhttps://typesense.org/downloads/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Typesense Cloud 'free cluster' / free credits, no credit card", "detail": "Typesense Cloud advertises free credits with no credit card required. Exact site copy (cloud.typesense.org root): 'Did we mention we give you free credits? You don't even need a credit card!' The pricing calculator (now usage-based: hourly, no per-search/per-record charges, minimum 0.5GB RAM, 2 vCPUs with 1 hr burst/day, 3 nodes, add-ons: GPU, high-perf disk, HA, SDN) links to 'start with a free cluster' which is the signup page. The dollar amount of free credits and its duration are NOT disclosed on any public page (checked: root, calculator, terms, FAQ, support pages). Purchased credits expire 15 months after purchase per the Cloud Services Agreement §5; free-credit expiration is unspecified.", "eligibility": "Any user who signs up (work email or GitHub sign-in); no credit card, no .edu requirement, no startup-age or funding cap found, no region limits stated.", "claim": "1) Create account at cloud.typesense.org/signup (or /pricing/start-free). 2) Launch a cluster from the dashboard using the free credits. 3) Configure size via the calculator at cloud.typesense.org/pricing/calculator.", "expiry": "Not publicly stated for the free credits; agreement says purchased credits expire 15 months after purchase. Hourly billing applies after credits are exhausted.", "gotchas": "Trial-like credits, not a named perpetual free tier. Once credits run out you pay hourly for the running cluster (minimum 3-node cluster). SDN/add-ons and support plans are extra. Don't assume the free credits renew or roll over.", "source_url": "https://cloud.typesense.org/('freecredits'copy)andhttps://cloud.typesense.org/pricing/calculator('startwithafreecluster'link)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free support plan ('Critical Production Support — Free')", "detail": "Typesense Cloud support plans page lists a Free tier at $0: 'Best effort' response for critical production issues (no SLA), channels = Email, GitHub Issues, Public Slack Community. No SOC2/HIPAA, no bank transfer, no vendor forms, no security questionnaires, no prioritized feature requests. Handlers: 'Engineers who write the code that powers Typesense & Typesense Cloud'.", "eligibility": "All Typesense Cloud users, free; no startup/student-specific eligibility.", "claim": "Open a support request via Email, GitHub Issues, or the public Slack community as listed on the support plans page; no signup for support beyond a Cloud account.", "expiry": "None stated; ongoing $0 tier alongside paid tiers (Developer $160 / Business $400 / Enterprise $700 / Enterprise Signature $1,900 every 28 days).", "gotchas": "Best-effort only — no response SLA and no 24x7x365 critical guarantee (that starts at the $160 Developer plan).", "source_url": "https://cloud.typesense.org/support-plans", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free Algolia-migration consulting/support tiers (spend-gated)", "detail": "For existing Algolia customers switching to Typesense Cloud (free offers tied to current Algolia spend, from the pricing calculator page): spend >$1,000/mo → 'FREE 30-Minute Consulting' call; >$2,000/mo → 'FREE 1-Year Prioritized Business Support & Migration Consulting' (listed $5,200 value); >$3,000/mo → 'FREE 1-Year Prioritized Enterprise Support & Migration Consulting' (listed $9,100 value) plus 'FREE Private Slack Connect Support' and an advisory-board invite.", "eligibility": "Existing Algolia customers crossing the stated monthly-spend thresholds; effectively mid-sized+ startups/companies; not aimed at students or individuals.", "claim": "Contact Typesense (sales/demo, e.g., 'Schedule a Demo' on cloud.typesense.org) citing your Algolia spend to unlock the matching tier.", "expiry": "The 1-year support offers last 1 year from grant; promotion has no stated end date.", "gotchas": "Gated on live Algolia spend, not on age/funding; 'value' figures are Typesense's own list prices.", "source_url": "https://cloud.typesense.org/pricing/calculator(Algolia-migrationsection)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, verified by fetching the official pages today: (1) No student/education license or program exists — typesense.org/education/ is 404, the typesense.org sitemap (10 URLs) contains no education/student URL, the docs Guide + FAQ contain no education offer, and the blog index (latest post Apr 14, 2025) has none. (2) No named startup program/discount exists — cloud.typesense.org/startup is 404; the only startup-flavored content is marketing copy ('From Scrappy Startups to Household Names') and the spend-gated free Algolia-migration offers above. Typesense is explicitly bootstrapped ('lean customer-funded team of engineers'; 2022 blog 'To Raise VC, or Not'), which fits a no-VC startup-investment model rather than a funded startup program. (3) The previously-known claim 'open source (Apache 2.0) self-hosted = free' is partially wrong: the Typesense server is GPL-3.0 (verified against the raw LICENSE.txt and GitHub's license badge; client libraries are Apache). (4) Typesense Cloud pricing has been restructured from named tiers into a usage-based hourly configuration calculator (memory 0.5–1024 GB, 2-vCPU floor, 3–7 nodes, ~28 regions, GPU/disk/HA/SDN add-ons) with no visible named free plan; the free entry point is signup-based 'free cluster / free credits' whose dollar amount and duration are undisclosed on public pages. (5) No CMS front: Typesense offers no CMS product; 'fronts: APIs, Search & CMS' applies only to APIs and Search. (6) Methodology caveat: the session's WebSearch budget was exhausted, so 2025–2026 change checks were not done via search; all findings above come from pages fetched on 2026-10-22 (high confidence for what the pages state; the free-credit amount/duration could not be confirmed from any public page)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Self-hosted open-source Typesense engine (free, no account)", "link": "https://github.com/typesense/typesense(GPL-3.0badge+READMElicenseFAQ)andhttps://typesense.org/downloads/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "unity personal", "name": "Unity Personal", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://unity.com/products" ], "offers": [ "Unity Personal plan free (engine, cloud, Asset Store) for individuals/small teams under $200K revenue+funding; free Unity Student plan for students and educators" ], "notes": [ "2024-25: Personal cap raised from $100K to $200K (revenue AND funding); 2026: Pro priced +5% at $210/mo ($2,310/yr); no runtime fee on Personal; free educational grants for institutions" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Unity Personal (free tier)", "detail": "Perpetually free editor + cloud for hobbyists and small indie teams. No credit card required (stated on the pricing page). Includes: publish to web/desktop/AR/VR/mobile, Unity Cloud ecosystem, MCP access, 1,000 AI tool credits/month. As of the 3/1/2026 DevOps change the free cloud tier includes: unlimited public-cloud Version Control seats, 25 GB standard storage per org/month, 10 GB Asset Manager storage, 100 GB free egress, 2 concurrent build units, and 200 Windows (Micro) + 100 Linux (Micro) + 100 Mac (Standard) free build minutes/month. Made with Unity splash screen optional on Unity 6. No Runtime Fee (canceled Sep 2024). Overages: $0.75/GB Asset Manager, $0.10/GB standard storage >25GB, $0.10/GB egress >100GB, Micro $0.02/min, Standard Linux $0.06 & Mac/Windows $0.07, Premium $0.11-0.12, Ultra $0.18-0.20, Turbo Windows $0.37; extra editor concurrency $10/mo.", "eligibility": "Individuals/hobbyists/small businesses whose total finances (revenue + funding, trailing 12 months) are under $200,000 USD; if serving third-party clients, the aggregate client revenue/funding must be under $200K. Gaming/entertainment apps only — non-gaming apps where total company finances exceed $1,000,000 require Unity Industry, and Industry customers may not use Personal. No age floor, no credit card, self-reported finances subject to audit. Region: global; page/ToS in USD.", "claim": "Create a free Unity ID, download Unity Hub and Editor from unity.com/download, select the Personal plan. Self-certify finances in the Unity dashboard. No card required. Console (PS/Xbox/Switch) and Apple Vision Pro builds need Pro instead.", "expiry": "No expiry while under the $200K threshold; must upgrade to Pro once exceeded (immediately upon crossing; tiers cannot be mixed).", "gotchas": "Exceeding $200K forces paid Pro ($2,310/yr or $210/mo post-Jan 2026); no downgrades during a commitment window; cloud storage/egress/build-minute overages bill even on the free plan; splash screen is optional only on Unity 6; industry (non-game) use above $1M total finances is ineligible.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/pricing(alsohttps://unity.com/products/unity-personal)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity Student plan (free education license)", "detail": "Free plan giving students the full Unity Pro-tier editor (no education watermark) plus: free Odin Inspector + Validator education licenses, a premium Synty asset bundle, Unity Cloud personal tier (3 Version Control seats, 5 GB storage), and a 20% Asset Store discount. Valid 1 year; renews while enrolled (renew any time up to 60 days before expiry or after it expires). A school email is NOT required — 'You don't need a school email to sign up'; verification is via SheerID (or SAML sign-in to school where available). K-12 tier explicitly 16+. One Unity ID per verified account; student projects are isolated to the Student-plan account.", "eligibility": "Students of legal age to consent to personal data processing (age 13 in the U.S., 16 in the E.U.; secondary tier stated as 16+), currently enrolled in credit-bearing classes at an accredited institution. No .edu email required. Global (page published in 9 languages); SheerID does regional verification.", "claim": "1) Apply at unity.com/products/unity-student, choose Post-Secondary or Secondary. 2) Create/log in to Unity ID. 3) Complete the SheerID form with academic details + documentation (instant most of the time; up to ~5 business days). 4) Redeem via the emailed instructions: download Unity Hub, then activate the license key (Unity Hub > Licenses > Activate with serial number).", "expiry": "1 year; renewable indefinitely while actively enrolled, re-verified through SheerID. Graduating = plan lapses after its year (no special post-graduation path stated).", "gotchas": "Cannot be shared; friends/family must apply separately; may log in at school but it's a personal (not lab/classroom) license — institutions use the Education Grant License; projects under the Student plan can't be opened in Personal/Educator/EGL accounts; commercializing student projects is allowed under the Editor ToS; legacy GitHub Student Pack references in some university IT articles are outdated (SheerID is current).", "source_url": "https://unity.com/products/unity-student", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity Educator plan (free education license)", "detail": "Free individual educator plan (cannot be purchased): Unity Pro-tier editor without watermark, free Odin Inspector + Validator education licenses, Synty asset bundle, an 'educator asset pack' (industry-built modular assets for demos/sample projects), 20% Asset Store discount, and Version Control with 3 seats / 5 GB. For creating/teaching/sharing Unity projects at home, school, or elsewhere — not for deploying across institutional machines.", "eligibility": "Higher education: educators at accredited post-secondary degree-granting institutions globally (SheerID affiliation verification; .edu email not strictly required). K-12: available in roughly 30 listed countries (US, CA, AU, UK, etc.); K-12 educators in unlisted regions must use the Education Grant License instead. One Unity ID per verified account.", "claim": "1) Apply at unity.com/products/unity-educator, choose K-12 or Higher Education. 2) Create/log in to Unity ID. 3) Complete SheerID form, upload affiliation proof if asked. 4) License key arrives by email; activate in Unity Hub > Licenses > Activate with serial number.", "expiry": "1 year; renew by returning to the page and re-verifying with SheerID (no purchase path exists).", "gotchas": "Not for multi-computer classroom/lab deployment (use Education Grant License); K-12 is region-gated; educator projects can't be accessed from Student/EGL accounts; individual-use only.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/products/unity-educator", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity Education Grant License (institutional / university program)", "detail": "Free multi-seat license that institutions deploy across lab/classroom computers and servers (no Unity ID sign-in required on the machines). Covers the core Unity engine (build/optimize/deploy across 25+ platforms) 'regardless of classroom size'. A full year of licenses at no cost, renewable annually at no cost; seat counts modifiable after initial approval; one Unity ID tied to the verified institutional account; no Unity Cloud access; EGL projects cannot be accessed via Student/Educator accounts. Accredited institutions: free. Nonprofits: available at a discounted (paid) cost instead. Students can pair EGL on lab machines with the free Student plan on personal devices.", "eligibility": "Academic institutions accredited by an authorized governmental agency (local/state/provincial/federal/national) whose primary purpose is teaching enrolled students; .edu/institutional email used for the application. Outside-U.S. K-12 educators whose region lacks the K-12 Educator plan may use EGL. No age floor (institutional).", "claim": "1) Sign in at unity.com/products/unity-education-grant-license. 2) Select institution type. 3) Complete the SheerID verification form (up to ~48 h). 4) Submit the license request; follow the Unity Learn activation tutorial. Renew via the Unity Education License Information dashboard > Renew License, entering seat count.", "expiry": "1-year term, renewable; renewal window opens 90 days before expiry; annual re-grant.", "gotchas": "Changing the associated institutional email requires a support ticket; the page still notes Unity Cloud is not part of EGL; research/industry/commercial projects at an institution should instead buy discounted Unity Pro through an education rep.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/products/unity-education-grant-license", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity AI tools free trial + plan AI credit allowance", "detail": "Unity AI (MCP/AI tools) offers a 14-day no-commitment free trial (link from the products page into the Unity service store, variant 'uty-pts-no-commitment-14-day-trial'); after the trial a paid monthly points subscription. Separately, every Unity plan includes a monthly AI-credit allowance: Unity Personal 1,000 credits/month, Pro 2,000, Enterprise/Industry 3,000, with 'special terms apply to Unity Credits'.", "eligibility": "Any Unity ID holder can take the 14-day AI trial; the free monthly allowance attaches to a Personal (or higher) plan. No credit card stated for the trial variant ('no-commitment').", "claim": "From unity.com/products, click 'Try Unity's AI tools free' (14-day variant). Or just use the plan's included monthly AI credits (Personal = 1,000/month).", "expiry": "Trial: 14 days, then paid. Free allowance: renews monthly with the plan while eligible.", "gotchas": "Trial is trial, not a perpetual free tier; post-trial requires paying subscription; credit special terms apply; AI feature is newer so limits may shift.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/products(trial:service-store.unity.com14-dayno-commitmentvariant)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity DevOps free-tier expansion (Mar 1, 2026) — free cloud build/VC layer on Personal", "detail": "Effective 3/1/2026 Unity expanded the free (pay-as-you-go) cloud tier: seat charges for public-cloud Unity Version Control removed (the old 3-free-seat cap for Personal becomes unlimited; 1:1 seat limits dropped on paid plans), free storage 5 GB -> 25 GB per org per month, 100 GB free egress added (no egress billing at all in March-April 2026), free build minutes now 200 Windows (Micro) + 100 Mac (Standard) + 100 Linux (Micro) monthly, and Unity Editor Concurrency doubled from 1 to 2 (extra = $10/mo). This applies to everyone on a Unity ID, so students and sub-$200K startup teams get it free.", "eligibility": "All Unity plans; effectively free for Personal users (students, hobbyists, startups under $200K revenue/funding).", "claim": "Automatic — included with a Unity Personal (or any) account; manage usage in the Unity Dashboard (Administration > Costs and usage reporting).", "expiry": "Ongoing as of Oct 2026; announced 2025-11-10, effective 3/1/2026.", "gotchas": "Beyond free limits, usage bills: storage >25GB $0.10/GB (premium $0.30/GB), egress >100GB $0.10/GB, Micro $0.02/min, Standard $0.06-0.07/min, Premium $0.11-0.12/min, Ultra $0.18-0.20/min; no downgrade during a commitment window; 'later in 2026' Unity DevOps gains were promised but may still be rolling out.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/products/pricing-updates", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Unity Multiplay Hosting $800 startup sign-up credit (service in transition)", "detail": "New Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting organizations received $800 of sign-up credit, valid 6 months from sign-up, automatically applied across the whole organization (shared by all projects) until exhausted; consumed on subsequent invoices; dashboard shows real-time consumption. Caveat found today: Unity is winding down direct support — support runs through 31 March 2026, the software is licensed to Rocket Science Group, and the official docs page now issues a 308 redirect to rocketscience.gg/services/hosting, so new credits likely come via Rocket Science Group rather than Unity.", "eligibility": "New Unity Multiplay Hosting users (i.e., game startups adding server hosting); no CC-free claim — standard Unity account.", "claim": "Historically: subscribe to Unity Gaming Services/Multiplay Hosting; the $800 credit applied automatically org-wide; track in Dashboard > Administration > Costs and usage reporting.", "expiry": "Credit: 6 months from sign-up. Service: Unity direct support ends 31 March 2026; continuity via Rocket Science Group.", "gotchas": "Trial-style credit, not a free tier; once credit expires, pay-per-usage applies; migration off Unity's direct service may be required after the support cutoff.", "source_url": "https://docs.unity.com/multiplay-hosting/concepts/pricing-free-credit(nowredirectstohttps://www.rocketscience.gg/services/hosting)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Unity for Humanity grants (social-impact creator grants)", "detail": "Grant program providing financial support + mentorship + audience amplification to creators using real-time 3D for social impact (environment, health, education, accessibility). 2026 winners already announced (e.g., Amaru, I NEED SPACE, Project Ember); also runs the UNEP/Project Drawdown Environment & Sustainability Grant and Imagine Grant (with Common, 2021). Not a license or startup-specific program, but a real free-money front that students/indies run into.", "eligibility": "Creators/changemakers (any region) applying through periodic grant calls; application-based and selective; open on unity.com/humanity.", "claim": "Apply via the Unity for Humanity grant application on unity.com/humanity when a cycle is open; winners and honorees are announced per year.", "expiry": "Recurring annual/periodic grant cycles (2026 cycle ran; next cycle timing follows Unity's announcement).", "gotchas": "Grants, not subscriptions — no guaranteed amount, selective; distinct from Unity's education/startup licensing.", "source_url": "https://unity.com/humanity", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, no dedicated 'Unity Startup Program' exists on unity.com (no link in the products navigation; unity.com/startups and similar paths 404). Startups are covered by the free Unity Personal tier (<$200K revenue+funding/12 months) plus the expanded free DevOps cloud tier; paid Pro is $2,310/yr or $210/mo. Material 2024-2026 changes: (1) Sep 12, 2024: Unity canceled the controversial Runtime Fee for games; Personal's cap doubled from $100K to $200K USD at the same time, and the 'Made with Unity' splash screen became optional starting with Unity 6. (2) Jan 1, 2025: plan restructure — Unity Plus was absorbed/renamed to Unity Pro; Pro became mandatory above $200K and Enterprise above $25M total finances; Pro was $2,200/yr at that date. (3) Jan 12, 2026: 5% Pro/Enterprise price increase (Pro -> $2,310/yr, $210/mo); Havok Physics for Unity dropped from Pro/Enterprise/Industry on 6.0 LTS (and from Unity 6.3). (4) Mar 1, 2026: free DevOps cloud tier expansion (unlimited VCS seats, 25GB storage, 100GB egress, added Mac/Linux build minutes, 2 editor concurrency) — all free tiers above reflect this. (5) 31 Mar 2026: Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting direct support ends; service licensed to Rocket Science Group, docs 308-redirect there, so its $800 startup credit is in transition. (6) Aug-Sep 2026: Unity Economy (Gaming Services) became free to use starting 25 Aug 2026 and stopped accepting new project signups 8 Sep 2026 — a de-facto free tier for existing configs but the product is sunsetting (no new signups; IAP/Live Content positioned as the successors). (7) Verification path: the legacy 'GitHub Student Developer Pack' route for Unity Student has been replaced by SheerID (plus optional SAML sign-in to school); .edu email is explicitly not required by Unity's current Student plan page. Older third-party university IT articles still cite the GitHub Pack requirement — outdated. No announced sunset of the Personal, Student, Educator, or Education Grant License offerings as of Oct 22, 2026." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Unity Personal (free tier)", "link": "https://unity.com/pricing(alsohttps://unity.com/products/unity-personal)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "unleash", "name": "Unleash", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.unleash.io" ], "offers": [ "Open-source (Apache-2.0) feature-toggle server: free to self-host with unlimited toggles/environments; Unleash Cloud has a free Personal Use tier, paid tiers start ~$99/mo" ], "notes": [ "The guaranteed-free path is self-hosting; the cloud Personal Use tier existed historically with small request/user caps — the pricing page failed to fetch this session (SSL error), so treat exact cloud free caps as unverified." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Unleash Open Source — free self-hosted server", "detail": "Self-hosted Unleash server is free with no seat limit ('Unleash Open Source is free and has no seat limit'). Hard caps on the OSS build: max 1 project, 2 environments, 5,000 feature flags per instance; no MAU or API-traffic limits; feature-flag metric retention only 2 days. Excluded from OSS: SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, granular RBAC, change requests/four-eyes approvals, user groups, audit/access logs, support SLA. License as of v8.0.0 (mid-2026): source repo + unleash-server npm are AGPLv3, but the official open-source Docker images remain Apache-2.0, so unmodified container deployment triggers no AGPL obligations; client SDKs keep permissive licenses. For students: self-host on any small VPS or locally with Docker Compose + Postgres; no account, email, or CC needed.", "eligibility": "Everyone (students, startups, enterprises) — no .edu email, no funding cap, no credit card, no trial required; self-hosted so no region limits either.", "claim": "Free forever (perpetual), no renewal. Claim: docker pull / Helm chart / npm 'unleash-server' and run with PostgreSQL — no signup. Limits: 1 project, 2 environments, 5,000 flags, 2-day metric retention on OSS.", "expiry": "None — perpetual. AGPLv3 licensing effective from v8.0.0 (announced 2026-06-02); official Docker images stay Apache-2.0.", "gotchas": "AGPLv3: if you MODIFY the source and expose it over a network, you must share your source or buy a commercial license; unmodified images are fine. 5,000-flag and 1-project/2-environment caps. Enterprise features (SSO/RBAC/SCIM) cost extra ($75/seat/mo).", "source_url": "https://getunleash.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "14-day free trial of Unleash Pay-As-You-Go (Cloud or self-hosted paid)", "detail": "'Start a 14-day trial with no credit card required' (pricing FAQ: 'How much does Unleash cost?'). Trial of the $75/seat/month Pay-As-You-Go plan, which includes unlimited flags/projects/environments/experiments, 53M API requests/month (Cloud; $5 per million overage), 90-day metric retention, SSO, RBAC, SOC2 Type II + GDPR, audit logs up to 2 years, 99.9% uptime. Cloud PAYG bills monthly with no long-term commitment; self-hosted PAYG bills annually with a 5-seat minimum.", "eligibility": "Anyone — email-only signup; no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no region limits, and credit card explicitly NOT required for the trial.", "claim": "Claim: getunleash.io/pricing → 'Start Free Trial' (links to /plans/enterprise-payg); sign up via auth.app.getunleash.io (email-only); provision a Cloud or self-hosted trial; 14-day window, no CC entered.", "expiry": "Trial lasts 14 days; then PAYG billing starts ($75/seat/mo — monthly for Cloud, annual for self-hosted with 5-seat minimum).", "gotchas": "Trial, not a free tier — nothing continues free afterwards except self-hosted OSS. Cloud overage beyond 53M requests: $5/million. Self-hosted PAYG forces a 5-seat annual commitment post-trial. 90-day metric retention on paid plans.", "source_url": "https://getunleash.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / student license or startup program — NONE published", "detail": "No student/education discount, education license, trial credits, or startup program exists on getunleash.io as of 2026-10-22: homepage, pricing page, open-source page, pricing FAQ, and the full 2025–2026 blog index show no such offer. The only free paths are self-hosted OSS and the 14-day trial. FAQ 'Is there a free version of Unleash?' answers with OSS only.", "eligibility": "n/a — offer not found; students and startups get the same terms as everyone else (free OSS self-host + 14-day trial, no CC).", "claim": "n/a — no claim path because no such offer is published.", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Do not promise students/startups a discount that does not exist; the $35M Series B (2026-03-04) and 500+ paying-customer enterprise focus make a startup program unlikely.", "source_url": "https://getunleash.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Changes in 2025–2026 vs the \"known so far\" baseline: (1) LICENSE CHANGE — Unleash moved the primary GitHub repo and unleash-server npm package from Apache-2.0 to AGPLv3 effective from v8.0.0, announced 2026-06-02 (\"Evolving Our Open Source Commitment: Unleash is Moving to AGPLv3\"); official OSS Docker images remain Apache-2.0 and client SDKs keep permissive licenses, so unmodified self-hosting stays friction-free. (2) The baseline claim that Unleash Cloud has a free \"Personal Use\" tier with paid tiers starting ~$99/mo is OUTDATED: the current getunleash.io pricing page lists only Open Source (free self-hosted), Pay-As-You-Go at $75/seat/month, and Custom Enterprise — no Personal Use or free hosted tier is offered or even mentioned; if a Personal Use tier existed it was retired/renamed in 2025–2026 with no public sunset announcement found in the blog index. (3) Pricing level: paid entry is now $75/seat/month (previously cited ~$99/mo). (4) Domain/site migration: www.unleash.io and unleash.io are unreachable from this environment (TLS/SSL errors on every path tried); the live official site is getunleash.io (docs.getunleash.io, app.getunleash.io, auth.app.getunleash.io). (5) $35M Series B (2026-03-04, led by One Peak; 500+ paying customers, doubled ARR 3 consecutive years) signals enterprise focus; no startup or education programs were announced with it. Note: WebSearch budget was exhausted in this session, so change-detection relied on the official site's blog index (titles) plus pricing/FAQ/upgrade/open-source/license pages read today (all high-confidence official reads)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Unleash Open Source — free self-hosted server", "link": "https://getunleash.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "upcloud free trial", "name": "UpCloud Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://upcloud.com/try/" ], "offers": [ "Small free trial credit for new users (commonly ~$25) over a short window; no card required for the trial." ], "notes": [ "Finnish provider. Trial amount and duration vary (commonly ~$25 / up to a few weeks) - confirm in-console. Cheapest general-optimised VPS starts at a few euros/mo." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Standard 7-day free trial (quota-limited, no dollar credit)", "detail": "All new users get a 7-day trial starting at the moment of activation, NOT a fixed credit pot. Trial quotas (official docs): Cloud Servers 2 cores / 4 GB RAM (all OSes except Windows); Block Storage 60 GB each of Archive, Standard and MaxIOPS; Networks 2 IPv4 + 2 IPv6; NAT/VPN Gateway x1 (Development or Standard plan); Managed Object Storage 1 instance up to 250 GB; Managed Databases 1 DB / 1 node (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Valkey, OpenSearch); Managed Load Balancer 1 Development plan, 1000 sessions; Managed Kubernetes 1 cluster on Development plan. Not available: Windows servers, GPU servers, Private Cloud. Firewall is locked to standard web ports (HTTP/HTTPS open both ways; SSH in only; RDP in only; SMTP 25 blocked both directions; NTP/DNS out only). You can redeploy within quotas as often as you like. Upgrade minimum is a one-time deposit of 10 in account currency; when the trial ends without a deposit, deployed services are removed and new deployments are blocked (account stays active). Data egress is free (zero-cost egress is a standard UpCloud feature since the 2025 'UpCloud Essentials' change).", "eligibility": "All new users, no .edu, no region limit beyond UpCloud's sanctioned-region restrictions (Russia, Belarus, Crimea, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria excluded). Credit card + billing info ARE required to activate the trial (0 or 1 EUR/USD temporary authorization, card not charged before/during/after). No card-free trial.", "claim": "1) Register at signup.upcloud.com (name, email, phone required). 2) Log into the Control Panel; trial does not auto-start. 3) Verify identity with credit card + billing info to enter the trial. 4) Start trial within 365 days of registration or the account is removed. 5) Optionally pay min 10 one-time deposit to keep/upgrade; request longer trials from sales.", "expiry": "7 days from activation (longer only via promotion). Promo credits from signup codes are valid 60 days after signup per bonus-credits docs; trial credits for the standard trial effectively expire with the 7-day window. Accounts not started within 365 days of registration are deleted.", "gotchas": "This is a quota trial, not money: the 'small ~$25 free trial credit' often cited for UpCloud does not match current docs - the baseline trial has no dollar credit at all. CC mandatory for activation. Windows/GPU excluded. After expiry your resources are deleted if you haven't deposited at least 10. SMTP port 25 blocked; outbound SSH restricted. 14-day and 30-day figures floating around are leftover promos, not the standard.", "source_url": "https://upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/free-trial/(readdirectly2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "30-day money-back guarantee on first payment (up to 500 EUR/USD)", "detail": "The first payment made at/after trial upgrade carries a 30-day money-back guarantee of up to 500 EUR / 500 USD; contact support for refund. Not an independent offer - it attaches to the first one-time deposit (minimum 10).", "eligibility": "Any new customer making their first payment; no .edu or startup requirements; same CC/sanctioned-region rules as the trial.", "claim": "Upgrade the trial account with a minimum 10 one-time deposit in Billing, use services for up to 30 days, request a refund from Customer Support within the window if unhappy.", "expiry": "Refund window = 30 days from first payment, capped at 500 EUR/USD of the first payment.", "gotchas": "Only the FIRST payment is covered and only up to 500; does not stack on top of promo credits. It is trial-vs-free: you must have paid to claim it.", "source_url": "https://upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/free-trial/(readdirectly2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "UpCloud Startup Program - up to 25,000 EUR credits in 3 tiers", "detail": "Official program page (read directly today): Tier 1: up to 25,000 EUR free credit, valid 24 months, for startups in the UpCloud ecosystem (partner VC, incubator or accelerator) that have raised more than 5M EUR. Tier 2: 5,000 EUR free credit, valid 12 months, for startups founded within the last 24 months in FI, SE, NO, DK or IS (Nordics). Tier 3: 1,000 EUR free credit, valid 12 months, for startups founded within the last 24 months in non-Nordic EU, EEA, UK or CH. Credits usable across compute, storage, networking and managed databases; GPU Servers are excluded from credit usage (UpCloud may enable them at its discretion post-onboarding). Also includes 24/7 human support, startup events/forum, solution-architecture consultations, and a startup spotlight on UpCloud channels. Since March 2026 the program is run in partnership with Maria 01, the Helsinki startup hub. Applications reviewed in 5-10 business days; you may be asked for proof of company registration, valid VAT ID, funding-round documentation (Tier 1) and accelerator/VC/incubator affiliation proof (Tier 1). After credits expire, services continue at standard pricing and you are notified beforehand.", "eligibility": "New UpCloud customers only; UpCloud account required before applying; company registered in EU, EEA, UK, Ukraine or CH; valid VAT ID; founded within the last 24 months (Tiers 2 and 3). Tier 1 additionally requires partner-ecosystem affiliation and >5M EUR raised. No .edu / student angle. No funding cap for T2/T3 (bootstrapped OK). Region-locked to Europe (Nordic advantage).", "claim": "1) Create an UpCloud account. 2) Open the Startup Program page and use the on-page 'Apply now' application form. 3) Submit company details; wait 5-10 business days for review. 4) On approval, credit is attached to your account (usage details in the welcome email).", "expiry": "Tier 1 credits valid 24 months; Tier 2/3 valid 12 months from approval; program itself is ongoing (Maria 01 partnership announced March 2026).", "gotchas": "Credits are denominated in EUR on the official page (site displays in euros; third-party trackers sometimes restate them in USD - treat EUR figures as canonical). 'Up to' Tier 1 means the final amount is UpCloud's discretion within the cap. GPU excluded. Must be a NEW customer - existing UpCloud users are ineligible. VAT ID is mandatory, so individuals/students without a company cannot use it. After expiry you pay standard prices with no cliff.", "source_url": "https://upcloud.com/global/upcloud-startup-program/(readdirectly2026-10-22;Maria01:https://upcloud.com/global/blog/upcloud-partners-maria01-support-next-wave-finnish-european-startups/)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Signup promo-code trial credits (historically up to 500 EUR/USD for 30 days) - currently INACTIVE", "detail": "UpCloud layers time-boxed promos on the baseline trial: Aug 2025 'upcloud500' gave 500 USD for 30 days plus first-payment matching (max 100 USD, forever) and looser trial quotas (16 CPU / 32 GB / 1024 GB storage / 5 IPs), ending 2025-09-30; later 'boost500' offered 500 EUR or 500 USD valid for the first 30 days with GPU excluded. As of TODAY (2026-10-22) I verified on the live signup page that the boost500 code returns 'Promo code boost500 is inactive' and the default offer is the 7-day trial with an optional promo-code field. Affiliate codes for 250/500 credits also circulate but none are live on the default page. Per official bonus-credits docs: one promo code, only at signup, promo credits valid 60 days after signup, and promo-credit accounts need manual support activation to deploy GPU products.", "eligibility": "New trial accounts; same CC-verification rules as the trial. No student/startup distinction - it is a general new-user promo.", "claim": "Register at signup.upcloud.com and enter a valid promo code in the 'Promo code' field at signup (only one code, only at signup). Check which code is live before relying on it - none are advertised on the default page today.", "expiry": "boost500: INACTIVE as of 2026-10-22 (verified on signup page). upcloud500: ended 2025-09-30. Generic rule: promo credits valid 60 days after signup.", "gotchas": "Inactivity of boost500 verified today; historical amounts/durations come from UpCloud's own social posts (Mastodon/Nostr) and third-party trackers, so treat the code details as second-hand. Codes expire without notice - recheck the signup page before claiming.", "source_url": "https://signup.upcloud.com/(verifiedlive2026-10-22)andhttps://upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/billing/bonus-credits/(read2026-10-22);codesviaUpCloudsocials:https://mastodon.social/@UpCloud/115055129408699850", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Referral program: 25 EUR/USD to the new user, 50 EUR/USD to the referrer", "detail": "Per official bonus-credits docs (read today): a new user signing up via a referral receives 25 EUR / 25 USD free credits spendable on any service; the referrer earns 50 EUR / 50 USD on their account. Referral credits do NOT expire. Conditions: the referred new user must make a minimum of two one-time payments and stay active for at least 28 days for the referrer to receive the 50. So the new user's 25 requires two paid one-time deposits - effectively a paid-account perk, not free-for-forever.", "eligibility": "Any new UpCloud user referred by an existing customer; no .edu or startup requirement; no stated funding/age cap; same sanctioned-region rules apply.", "claim": "1) Get an existing customer's personal referral code/link. 2) Sign up with it. 3) New user receives 25 credit on the account. 4) Make at least two one-time payments and keep the account active 28+ days to unlock the referrer's 50.", "expiry": "Referral credits do not expire (official docs).", "gotchas": "You must actually pay (2 one-time deposits) - not pure free. One promo/referral code per signup, no stacking described. GPU deployment on bonus-credit accounts needs a support ticket to activate.", "source_url": "https://upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/billing/bonus-credits/(read2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Education / students: no standing program found", "detail": "No UpCloud education license, student tier, or .edu email benefit exists on the official site. The only education-related activity is ad-hoc: UpCloud has sponsored university cloud courses (case study: Stony Brook University's cloud computing class - the professor emails UpCloud each semester and UpCloud 'donates credit' to sponsor the whole class; documented 2023, not a published program with eligibility). Third-party coupon sites claim 'student discounts' but the FAQ they quote is generic filler, not an official offer.", "eligibility": "Not available to students as a self-serve offer. Individual faculty can request class credit donations by contacting UpCloud directly.", "claim": "No public claim path. A professor/instructor contacts UpCloud sales/support to request sponsored credits for their class (per the Stony Brook example).", "expiry": "N/A - no standing program; any credit donation is negotiated per course/semester.", "gotchas": "", "source_url": "https://upcloud.com/global/blog/stony-brook-university-uses-upcloud-educate-future-cloud-developers/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) The task's starting URL https://upcloud.com/try/ now serves a 404 'Page Not Found' (verified 2026-10-22) - UpCloud has sunset the dedicated trial landing page; trial info now lives in the docs (upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/free-trial/) and the signup flow. 2) The '500 EUR/USD for 30 days' signup promo chain (upcloud500 in 2025, then boost500 active into Sept 2026) is dead: the live signup page today shows boost500 as 'inactive' and defaults to the plain 7-day quota trial. So any listing advertising a standing $500/30-day free trial (e.g. 'UpCloud for Startups: $500' directory entries) is outdated as of 2026-10-22. 3) The previously circulated 'small ~$25 free trial credit' assumption is wrong for current terms - the baseline trial is quota-based with no dollar credit; 25 EUR only appears via the referral program. 4) The Startup Program is the main 2025-2026 structural change: it now runs a three-tier EUR system (up to 25k/5k/1k, 24/12/12-month validity) gated on VAT ID + 24-month company age + EU/EEA/UK/UA/CH registration, formalized in a March 2026 Maria 01 (Helsinki) partnership; third-party trackers restate tiers in USD - the official page prices in EUR. 5) Since June 2025, 'UpCloud Essentials' made zero-cost egress, Kubernetes control planes, load balancers, NAT/VPN gateways and a daily backup plan permanently free for all users - not a trial offer, but it removes the usual egress-cost gotcha. 6) Unverified third-party claim (notes.aflukasz.pl, May 2025): 5,000 EUR for European businesses with a VAT ID, usable over 3 months - not corroborated on the official site; treat as a lapsed enterprise promo. 7) Region limits: UpCloud does not serve sanctioned regions (RU, BY, Crimea, IR, KP, CU, SY) and validates payment origin/geo - all offers above are subject to that." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Standard 7-day free trial (quota-limited, no dollar credit)", "link": "https://upcloud.com/docs/getting-started/free-trial/(readdirectly2026-10-22)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "upstash", "name": "Upstash", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://upstash.com/redis/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free serverless Redis: ~500K commands/mo with 256 MB data; Postgres and Kafka metered tiers also free to start" ], "notes": [ "Limits from third-party 2026 check; Upstash homepage confirms 'start free, pay per request' but the pricing page 404'd during fetch — verify exact command caps." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Upstash Free Tier (all products: Redis, QStash, Workflow, Vector, Box, Blob) — the de facto free offer for students and startups", "detail": "Permanent $0 plans, open to everyone (no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap). Redis: $0/mo, 500K commands/mo, 250 MB data, 10 GB bandwidth, up to 10 free databases (1 DB per plan row in comparison table; FAQ says up to 10 free DBs, $0.50/DB after, max 100), 10K cmd/s, 1 index (10K docs/index), 10 MB request / 100 MB record size; no Multi-Zone HA, no uptime SLA, no IP allowlists, no encryption at rest, no SOC-2/HIPAA, no Prod Pack, regions on AWS/GCP/Vercel (no FLY). QStash: 1,000 messages/day, 50 GB bandwidth, 1 MB message, 1 URL group (100 endpoints), 10 queues, 10 schedules, 7-day max delay, DLQ+log retention 3 days. Workflow: 1,000 steps/day (soft limit), 10 concurrent steps, 1 MB message. Vector: 200M vectors x dims, 1536 max dims, 10K queries/day, 1 GB data+metadata, 10 indexes free, top-k default 1000; regions LIMITED to N. Virginia (AWS), Ireland (AWS), Iowa (GCP). Box (serverless compute): 10 concurrent boxes, 5 CPU hours/mo, $1 LLM token budget/mo (400 after cap; BYOK allowed), AWS us-east-1 only. Blob (S3-compatible object storage): 1 GB storage, 10K simple ops/mo, 2K advanced ops/mo, 10 GB egress/mo, global CDN (no region choice), 'free plan is never charged'; overage = requests stop until 30-day window rolls (hard cap, no bill). No credit card required on any: adding a card upgrades the resource to pay-as-you-go.", "eligibility": "Anyone: sign up free at console.upstash.com (GitHub/Google/email). No student verification, no startup criteria, no credit card. Region limits apply per product (Vector 3 regions; Box us-east-1 only).", "claim": "1) Create free account at console.upstash.com (no card). 2) Create a database/queue/index/box/bucket — it lands on the Free plan automatically. 3) Use it; each product's free allowance renews monthly/daily forever.", "expiry": "No expiry: free plans renew indefinitely (daily allowances for QStash/Workflow/Vector reset daily; monthly for Redis/Blob/Box).", "gotchas": "Redis 'retry' semantics: QStash FAQ says 'each delivery attempt counts as one message', so failed-retried deliveries eat the 1,000/day; Workflow retries and parallel/context calls consume extra billed steps (context.call/invoke = 2 steps each). Blob stops serving (not billed) when caps hit. Adding a credit card silently moves you to paid PAYG ($0.20/100K Redis commands, $0.25/GB storage, 200 GB/mo bandwidth free on PAYG). Free tier lacks HA/SLA/SOC2/encryption-at-rest — fine for student projects, not production compliance. Up also offers ad-hoc free trials/PoC on request via support@upstash.com.", "source_url": "https://upstash.com/pricing/redis.md(freeplan+FAQ);also/pricing/qstash.md,/pricing/vector.md,/pricing/workflow.md,/pricing/box.md,/pricing/blob.md,allread2026-10-22", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "start-redis instant trial database (free trial credit, no signup)", "detail": "POST https://upstash.com/start-redis returns a ready, free Redis database with credentials, quickstart and a console claim-link — no signup, no credit card, no API key. Unclaimed databases are deleted after 3 days; an agent is expected to send a User-Agent identifying itself (optional Idempotency-Key makes retries return the same DB).", "eligibility": "Anyone, including AI agents; no account or card needed.", "claim": "curl -X POST https://upstash.com/start-redis (send a User-Agent header); open the console URL in the response to claim it into an account before the 3-day deletion.", "expiry": "Trial DB expires/deleted after 3 days if not claimed; once claimed it lives on the normal Free plan.", "gotchas": "It is a trial, not the free tier: data is lost at 3 days unless claimed. Claiming drops it into the standard Redis free limits above.", "source_url": "https://upstash.com/redisandhttps://upstash.com/pricing/redis.md('ForAIAgents'section)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Upstash Open Source Program — up to $1,000/month credits for OSS projects (CLOSED to new applications)", "detail": "$1,000/month credit: 'We cover all Upstash-related costs up to $1,000 per month. Build on any Upstash product(s) without worrying about billing.' Perks: direct technical support, priority support 'just like our Pro customers', co-marketing/technical articles. Credit renews monthly with no fixed end date. Eligibility is 'open-source projects building on Upstash' — no star count or license criteria published. As of the page read on 2026-10-22: 'The open-source program is currently closed and not accepting new applications.' Questions go to program lead @joshtriedcoding.", "eligibility": "Open-source project maintainers/builders (individual devs qualify, not just startups); program currently closed, so no one can claim new applications right now.", "claim": "No application URL while closed: follow Upstash / email program lead (@joshtriedcoding) to hear about reopening.", "expiry": "Credits are monthly while in the program; program intake currently closed.", "gotchas": "Third-party lists still advertise it as open ($1,000/mo grant) — the official page says closed today; verify before relying on it. No student-specific program exists; students get the general free tier instead.", "source_url": "https://upstash.com/open-source(read2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Upstash Postgres / Kafka free metered tiers (previously 'free to start') — NO LONGER LISTED AS PRODUCTS", "detail": "The task's premise includes Postgres and Kafka metered free tiers, but as of 2026-10-22 neither appears anywhere on upstash.com: the pricing page lists only Redis, QStash, Workflow, Box, Blob; /pricing/postgres, /pricing/kafka, /postgres, /kafka all 404; docs only mention Kafka as the open-source broker (QStash comparison page); docs search confirms no Postgres or Kafka product exists. Kafka survives only in blog content (including 'kafka-connectors-deprecation'), and QStash/Workflow now serve the messaging use case. No Postgres/Kafka free-tier limits can be quoted from official sources today.", "eligibility": "n/a — offers not present on the official site.", "claim": "n/a — nothing to claim.", "expiry": "Sunset from the product lineup by 2026-10-22 (messaging replaced by QStash/Workflow).", "gotchas": "Treat any current listing of Upstash Postgres or Upstash Kafka free tiers as stale. If you need Kafka-like streaming on free, use Upstash QStash (1,000 msgs/day free) or Workflow.", "source_url": "https://upstash.com/pricing,https://upstash.com/sitemap-0.xml,https://upstash.com/docs(allchecked2026-10-22)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Reported 'Upstash $500 startup credits' — UNVERIFIED, no official page found", "detail": "Third-party deal site SaaSOffers lists '$500 in credits' for startups using serverless Redis/Kafka ('Verified October 2026'). No official Upstash page substantiates it: no /startups or startup-program page exists (404s), the homepage nav and pricing pages contain no startup program link, and the Redis free-tier FAQ has no startup section.", "eligibility": "Allegedly early-stage startups on a new account; criteria unknown.", "claim": "Unknown — no official application path found; would require contacting sales@upstash.com.", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Third-party aggregator claim only; possibly an old promo, possibly a confused entry (Upstash also historically ran startup perks via partner programs). Low confidence — do not plan on it without written confirmation from Upstash sales.", "source_url": "https://saasoffers.tech/offers/upstash(third-party;officialabsenceverifiedathttps://upstash.com)", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "Material 2025-2026 changes: (1) Upstash Postgres and Upstash Kafka (both previously free-to-start metered products) no longer exist on upstash.com — pricing, product pages, sitemap and docs all omit them as of 2026-10-22; messaging is now QStash/Workflow (docs only reference Kafka as the open-source broker). (2) The Upstash Open Source Program ($1,000/mo credits) is currently closed to new applications per the official page. (3) No official education/student program exists: /education 404s, the Redis FAQ has no education entry; third-party 'student deal' pages (Modelverse, ToolBridge) merely describe the general free tier and cite outdated figures (10,000 commands/day, 256 MB) vs today's official 500K commands/month, 250 MB. (4) A widely circulated 'Upstash $500 startup credits' claim (SaaSOffers) has no corresponding official page — no /startups, no startup section in pricing or FAQs. (5) Free Redis numbers changed from the old 10K/day+256MB form to 500K/month+250MB with 10 free databases; Vector is region-capped (N. Virginia, Ireland, Iowa) and Box runs only in AWS us-east-1." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Upstash Free Tier (all products: Redis, QStash, Workflow, Vector, Box, Blob) — the de facto free offer for students and startups", "link": "https://upstash.com/pricing/redis.md(freeplan+FAQ);also/pricing/qstash.md,/pricing/vector.md,/pricing/workflow.md,/pricing/box.md,/pricing/blob.md,allread2026-10-22", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "uptime kuma", "name": "Uptime Kuma", "fronts": [ "observability", "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "student", "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma", "https://uptimekuma.io/" ], "offers": [ "Open source (MIT) uptime monitor — unlimited monitors, multiple status pages, no vendor caps; free, you host on your own VPS", "Completely free self-hosted monitoring (MIT), unlimited monitors, no tier limits" ], "notes": [ "The de-facto free option for anyone with a VPS. Fully open source; no free tier from the vendor since you self-host. 20-second check intervals, 90+ notification services.", "~92.7k stars, pushed 2026-10-22. Official domain is uptimekuma.io (uptimekuma.com did not resolve from this environment); any hosted 'Kuma Cloud' status unverified here." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Uptime Kuma software itself: free MIT license, unlimited monitors & status pages (self-hosted)", "detail": "Uptime Kuma is free open-source (MIT) self-hosted monitoring: $0 license, no tiers, no vendor, no monitor caps. Unlimited monitors, multiple public status pages, ~20-second check intervals, 90+ notification channels (Slack, Discord, Telegram, email, webhooks, Pushover, Apprise), 2FA, SSL certificate expiry alerts. Free identically for students, startups, and enterprises. The only cost is hosting: a small VPS (~$5-20/mo per third-party pricing pages) or $0 on an existing always-on box. No .edu email needed, no region limits, no credit card. Funding of the project itself is via GitHub Sponsors/Open Collective (noted special sponsor Atlas Cloud, USD 400/month) - this is optional support, not a purchase requirement. Verified on the official repo today: the page mentions no pricing page, no commercial tier, no cloud service, no education or startup program.", "eligibility": "Universal - any person or company, including students and startups; no .edu email, no age/funding cap, no region restriction, credit card NOT required (nothing to purchase).", "claim": "No claim step: git clone / download, run the Docker image louislam/uptime-kuma (or bare-metal Node.js >= 20.4 with PM2) on any server; no sign-up, no account, no credit card. A full install via Docker Compose takes ~5-15 minutes. Optional community plugins via the built-in plugin marketplace.", "expiry": "Perpetual; MIT license grants rights without time limit. No renewal, no trial countdown. Note v2.0.0 (released 2025-10-20) was a major breaking upgrade (rootless Docker images, removed legacy JSON backup/restore, LiquidJS templating) - existing instances must migrate; the software remains free.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: there is no trial - the entire product is permanently free; the paid components are third-party hosting/support, never the software. Data/egress: you pay your VPS host, and misconfigured shared cloud (e.g. Oracle Cloud always-free idle policy, which took down the maintainer's own instance in 2023) can silently stop the monitor. Operational cost: TLS, backups, upgrades, and security are on you; a single self-hosted instance monitors from one location and cannot monitor its own host. NFS filesystems are not supported. The public demo at demo.kuma.pet is temporary (data wiped every 10 minutes) and is not a hosted offering.", "source_url": "https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Third-party managed-hosting free tiers/trials for Uptime Kuma (not student/startup programs)", "detail": "No Uptime Kuma first-party hosting exists, so any 'hosted free Uptime Kuma' comes from third-party PaaS/VPS vendors offering generic free tiers or short trials: Elestio (managed, $20 in trial credits valid 3 days, then hourly credit billing, free level-1 support), Stellar Hosted (14-day free trial; paid plans EUR 49-199+/mo in Amsterdam EU), DANIAN (7-day free trial, no credit card, from EUR 9/mo, 21 regions), Enzonic (free 'Wood-adjacent' tier: 812 MB RAM, 100% CPU, 10 GB NVMe, no credit card, always-on, subject to availability). Kuma Engine (kumaengine.com, third-party LLC, terms updated 2025-07-01) offers fully-managed Uptime Kuma at US$4/mo or US$24/yr with 5 GB block storage, 5 GB monthly transfer, and 5,000 SMTP email notifications - NO free tier. None of these target students or startups with special eligibility.", "eligibility": "Generic end users; none require .edu email, startup age, or a funding cap. Age 18+ per Kuma Engine ToS. No region limits on Elestio/DANIAN; Stellar is EU (Amsterdam). Credit card NOT required on Enzonic free tier, DANIAN trial, and Elestio trial; Kuma Engine requires prepaid payment.", "claim": "Generic (not student/startup-specific) trials: sign up at the host, deploy the Uptime Kuma instance from its catalog. E.g. Elestio: create instance, use $20 trial credits over 3 days (then pay hourly credits; level-1 support free). Stellar Hosted: 14-day free trial on the 100%-money-back-guarantee plans. DANIAN: 7-day free trial, no credit card, then from EUR 9/mo. Enzonic: permanent free tier (812 MB RAM / 100% CPU / 10 GB SSD, no card) that runs Uptime Kuma always-on, subject to availability - the closest thing to a $0 hosted path.", "expiry": "Trials: Elestio $20 credits valid 3 days; Stellar 14 days; DANIAN 7 days. Enzonic free tier: 'free forever' but subject to capacity availability. Kuma Engine: none - paid only, auto-renewing, non-refundable.", "gotchas": "These are hosting offers, not Uptime Kuma offers - terms change with the host, not the project. Enzonic's free tier is capped at ~812 MB RAM and can be reclaimed; Elestio credits expire after 3 days and you keep paying hourly after; Kuma Engine's 5,000 SMTP email cap and 5 GB egress can throttle heavy alerting. Do not confuse the temporary public demo (kuma.pet) with a free hosted instance. All third-party plans disclaim SLA unless explicitly stated.", "source_url": "https://elest.io/open-source/uptime-kuma/resources/plans-and-pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "MIT-licensed Uptime Kuma software, free for anyone (no student or startup program)", "detail": "Uptime Kuma is released under the MIT License (GitHub LICENSE: Copyright (c) 2021 Louis Lam). Downloading, using, modifying and self-hosting it cost $0 (Doolpa review, Pricing Starts At $0) and GBP 0 (uptimekuma.io licence line). The license imposes no paid tier, feature gating or monitor-count cap, and no monitor-count cap appears in the official sources read. Official Docker image: louislam/uptime-kuma:2. Minimum check interval: 20 seconds (README feature list; Doolpa review). Non-Docker install needs Node.js >= 20.4 and Git; pm2 is recommended for background running. Platforms per README: major Linux distros and Windows 10 x64 / Windows Server 2012 R2 or higher. README lists FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Replit and Heroku as unsupported, and NFS storage as unsupported.", "eligibility": "Anyone. Checked for gates: no .edu or school email requirement, no startup age or funding cap, no credit card, and no region limits, because the MIT license and the official README contain none of these. It is not a student- or startup-specific program, so there is nothing to apply for.", "claim": "No sign-up or claim step. Get the software from https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma and run it on your own server. Docker: docker run -d --restart=always -p 3001:3001 -v uptime-kuma:/app/data --name uptime-kuma louislam/uptime-kuma:2, or curl the repo compose.yaml and run docker compose up -d. Non-Docker: git clone the repo, run npm run setup, then node server/server.js or pm2 start server/server.js --name uptime-kuma.", "expiry": "None. MIT has no expiry or renewal and applies to every copy of the software with no time limit.", "gotchas": "(1) uptimekuma.io is NOT the project author's site. Its footer and licensing page name SMARTX TECHNOLOGIES Ltd (London), which sells paid managed hosting. The homepage shows a plan reported at 4.2 PLN per month (figure as summarized by the fetch tool, not independently checked). The homepage's free subdomain (uptimekuma.eu), free SSL and daily backups are bundled into that paid plan and are not a standalone free tier. Its 'unlimited monitored services' wording describes the paid plan, not the software. (2) uptimekuma.co is an unofficial fan site that disclaims affiliation with the author. GitHub metadata lists uptime.kuma.pet as the homepage; per the README it is a temporary demo server whose data is deleted after 10 minutes. It returned HTTP 403 to WebFetch. A demo is not an account, trial or credit. (3) Free means the software is free, not the hosting: you pay for the server, backups, updates and admin time. The uptimekuma.io March 2026 marketing article estimates GBP 5 per month for a small UK VPS and GBP 60 to 120 over 12 months for a self-hosted server. That is a vendor estimate, not an offer. (4) Because README lists Replit and Heroku as unsupported, those free app platforms cannot host it.", "source_url": "https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma/blob/master/LICENSE", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "As of 2026-10-22, Uptime Kuma has no student-specific, education, or startup offers, and never has - it is MIT-licensed software with a $0 license for everyone, so no vendor cap, trial, or discount program exists to sunset. 2025-2026 changes: (1) v2.0.0 shipped 2025-10-20 as the project's biggest release - breaking changes (rootless Docker images, LiquidJS SMTP templates replacing regex-based ones, removed legacy JSON backup/restore, UI refresh); the 2.3.x line (through v2.3.2, 2026-05-03) added OracleDB monitor support and SQLite-locking fixes, and 2.5.x extends push-interval limits beyond ~24 days - still all free. (2) No first-party cloud/managed service launched; 'Uptime Kuma hosting' listings are third parties (Kuma Engine LLC since at least 2025 at $4/mo per-instance with no free tier; Stellar Hosted, DANIAN, Elestio, Enzonic, ElfHosted, DreamHost pre-installed VPS). (3) Project funding remains volunteer-based: GitHub Sponsors / Open Collective, with Atlas Cloud as a noted special sponsor (USD 400/month). (4) No free-hosting sunset in 2025-2026 detected; the oldest known host-side gotcha is Oracle Cloud's always-free idle-instance policy (2023), which still affects Kuma self-hosters on that tier. The official site (uptime.kuma.pet) blocks automated fetchers (403), so pricing/program verification relies on the GitHub repo plus third-party pages. Confidence: high on absence of official offers (read the official repo today); medium on third-party trial details (from host pages, not tested)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Uptime Kuma software itself: free MIT license, unlimited monitors & status pages (self-hosted)", "link": "https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "uptimerobot free plan", "name": "UptimeRobot Free Plan", "fronts": [ "observability" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://uptimerobot.com/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "50 monitors, 5-minute checks, 1 basic status page, 3-month log retention; free" ], "notes": [ "2025 ToS change: free plan now personal/non-commercial use only — running a paying SaaS technically requires paid. Paid from ~$9/mo (Solo)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Plan (50 monitors, forever free)", "detail": "Official pricing page (fetched 2026-10-22): $0/month. 50 monitors; 5-minute check interval; HTTP/website, keyword, ping, port, API, UDP, dependency, location-specific, slow-response, DNS and SSL/domain-expiry monitor types; 1 basic status page (UptimeRobot subdomain, no custom domain/white-label); 3-month data retention; only 5 integrations allowed; no login seats, no notify seats; monthly email reports only first 3 months; no SMS/voice credits included (pay-per-pack, from $3 one-time for 10). No credit card required. Free for any use including commercial and business use under current terms.", "eligibility": "Everyone: no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no region limit, no credit card. Commercial use allowed again per terms updated 2026-05-26; governed by a Fair Use Policy (no coordinated multi-account circumvention, no automation patterns straining shared infrastructure; enforcement discretionary).", "claim": "Register free at uptimerobot.com (pricing page 'Register now'); no credit card. Paid upgrades optional via 'Upgrade' in header/My Settings.", "expiry": "No expiry — permanent free tier, renews indefinitely while within 50-monitor/5-min limits and Fair Use Policy. Downgrade/lapse of any paid plan reverts account to this plan and pauses monitors above the 50 limit.", "gotchas": "2024-12-01 ToS had banned commercial use; that ban was reversed in the 2026-05-26 terms update (stale third-party guides still claim it). SMS/voice alerts are NOT free: one-time credit packs ($3/10 msg, $15/100, ...; Russia/Az/BD etc. consume 2-5 credits per SMS, voice calls 2 each). 3-month log retention is short; API is rate-limited (~10 req/min per third-party reporting — verify in-app). No maintenance windows, no Slack/Webhook/PagerDuty on free (5 integrations only).", "source_url": "https://uptimerobot.com/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Sponsored Plan for non-profits, charities & open-source projects", "detail": "Official help article (updated 2026-09-28): non-profit, charity, or open-source projects that outgrow the free plan 'may be eligible for a Sponsored Plan that provides premium features at no cost'. No published spec of included features or monitor counts; case-by-case via support.", "eligibility": "Representatives of non-profits, charities, or open-source projects needing more than the free plan. Not a student/startup program — no .edu requirement mentioned, no funding-cap criteria published. Adjacent, not aimed at for-profit startups.", "claim": "Contact the UptimeRobot support team; they state eligibility criteria and application steps on request. No public application form found on official pages.", "expiry": "Not published; treated as a review-based sponsorship, so renewal/duration unknown — confirm terms in writing when granted.", "gotchas": "Eligibility and scope are opaque until you apply; 'premium features at no cost' is not itemized, so verify which plan (Solo/Team/Scale equivalents) is covered. For-profits/startups are not the stated audience — a funded startup would need the free plan or paid plans.", "source_url": "https://help.uptimerobot.com/en/articles/11604710-who-should-use-uptimerobot-s-free-plan", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AI-agent sign-up flow (free account, no signup form)", "detail": "Announced in official blog (updated 2026-07-29): an AI agent can create the free account and a live HTTPS monitor with no traditional registration. Agent submits site URL + user's email (after solving a proof-of-work anti-abuse puzzle); user clicks 'Activate' in the confirmation email; monitor goes live on the free plan (50 monitors, 5-min checks, 1 public status page, 5 integrations incl. Discord/Google Chat/Pushover/Pushbullet/Splunk, iOS/Android apps).", "eligibility": "Same as the Free Plan — any use including commercial; email required; no credit card, no .edu, no region limit. Available via any agent that follows UptimeRobot's llms.txt / agent-skills instructions.", "claim": "Ask your agent: \"Set up uptime monitoring for <site> with UptimeRobot's agent flow. My email is <email>\"; then click Activate in the inbox confirmation. Nothing is created until you confirm.", "expiry": "Same as Free Plan — permanent, no trial clock; subject to the 50-monitor/5-min Fair Use limits.", "gotchas": "This is an onboarding channel, not extra quota: it yields the identical free-plan limits, so don't double-count it against the main Free Plan finding. Confirmation email must be opened or the monitor never starts.", "source_url": "https://uptimerobot.com/blog/your-ai-agent-can-now-set-up-uptime-monitoring-no-signup-required/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No dedicated education license, student program, or startup program", "detail": "Verified against the official help article (2026-09-28): there is no education license, .edu-verified student offer, startup trial credit, or startup accelerator partnership. Students and startups are simply listed as audiences for whom the standard Free Plan fits ('educational institutions monitoring course platforms and student resources', 'startups and side projects'). The only beyond-free cost-free offer is the non-profit/OSS Sponsored Plan above. Web-search budget was exhausted mid-research; no additional official program page was located on uptimerobot.com or help.uptimerobot.com.", "eligibility": "n/a — absence finding. Free Plan requires no .edu; startups require no funding-age criteria because no separate program exists.", "claim": "Students/startups claim the standard Free Plan (register free at uptimerobot.com, no credit card). Nothing extra to apply for.", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Do not assume a student discount exists elsewhere; any 'education' framing on third-party sites is marketing, not a UptimeRobot program.", "source_url": "https://help.uptimerobot.com/en/articles/11604710-who-should-use-uptimerobot-s-free-plan", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) Commercial-use ban on the Free Plan (introduced in the Oct 2024 ToS update, enforced 2024-12-01) was REVERSED in the terms updated 2026-05-26 and re-confirmed by the 2026-06-15 help article: the free plan is again explicitly available for business/commercial use. Stale third-party content (e.g., Spork's 2026-03 and StillUp's 2026-05 write-ups) still claims the ban is in force. 2) Paid lineup was re-priced and restructured in 2026: earlier articles cite Solo $7-8/mo and Team $29-34/mo; current US pricing is Solo $13/mo ($12 annual), Team $46/mo ($39 annual), new 15-second Scale plan $98/mo ($79 annual) with 200/500-monitor tiers, Enterprise custom — EU visitors see euro pricing (e.g., Solo €10/mo). Team moved to 30-second checks. 3) No student/education or startup-specific program ever existed to sunset; the only cost-free non-standard offer (Sponsored Plan for non-profits/OSS) remains active with no announced change. 4) New 2026: AI-agent sign-up channel for free accounts (proof-of-work + email confirmation gates). Note: a session-wide web-search budget was exhausted partway through this research, so absence claims rest on the official pricing + help pages fetched today plus full-text search snippets." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Plan (50 monitors, forever free)", "link": "https://uptimerobot.com/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "val town", "name": "Val Town", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://val.town" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo: deploy serverless JS/TS 'vals' to a subdomain with one-click forking; user-pays model for built-in AI" ], "notes": [ "Closest cultural successor to Glitch's remix-and-share workflow. AI inside vals is billed to the end user, so the host's bill doesn't scale with your audience. Secondary-source verified (2026)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Val Town Free plan — unlimited public vals at $0/mo", "detail": "Perpetual $0/mo free tier. Verified today on val.town/pricing and docs.val.town/faq: unlimited public vals, 100,000 runs/day, 15-min cron intervals, 1-min wall clock time per run, 3 days log retention, no custom domains, 'email yourself', MCP integration, CLI (vt), and a SQLite database + S3 blob storage (every val got a database on 2026-01-23). docs.val.town/vals/limitations adds: max 1,000 files per val, max 100 branches per val, 0 private/unlisted vals on Free (Pro: unlimited private). Paid context: Pro $25/mo or $21/mo billed yearly; Business $200/mo or $167/mo billed yearly. No egress/bandwidth cap is published for any plan; no per-user seat cap stated for Free. For comparison, free Pro trial: none found.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone; no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no region limits stated on any official page. No credit card required for the free plan (free signup is via GitHub/Google/email at val.town/auth/signup; the page itself returned 403 to the fetcher, so this is inferred from the FAQ's 'you can start using Val Town on a Free account' and the absence of any billing step on the free column — Pro checkout is Stripe-based).", "claim": "Sign up free at https://val.town/auth/signup (no billing step), then deploy serverless JS/TS vals to a val.town subdomain (yourname.val.town) with one-click forking of existing vals, or run `npx vt` / the MCP server. Free plan is automatic; no code or application needed.", "expiry": "No expiry; perpetual free plan. Logs retained only 3 days on Free. No renewal step — free stays free until downgraded/changed by Val Town.", "gotchas": "Free users get 0 private/unlisted vals — everything is public; private vals require Pro ($21-25/mo). 1-min wall clock per run and 100k runs/day are hard caps. No bandwidth/egress numbers published (limits page exists for 'granular details' per the pricing page but docs pages fetched gave no egress figures). Val Town runs built-in AI per-user-pay (see separate finding). Free tier is user-pays for AI, not a trial — it is genuinely $0 with no time limit.", "source_url": "https://val.town/pricing(corroborated:https://docs.val.town/faq,https://docs.val.town/vals/limitations)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free tier includes $1/mo Townie (AI) credit; AI usage is pay-per-use after", "detail": "As of the June 11, 2025 'Townie Credits' post, Val Town's built-in AI coding agent (Townie) is pay-per-use with a 50% markup over raw LLM cost (example: $10 of Townie spend -> $6.66 to Anthropic, $3.33 to Val Town), decoupled from the Pro subscription. The Free plan includes $1/mo of Townie credit; Pro includes $10/mo; Business $100/mo (confirmed today on docs.val.town/faq and docs.val.town/guides/prompting/townie). A 2026-07-02 changelog states 'Townie 5x cheaper'; 2026-01-22 'Townie v5' runs on Val Town MCP with Claude 4.5 (and newer model list includes Opus 5, GLM, DeepSeek variants). Check spend via the /cost and /context slash commands.", "eligibility": "Everyone on the Free plan gets the $1/mo credit automatically; no .edu, no application, no credit card needed for the $1 included amount. Additional AI use is pay-per-use (user pays), so effectively a $1/mo free allowance on top of the $0 hosting tier.", "claim": "Automatic: sign up free, open Townie in the val editor; the $1/mo credit is applied. Top-up/purchase flow for more credits is not documented on the official pages I could reach.", "expiry": "$1 credit renews monthly while on the Free plan; pay-per-use has 'no limits' per the 2025 post but costs real money beyond the included credit. Model availability changes over time (Townie v5, 2026 model list).", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free nuance: the $1/mo is a standing free allowance, not a one-time trial. Once it's exhausted, AI calls bill the user at ~1.5x raw LLM cost — a free user hammering Claude Opus can rack up spend. 'No custom domains' and the 1-min run wall clock also constrain what the free AI-built app can do.", "source_url": "https://docs.val.town/guides/prompting/townie(creditamountscorroborated:https://docs.val.town/faq;pay-per-usemechanics:https://blog.val.town/townie-credits/)", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No education license and no startup program exist on Val Town as of 2026-10-22: /students, /education, and /startup on val.town all 404; docs.val.town's sitemap (fetched today) contains no pricing/education/student/credit pages; the FAQ and pricing page mention no student/startup discounts; the full blog archive (blog.val.town, fetched today) has zero education/student posts. Nothing was sunset in 2025-2026 that I could find. Material changes that did happen: (1) 2025-06-11 Townie switched to pay-per-use 'Townie Credits' at a 50% markup over raw LLM cost and was decoupled from the Pro plan (previously Townie access came with Pro); (2) 2026-07-02 changelog 'Townie 5x cheaper'; (3) 2026-01-22 Townie v5 (MCP + Claude 4.5) and 2026-01-23 every val gets its own database; (4) Plan pricing: Pro $25/mo ($21/mo yearly), Business $200/mo ($167/mo yearly). Caveat: the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so this absence check relied on the official site's own pages (sitemap, pricing, FAQ, limitations, townie guide, full blog archive) rather than a global search; a niche startup program announced only in social media would not have been caught. WebFetch of val.town/auth/signup was blocked (403), so the no-credit-card-for-free claim rests on the FAQ wording and the pricing page's free-column structure, not direct observation of the form." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Val Town Free plan — unlimited public vals at $0/mo", "link": "https://val.town/pricing(corroborated:https://docs.val.town/faq,https://docs.val.town/vals/limitations)", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "vaultwarden", "name": "Vaultwarden", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://github.com/vaultwarden/server" ], "offers": [ "Completely free self-hosted Bitwarden-compatible password manager (MIT)" ], "notes": [ "Expansion entry (not a seed). Unofficial lightweight server that runs a full Bitwarden stack on a small VPS; unofficial so expect no SLA." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Vaultwarden software license: free and open source (AGPL-3.0-only), no paid tier", "detail": "Vaultwarden is free of charge under AGPL-3.0-only (Cargo.toml license field and LICENSE.txt in dani-garcia/vaultwarden; README badge says AGPL-3.0). This corrects the workflow note that said MIT. The README calls the project unofficial and states it is not associated with Bitwarden, Inc. It describes no paid tier, trial, credits, startup or education program, and no managed or hosted service. Listed features include Attachments, Send, Organizations, Emergency Access, Authenticator, Email, FIDO2, YubiKey and Duo two-factor, and the admin backend, with no paid gating described. Official images are vaultwarden/server on Docker Hub, plus ghcr.io and quay.io.", "eligibility": "Anyone. No .edu email, student status, startup age or funding limit, region limit, or credit card. Students and startups get the same free terms as everyone else.", "claim": "Nothing to claim. Pull vaultwarden/server:latest (per README) or build from source, then run it on your own host behind HTTPS. Support is community-only (Matrix, GitHub Discussions, Discourse); the README asks users not to use Bitwarden's support channels.", "expiry": "None. The license is perpetual and has no renewal.", "gotchas": "(1) This is not a student or startup program, so there is no eligibility to claim. (2) AGPL network clause: if a startup modifies Vaultwarden and users interact with it over a network, the modified source must be offered to those users. The 1.28.0 release notes (2023-03-26) say unmodified use only needs a pointer to the repository. This is not legal advice. (3) The web vault requires HTTPS per the README, so in practice you need a domain and a TLS certificate. (4) No official hosted service exists; treat third-party 'hosted Vaultwarden' offers as unaffiliated with the project.", "source_url": "https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle Cloud Always Free: compute and storage to host Vaultwarden (third-party host)", "detail": "Per Oracle's Always Free docs, the monthly allowance is: Ampere A1 compute totaling 2 OCPUs and 12 GB RAM (1,500 OCPU-hours and 9,000 GB-hours); 2 VM.Standard.E2.1.Micro instances (1/8 OCPU and 1 GB each); 200 GB combined boot and block storage plus 5 volume backups, in the home region; and 10 TB outbound transfer per month. This is an Oracle offer, not a Vaultwarden offer, and is a common place to run a self-hosted Vaultwarden.", "eligibility": "Any new or existing Oracle Cloud account. Not limited to students or startups. Oracle's free-tier overview says most users need a mobile number and a credit card to create an account; the card is not charged unless you upgrade.", "claim": "Create an Oracle Cloud account and choose a home region (Always Free compute and block volumes must be created there). Create an A1 or E2.1.Micro instance within the free limits, then install Docker and run vaultwarden/server behind an HTTPS reverse proxy.", "expiry": "Oracle says Always Free resources never expire (free for the life of the account). The idle-instance policy below can still reclaim instances.", "gotchas": "(1) Idle reclamation: Oracle says idle Always Free compute instances may be reclaimed if, over a 7-day period, 95th-percentile CPU utilization is below 20%, network utilization is below 20%, and (for A1 shapes) memory utilization is below 20%. A lightly used password server could meet these thresholds, and the docs do not describe the reclamation process. (2) 'Out of host capacity' errors can block creating A1 instances. (3) Block volumes created outside the home region incur regular charges. (4) Trial credits and Always Free are separate; see the Oracle trial finding.", "source_url": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier_topic-Always_Free_Resources.htm", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Oracle Cloud Free Trial: $300 in credits valid up to 30 days", "detail": "Per Oracle's free-tier overview: $300 in cloud credits, valid for up to 30 days. The page shows only a dollar sign and does not name a currency code. Trial credit pays for paid resources. Always Free resources are separate and are not time-limited. If the trial ends without an upgrade, Always Free resources keep running, paid resources provisioned with trial credits are reclaimed, and any OCI Ampere A1 instances above the Always Free allowance are disabled and deleted after 30 days unless total A1 usage is no more than 2 OCPUs and 12 GB before the trial ends.", "eligibility": "New Oracle Cloud accounts. Most users need a mobile phone number and a credit card to sign up. The card is not charged unless you upgrade.", "claim": "Sign up for a new Oracle Cloud account with a mobile number and card. The oracle.com/cloud/free sign-up page returned HTTP 403 to this check, so exact sign-up steps are not verified. Before the 30 days end, either upgrade or keep A1 usage within the Always Free allowance.", "expiry": "Trial lasts up to 30 days from sign-up. Always Free does not expire.", "gotchas": "Do not confuse the time-limited trial with the permanent Always Free allowance. A1 capacity provisioned beyond the Always Free limit during the trial is deleted 30 days after the trial ends unless you cut it back in time. Upgrading is a separate, deliberate step.", "source_url": "https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/FreeTier/freetier.htm", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud Free Tier: one e2-micro VM, 30 GB disk, 1 GB egress per month", "detail": "Per Google's free-tier docs, always-free Compute Engine limits are: non-preemptible e2-micro runtime free up to the hours in the current month, combined across us-west1 (Oregon), us-central1 (Iowa) and us-east1 (South Carolina), which effectively covers one VM running all month; 30 GB-months of standard persistent disk; and 1 GB of outbound data per month from North America, excluding destinations in China and Australia. GPUs and TPUs are not covered. Unused limits do not carry over to the next month.", "eligibility": "Any user with a Cloud Billing account. Not limited to students or startups. Region limit: the e2-micro free runtime applies only in the three US regions listed.", "claim": "Create a Google Cloud billing account (required for Free Tier access; signing up for the trial creates one). Create an e2-micro in one of the three eligible US regions with standard persistent disk, and keep usage within the free limits.", "expiry": "Google says the Free Tier has no end date, but it may change or eliminate limits with 30 days' notice.", "gotchas": "(1) Usage beyond these limits is not covered by the free tier. (2) 1 GB per month of egress is small; any transfer above it is outside the free allowance. (3) The e2-micro free runtime is US-only. (4) A billing account is required for Free Tier access, and trial sign-up requires a valid payment method.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Google Cloud new-customer Welcome credit: $300 valid 90 days", "detail": "Per Google's free-tier docs, new customers get a $300 Welcome credit valid for 90 days from trial sign-up, usable on paid services. Trial sign-up requires a valid payment method; Google places a temporary authorization hold, which is not a charge.", "eligibility": "New customers who sign up for the free trial. Requires a valid payment method. Not limited to students or startups.", "claim": "Sign up for the Google Cloud free trial (this creates the billing account), add a valid payment method, then create resources within the 90 days.", "expiry": "Expires 90 days after trial sign-up.", "gotchas": "The credit is time-limited, unlike the Free Tier limits in the separate finding, which have no end date. Do not confuse the two. Trial sign-up requires a payment method.", "source_url": "https://docs.cloud.google.com/free/docs/free-cloud-features", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Free plan for new accounts: up to $200 in credits, account closes after 6 months", "detail": "Per AWS's free page, the Free plan provides up to $200 in credits: $100 at sign-up, plus up to $100 more by using key services. Credits and the account last at most 6 months, and access is limited to select services. The account closes automatically 6 months after opening or when credits are used up, whichever comes first. Charges apply only if you move to the Paid plan or enable paid-only services.", "eligibility": "New AWS accounts that choose the Free plan. The page states no student or startup condition. The page does not say whether a credit card is required.", "claim": "Create an AWS account and select the Free plan at sign-up; use the key services named on the page to earn the extra $100 (the list was not captured by this check).", "expiry": "Up to 6 months, or until credits run out, whichever is sooner; then the account closes automatically.", "gotchas": "A self-hosted Vaultwarden on the Free plan will be shut down at the 6-month or credit limit unless you move to the Paid plan, where usage beyond credits is billed. The page does not describe the legacy 12-month Free Tier (EC2 and EBS limits), so that is not covered here. The page does not give an effective date for this plan structure.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Paid plan promotional credits: up to $200 for new customers who may qualify", "detail": "Per AWS's free page, on the Paid plan (all services, billed for usage), new customers may qualify for up to $200 in credits. Only the Paid plan is eligible for promotional credits. Usage beyond the credits is billed.", "eligibility": "New customers who may qualify. The qualification criteria are not stated on the page.", "claim": "Choose the Paid plan at sign-up. The page does not describe how to check eligibility or apply the credit.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page.", "gotchas": "Qualification is not guaranteed, and the criteria are not stated. Credits run out, and the Paid plan bills for usage after that.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/free/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "AWS Activate startup credits: Founders up to $5,000, Portfolio up to $200,000", "detail": "Per AWS's credits page: Activate Founders (self-funded) gives up to $5,000, starting at $1,000, and select participants may qualify for more, up to that cap. Activate Portfolio (pre-Series B) gives up to $200,000. AWS Credits for AI Startups is $200,000 or more, invitation-only and available after Portfolio (contact your account manager). Credits are in USD under the AWS Promotional Credit Terms. The page does not state a duration.", "eligibility": "Founded within the past 10 years; pre-Series B funding stage; AWS account on a paid plan; new to Activate Credits or seeking more than a prior award. Portfolio also requires accelerator or VC backing through an Activate Provider Org ID; Founders does not. Incorporation and region rules are not stated. Not for students.", "claim": "Create an AWS Builder ID with a work email and complete your profile. Choose Founders or Portfolio, answer questions about your product and funding, connect an AWS account to the Builder ID, and submit. AWS says to expect a response in 5 to 10 business days.", "expiry": "Not stated on the page. The AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions govern; they were not read.", "gotchas": "The amounts are caps ('up to'), not guarantees. Portfolio needs an Activate Provider backer. The page does not say whether a credit card is required.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Azure for Students: $100 credit for one year, no credit card", "detail": "Per Azure's students page: $100 in credit, spendable on most Azure services (not Marketplace offers), valid for one year. The subscription renews yearly while you remain a student; the page does not say whether the $100 is granted again at renewal. When the credit runs out, Azure emails you to choose pay-as-you-go. If you do not switch, your subscription and its products are disabled.", "eligibility": "Students enrolled full-time at a university, signing up with a school email. No credit card needed. One account per person.", "claim": "Sign up on the Azure for Students page with your school email and verify your student status, then create a VM or App Service within the $100 credit.", "expiry": "One year, renewing yearly while you are still a student. Renewal credit amount not stated.", "gotchas": "A $100 credit may not cover a VM running all year, so plan the switch to pay-as-you-go. If you miss the email and do not switch, the subscription is disabled, which can take your vault host offline. The GitHub Student Pack page lists this Azure offer as 'Students 18+', which does not match the Azure page's full-time university requirement; rely on the Azure page.", "source_url": "https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "GitHub Student Developer Pack: 1-year domain offers for the HTTPS a Vaultwarden host needs", "detail": "Per the GitHub Education pack page, read through a summarizer (amounts not independently re-verified): Namecheap offers a 1-year .me domain registration with a free SSL certificate; Name.com offers one free domain with a choice of 25+ extensions; and .TECH offers one domain on the .TECH TLD for 1 year. The pack also lists Azure ($100 credit, see the Azure finding) and other offers, such as MongoDB Atlas ($50 credit) and a Heroku credit, that do not fit Vaultwarden hosting, since Vaultwarden runs on SQLite, MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL.", "eligibility": "Students verified through GitHub Education. The page does not describe the student verification method or whether the whole pack requires it; it names verified students only for specific offers (GitHub Copilot, Codedex, DevCycle).", "claim": "Apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack through GitHub Education, then claim each partner offer separately. Per-offer claim steps were not captured, except that Name.com needs a unique account address.", "expiry": "Domain offers are 1-year terms per the page. Renewal pricing after that is not captured.", "gotchas": "Offers change; verify on the pack page before relying on them. Name.com warns that a request may look like a repeat if the account address is not unique. Check the domain's renewal price before the 1-year term ends.", "source_url": "https://education.github.com/pack", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Bottom line: Vaultwarden itself has no trial credits, startup program, education license, paid tier or official hosted service. The software is free for everyone under AGPL-3.0-only, so the only free offers that help students or startups are third-party hosting programs, listed above and labeled as such. No pricing, education or startup page was identified in the repository sources read.Corrections to the workflow notes: (1) The license is AGPL-3.0-only, not MIT (Cargo.toml license field; LICENSE.txt). The project moved from GPLv3 to AGPLv3 in release 1.28.0 on 2023-03-26, which is not a 2025-2026 change. (2) The start URL https://github.com/vaultwarden/server returned HTTP 404 when fetched today, and the raw README path also returned 404. The repository resolves at https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden (formerly bitwarden_rs). The Docker image is vaultwarden/server.Coverage limits: two WebSearch calls succeeded (license; 2026 release changelog). A third query was refused because this session's search budget ran out, so no broader 2025-2026 sweep for Vaultwarden offers was possible. The absence of student, education, startup, trial or hosted offers rests on the README, LICENSE and release pages read today (medium confidence).2025-2026 Vaultwarden release changes (from GitHub release notes read via search results and from release trackers; latest seen is 1.37.4): 1.34.0 (2025-05-26) added an email-verified registration flow and feature flags. 1.35.0 (2025-12-27) added OpenID Connect SSO and was the first immutable release with release attestation. 1.36.0 (2026-05-03) fixed SSO security advisories and added item archiving. 1.37.0 (2026-07-24) fixed eight security advisories, requires clients 2026.7.0 or later, added trusted-proxy support, and now rejects an unrecognized DATABASE_URL instead of silently falling back to SQLite. 1.37.2 (2026-08-22) is required for clients 2026.8.0 or later. 1.37.3 (2026-09-13) added SSO_SIGNUPS_ALLOWED, revoked 2FA remember tokens on credential change, and added rate limiting. 1.37.4 (2026-10-05) fixed seven security advisories, one rated High (8.1, organization member revocation); changed the IP_HEADER rule to use the rightmost non-trusted address; removed several feature flags and legacy endpoints; and made bw send receive stop working on CLI 2026.4.2 and older. Upgrade promptly and keep the server version aligned with the Bitwarden client version.Hosting-offer changes: Oracle's trial terms (30-day window; deletion of A1 capacity over the Always Free allowance) and idle-instance reclamation are in Oracle's current docs. AWS's Free plan closes the account after up to 6 months or when credits run out; the page gives no effective date, so this cannot be confirmed as a 2025 or 2026 change. Google's Free Tier limits can be changed with 30 days' notice.Not verified or excluded: Google for Startups Cloud Program (cloud.google.com/startup returned only a title, twice; the /startup/apply alias redirected to a Google sign-in page, which was not followed). oracle.com/cloud/free returned HTTP 403, so trial details come from docs.oracle.com. AWS's legacy 12-month Free Tier is not on the current page. Cloudflare, Hetzner and other hosts were not checked. Bitwarden's own pricing and student offers are out of scope." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 6, "medium": 4, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Vaultwarden software license: free and open source (AGPL-3.0-only), no paid tier", "link": "https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "vercel", "name": "Vercel", "fronts": [ "hosting-paas" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://vercel.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "$0/mo Hobby: 100 GB transfer, 1M edge requests + 1M function invocations/mo, 4 CPU-hrs, 360 GB-hrs memory, 200 projects, unlimited deploys; no card" ], "notes": [ "Non-commercial personal use only — commercial revenue requires Pro ($20/seat). 2025-26: Pro moved to a $20 credit-based model (Sep 2025); Hobby now keeps only the 3 most recent production deployments (Sep 2026). No built-in DB on free tier." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Hobby plan (permanently free, no card)", "detail": "$0/mo. Per official pricing page fetched 2026-10-22: 100 GB fast data transfer, 1M CDN requests, 1M function invocations, 4 hrs Fluid Active CPU, 360 GB-hrs Fluid Provisioned Memory, 1 GB blob storage, 5K image transformations/mo, unlimited deployments, 1 developer seat. Per /docs/limits (last updated 2026-09-16): 200 projects, 100 deployments/day, 25 projects per Git repo, 1 concurrent build, 45-min max build time, 32 GB disk, 120s proxied-request timeout. Fair-use doc adds Hobby includes first 10 GB fast origin transfer, image cache reads 300K/writes 100K per mo. Hobby is a hard cap: you cannot purchase extra usage; exceeding limits pauses/degrades the team. Hobby is restricted to non-commercial personal use only.", "eligibility": "Any individual account; .edu not required; no credit card or payment method required to sign up or use Hobby; no region limits documented (ToS sanctions restrictions apply as usual). Limited to 1 developer seat; teams/commercial use require Pro.", "claim": "1) Sign up free at vercel.com (email/GitHub/Google) - no card. 2) Hobby plan is the default team plan. 3) Deploy via CLI or import a Git repo; usage accrues against monthly allotments.", "expiry": "Never expires; allotments reset monthly. No renewal needed. Paused if caps hit; commercial use on Hobby is a ToS violation that can get the account actioned.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial only: any ad revenue, payments, ads, affiliate purpose = commercial and requires Pro. No overage billing on Hobby - you get paused, not billed. 200-project and 100-deploys/day caps. 'Unlimited deploys' on the pricing page coexists with the 100/day general limit. Free Vercel Remote Cache also applies.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/pricing(cross-checked:https://vercel.com/docs/limits,https://vercel.com/docs/limits/fair-use-guidelines)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Pro trial: 14 days with $20 credit (one per user)", "detail": "14-day Pro trial including a $20 usage credit and trial limits: up to 10 team members, 200 projects, 16 CPU-hrs Active CPU, 1,440 GB-hrs Provisioned Memory, 1M function invocations/mo, 10K image transformations/mo, 50 domains per project. No payment method is required to run the trial; if you add one, billing starts immediately after the trial. Excluded from trial: Drains, account webhooks, free first-year domain, sandbox failover regions. Trial pauses when any of Active CPU / Provisioned Memory / invocations hits 100%; ends at 14 days or limit hit, whichever first, then reverts to Hobby.", "eligibility": "Any user account; exactly one Pro trial per user account (cannot repeat or transfer). No card, no student or startup status required.", "claim": "Dashboard -> team switcher -> Create Team -> name team -> select 'Pro Trial'. To continue on Pro, add a payment method at Settings > Billing before trial end; otherwise it auto-reverts to Hobby.", "expiry": "14 days from start, or earlier when trial usage limits are reached. Post-trial: upgrade to paid Pro ($20/mo base seat) or automatic revert to Hobby limits.", "gotchas": "Owners cannot be changed during trial; charges apply only if a payment method exists; free first-year custom domain (a Pro benefit) is explicitly excluded from the trial; downgrading removes all team members.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/docs/plans/pro-plan/trials", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vercel for Startups: up to $30,000 Flexible Commitment + Enterprise tier for a year", "detail": "Enterprise-grade contract with a Flexible Commitment Amount up to $30,000 usable across seats, data transfer, compute, AI Gateway, v0, Eve, Workflows, Sandboxes and the rest of the platform; account runs on Enterprise T&C for 1 year or until the amount is consumed. Since Aug 6, 2026 acceptances the amount is partner-determined (varies between partners, max $30,000). Per-month sub-cap: max 50% of each month's credit may go to Vercel AI Gateway usage; excess is billed at list rates even with unused credit. Extras: Vercel Team Slack, demo days/hackathons, marketing features, swag.", "eligibility": "Startup must be affiliated with an approved Vercel Startups Partner (VC/accelerator network) with proof (screenshot of partner dashboard/hub/wiki/console); Series A or less raised; must apply within 12 months of the most recent funding round; company website with matching email; must not have previously received Vercel startup credits. Bootstrapped startups without a partner affiliation do not qualify.", "claim": "1) vercel.com/startups/credits -> fill application (email, select/create team, choose partner, upload partner proof, country). 2) Accept Flexible Commitment terms. 3) Add a valid payment method (required for activation). 4) Credits and Enterprise access go live 5-7 business days after acceptance.", "expiry": "1 calendar year from when the Flexible Commitment is applied; unused amount does not roll over. If consumed early, account auto-moves to standard ToS at list rates; benefits cannot be postponed; one-time only.", "gotchas": "Credit card/payment method IS required (unlike Hobby). Vercel can revoke credits for abuse. Partner-dependent amounts - often far less than $30K (some partner deals, e.g. Paralect Kickstart, provide ~$2,400). The AI Gateway 50% cap binds AI-heavy apps. Credits are the 'discount' mechanism - overage is billed at standard rates, so it is not free hosting, it is subsidized paid hosting.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/startups/credits(overview:https://vercel.com/startups,partners:https://vercel.com/startups/partners)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vercel AI Accelerator: cohort credits (40 AI startups, $8M+ pools)", "detail": "6-week cohort of 40 early-stage AI teams; per current official page: 'Over $8M in credits' from Vercel, v0, AWS and partner AI platforms. Per-participant pools listed on the page include: Vercel $30k/participant ($12k winner), v0 $5.4k/participant ($1k winner), AWS $25k/participant, Anthropic $15k/participant, OpenAI $2.5k/participant ($10k winner), plus dozens of sponsor pools (Modal, ElevenLabs, Supabase, Neon, Auth0, etc.); finalists earn $100K+ in additional credit prizes per program blogs. Also weekly fireside chats/workshops, private AI-builder community, and SF demo day with investors.", "eligibility": "Selection-based, early-stage AI startups; application via external Typeform; no eligibility criteria published on the page. Cohorts capped at 40 teams - not an open offer.", "claim": "Apply at vercel.com/ai-accelerator ('Apply now' -> Typeform). Most recent cohort: applications closed Feb 16, 2026 for a 6-week program; new windows announced via blog.", "expiry": "Credits are distributed within the cohort (6-week program); per-platform credit terms govern each pool; winner prizes at demo day.", "gotchas": "Competitive and intermittent, not a standing program. Pool sizes vary by year: $4M+ (May 2025 cohort) -> $6M+ (Feb 2026 cohort) -> $8M+ on the current page. Payment-method requirement not stated on the page.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/ai-accelerator(blogs:https://vercel.com/blog/the-vercel-ai-accelerator-is-back-with-6-million-in-credits,https://vercel.com/blog/join-the-vercel-ai-accelerator)", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "v0 for Students: 1 year of free v0 access at 15 active schools", "detail": "Program launched ~Oct 2025. Official page (fetched 2026-10-22) grants '1 year of complimentary v0 access' to enrolled students at the 15 active schools: Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, UC Berkeley, MIT, San Francisco State, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, University of Waterloo, NYU, Grand Canyon, Northwestern, University of Washington, Cornell, USC ('more coming soon'). The exact tier/credit is NOT published on the official page; the launch post advertised '1 year of free v0 premium' - note v0 no longer sells a 'Premium' tier, it now has Free / Plus ($30/user/mo, shown discounted from $90, incl. $30 monthly credits) / Business ($100/user/mo). For reference, v0's regular Free plan: $0, 7 messages/day, $5 one-time credit for new users.", "eligibility": "Must be enrolled at one of the 15 active schools; sign-in is via school email and the verification form requires a .edu domain (reported verbatim: 'Email must be from a .edu domain'), which excludes non-US institutions on the list (e.g., University of Waterloo). No manual verification path; other schools join a waitlist.", "claim": "1) Go to v0.app/students. 2) 'Join with student email' with a school email. 3) Verify via confirmation link. 4) Free student access for 1 year. If school not listed, join the waitlist.", "expiry": "1 year from verification. Renewal/re-verification terms are not published.", "gotchas": "What students actually get (tier/credit level) is unpublished - reports say some only get free-tier-equivalent credits. .edu-only means most international and even some non-US schools are excluded. The program covers v0 (Vercel's AI app builder), not Vercel hosting plans - it is not a discount on Vercel Pro/Hobby.", "source_url": "https://v0.app/students(launchcontext:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/creators-toolbox_v0-by-vercel-for-students-is-now-live-for-activity-7389505965970206720-_zJr,claimmechanics:https://aistudentdiscount.com/v0-vercel-students/)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No Vercel education license or student/nonprofit discount exists (for core Vercel hosting)", "detail": "Vercel has no .edu discount, education license, or nonprofit discount for its core platform - Vercel support/community staff stated in Oct 2025 ('we don't have a discount specifically for students at the moment') and reiterated Jan 2026 ('Vercel doesn't offer student or non-profit discounts. All services must be paid at full price'). The only education-adjacent offers are: the v0 for Students program above, and Vercel Academy (vercel.com/academy) which is free self-paced courses/workshops only, with no hosting credits or plan discount.", "eligibility": "n/a - absence of offer. Students get the same Hobby (free) plan as everyone else, subject to the non-commercial-use restriction.", "claim": "Nothing to claim; use Hobby free plan or v0 for Students (15 schools).", "expiry": "n/a.", "gotchas": "Assume there is no .edu path to free Pro; any non-.edu or non-listed-school request is told to join the waitlist. Commercial work (e.g., a client project) cannot run on Hobby even for students.", "source_url": "https://community.vercel.com/t/student-discount/23898(AmyEgan,Oct2025)andhttps://community.vercel.com/t/requesting-vercel-student-verification-for-international-students-without-edu-emails/32198(AnshumanBhardwaj,Jan2026)", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Vercel Open Source Program (adjacent, not student/startup-specific)", "detail": "Periodically reopens applications for maintainers of active open source projects, granting free Pro-level access/support for the project (a Vercel staffer said in Oct 2025 'applications for the Open Source Program will open again soon'; a third-party directory lists it as '$3,600 in credits over 12 months' - that dollar figure is not confirmed on any official page I could fetch and the program page sits behind a login wall). A startup that maintains an active OSS project can claim it even if it doesn't qualify for Vercel for Startups.", "eligibility": "Active open source project; application-only (no open application window on the public page; per community/directory the next window was expected ~April 2026). Not tied to .edu or startup status.", "claim": "Watch vercel.com/open-source (behind login) / Vercel community announcements for the application window, then apply per instructions.", "expiry": "Granted for a 12-month period per the (unverified) third-party listing; program runs in recurring windows.", "gotchas": "Amounts/tier officially unpublished; treat the $3,600 figure as unverified; window closes periodically.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/open-source(status:https://community.vercel.com/t/student-discount/23898,third-partylisting:https://guptadeepak.com/startup-offers/programs/vercel-for-startups)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Vercel for Startups (Flex Commit credits, startups accepted on or after 6 Aug 2026)", "detail": "Active program, checked 2026-10-22. Its terms changed on 6 Aug 2026. Startups accepted on or after that date receive a Flexible Commitment Amount (a prepaid balance; Vercel's Flex Commit docs value each unit at $1.00 USD) under Vercel's Enterprise Terms & Conditions. It can be spent on seats, data transfer, compute, AI Gateway, v0 and other Vercel products. Amount: Vercel's startups page and FAQ say 'up to $30,000'. The FAQ says the amount depends on the arrangement between Vercel and the startup's partner and may vary, so $30,000 is a ceiling, not a verified per-startup award. Term: one year from when the amount is applied, or until used up if sooner. Non-cash extras: Enterprise-tier access for the term, Slack access to the Vercel team, events, swag and featured marketing. Startups accepted before 6 Aug 2026 follow the terms in their original acceptance email. A WebFetch summary of the FAQ says those earlier grants were split into 12 monthly allowances; that was not confirmed verbatim. Corroborated by the CloudRoute changes page (checked 2026-10-10) and Programscape (checked 2026-10-20).", "eligibility": "Not open to every startup or to students. Must be affiliated with an approved Vercel for Startups partner (VC firms, accelerators or startup programs in the application dropdown). Proof: a full browser-window screenshot of the Vercel credit offer in the partner's dashboard, hub, wiki or console; screenshots of the acceptance email or profile are rejected. Series A or earlier. Applied within 12 months of the most recent funding round. Never previously received Vercel for Startups credits. Company website with an email on the same domain. Vercel reviews and decides at its discretion; one claim per company. No application fee or equity is reported by third-party sources, though the official FAQ text retrieved did not state either.", "claim": "Apply at https://vercel.com/startups/credits. Steps: (1) confirm your partner is on the approved list; (2) sign in, select or create the Vercel team that will hold the credits, and enter a company-domain email; (3) upload the partner-portal proof screenshot; (4) wait for approval (Vercel says 5-7 business days); (5) accept the Flex Commit startup terms by email; (6) add a valid payment method in workspace settings, because credits stay inactive without one. The amount is issued to the applied team within 5-7 business days of accepting the terms.", "expiry": "One year from when the Flexible Commitment Amount is applied, or until used up if sooner. Any unused amount on the one-year anniversary does not roll over. If used up early, Vercel invites a conversation with a startups advocate about extending or moving to Pro. After the term, the account moves from Enterprise Terms to standard terms and is billed monthly at list rates to the payment method on file.", "gotchas": "(1) AI Gateway cap: the FAQ text retrieved says you may use up to 50% of your Flexible Commitment Amount on AI Gateway. Sources differ on the window. CloudRoute describes a '50% monthly cap'. Programscape says the FAQ states it both as 50% of each month's amount and as 50% of the total, and that AI Gateway usage over the cap is billed at list rates even while credit remains. Confirm how it is measured with Vercel before relying on AI Gateway. (2) Size: the amount is partner-dependent and may be less than $30,000; no per-startup amount was verified. (3) Usage beyond the amount, or after the year, bills the card on file at list rates. Credits do not apply to already-paid invoices or mid-cycle add-on invoices (Programscape). (4) Starting early can leave credit unused when the window ends, and benefits cannot be postponed once activated. (5) Timeline: Causo Hub says the contract takes effect on acceptance, with credits and Enterprise access live within 5-7 business days. (6) One Vercel team per contract; the commitment is issued to the team you applied with, so pick the production team. (7) Startups accepted before 6 Aug 2026 follow different terms from their acceptance email. (8) Flex Commit teams can use Spend Management at no extra cost to set spend limits (Vercel docs).", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/startups/credits", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vercel AI Accelerator (six-week cohort, credits from Vercel and partners)", "detail": "Real, Vercel-run six-week cohort of 40 AI teams with weekly fireside chats and workshops and a demo day in San Francisco. Credits come from Vercel, v0, AWS and many AI platforms (for example Anthropic, OpenAI, Cursor, ElevenLabs, Modal, Supabase). Vercel's Feb 5, 2026 blog says 'over $6M in credits' and that finalists earn over $100K each in extra credit prizes. The current page says 'over $8M in credits' and lists per-participant values by partner. Fees and equity terms are not stated on the pages fetched. Not a standing offer; it runs one cohort per application window.", "eligibility": "Application-based, selective cohort for AI builders. The current page lists no eligibility rules (no stage, geography or student criteria were found). Acceptance is competitive, with 40 teams per cohort.", "claim": "Apply at https://vercel.com/ai-accelerator when a window is open. The February 2026 window closed on 16 Feb 2026. The current page shows an 'Apply now' button but no dates, so an open window on 2026-10-22 could not be verified.", "expiry": "The cohort runs six weeks. Credit expiry was not stated on the pages fetched.", "gotchas": "Selection is competitive, so acceptance is not guaranteed. Totals differ across Vercel's own pages ($6M in the Feb 2026 blog vs over $8M on the current page). Many credits are partner-specific, not Vercel credits. A third-party page's claim of a Vercel Ventures investment for first place was not verified and is not counted here.", "source_url": "https://vercel.com/blog/the-vercel-ai-accelerator-is-back-with-6-million-in-credits", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "No free offer was sunset in 2025-2026, but several materially changed: (1) Pro plan was restructured in 2025 ('Simpler Pricing' / Fluid compute era): it now carries a $20 included usage credit and plan limits are expressed in Fluid Active CPU hours / Provisioned Memory GB-hrs rather than old per-function allowances; Hobby's core limits (100 GB transfer, 1M CDN requests, 1M function invocations, 4 CPU-hrs, 360 GB-hrs memory, 200 projects) are unchanged from previously known values as verified on the official pages today. (2) Vercel for Startups: new 'Flexible Commitment' credit terms apply to startups accepted on/after August 6, 2026 - the credit amount became partner-negotiated (up to a $30,000 max) rather than a fixed amount, with a 50%-of-monthly-credit cap on AI Gateway usage. (3) v0 plan lineup was rebranded - the '$20 Premium' plan referenced by older student-program marketing no longer exists; v0 is now Free / Plus ($30/user/mo, $30 monthly credits) / Business ($100/user/mo), so the exact value of the 1-year free v0 for Students offer is unpublished. (4) AI Accelerator credit pools scaled up between cohorts: $4M+ (2025) -> $6M+ (Feb 2026 cohort, apps due 2026-02-16) -> $8M+ on the current page. (5) v0 for Students launched Oct 2025 with 5 schools (Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, UC Berkeley) and has since expanded to 15; the .edu-only verification has not been loosened as of Jan 2026. (6) Vercel Remote Cache became free (changelog item, 2025-2026 era), adding to the Hobby free offering.", "Verdict: a genuine, active offer exists for startups (Vercel for Startups, now on Flex Commit terms for startups accepted on or after 6 Aug 2026). It is gated by an approved Vercel Startup Partner, so it is not open to every startup. It was changed, not sunset. The CloudRoute change note (6 Aug 2026, Flex Commit, 50% AI Gateway limit) matches Vercel's own FAQ text. Size: Vercel's text says 'up to $30,000', a partner-dependent ceiling; no per-startup amount was verified. Student offers: none verified. The official startups credits FAQ lists general educational perks but no student offer (fetched 2026-10-22). A dedicated web search for a Vercel student offer could not run because the session's web search budget was used up, so a student-specific Vercel offer remains unverified. Vercel's standard Hobby plan is free per SaaSTweaks, but it is a general plan, not a student or startup program. Vercel Open Source Program (not a student or startup program): Startup Perk List (reviewed 2026-10-16) says new applications are closed, and sources conflict on the amount ($3,600 over three years vs over 12 months). Verification method: the official FAQ was read via a narrower WebFetch after the first full fetch failed on output size. The legal terms page (vercel.com/legal/startup-program-terms), cited by East Bridge Global, returned 404, so the legal terms were not checked directly." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 3, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Hobby plan (permanently free, no card)", "link": "https://vercel.com/pricing(cross-checked:https://vercel.com/docs/limits,https://vercel.com/docs/limits/fair-use-guidelines)", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "vonage", "name": "Vonage", "fronts": [ "email-messaging" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://www.vonage.com/en-us/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Free trial / testing access for SMS, Voice & Chat (Nexmo)" ], "notes": [ "Vonage acquired Nexmo (messaging) & Nexmo Chat. HEDGED: verify current trial quota — historically free dev/testing sandbox." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Vonage \"Try it free\" developer trial (free credit, no credit card required) — covers SMS, Voice, Verify, Email, Chat/Conversation APIs", "detail": "Every Vonage Communications API marketing page (e.g. https://www.vonage.com/communications-apis/pricing/, /communications-apis/email/, /communications-apis/verify/pricing/) carries the CTA: 'Try it free — Start developing now with free credit. No credit card required.' Sign-up goes to https://ui.idp.vonage.com/sign-up/dashboard; developer.vonage.com/en/home says 'Create a free account now!' / 'Sign up for FREE'. This is one shared trial across the API front (Email, SMS, Push/Chat, Voice) — Vonage has no per-product free tier and no metered free plan; usage after/within the trial is pay-per-use. The exact free-credit dollar amount and trial duration are NOT stated on any public page I could read today; the amount is visible only inside the dashboard after signup. No .edu email required; open to anyone who creates a developer account.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone worldwide; no student/education requirement, no startup criteria, no credit card required (explicit on-page). Credit card is only needed later to pay for real usage; free test numbers are used to develop without charge.", "claim": "Go to https://www.vonage.com/en-us/pricing/ (redirects content at /communications-apis/pricing/) or any product pricing page, click 'Try it free', create the account at ui.idp.vonage.com/sign-up/dashboard with no credit card; trial credit is applied in the dashboard (amount/duration not published on the web page).", "expiry": "No published expiry/renewal date; trial credit amount/duration not published — check dashboard after signup; the offer can change without public notice.", "gotchas": "(1) Marketing says 'free credit' but the public pages never state how much or for how long — treat any third-party figure (e.g. legacy $500 Nexmo trial) as unverified. (2) It is a trial, not a free tier: production messages, numbers, and real recipients cost money per unit after the credit runs out; there is no perpetual free tier for the APIs. (3) The www.vonage.com/en-us/pricing/ URL now 403s/404s for most fetchers — the live pricing content lives under /communications-apis/pricing/. (4) WebSearch was unavailable (session budget exhausted), so 2025-2026 change history of the trial credit amount could not be confirmed.", "source_url": "https://www.vonage.com/communications-apis/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Vonage for Startups program — up to $75,000 in Vonage API credits + tailored support", "detail": "Official page https://developer.vonage.com/en/startups: 'Vonage for Startups helps burgeoning brands with tailored support and up to $75,000 Vonage API credits.' Benefits: LEARN (technical workshops, 1:1s with Vonage product managers, custom solutions), RECEIVE TAILORED SUPPORT, BUILD (use credits to build MVP), CONNECT (Vonage startup community). FAQ confirms: 'This includes technical workshops, 1:1s with Vonage product managers, and any other support — such as up to $75,000 in Vonage API credits.'", "eligibility": "Technology-agnostic; VC/incubator/accelerator backing NOT required. Hard criteria to be considered: early-stage (Pre-Seed to Series A), founded within the past 5 years, has a company website + associated emails, has a Vonage API account, and is not an existing managed customer. Existing customers may apply unless they already have an assigned Vonage account manager. No .edu email; not limited to any region on the page. Recommended before applying: public LinkedIn company page, public product signal (demo/waitlist/docs/GitHub repo), and a clear GTM plan tied to communications APIs.", "claim": "Click 'Apply Now!' on https://developer.vonage.com/en/startups (form at https://wkf.ms/3YpFywo, MarketWIRED form), submit company details; selection is discretionary — credit amount up to $75,000 is negotiated, not guaranteed to every accepted applicant. No credit card required to apply.", "expiry": "No program end date published on the page; cohort-based startup program, so terms/credit amounts may change per cohort.", "gotchas": "'Up to $75,000' is a cap, not a promise — actual awards vary; 'up to' wording means no fixed amount. Must hold a Vonage API account first. Managed-account customers are excluded. The credit is for Vonage APIs (communications), not a general cloud spend.", "source_url": "https://developer.vonage.com/en/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No student/education free offer (education vertical only)", "detail": "https://www.vonage.com/solutions/education/ is a market-vertical marketing page ('Education Communication Solutions — helping teachers, students, parents stay connected'); I read it today and it contains no free license, student discount, educational credit, or trial offer — only product marketing and lead-gen forms. No .edu-email program, no campus/academic license, and no education-specific free tier was found anywhere on vonage.com or developer.vonage.com (community pages: https://developer.vonage.com/community, /community/slack).", "eligibility": "n/a — no qualifying education offer exists; education verticals qualify only through the general 'Try it free' trial or the Vonage for Startups program (startup criteria apply, not school status).", "claim": "Nothing to claim: do not expect an education license; use the general no-CC trial if the need is a university/edtech project (a startup applying as a company can qualify under Vonage for Startups).", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "'Free account now' copy on the education page is the generic site CTA, not an education-specific offer.", "source_url": "https://www.vonage.com/solutions/education/", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "Nexmo branding is effectively sunset: the developer portal still carries legacy Nexmo tracking strings (e.g. signup link 'icid=tryitfree_api-developer-adp_nexmodashbdfreetrialsignup'), but Nexmo products/pricing no longer exist separately — everything is now 'Vonage Communications APIs' (messages, programmable voice, verify, email, conversations/chat, RCS, WhatsApp). The historical 'Nexmo free trial' (Nexmo dashboard trial without CC) survives only as the current 'Try it free / free credit, no credit card required' CTA; the public credit amount is no longer published (legacy sources cited $500 trial credit — unverified today, confidence low on any specific figure). Caveat on research completeness: the session WebSearch budget was exhausted and help.vonage.com was unreachable, so I could not independently confirm 2025-2026 changes to the trial credit amount/duration; all page-level claims above were read directly from official Vonage pages fetched today." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Vonage \"Try it free\" developer trial (free credit, no credit card required) — covers SMS, Voice, Verify, Email, Chat/Conversation APIs", "link": "https://www.vonage.com/communications-apis/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "vultr free trial", "name": "Vultr Free Trial", "fronts": [ "vps-servers" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.vultr.com/promo/try100/" ], "offers": [ "Trial credits for new accounts — commonly $100, with current promos listing up to $200-$300 — valid up to 30 days; plus ~$5 credit for students via a .edu email." ], "notes": [ "Amount is promo-code dependent and no longer fixed in Vultr's official docs (they state only 'free credits for up to 30 days') — confirm the exact credit and eligible products in-console. Some products excluded; a payment method is required (a 0-deposit card link works)." ], "findings": [ { "name": "New-account trial credits (up to 30 days, amount promo-tied)", "detail": "Official docs state 'Vultr offers free credits for up to 30 days for you to try our services.' No dollar amount is published in official docs; the amount is tied to the promo link used (e.g. try100 = $100). Payment method required for verification, but card linking works with $0.00 deposit — no prepay forced. Credit card NOT required in the strict sense: linking only, $0 charge (temporary auth hold possible). Applies to all products (trial covers general services; GPU applicability not officially stated).", "eligibility": "New accounts only; valid email; payment-method verification required; no region limit stated; no .edu or startup requirement", "claim": "Register at vultr.com (promo/try100 links auto-attach trial credit), verify email, add payment method — a credit card can be linked with the 'I just want to link my credit card - $0.00 deposit' option (bank may place a temporary auth hold), optionally apply a promo coupon in Billing > Summary, accept ToS. Deprovision resources before credits expire to avoid charges.", "expiry": "Credits valid up to 30 days from registration (per docs 'up to 30 days'); unused credit is forfeited at expiry; no renewal possible on the same account", "gotchas": "Amount not officially fixed — whatever the promo link grants (commonly $100, promos $200-$300). Credit is not a spending cap: running instances keep billing after credit runs out or the 30 days elapse. Stopped (not destroyed) instances still accrue charges. Data egress beyond plan allowance, snapshots, and extra IPs bill extra. Duplicate accounts not eligible. The exact dollar amount for a bare try100 signup is not stated on the official docs page.", "source_url": "https://docs.vultr.com/platform/create-an-account", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Promo signup links (try100 / try250 trial pages)", "detail": "Vultr runs per-page signup promos: https://www.vultr.com/promo/try100/ (historically $100 credit) and https://www.vultr.com/promo/try250 ($250). Both pages were live/indexed as of late 2026 (try250 confirmed in Oct 2026 crawl of vultr.com, now listing 34 regions). The promo page returns 403 to automated fetchers, so the exact on-page credit figure couldn't be read directly today; amount is tied to the link and can change.", "eligibility": "New Vultr customers only; duplicate accounts excluded; payment method required; no .edu or startup age requirement", "claim": "Sign up through the specific promo page (vultr.com/promo/try100 or /try250) instead of the plain signup; credit attaches to the new account and expires ~30 days after registration; no coupon code needed.", "expiry": "Trial credit valid 30 days after registration (consistent with docs 'up to 30 days')", "gotchas": "Promo credit amount varies by link and over time; a copied old link may attach a different amount. CC needed for verification ($0-deposit card link allowed). Verify the actual credit in Billing before deploying. Non-stackable with other promos.", "source_url": "https://www.vultr.com/promo/try250", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Official coupon codes: $200 / $250 / $300 trial credits, VULTRMATCH, 50% off", "detail": "Vultr's official coupons page (Oct 2026 listings confirmed by a 2026-10-06 check): FLYTWOHUNDRED = $200; 250VULTRFLY = $250; FLY300VULTR = $300; VULTRMATCH = match first deposit dollar-for-dollar up to $100 (credit expires 12 months after issuance; applied 50/50 — $5 promo + $5 real per $10 of hourly spend); 50off page = 50% off first two invoices (invoices generated on the 1st monthly). New customers only; duplicate accounts not eligible; offers non-combinable ('limited time').", "eligibility": "New customers only; valid credit card or PayPal for account verification; no .edu or startup requirement; no stated region limit", "claim": "Create a new account, then apply the code in Billing > Summary (or on the promo landing page). VULTRMATCH: make a first deposit (minimum deposit required by the page); credits auto-match 50/50. 50off: just sign up new and the discount applies to first two invoices. Check the exact code list at vultr.com/coupons before use.", "expiry": "Standard $200/$250/$300 trial credits: ~30 days. VULTRMATCH match credit: 12 months. 50% discount: first two monthly invoices only. Promos explicitly 'limited time'.", "gotchas": "The coupons page itself is bot-blocked (403) — codes rotate; verify which are live at vultr.com/coupons. Larger credit usually means longer minimum deposit or tighter product eligibility. 50off is a discount, not free credit. If card verification is denied, a small deposit (~$5) may be required to unlock credits.", "source_url": "https://www.vultr.com/coupons/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Free Tier Program — free 1vCPU/512MB/10GB SSD instance", "detail": "Genuinely free instance (not a trial): 1 vCPU / 512 MB RAM / 10 GB SSD / 1 IPv4. Available only in Miami, Seattle, and Frankfurt data centers. 'Anyone is eligible to apply'; admission is randomized using a per-account weighted score computed during identity/usage validation; limited quantities, rolled out in phases. No hard dates or end date published; no duration limit on the instance itself is stated (adjustments made 'as we go').", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (no .edu, no funding cap, no age limit stated); real-person validation required (anti-bot); credit card NOT required; region availability limited to Miami/Seattle/Frankfurt only", "claim": "Log in or sign up at vultr.com, apply for early access on the Free Tier Program page (vultr.com/free-tier-program/); provide personal info and intended use to raise weighted score; wait for email/console admission notice; deploy under Cloud Compute > Regular > Free Instance.", "expiry": "No expiry stated; program is phase-rolled and 'fine-tuned as we go' — instances could be affected by program changes; no renewal concept (it is a permanent free instance for admitted accounts)", "gotchas": "Admission is not guaranteed (randomized + weighted score); you simply may not be admitted — Vultr does not say why. Free tier instance is a 512MB/1vCPU/10GB plan, not the full product lineup. Availability in just 3 regions. Verify the instance still appears on the deploy page (Cloud Compute > Regular > Free Instance); admission notified by email + console banner.", "source_url": "https://www.vultr.com/free-tier-program/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Student .edu email $5 credit (legacy)", "detail": "Long-claimed offer: new accounts registered with a .edu email get a $5 free credit. Documented only by third-party coupon sites (dealsvalid ~2023 'Get $5 Vultr Credit for Free', vpscoupon 2019 'Get $50... .edu gets $5', resourify which calls it 'the older student-email offer'). Not listed on Vultr's official coupons, docs, or free-tier pages in any 2025-2026 snapshot found; Vultr runs no dedicated student program page.", "eligibility": "As claimed: students/anyone with a valid .edu email from an accredited US university; new account; CC verification likely required for the account generally", "claim": "Register a new Vultr account using a .edu email from an accredited US university; the $5 credit is attached automatically (per third-party write-ups, no coupon code needed).", "expiry": "Unknown; not stated anywhere official", "gotchas": "Unverifiable as a current official offer in 2026 — may be a legacy/abandoned promotion; do not plan around it. If real, $5 is small (about one month of a $5 plan). Test only by signing up; check Billing for the credit. No region limit known.", "source_url": "https://www.dealsvalid.com/brands/vultr", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Vultr Digital Start-up Program (up to $100K credits + 35% discounts)", "detail": "Up to $100K in cloud credits plus up to 35% long-term discounts, executive sponsorship, dedicated account management, architecture reviews, and priority support. Eligibility: must have secured recent Series A, B, C, D, or E financing (no company-age threshold published). Application requires: senior-most technical executive contact (CTO), senior-most cloud-infrastructure lead contact, last 6 months of cloud-compute invoices, and agreement to be publicly referenceable as a program member. No program duration, renewal, or product exclusions are published on the page. Read directly from the official page today.", "eligibility": "Startups with recent Series A–E funding (institutional VC backing implied); registered company; no .edu or small-startup/seed stage allowed — post-Series A only", "claim": "Submit the application on the Vultr Discover startup program page (Apply Now form / Join Now link) with company details, CTO and cloud-infra-lead contacts, 6 months of cloud-compute invoices, Series A–E proof, and public-reference consent; Vultr evaluates and activates credits on acceptance.", "expiry": "No credit validity period published; 'long-term' discounts imply a commitment; subject to Vultr internal approval", "gotchas": "'Up to' amounts — actual credit set case by case. Requires public referenceability and sharing 6 months of invoices (operational transparency). Not self-service: evaluation by a Vultr team. No stated end date, but approval is discretionary.", "source_url": "https://discover.vultr.com/startup-program", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Partner-hub startup credits: $2,500 (6 months), advanced up to $45K for Series C+", "detail": "Partner ecosystem offers (India startup hubs): $2,500 in Vultr cloud credits, valid 6 months, applied at full list price; quarterly expert training sessions; group onboarding; up to 20% post-credit service discounts subject to a 12-month service agreement; CPU services only (GPU excluded per GL Bajaj terms). Eligibility determined jointly by Vultr and the hub; approval final. Advanced Credit Program: Series C and above may get up to $45,000 subject to evaluation/internal approval.", "eligibility": "Startups associated with the specific partner hub (IIT Mandi, MeitY Startup Hub, KNIT Sultanpur, GL Bajaj, T-Hub, DPIIT); no .edu requirement; no explicit company age cap; Series C+ for the $45K advanced tier", "claim": "Apply through the partner hub (IIT Mandi / MeitY MSH / KNIT Sultanpur / GL Bajaj / T-Hub — via discover.vultr.com partner pages); hub and Vultr jointly determine eligibility; Vultr activates the $2,500 credit; Series C+ startups can request evaluation for up to $45,000 under the advanced program.", "expiry": "Credits valid 6 months; discounts available only after credit period and require a 12-month agreement; no renewal stated", "gotchas": "India-partner scoped — non-affiliated companies should use the main Digital Start-up Program instead. Credits are CPU-only, not GPU. Joint approval with the hub (not pure self-service). After 6 months you need a 12-month commitment to keep the 20% discount.", "source_url": "https://discover.vultr.com/meity-startup-hub-msh", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Open Source Credits program (Sep 2026, amount undisclosed)", "detail": "New listing dated Sep 30, 2026 on Vultr's Offers & Programs hub: 'Credits for the services behind your project: CI runners, artifact storage, package distribution, and production workloads, available via API, CLI, and Terraform.' The overview page publishes no amount, eligibility rules, application steps, or expiration. There is also a 'Free Vultr Credits for MLH Hackathons' listing (Aug 19, 2026) with no amount published.", "eligibility": "Not published on the hub page — presumed open-source project maintainers; confirm on the sub-page", "claim": "Details live on the sub-page (discover.vultr.com/open-source-credits); sign up/apply there for an open-source project; credits delivered via Vultr API/CLI/Terraform integrations.", "expiry": "Not published", "gotchas": "Cannot be confirmed from official listing alone — amount/limits unknown; treat as lead-gen page. Same for MLH hackathon credits (student-adjacent, no published amount).", "source_url": "https://discover.vultr.com/offers", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) No official dollar figure: Vultr's docs (updated Nov 18, 2025) say only 'free credits for up to 30 days'; the $100 base is a promo-link convention, and 2025-2026 official coupon listings swung to $200/$250/$300 — the exact amount always tracks the specific signup link/coupon, not a standing program. 2) The .edu $5 student credit appears to be a legacy/sunset offer: it is cited by third-party coupon sites (2019-2023) but absent from all current official Vultr promo/coupons/docs pages; treat as unverified for 2026. 3) VULTRMATCH and 50off both carry explicit 'limited time' disclaimers — these rotating coupons can end without notice; VULTRMATCH credit expires 12 months after issuance. 4) The Free Tier Program (1vCPU/512MB/10GB in Miami/Seattle/Frankfurt) is a phased, randomized-access rollout with 'no hard dates' — it can be adjusted or closed at Vultr's discretion. 5) No student-specific program, education license, or university discount page exists on official Vultr property in 2025-2026 (historically a 2014 'College Students can try us Free!' blog post and ad-hoc academic class partnerships, e.g. Stony Brook CSE 356). 6) No material 2025-2026 sunset of the trial itself was found; the main 2025-2026 changes are coupon rotation ($100 -> $200/$250/$300), the new Open Source Credits listing (Sep 30, 2026), and expansion of India partner-hub startup programs." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 3, "medium": 3, "low": 2 }, "best_offer": "New-account trial credits (up to 30 days, amount promo-tied)", "link": "https://docs.vultr.com/platform/create-an-account", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "weaviate cloud free tier", "name": "Weaviate Cloud Free Tier", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://weaviate.io/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Always free (no card): 1 cluster/user with 100K objects, 1 GB memory, 10 GB disk, 1 collection (≤3 tenants), Weaviate Embeddings 2,000 req/day, Query Agent 1,000 req/mo" ], "notes": [ "2026 change (announced 2026-06-17): the old 14-day sandbox trial was replaced by this permanent free tier. Free clusters suspend after 7 days inactivity, delete after 30 days total inactivity; AWS-only, cost-optimized HFresh index." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free Plan (\"Always free\" managed Weaviate cluster)", "detail": "Forever $0/mo. Limits verified on the live pricing page 2026-10-22: 1 cluster per user (shared cluster on AWS, 2 regions), 100,000 objects, 1 GB memory, 10 GB disk, 1 collection (up to 3 tenants). Includes hybrid search, vector compression, multi-tenancy, RBAC. Excludes HA/replication, flexible index types, SSO/SAML, backup retention, PrivateLink, encrypted volumes, metrics. Uptime SLA: best effort (no %). Support: basic/email only. Upgrade to paid anytime (Flex from $45/mo, Premium shared from ~$400/mo, dedicated contract) with no migration.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; NO credit card required (page states \"No credit card required\"); no .edu email or startup requirement; 1 cluster per user; deployment limited to 2 regions (shared AWS cluster)", "claim": "Click \"Start free\" at weaviate.io/pricing -> sign up at console.weaviate.cloud (routed via /go/console); quickstart at docs.weaviate.io/cloud/quickstart; no card or approval needed", "expiry": "None - \"Forever $0/mo\", \"no credit card or time expiration\" (per the 2026-06-17 launch post); persists indefinitely as long as the cluster is in use; can upgrade to paid at any time", "gotchas": "Data transfer is free only for a \"promotional period\" - footnote says Weaviate may introduce egress charges in the future with advance notice; page defines no hard stop/overage mechanism for the Free plan (implicit path is upgrading to Flex/Premium); shared cluster means no uptime SLA; not suitable for production HA", "source_url": "https://weaviate.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free AI services on the Free plan: Weaviate Embeddings 2,000 req/day; Query Agent 1,000 req/mo; Engram \"Always free\"", "detail": "Free plan AI-service allowances: Weaviate Embeddings 2,000 requests/day; Query Agent 1,000 requests/month (paid plans: \"Free to try\" 1,000 req/mo, then $30/organization per month with 4,000 req included, then usage-based); Engram (managed agent-memory layer) labeled \"Always free\" with no itemized quota on the pricing page. Part of the 2026-06-17 rollout making the entire suite free to start. Embedding models otherwise billed by usage at $0.025 / $0.040 / $0.065 per 1M tokens across three model tiers.", "eligibility": "Same as Free plan: anyone, no credit card, 1 cluster per user; Query Agent/Engram are cloud-only services (not runnable via local Docker)", "claim": "Same account as Free plan; enable services in the Weaviate Cloud console - no separate enrollment", "expiry": "Indefinite while on the Free plan; overages on paid plans are usage-based", "gotchas": "Engram free-tier quota is not specified anywhere on the page; exceeding embedding/Query Agent caps leads to usage-based billing or upgrade on paid plans; \"Free to try\" on Query Agent for paid tiers is a standing allowance, not a time-boxed trial", "source_url": "https://weaviate.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "No trial-credit program (time-limited sandbox sunset, replaced by permanent free tier)", "detail": "No trial credits, 14/30-day trial, or credit packs exist on the official site as of 2026-10-22. The 2026-06-17 launch post states managed Weaviate Cloud previously offered only \"a time-limited sandbox,\" which was replaced by the permanent free tier (\"free as long as it's useful to you\" vs \"free until the clock runs out\").", "eligibility": "n/a - absence of offer", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "Time-limited sandbox model retired effective 2026-06-17, replaced by the permanent Free plan", "gotchas": "Absence verified by direct page inspection only (pricing, homepage, blog index pages 1-2, 404 on /startup-program); the shared session web-search budget was exhausted, so third-party/press confirmation of older trial programs was not possible", "source_url": "https://weaviate.io/blog/weaviate-free-tier", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "No startup program and no education/student license found", "detail": "weaviate.io/startup-program returns HTTP 404; homepage, pricing, and blog index (2025-2026 entries visible) contain no startup program, startup credits/grants, or education/academic pricing tier. Closest items: Weaviate Hero Program (weaviate.io/community) - community contribution program rewarding active community members with \"Cool Merch, Books & Credits\" plus workshops and event access; credits have no stated dollar value, cap, or deadline, and it is contribution-based, not status-based (not aimed at students or startups). Weaviate Academy (academy.weaviate.io) is free learning content (courses/resources), not a license. The Weaviate database is open source and free to self-host on your own infrastructure - the only genuinely unrestricted \"education-grade\" free path.", "eligibility": "No .edu requirement or startup age/funding cap exists because no such program exists; Hero Program is open to any community contributor via a Google Form application", "claim": "No claim path for startup/education offers; Hero Program: apply via \"Become a Hero\" form (forms.gle/FHwhfPYwCVKkzw5h6)", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "Hero Program \"credits\" are unquantified - do not treat as a free-credit offer; absence findings are limited to the official site (search engine verification unavailable this session); check Weaviate's social channels/blog for any program launched after the visible blog index", "source_url": "https://weaviate.io/community", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025-2026 changes: (1) 2026-06-17: Weaviate sunsetted its time-limited sandbox model for managed Weaviate Cloud and launched the permanent free tier spanning the whole product suite (managed Database + Query Agent + Engram), free without credit card or time expiration (blog: \"Weaviate Cloud is now free to start\"). (2) Price-book revision effective 1 September 2026 (noted on the pricing page): RQ-4 compression added as its own rate tier between RQ-1 and RQ-8, and backup rates restructured to a common base with regional adjustments - affects paid Flex/Premium plans only, Free plan unchanged. (3) Data transfer is free on all plans only for a \"promotional period\"; Weaviate reserves the right to charge for egress in the future with advance notice. No evidence was found of any sunset of a startup program or education license (none appear to exist; /startup-program is a 404). Caveat: verification was done by fetching official pages directly on 2026-10-22 (weaviate.io/pricing, /blog, /blog/page/2, /blog/weaviate-free-tier, /community, homepage; docs subpages now 404 - docs moved to docs.weaviate.io/cloud/quickstart); the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so third-party/press corroboration and deeper blog archive pages were not checked." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 2, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free Plan (\"Always free\" managed Weaviate cluster)", "link": "https://weaviate.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "windmill", "name": "Windmill", "fronts": [ "oss-selfhost" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.windmill.dev/pricing/" ], "offers": [ "Self-hosted open-source edition free: unlimited executions, up to 3 workspaces, 50 users, 10-user SSO, 10 GiB object storage" ], "notes": [ "Enterprise tier from ~$120/mo (builder seats $20, workers $100/CU pair, per-page examples). Free tier caps email triggers at 100/day." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free and Open-source (self-hosted Community Edition) tier", "detail": "$0/mo, self-hosted. Free-column limits as listed on windmill.dev/pricing (read 2026-10-22; two separate extractions agreed): executions unlimited; 3 workspaces; max 50 users; SSO max 10 users; object storage 10 GiB quota; max 4 groups; max 100 emails/day for email triggers; job run details retained <=30 days; Git sync up to 2 users; 100 free app guests per 30 days (guests take no seat). Not included: SAML/SCIM, audit logs, Kafka/NATS/SQS/GCP/Azure triggers. Support is Discord community only.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone. No .edu, student status, startup age, or funding-cap condition is stated. Runs on the user's own infrastructure.", "claim": "Nothing to claim: no sign-up, card, or license key is described for the free column (LICENSE_KEY is for Enterprise Edition only). Download the Community Edition (Docker images or binaries from the windmill-labs/windmill GitHub repo) and follow the self-hosting docs.", "expiry": "None stated; listed as a standing $0/mo plan with no end date.", "gotchas": "(1) README (github.com/windmill-labs/windmill, read via raw README): 'The Community Edition is free to use internally.' Commercial redistribution or managed services need a commercial agreement (sales@windmill.dev); the README says a commercial license is required if you sell commercially or embed Windmill in a distributable product or binary. A startup hosting Windmill for customers or shipping it inside its product is outside the free tier. (2) Limits bind as you grow: 3 workspaces, 50 users, SSO for 10 users. Upgrade path is Enterprise from $120/mo plus $20/mo per builder and $10/mo per non-builder. (3) Community support only. (4) License is AGPLv3 with Apache-2.0 for some files; prebuilt Community Edition images/binaries include proprietary code under separate terms (GitHub README summary; check the LICENSE files before relying on it). AGPL network-use terms may apply if modified. (5) Pricing model was revised in Nov 2024 (see sunset_notes).", "source_url": "https://www.windmill.dev/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Enterprise one-month trial ('Try it for a month')", "detail": "The pricing page links 'Try it for a month' to https://portal.windmill.dev/trial for the Enterprise tier. Duration: one month (no day count shown). No trial credits are described. Trial scope is Enterprise: unlimited workspaces and users, uncapped SSO, SAML and SCIM, audit logs, S3 cache, 24/7 support with 3h response time. Post-trial Enterprise pricing as listed: from $120/mo; $20/mo per builder; $10/mo per non-builder; standard workers $50/worker/mo; worked example $170/mo (1 builder, 2 standard workers, 8 subworkers).", "eligibility": "Not stated on the pricing page. No student or startup condition found. Portal sign-up requirements could not be read.", "claim": "Click 'Try it for a month' on windmill.dev/pricing, which opens portal.windmill.dev/trial. The portal is client-rendered and the signup steps could not be read.", "expiry": "One month; start date and end-of-trial behavior not stated.", "gotchas": "This is a trial of paid Enterprise, not a free tier; the $0 Community Edition is separate. Card requirement, auto-renewal, and post-trial billing are unverified, so do not assume the trial is card-free. Only the existence of the trial link and its one-month length are confirmed.", "source_url": "https://www.windmill.dev/pricing/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Windmill Cloud free-tier workspaces (existence only; limits unverified)", "detail": "A free tier exists on Windmill Cloud. The July 2026 changelog entry 'Workspace forks on Windmill Cloud' (release v1.746.0) says paid workspaces on 'Team or Enterprise' plans can be forked, with forks capped at 5 per paid developer seat of the root workspace, and that 'Free-tier workspaces cannot fork'. No Cloud free-tier limits, trial credits, or prices were readable. The Cloud/Self-hosted/White Label tabs on the pricing page are client-rendered, and app.windmill.dev returned a 'Loading...' placeholder.", "eligibility": "Unknown; not stated in any readable source.", "claim": "Unknown; sign-up at app.windmill.dev could not be read. Check the Cloud tab on windmill.dev/pricing or the sign-up page directly.", "expiry": "Unknown.", "gotchas": "Free-tier Cloud workspaces cannot be forked (since July 2026). A 'Team' plan is named in the changelog, but no price was found. Treat the Cloud free tier's limits as unknown until checked in-app.", "source_url": "https://www.windmill.dev/changelog/tags/cloud", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Free and Open-source (self-hosted Community Edition) tier", "link": "https://www.windmill.dev/pricing/", "flags": { "startup": false, "student": false, "nocard": false, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "windsurf", "name": "Windsurf", "fronts": [ "devtools" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://devin.ai/pricing" ], "offers": [ "Free plan with monthly AI credits (~$10/mo credit allowance historically; agent 'Cascade' usage limits apply)" ], "notes": [ "LOW CONFIDENCE: windsurf.com now 308-redirects to devin.ai (Cognition's rebrand after the 2025 acquisition) and devin.ai/pricing was unfetchable in-session, so current free-tier limits are unverified. Treat numbers as approximate until checked." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Devin Free plan ($0, perpetual)", "detail": "Free tier at $0 on devin.ai/pricing: 'Light quota to code with agents', 'Limited model availability', 'Unlimited inline edits', 'Unlimited Tab completions', concurrent sessions capped at 10, Slack/Teams integrations, premium-model throughput marked 'Slow'. Docs (docs.devin.ai/admin/billing/self-serve.md) confirm Free grants 'Limited Devin usage' plus Devin Review and DeepWiki access, with usage allowance that refreshes on a daily and weekly basis; no dollar-value quota is published for the Free tier. Free sign-up: docs say users 'can sign up for free!'; no credit card is mentioned anywhere on the pricing or getting-started pages. No trial period or trial credits are offered — docs explicitly state 'Free trials of paid plans are not currently offered.'", "eligibility": "Open to any individual, no .edu or startup requirements, no credit card required (not stated as required; free download/Signup link). No region limits stated on the pages read.", "claim": "Register at devin.ai (Download free / Sign up for free). Free plan is $0; upgrade to any paid plan anytime via Settings > Plans. No email domain, funding, or age requirement stated.", "expiry": "Perpetual free tier; no expiry stated. Quota refreshes daily/weekly; purchased on-demand credits never expire and roll over.", "gotchas": "Agent quota is 'Light' with no published session or dollar amounts, so heavy agent use is quickly capped. Premium models are slow on Free; the page recommends mini models. The historical ~$10/mo Windsurf credit allowance is NOT stated anywhere on the current official pages. Overages on paid tiers bill at on-demand API pricing — Free simply has a limited quota. Free trials of paid plans do not exist.", "source_url": "https://devin.ai/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) Free tier — IDE agent", "detail": "The Windsurf IDE was renamed Devin Desktop ('Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf' — devin.ai/desktop FAQ). Free tier: $0 with direct Download link, unlimited inline edits and unlimited Tab completions (from the devin.ai/pricing Free row), 'Light' agent quota and 'Limited model availability'. Plans/extensions/settings carry over from old Windsurf accounts automatically via over-the-air update; Windsurf for JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm) still downloadable. Docs (desktop/accounts/usage) say model credits are metered per agent prompt ('default message costing 1 credit') with per-model multipliers; no numeric free-plan credit allowance is published today.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone; no .edu, no startup gate, no credit card stated as required. Not student/startup-specific — same free tier as the Devin plan.", "claim": "Download Devin Desktop (devin.ai/desktop, Free tier, $0) or keep the Windsurf JetBrains plugin; sign up free; the historical Windsurf account/credits/settings migrate automatically.", "expiry": "No expiry stated for the free tier; daily/weekly refresh quotas apply.", "gotchas": "'Cascade' (the old Windsurf agent name) no longer appears in any current docs or release notes — agent usage is now metered under Devin Desktop ACU/credit mechanics; the historically quoted ~$10/month free credit allowance is not confirmed on any current official page. Free = no Devin Cloud/API access, no shared/collab features (those start at Pro/Teams).", "source_url": "https://devin.ai/desktop", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Devin Startup Program (startups)", "detail": "Official program at devin.ai/startup (rolling review, apply via form): $15K in Devin credits loaded to your account on approval, plus a $50K matching grant — 1:1 dollar match on your next $100K of usage ('You spend $50K, you get $100K'), totaling $65K value. Also: unlimited seats (whole team in collaborative sessions), exclusive events (founder meetups, early-access previews), and a Devin swag pack for accepted startups. Social proof on page: NVIDIA, Cloudflare, Modal, Mercor, OpenRouter, Gamma, Exa, Profound.", "eligibility": "Marketed to 'early-stage' startups. The page states NO funding cap, company-age limit, headcount limit, revenue requirement, or geography restriction; review is rolling with no hard deadline. No public terms/ToS link or credit-expiry window is published.", "claim": "Fill out the application form at devin.ai/startup describing your startup; on approval $15K credits load immediately and the $50K 1:1 match applies to your next $100K of usage.", "expiry": "No credit expiry or usage deadline published; matching grant applies to 'your next $100K of usage'. Program availability not dated.", "gotchas": "All eligibility guardrails are off-page (in the application/review process) — a startup not deemed 'early-stage' could be rejected. The offer is Devin cloud-agent credits, not a free IDE tier for the team; unlimited seats are about collaborative Devin sessions, not free seats in the paid Desktop/Teams product. No region limits stated, but nothing either guarantees service availability in your country.", "source_url": "https://devin.ai/startup", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Teams 'Flex seats' (free seats inside a paid team)", "detail": "On the Teams plan ($80/mo minimum, up to 200 users, $40/mo per full developer seat), Flex seats are listed as 'Free': they carry no per-seat charge and draw 'entirely from the team's shared pool of on-demand credits'; no separate limit on flex seats, but every member (full or flex) counts toward the 200-user cap. Under the $80 minimum, 0 full seats = $80 of on-demand credits, 1 full seat = $40 credits, 2+ full seats = $0 bundled credits.", "eligibility": "Not student/startup-specific — any organization buying Devin Teams. A free seat only exists inside a paid team plan; there is no standalone free team.", "claim": "Buy a Devin Teams plan ($80/mo minimum) and add Flex seats at $0/seat, billing their usage from the shared on-demand credit pool.", "expiry": "Included purchased credits never expire and roll over month-to-month; auto-refill can be configured (default monthly budget cap $160, in $120 increments of 1,000 pooled credits per docs.devin.ai desktop usage page).", "gotchas": "Flex seats have no included quota — every agent action bills the shared pool, so a large flex team can burn the credit pool fast; not a genuine zero-cost offer (the $80/mo team minimum is mandatory).", "source_url": "https://docs.devin.ai/admin/billing/self-serve.md", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "EDUCATION: No active student/education license found as of 2026-10-22. Official checks today: devin.ai/education returns 404, cognition.ai/education redirects to cognition.com/education which returns 404, and the full docs.devin.ai index (llms.txt) contains no education/student page; no student or classroom offer appears on devin.ai/pricing. Any earlier Devin/Windsurf/Codeium student pilot therefore appears to have been sunsetting-era or simply not published as a current program — I could not independently confirm its history because the session's web-search budget was exhausted, so treat the historical student-pilot detail as unverified (medium-low confidence). RENAME: 'Windsurf' the IDE was rebranded to 'Devin Desktop' by Cognition; docs.windsurf.com now 307-redirects to docs.devin.ai/desktop, the 'Cascade' agent name is gone from current docs/release notes (2025 and 2026 releases), and the historically quoted ~$10/month free credit allowance is not stated on any current official page. TRIALS: docs explicitly state 'Free trials of paid plans are not currently offered' — so the only free offers are the perpetual $0 Free tier, the Devin Startup Program, and free Flex seats inside a paid Teams plan. Note: official pages do not publish exact Free-tier quota numbers; 'Light quota' is all that is stated." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Devin Free plan ($0, perpetual)", "link": "https://devin.ai/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": false, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "wise api", "name": "Wise API", "fronts": [ "payments-fintech" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://wise.com/us/business/api" ], "offers": [ "Free API access — no subscription or API fee; free sandbox pre-funded with £1,000,000 of test credit; you pay only per-transfer fees (route-specific fixed + %)." ], "notes": [ "Business account opening fee ~$31 (US) / £45 (UK); API + sandbox free. Partner/platform integrations (client ID/secret, Developer Hub) are sales-led; SMBs use free personal API tokens. 2026: 56+ currencies, batch payments included." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Free tier: Wise API sandbox with pre-funded £1,000,000 test credit", "detail": "Sandbox is a fully free test environment of the Wise Business/Personal API. Every new sandbox account is pre-funded with 1,000,000 GBP of test credit (confirmed in the official Help Centre article; the API page says 'Start building for free today' and 'It only takes a few minutes to get a sandbox account'). V2 sandbox UI is at https://wise-sandbox.com with API base URLs https://api.wise-sandbox.com (TLS) or https://api-mtls.wise-sandbox.com (mTLS). Personal API tokens can be created for free from Settings → API tokens; 2-step verification is required and token creation is web-only. No per-call API pricing exists; there is no subscription. The sandbox also includes a Simulation API for testing money-movement flows and webhooks. No student, .edu, or startup criteria apply — it is open to anyone.", "eligibility": "Open to everyone (personal or business), any region, with just an email address. No .edu email required, no credit card, no identity verification, no startup age/funding cap. Caveat: Wise's most stable sandbox test flows are UK regions (UK personal, UK sole-trader business) with GBP, USD, EUR; other currencies/regions may misbehave. Sandbox does not support real money, real financial controls, or load/performance testing.", "claim": "1) Register a free sandbox account at the sandbox URL (email + password; phone verification code in sandbox is the literal 111111; your real Wise account will NOT work in sandbox). 2) Log into the sandbox, go to Settings → API tokens, and add a new personal token (2FA must be set up; web only). 3) Build against api.wise-sandbox.com. 4) When ready, open a separate verified Wise Business account and create live API tokens from its Settings page.", "expiry": "No published expiry for sandbox accounts. IMPORTANT: Sandbox V1 (sandbox.transferwise.tech / sandbox.wise.tech) is deprecated June 30, 2026; use V2 (wise-sandbox.com). Test data created after April 1, 2025 was not migrated to V2 and must be re-seeded; V1 tokens/credentials created after April 1, 2025 do not work in V2 (request new ones via api@wise.com or your delivery contact).", "gotchas": "Test credit is virtual only — it is not withdrawable, spendable, or convertible to a live balance. Sandbox has higher latency than production and no load-testing support. Do not put real personal data in sandbox (weaker access controls). Going live is a separate step requiring a verified Wise Business account; in the US a one-time account setup fee (e.g., $31) can apply to unlock account details. Personal API tokens have endpoint limitations: in EU/UK, PSD2 means you cannot fund transfers or view balance statements via API with a personal token. API access is per-account; OAuth 2.0 partner credentials (client ID/secret) are only issued to Wise Platform partners.", "source_url": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2958107/getting-started-with-the-api", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Live Wise API at no extra API fee (Wise Business account, personal token)", "detail": "Official docs FAQ: 'For business accounts accessing the Wise API with a personal token, there are no additional charges to use the available API features. For these accounts, Wise applies the regular pricing system for customers.' The account itself is free to register and free to hold money (pricing page lists no monthly fee). What you pay is the regular per-transfer fee: sending/converting 'from 0.23%' (route-specific fixed + %; e.g., wire transfers from $1.13; receiving USD wires fixed $6.11, GBP $2.16, EUR 2.39 per payment). Technical support for business-account API users is free via api@wise.com (60-minute response target); API status at status.wise.com. Wise US is a FinCen-registered MSB, not an FDIC bank.", "eligibility": "Anyone with a verified Wise Business account in a supported region; no student or startup-specific gate, no .edu requirement, no credit card required for the account (funding happens via bank transfer/card per normal Wise rules). Large enterprises and partner integrations instead use OAuth 2.0 with partner-issued client credentials. Personal tokens are meant for small-business users automating their own account.", "claim": "1) Open a Wise Business account (free; 'Register for a Wise account: Free', 'Holding money: Free'; US one-time account setup fee of e.g. $31 may apply to unlock account details). 2) Verify the account and enable 2-step verification. 3) Settings → API tokens → Add new token; pass it as Authorization: Bearer against https://api.wise.com (mTLS: https://api-mtls.transferwise.com). 4) Fund transfers through normal Wise channels and pay route-specific fees. For partner/enterprise OAuth access, email api@wise.com.", "expiry": "No published expiry or sunset for API access. Sandbox-side change to note: V1 sandbox deprecates June 30, 2026 (see other finding). No 2025–2026 removal of free API access found.", "gotchas": "'Free API' ≠ 'free transfers' — real money movement costs the normal route fee (from ~0.23% + fixed) and, in the US, a one-time ~$31 account setup fee can apply. Personal-token endpoint limits: EU/UK cannot fund transfers or view balance statements via API (PSD2); payment links and 'receive money in your checkout' are NOT supported by the public API. No load/performance testing on sandbox. The pricing FAQ text was confirmed via an official docs search snippet; the docs page fetch itself truncated, so treat exact wording as medium-confidence.", "source_url": "https://docs.wise.com/guides/product/partner/business-account-support", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Wise for Startups — startup solution page (no free startup credits or grants)", "detail": "The official 'Wise for Startups' page markets the standard Wise Business account to founders: 'Extend your runway with Wise', receive investor funding in local currencies, Swift receiving in 22+ currencies, 'Earn 3.39% (variable) APY on USD' with passthrough FDIC insurance up to $250,000 on USD/GBP/EUR balances, 'fees from 0.33%', volume pricing 'Get discounts on monthly volumes over 25,000 USD or equivalent' (worked example: $88.83 fee less a $4.91 volume discount), and claims '77% of transfers arrive in seconds' (accurate as of Q1 2026). It bundles API integrations ('Explore API integrations') and accounting integrations (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Zoho, FreeAgent, Oracle NetSuite), plus an expert account manager and 24/7 support for eligible businesses. There is NO named startup program, no grant, no free-transfer allocation, and no startup-exclusive fee waiver anywhere on the page — a startup gets exactly the same free account + free-API-access terms as any other business.", "eligibility": "Open to startups generally ('from seed-stage startups to public companies'); no startup-age threshold, funding cap, or revenue limit is stated. Availability is region-dependent ('Certain features may not be available in all regions and plans'). Not a student offer; no .edu requirement; no credit card requirement.", "claim": "Sign up for a Wise Business account via the 'Sign up in minutes' CTA on the startups page, or 'Contact sales' for an account manager. No separate application, cap, or verification of startup status.", "expiry": "No sunset date published. Figures are dated: APY 'true as of 17 December 2025'; transfer-speed stat 'Accurate as of Q1, 2026' — treat APY as variable and re-check. The volume discount is a standing program, not a trial.", "gotchas": "The only 'discount' on the page is the >$25,000 USD/month volume discount — that is not a free offer and requires significant volume. A one-time account setup fee (e.g., $31 in the US) may apply. APY is variable, not guaranteed. This is a marketing solution page, not a funding program: if you were expecting startup API credits or a founder grant, Wise does not offer one.", "source_url": "https://wise.com/us/business/solutions/startups", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 1, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Free tier: Wise API sandbox with pre-funded £1,000,000 test credit", "link": "https://wise.com/help/articles/2958107/getting-started-with-the-api", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "workos authkit", "name": "WorkOS AuthKit", "fronts": [ "auth-analytics" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://workos.com/pricing" ], "offers": [ "First 1,000,000 MAU free (user management); $2,500/mo per additional 1M MAU above the free cap" ], "notes": [ "The largest free auth tier in the category — but note WorkOS bills enterprise SSO connections separately (~$125/mo per connection per third-party comparisons), so the 1M MAU win is for user management, not SSO. Verified at workos.com/pricing 2026-10-22." ], "findings": [ { "name": "User Management / AuthKit free tier: first 1,000,000 MAU free", "detail": "Official free tier covering the entire AuthKit/User Management platform (sign-up, sign-in, social/email login, MFA, RBAC, passkeys, admin portal): first 1,000,000 MAUs at $0/mo. Beyond that: $2,500/mo per additional 1M MAU. No time limit, no expiry stated on the official page. Staging environments are free (only production billed); Standard support (email, in-product web, API status notifications, private Slack channel) included at no cost. MAU = any user performing an action (sign up/in, profile update) in a calendar month.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone (companies, individual developers, students) via self-serve sign-up at dashboard.workos.com; no application, no eligibility criteria, no .edu or funding requirements. No credit-card requirement is stated anywhere on the official pricing pages (neither confirming nor denying CC-free sign-up).", "claim": "Self-serve: create a WorkOS account (no approval step), integrate AuthKit/User Management, and use it free up to 1M MAU. Staging is free for unlimited testing; production billing starts only past the free cap.", "expiry": "Permanent / rolling — the 1M MAU free cap has no published end date or renewal mechanism. Overage pricing is pay-as-you-go; Annual Credits plan is a custom sales arrangement (prepay discounts, 99.99% SLA).", "gotchas": "Free tier does NOT cover enterprise add-ons: SSO and Directory Sync are priced per connection ($125/each for 1-15 connections, tiered down to $65 at 51-100, custom beyond 100); Audit Logs stream $125/mo per SIEM connection + $99/mo per 1M events retention; Custom Domain $99/mo. MAU counts end-user activity, not your team seats — a large consumer app can hit 1M MAU and then pay $2,500/mo per extra million. Third-party directories (guptadeepak.com, startups.ws) note some directory listings mention payment-method rules generically, but WorkOS's own pages state no CC requirement — unverified officially either way.", "source_url": "https://workos.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Startup program (WorkOS for Startups)", "detail": "workos.com/startups exists, but it is a marketing landing page for the same 1M-MAU free tier, not a distinct startup program: 'User Management is free up to 1M MAUs', connections-based pricing for SSO/SCIM, 'from launch day to IPO and beyond'. No application form, no equity/data terms, no funding or age caps, no duration or expiry stated, no separate credit pool. Third-party directories (startups.ws, verified 2026-10-21; guptadeepak.com, Oct 2026) corroborate: free to join, no formal eligibility, worldwide, rolling.", "eligibility": "Effectively open to any startup (and any company); no published gate on company age, funding stage, revenue, or geography. No .edu requirement.", "claim": "No application needed: sign up self-serve, integrate AuthKit/User Management, use free up to 1M MAU. Optional: contact sales for SSO/Directory Sync enterprise deals or Annual Credits discounts.", "expiry": "No program duration or sunset date published; the underlying free tier has no published expiry.", "gotchas": "Do not treat as a time-boxed startup perk — it is the same permanent free tier rebranded for startups. SSO/SCIM (what startups usually need when selling enterprise) is NOT free: $125/connection/mo at low volume. No startup-specific discount is published on the official page; enterprise discounts are sales-negotiated. No credit-card requirement is stated on the page.", "source_url": "https://workos.com/startups", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Radar free tier: first 1,000 checks free", "detail": "Radar (bot/fraud/abuse detection): first 1,000 checks per month free; $100/mo per additional 50,000 checks. Part of the same pay-as-you-go model; available standalone.", "eligibility": "Open to anyone via self-serve WorkOS account; no startup/education gate.", "claim": "Same self-serve signup as User Management; Radar usage starts free up to 1,000 checks/mo.", "expiry": "Rolling monthly allowance, no published end date.", "gotchas": "Checks beyond the first 1,000 are billed in 50k increments at $100/mo; not a trial — recurring usage pricing. (Radar is bot protection, not a product-analytics/feature-flags offering; WorkOS publishes no free offer for product analytics or feature flags.)", "source_url": "https://workos.com/radar", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Free staging environments + free Standard support", "detail": "WorkOS explicitly: staging environments are free for testing; only production is billed. Standard support tier (email, in-product web support, API status notifications, private Slack) is included at no cost. Useful for students/developers: full sandbox access at $0.", "eligibility": "Any account holder; no gate.", "claim": "Automatic: staging environment of your project is $0; Standard support included with any plan tier.", "expiry": "Ongoing, part of standard pricing; no expiry.", "gotchas": "Standard support P1/P2 response SLAs are weaker than paid add-ons (Scale support $1,000/mo adds video calls, 1-business-hour P1; Enterprise is custom with 24x7 SLAs).", "source_url": "https://workos.com/pricing", "confidence": "high" } ], "sunsets": [ "No student/education license exists at WorkOS: workos.com/education returns 404, no education/student/trial URL appears in the official sitemap (sitemap_website.xml), and the footer only offers /startups and /pricing. No free trial credits or sign-up credit pool are documented on any official WorkOS page; the 'startup program' is not a formal program with an application — it is the permanent 1M-MAU free tier marketed to startups. No 2025-2026 sunset of a student/education or startup-credit offer was found: the official changelog (entries Aug 2025 - Oct 2026) contains no pricing/free-tier/trial changes. Caveat: third-party web search was exhausted mid-task in this session, so I could not search for historical/sunset announcements (e.g., a past YC or academic partnership); verification relied on today's official pages (pricing, startups, radar, sitemap, changelog) plus third-party directories corroborating the current state (startups.ws checked 2026-10-21; guptadeepak.com Oct 2026)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 4, "medium": 0, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "User Management / AuthKit free tier: first 1,000,000 MAU free", "link": "https://workos.com/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": false, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "xai grok api", "name": "xAI Grok API", "fronts": [ "llm-apis" ], "audiences": [ "other" ], "urls": [ "https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing" ], "offers": [ "No standing free API tier; the old $25/month beta credit ended Dec 2024 and $150/month data-sharing claims are not on current billing docs — pay-as-you-go from first call" ], "notes": [ "OpenAI-compatible at api.x.ai/v1; Grok 4.7 $2 in / $6 out per 1M. xAI now operates under 'SpaceXSI' branding (domains unchanged). Verify any promo code or account-specific credit in your console before relying on it." ], "findings": [ { "name": "xAI API: no free tier, no trial credits (confirmed non-existent)", "detail": "Official pricing page is pure pay-as-you-go from the first call: text models $1.00–$4.00/M input, $2.00–$12.00/M output depending on model and context length (Grok 4.7: $2.00 input/$0.50 cached/$6.00 output below 200k context; $4.00/$1.00/$12.00 above). The word 'credits' appears nowhere on the official pricing page; no free tier, trial credit, startup program, or education license is listed anywhere in the docs (pricing, quickstart, or full 2025-2026 release notes were checked). The quickstart says to 'Sign up for an account at console.x.ai' and 'load it with credits to start using the API' — i.e., you top up paid credits yourself; nothing is granted free. Cost Transparency note: responses include a cost_in_usd_ticks field (added Apr 2026) so each request shows its exact USD cost. WebSearch was unavailable (session budget exhausted), so verification was by direct fetch of official pages.", "eligibility": "No eligibility criteria exist because no free offer exists. API account at console.x.ai; paid credit top-up required for usage.", "claim": "Nothing to claim — no free offer to enroll in. Paid: sign up at console.x.ai, add an API key (API Keys page), load paid credits, then call https://api.x.ai/v1.", "expiry": "n/a — standing pay-as-you-go model, no expiration; no free tier to renew", "gotchas": "No minimum-charge or no-CC claim is documented anywhere today (console.x.ai blocks automated access, so billing fine print could not be re-read today). Batch API is 20% off standard rates; Priority Processing costs 2x; Files storage $0.025/GiB/day, Collections $0.10/GiB/day, downloads $0.20/GiB; Response-API violation fee $0.05/request. Agent tools priced up to $5 per 1000 calls. Any marketing claim of '$150/month free for data-sharing' does not appear on current official billing docs.", "source_url": "https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing;https://docs.x.ai/developers/quickstart;https://docs.x.ai/developers/release-notes", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Grok Build free tier (coding-agent product, NOT API credits)", "detail": "Grok Build is xAI's agentic coding TUI (launched beta May 2026 with grok-build-0.1 at $1.00/$0.20/$2.00 per 1M tokens if used via the paid API; in-product, Fast model is 'billed through your plan'). The official pricing page explicitly acknowledges a Grok Build free tier, stating only that 'Grok Build's free tier does not include' Grok 4.7 Fast. Exact free-tier limits (messages/model-per-day caps, duration) are not published on any page I could read today (grok.com plan pages and console.x.ai return 403 to automated fetch), so amounts/limits are unverified. This is a free product tier, not free API usage: it does not grant api.x.ai keys or billable credits.", "eligibility": "Unverified beyond the xAI docs; appears available to anyone who installs Grok Build (TUI) / has a Grok account; no .edu or startup requirement documented. Free tier excludes Grok 4.7 Fast (available only in Cursor and Grok Build paid plans, not on the public API).", "claim": "Install the Grok Build TUI (see docs.x.ai/build/overview), sign in free; the free tier gives access to standard Grok models for coding agents within undocumented limits.", "expiry": "Unspecified; Grok Build 0.1 was 'in early access' (May 2026 release notes) — a beta-era product, limits could change at any time; fast-moving product", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: existence of the free tier is confirmed by xAI's own pricing page but its caps/duration are not stated there — do not report specific numbers without reading grok.com plans in a browser. It is a product tier (like Claude Code Free), NOT free xAI API quota; Grok 4.7 Fast is excluded; heavy users hit caps and must buy a Grok plan (Plus/SuperGrok tiers, prices not verified today).", "source_url": "https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing;https://docs.x.ai/build/overview", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Consumer Grok app free tier (X app) — context only, not an API offer", "detail": "Grok inside X has a free consumer tier (rate-limited) plus paid Plus/SuperGrok plans; xAI blocks automated fetches of x.ai/grok.com, so current 2026 plan names/prices could not be re-verified today and are NOT reported here. The consumer free tier gives no API key and no api.x.ai access — irrelevant for the API front except as a reason some users conflate 'free Grok' with 'free Grok API'.", "eligibility": "X account holders (unverified details); no .edu, no startup, no credit card required for the app tier; does not include API access", "claim": "n/a for API research; claim only by making a free X account", "expiry": "Consumer free tier caps change frequently; not documented on dev docs", "gotchas": "Not a developer offer; do not cite it as an API free tier. Region: consumer Grok availability has been region-limited (EU launch Jul 2026 per docs release notes for Grok 4.5).", "source_url": "https://grok.com(planpagesreturned403toautomatedfetch—verifyinabrowser)", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "Startup program / education license: none documented for xAI", "detail": "As of 2026-10-22 no xAI startup program (age/funding caps, credits) and no education/student license (.edu) appear on any official page: the full docs navigation (docs.x.ai) exposes only a Pricing page among billing-related pages, and 15+ months of API release notes contain zero entries about credits, free tiers, startups, or education. This differs from OpenAI/Anthropic, which do run startup programs — xAI currently has no documented equivalent (unverified absent, not confirmed extinct, because web search was unavailable).", "eligibility": "n/a — no documented program", "claim": "n/a", "expiry": "n/a", "gotchas": "'Medium' only because WebSearch budget was exhausted, so third-party/partnership programs (e.g., a YC-style or partner-distributed credit deal) cannot be fully ruled out; official docs show none.", "source_url": "https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing;https://docs.x.ai/developers/release-notes", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "1) xAI API beta free tier: the old API beta granted free usage ($25/month-class credits, tied to data sharing when the API was in beta, launched Nov 2024) ended December 2024 when the API went GA on pure pay-as-you-go; that offer is closed and was not revived in 2025-2026 — no release-notes entry since Dec 2024 re-introduces credits or free tiers. 2) The widely-circulated '$150/month free for data-sharing' claim is not on any current xAI billing page — treat as unsubstantiated. 3) Unrelated sunsets noted: grok-voice-transcribe-1.0 EOL Oct 2, 2026 (routed to v2 at same price), grok-imagine-image-quality retired Nov 2, 2026, Grok Voice 2.0 deprecated (Voice 3.0 same price) — these are pricing continuity changes, not free-offer closures. 4) No startup program or education license was found in 2025-2026; the only free thing xAI ships today is the Grok Build product tier (and the consumer X-app free tier), neither of which is free API quota. 5) Method caveat: session WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so verification relied on direct WebFetch of official xAI docs (docs.x.ai accessible; x.ai, grok.com, help.x.com, console.x.ai all 403-bot-blocked) plus official release notes." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 1, "medium": 2, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "xAI API: no free tier, no trial credits (confirmed non-existent)", "link": "https://docs.x.ai/developers/pricing;https://docs.x.ai/developers/quickstart;https://docs.x.ai/developers/release-notes", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "xata", "name": "Xata", "fronts": [ "databases" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://xata.io" ], "offers": [ "Free Postgres plan / trial: managed vanilla PostgreSQL with instant branching; no hard quotas published on homepage ('Start free trial' CTA)" ], "notes": [ "Rebranded/evolved as 'branch native Postgres platform' (2025-26). Exact free-plan quotas not visible on fetched page — check xata.io pricing for current 5 GB-class free allowance." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Xata Open Source (self-hosted, free forever)", "detail": "Xata's core Postgres branching platform is open source under Apache 2.0 (github.com/xataio). Self-hosting it on your own infrastructure is $0 platform fee and includes copy-on-write branching, scale-to-zero (wake-up ~10s), OpenEBS/Mayastor storage and community support. It does NOT include managed observability, SOC 2/GDPR compliance, multi-region, or dedicated support — you operate your own cluster. This is the only PERMANENT free path; there is no permanent free hosted/managed tier.", "eligibility": "Anyone; no .edu email, no startup age/funding cap, no credit card, no region restriction. Requires you to provision and operate your own infrastructure (Kubernetes + CloudNativePG + OpenEBS). Self-managed.", "claim": "Free forever, no trial clock, no CC required. Clone the xataio GitHub org and deploy on your own cluster to use the platform at $0.", "expiry": "None (permanent, Apache 2.0 open source).", "gotchas": "It is self-hosted, not a managed service: you carry all ops burden, no multi-region, no SOC 2/HIPAA compliance tooling, no 24/7 support, and wake-up is ~10s (vs ~1s on managed Xata Cloud). The managed convenience (SOC 2, multi-region, dedicated support) requires paid Xata Cloud or BYOC.", "source_url": "https://xata.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Xata Cloud 14-day free trial (managed)", "detail": "The fully managed Xata Cloud (SOC 2/GDPR, multi-region on AWS+GCP) is offered as a 14-day free trial with NO credit card required during the trial. After the trial you must add a credit card to continue. Post-trial billing is pure usage: from $0.012/hr for a micro instance (<=2 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, ~$9/mo) up to $1.536/hr (32 vCPU, 128 GB), plus $0.28/GB/month storage billed by the minute. No per-branch or per-user fees; scale-to-zero means idle branches cost no compute.", "eligibility": "Anyone who signs up at console.xata.io; email required, no credit card during the 14-day trial, no .edu or startup proof. A credit card IS required to keep using it after the trial. Managed Xata Cloud currently runs on AWS us-east-1 and eu-central-1 (third-party-reported), so US/EU regions apply.", "claim": "Start the 14-day managed trial at console.xata.io; no card needed to begin. Add a card afterward to convert to pay-as-you-go.", "expiry": "14 days, then pay-as-you-go.", "gotchas": "This is a trial, not a free tier: the clock runs and a card is mandatory after 14 days. After the trial you still pay for compute hours plus $0.28/GB/mo storage — a side-project database that wakes up frequently keeps accruing cost, and idle branches still incur the storage line. The 'no CC required' promise applies only to the trial window. The docs (n8n quickstart) confirm: 'To keep using Xata after the free trial, add a credit card in the billing system.'", "source_url": "https://xata.io/pricing", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Xata Cloud $100 onboarding / signup credit (unconfirmed)", "detail": "Several 2026 third-party pricing trackers and the open-source release coverage describe a $100 onboarding/signup credit applied during the first 14 days of Xata Cloud. This credit is NOT shown on the live xata.io/pricing page nor in the machine-readable pricing.md I read today (both only state a '14-day free trial', no dollar figure), so its current availability is unconfirmed.", "eligibility": "Reported as tied to new Xata Cloud signups / the trial; no .edu or startup proof found (unverified); a credit card is required to continue past the trial.", "claim": "Reported as a '$100 onboarding credit (first 14 days)' by third-party trackers; not confirmed on the live official pricing page today. Verify via the signup flow or sales contact before relying on it.", "expiry": "Reported as tied to the first 14 days / signup; unconfirmed.", "gotchas": "Could not verify the amount against the live official pricing page or pricing.md today; the figure and whether it is still offered may have changed. Treat as unconfirmed. Corroborating third-party sources: srvrlss.io and dev.to coverage of the Apache 2.0 release both cite a '$100 signup credit' alongside the 14-day trial.", "source_url": "https://valuehub.valuecore.ai/valuehub/campaigns/index_ventures/xata-io/pricing", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Startup program / startup credits — not found", "detail": "No dedicated Xata startup program or startup-only credit exists on the official site, and Xata does not appear in 2026 free-startup-credits aggregators (e.g., StudentPerks startup-credits list). Xata's free-adjacent offers are generic to everyone (open-source self-host, 14-day trial, the reported $100 credit), not gated on startup age or a funding cap.", "eligibility": "N/A — no official startup program found; therefore no startup age or funding cap, because the program does not exist. A sales contact (cal.com/team/xata/xata-sales) is the only bespoke path.", "claim": "No official startup program found as of 2026-10-22. Any discount for a startup would be via the generic 14-day trial (and the reported $100 credit) or a direct sales conversation.", "expiry": "N/A (absence-based finding).", "gotchas": "This is an absence finding, not a confirmed program. A third-party SaaSOffers page lists a generic 'free plan' as a startup deal, but that is an aggregator description, not an official Xata startup program. Confirm with Xata sales before assuming a startup offer exists.", "source_url": "https://xata.io", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Education license / student (.edu) offer — not found", "detail": "No Xata education license, .edu program, or student-specific offer was found on the official site or in 2025–2026 sources, and Xata is not listed in GitHub-Student-Developer-Pack-style aggregators. The only free paths available to a student are the same generic ones: open-source self-hosting (free, no CC) and the 14-day Xata Cloud trial.", "eligibility": "N/A — no .edu email requirement because no education program was found; students are not treated differently from any other signer for the trial or OSS.", "claim": "No official education/student license found as of 2026-10-22. Students get the same generic 14-day trial and open-source self-host path as anyone; no .edu credential is required or requested.", "expiry": "N/A (absence-based finding).", "gotchas": "Absence finding, not a confirmed offer. Verify with xata.io or Xata sales before concluding that no education program exists.", "source_url": "https://xata.io", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "Major 2025–2026 sunset/change: the permanent free hosted tier that students/startups relied on is GONE. Xata's original product was a hosted 'serverless data platform' (spreadsheet-style UI, REST/TypeScript data API, full-text search, file attachments over Postgres) that shipped a permanent free tier with 15 GB of storage, no cold starts and no pausing. Sunset timeline: (1) On January 10, 2025 Xata pulled the search and files APIs out of the free plan; (2) in May 2025 Xata announced a rebuilt product centered on vanilla, unmodified Postgres with copy-on-write branching and data anonymization (pgstream) — the old platform was briefly renamed 'Xata Lite' and now returns HTTP 410 Gone at lite.xata.io; (3) in late 2025 Xata open-sourced its core under Apache 2.0, and the permanent free hosted tier was replaced by 'self-host the open-source version' plus a 14-day Xata Cloud trial (with a reported $100 signup credit) and no permanent free cloud plan. Consequence: if you used the old Xata free tier for a managed database, it no longer exists — the only permanent-free option is self-hosted open source; the managed path is the 14-day trial then pay-as-you-go ($0.012/hr + $0.28/GB/mo) or BYOC (quote-based). Note: WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so verification relied on the official pricing page + pricing.md + n8n docs read today plus multiple corroborating 2026 third-party trackers; the $100 credit could not be confirmed on the live official page." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 3, "low": 0 }, "best_offer": "Xata Open Source (self-hosted, free forever)", "link": "https://xata.io/pricing", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": true } }, { "key": "y combinator", "name": "Y Combinator", "fronts": [ "cloud-credits" ], "audiences": [ "startup" ], "urls": [ "https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/the-yc-ai-student-starter-pack/" ], "offers": [ "YC companies stack ~$350K+ across partners: AWS up to ~$500K, OpenAI up to $500K (or $2M via SAFE), Anthropic up to $500K, plus GCP/Azure/Gemini credits. A separate YC AI Stack gives students >$20K in cloud + >$5K in GPT/Claude/Grok credits." ], "notes": [ "2026 'credit war': OpenAI pitched $2M/uncapped-SAFE to the 2026 cohort, then moved to $500K no-equity + optional $1.5M equity tranche; Anthropic raised its YC offer ~16x to $500K no-equity. YC is an AWS Activate Provider. YC AI Stack (Fall 2025+) is the student angle. YC also offers ~$25K Startup School compute credits." ], "findings": [ { "name": "YC AI Stack (a.k.a. YC AI Student Starter Pack) — student program", "detail": "Bundle of free credits from ~20 partners for students who attend a YC university event (in person, starting Fall 2025). YC's official blog (Jan 16, 2026) headlines it as 'over $20,000 in cloud credits on Azure and AWS, over $5,000 in credits for GPT/Claude/Grok, plus generous credits for AI devtools' (14 YC companies), marketed as 'over $25,000' total. The live deals page deals.ycombinator.com/students (read 2026-10-22) currently names only AWS $10,000, OpenAI $1,000, Anthropic $500 plus 17 devtool logos; earlier 2026 snapshots of the same page also listed Azure $10,000, Grok (xAI) $2,500 and Cursor $720. Per-provider amounts are still fluctuating as YC 'rolls this out.'", "eligibility": "Students who attend a YC university event starting Fall 2025 (in person). No startup, company or funding requirement. No .edu-domain check and no credit card required per the page. Access auto-detected via the Hacker News account the student used to RSVP.", "claim": "1) Attend a YC university event and RSVP via Hacker News account; 2) receive the confirmation email after the event; 3) sign in at https://deals.ycombinator.com/students with the same Hacker News account; 4) browse and redeem each partner deal individually (each runs its own redemption flow).", "expiry": "Access lasts one year from the date of the qualifying event. Each partner's credits carry their own expiry. One third-party guide (blurredai, Feb 2026) says the email must be re-verified every 30 days to keep access.", "gotchas": "Live-page named amounts are LOWER than the Jan 2026 blog headline ('$20K+ cloud / $5K+ GPT-Claude-Grok') and the page is explicitly still expanding, so exact credit values vary by event/cohort. Devtool per-tool dollar caps are not published. Only available where YC actually hosts university events (regional/US-centric). No .edu gate is stated, so it is event-attendance-gated rather than verified-student-gated. Secondary claim URL: https://deals.ycombinator.com/students", "source_url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/the-yc-ai-student-starter-pack/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "YC Startup Credits Program (VC-funded umbrella for YC batch companies)", "detail": "YC's official apply page states 'Each YC company gets access to $12M+ in free credits and deals from top partners, including OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Stripe, and a long list of others.' This is the accelerator-funded stack delivered to accepted YC companies during/after the batch; a single company's realizable value is far below the $12M marketing total (roughly the ~$350K+ multi-partner stack in the task's 'known so far').", "eligibility": "Must be accepted into a YC batch (YC invests when a company is accepted, not when the batch starts). No public funding-age cap on the umbrella itself, but each partner program below imposes its own caps (e.g. AWS pre-Series B, <10 yrs old).", "claim": "Be a YC batch company -> receive partner Org IDs / promo codes during YC onboarding -> apply through each partner's portal -> redeem the YC-partnered deals through the sign-in-gated deals portal (account.ycombinator.com / YC company account at deals.ycombinator.com).", "expiry": "Varies per partner program (see individual partner findings below).", "gotchas": "'$12M+' is YC's aggregate marketing figure across all partners, not what one company gets. The full deals catalog is sign-in-gated, so individual YC-partner amounts are not publicly itemized on YC's own site; per-company value depends on which partner tiers you qualify for.", "source_url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/apply", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "AWS Activate credits for YC startups", "detail": "Up to ~$500,000 in AWS Activate credits for eligible YC batch companies (the $500K level was confirmed for the W24 cohort), typically split ~$200K general cloud + ~$300K AI silicon (Trainium/Inferentia, Amazon Bedrock incl. third-party FMs, reserved H100). The public AWS Activate Portfolio tier caps at $200K; the $500K is the YC-negotiated tier. As of 11 May 2026 AWS Activate credits became redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock.", "eligibility": "Active or very recent YC batch company (W24 onward at the $500K tier); company <10 years old; pre-Series B or self-funded; valid company website plus matching business-email domain; cannot have already received AWS Activate Portfolio credits of equal or greater value.", "claim": "Receive the YC Org ID from YC onboarding (Y Combinator is a designated AWS Activate Provider) -> create/sign in an AWS Builder ID -> apply for Activate Portfolio with the YC Org ID -> link your AWS account; expect a ~5-10 business day review.", "expiry": "2 years from the moment AWS activates the credits on the account; no extensions permitted.", "gotchas": "Credit card MUST be on file (no charge while within credits, but overages bill with no hard stop). Credits are non-transferable and locked to one AWS billing org; AWS auto-applies them; excluded spend includes AWS Professional/Managed Services, Mechanical Turk, crypto-mining, Route 53 domain fees and upfront RI/Savings Plan fees. The 2-year clock starts at activation, not Demo Day, so applying early in the batch preserves more usable time. YC Startup School / older alumni / rejected applicants get only the standard Portfolio tier (up to $200K), not the $500K.", "source_url": "https://aws.amazon.com/startups/credits/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "OpenAI API credits for YC startups", "detail": "OpenAI overhauled its YC startup program in 2026: up to $500,000 in API credits with NO equity requirement, plus an optional ~$1.5M additional tranche in exchange for equity stakes. In May 2026 (Spring 2026 batch, ~169 companies) Sam Altman announced $2M in OpenAI API credits per startup via uncapped SAFE agreements (~$338M total for that batch). Per WSJ-quoted reporting, the two firms could together hand out up to $800M/yr to YC startups.", "eligibility": "YC-backed / YC batch startups. The $500K tier has no equity requirement; the $1.5M and $2M amounts require signing equity (SAFE) agreements.", "claim": "Arranged through YC's partnership with OpenAI and distributed via YC onboarding / the YC deals portal, not a self-serve public application.", "expiry": "Not publicly stated; credits are redeemable exclusively with OpenAI (intentional vendor lock-in).", "gotchas": "A large share of the headline value is equity-funded (SAFE/equity), so it is not 'free' — it is equity-for-credits. Credits usable only on OpenAI models. The structure changed materially in 2026 (baseline offers were far smaller, ~$30K, in earlier years).", "source_url": "https://mlq.ai/news/openai-and-anthropic-pour-up-to-800m-a-year-in-free-credits-into-yc-startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Anthropic (Claude) credits for YC startups", "detail": "Anthropic raised its standard YC credit offer in 2026 from $30,000 to $500,000 per YC startup, with NO equity requirement — explicitly pitched as the founder-friendly counter to OpenAI's equity-based offer (a ~16x increase).", "eligibility": "YC-backed / YC batch startups. No equity requirement for the $500K tier.", "claim": "Arranged through YC's partnership with Anthropic and distributed via YC onboarding / the YC deals portal.", "expiry": "Not publicly stated; usable on the Anthropic API (and, for some stacks, via AWS Bedrock / GCP Vertex AI where Anthropic models are hosted).", "gotchas": "The jump from $30K to $500K happened in 2026. Figure is from WSJ-quoted press coverage, not read on Anthropic's public page today; actual per-startup allocation may vary by negotiation.", "source_url": "https://the-decoder.com/openai-and-anthropic-are-giving-away-millions-in-computing-power-to-attract-startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Google Cloud / Gemini credits for YC startups", "detail": "Google Cloud is now handing out up to $500,000 in GCP credits to YC startups, plus early access to new Gemini models and occasional access to DeepMind engineers. The public 'Google Cloud for Startups' program generally caps around $200K; the $500K is the YC-negotiated level.", "eligibility": "YC-backed / YC batch startups; standard GCP-for-Startups eligibility otherwise (early-stage, technology-based).", "claim": "Applied via YC's Google Cloud partnership; GCP for Startups application with YC as the referring provider.", "expiry": "GCP startup credits are typically good for ~12 months.", "gotchas": "The $500K YC figure is from a Google spokesperson quoted in WSJ-press, not from YC or Google's public page today; early Gemini access / DeepMind engineer time are not guaranteed entitlements.", "source_url": "https://the-decoder.com/openai-and-anthropic-are-giving-away-millions-in-computing-power-to-attract-startups/", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Microsoft Azure credits for YC startups", "detail": "Microsoft for Startups (Founders Hub) offers up to ~$150,000 in Azure credits unlocked across milestone tiers, plus free GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio and Microsoft 365, with Azure OpenAI model access included. YC founders commonly reach it through YC's partnership or via the public Founders Hub.", "eligibility": "Startups (self-funded or VC-backed; no equity required); YC batch companies can access Azure credits through the YC partnership or apply directly to Founders Hub.", "claim": "Apply through Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, or receive Azure credits via YC partner onboarding.", "expiry": "Azure credits are generally valid ~12 months; further tiers unlock by meeting product/milestones rather than auto-renewing.", "gotchas": "Credits are 'up to $150K' and gated behind milestone achievements, so most startups land well below the cap. Sourced from a third-party 2025 comparison guide, not read on Azure/Founders Hub today — lowest confidence of the partner programs.", "source_url": "https://firstday.dev/blog/cloud-credits-comparison-2025", "confidence": "low" }, { "name": "YC AI devtools bundle (voice / browser / search / video / DB)", "detail": "14-17 YC devtool companies provide free AI devtool credits bundled into both the YC AI Stack (students) and the YC startup deals portal: Firecrawl, Exa, Vapi, Browser Use, Reducto, Gumloop, Deepgram, Greptile, Supabase, AgentMail, Langfuse, sync., Coinbase, Roboflow, Tavus, Blaxel, Bolna AI, Respan and Cursor ($720 in one student snapshot). These cover voice AI, browser automation, web search, video generation, document parsing and databases. Per-tool dollar caps are not published on the YC page.", "eligibility": "Students via the YC AI Stack (attending a YC university event); startups via being a YC batch company / deals portal.", "claim": "Sign in to https://deals.ycombinator.com/students (students) or the YC deals portal (startups), then redeem each devtool deal individually through that company's own signup flow.", "expiry": "Varies per tool; YC does not publish per-tool expiry dates.", "gotchas": "Per-tool limits are hidden and the partner roster/changelogs shift as YC expands the stack; some entries are trials rather than perpetual free tiers, and each carries its own terms and expiry.", "source_url": "https://deals.ycombinator.com/students", "confidence": "medium" } ], "sunsets": [ "2025: YC reportedly REMOVED the public \"YC Startup School Deals & Offers\" page (per startcamp.com, Feb 2025). Startup deals moved behind sign-in at deals.ycombinator.com, so YC Startup School members no longer automatically get the old public AWS $5K (non-China) / $1,500+3K rebate (China) tier; that older startup-school AWS deal is effectively retired. 2025-2026 partner CREDITS CHANGES (all EXPANSIONS, no partner program was sunset): (a) Anthropic raised its YC offer from $30K to $500K, no equity; (b) OpenAI overhauled to $500K no-equity + optional $1.5M equity tranche, and offered $2M via uncapped SAFE to the entire Spring 2026 batch (May 2026); (c) Google Cloud up to $500K + early Gemini access; (d) YC's apply-page headline raised to \"$12M+ in free credits\"; (e) as of 11 May 2026 AWS extended Activate credits to be redeemable for third-party models on Amazon Bedrock (previously credits could not cover third-party AI model usage). Student PROGRAM CHANGES: the YC AI Student Starter Pack was rebranded the \"YC AI Stack\" and is being 'rolled out' to more students in 2026; the live deals page's named credit amounts have rotated down from the Jan 2026 blog headline ($20K+ cloud / $5K+ GPT-Claude-Grok to currently ~$10K AWS + $1K OpenAI + $500 Anthropic + devtools), so the per-provider figures are moving. No genuine YC-branded free-tier or education-LICENSE program (in the software sense) exists — YC is a VC/accelerator, so all 'offers' are partner credit bundles delivered through YC." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 2, "medium": 5, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "YC AI Stack (a.k.a. YC AI Student Starter Pack) — student program", "link": "https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/the-yc-ai-student-starter-pack/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "zoho catalyst zoho classes", "name": "Zoho Catalyst & Zoho Classes", "fronts": [ "student-only" ], "audiences": [ "student" ], "urls": [ "https://catalyst.zoho.com/students/" ], "offers": [ "Zoho Catalyst full-stack hosting (functions, DBs, AI tooling) 100% free for student non-commercial projects ($250 usage allowance / 6 months, extensible); Zoho Classes free for teachers up to 100 students" ], "notes": [ "2026: Catalyst student free program launched Sept 2026; Zoho Classes 2.0 (Jul 2026) free for Indian government institutions; classic Zoho Education free seats (50+) still available" ], "findings": [ { "name": "Catalyst Student Program: $250 usage / 6 months, no credit card, non-commercial only", "detail": "Catalyst is free for students building non-commercial projects: full-stack hosting (frontends Next.js/React/Vue/Nuxt/Angular, serverless functions, managed data, built-in auth, AI/ML tooling). Each student project gets up to $250 of usage at no cost over a six-month period. Bandwidth is free, unlimited; unlimited collaborators (no per-seat pricing). If a project hits the $250 threshold, the application is temporarily stopped and students are NOT auto-charged; they can email Catalyst Support with project details to request an extension, and 'eligible projects can receive additional free usage' (repeatable, case-by-case review). No subscription fee, no credit card, no edu-email verification described on the official page; no region restriction mentioned. Program launched with the first cohort of 'Catalyst Student Clubs' at three Chennai, India colleges (RMKEC, RMKCET, RMDEC).", "eligibility": "Students, legitimate non-commercial use only (learning, coursework, hackathon builds, side projects, experimentation). .edu email NOT required per official page; no region limit stated; credit card NOT required. Commercial use excluded.", "claim": "1) Open https://catalyst.zoho.com/students/ and click 'Claim credits' (deep-links to standard catalyst.zoho.com signup). 2) Sign up with an email address or existing Zoho account (no card). 3) Build/deploy; usage counted up to $250 per 6-month window. 4) At the cap: contact Catalyst Support to request extended free usage; they review the project's student-program qualification.", "expiry": "No sunset date published. The $250 allowance is measured over six months per project, after which the app is stopped (not charged) until an extension is approved by Support.", "gotchas": "Non-commercial only — commercial projects must use the standard Catalyst account. The official claim flow just opens the standard signup, so activation of the no-card student allowance should be confirmed with Catalyst Support (support@zohocatalyst.com). Students hitting the cap lose their running app until approval. Note the distinction: this no-CC student allowance is separate from the generic $250 wallet credit for all new users, which DOES require adding a card. Program is new (announced Sept 2, 2026; blog Sept 6, 2026).", "source_url": "https://catalyst.zoho.com/students/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Catalyst Free Tier: perpetual monthly free usage (all users, pay-as-you-go)", "detail": "Monthly free usage that auto-renews, 'Forever, no expiry', across all components. Monthly free limits (assume single-component use; limits are account-wide across all orgs/projects): Functions 25,000 GB-seconds; AppSail 900 GB-minutes; Circuits 2,000 state transitions; Data Store 2 GB-days storage + 10,000 SELECT / 5,000 INSERT / 1,000 UPDATE / 1,000 DELETE requests, 10,000 bulk-write rows; Stratus 5 GB file storage, 10,000 downloads; NoSQL 1 GB table + 1 GB index storage; Cache 1,000 GET / 5,000 PUT; API Gateway 100,000 requests; Web Client Hosting 300,000 requests; Mail 100 emails; Push Notifications 500; Search 1,000 queries; Slate (frontend) 12 GB-minutes build & deploy (2vCPU 4GB), 500 MB CDN storage, 25,000 GB-seconds invocations; QuickML 1,000,000 LLM input / 500,000 output tokens, 1 GB data storage; Zia Services 100 calls per API; SmartBrowz 7,200 GB-seconds headless, 50 PDF/screenshot conversions; DevOps CI/CD 1,200 GB-minutes, 100 alerts. You get usage alerts at 90% of any component's limit.", "eligibility": "All new Catalyst users on the pay-as-you-go pricing model. No credit card to sign up ('you don't need to provide your card details to sign up to Catalyst's free tier'); a payment method is requested only when a resource's free allowance is about to run out.", "claim": "Sign up at catalyst.zoho.com (email address, or existing Zoho account). Choose the pay-as-you-go model; free tier applies automatically, refreshed after each bill/payment cycle. Keep usage within the hard limits to stay free indefinitely; delete unused projects to avoid the minimum bill.", "expiry": "None — 'Renewal: Monthly; Forever, no expiry'. Limits refresh monthly.", "gotchas": "Hard limits are consolidated across your ENTIRE account (all orgs and projects), not per project. Exceeding any component's limit triggers pay-as-you-go billing for that resource, PLUS a minimum billing of $5/project/month (introduced 2024-04-01) — delete unused projects to avoid it. Listed limits assume a component is used alone; mixing components dilutes each allowance. The generic $250 new-customer credits sit on top of (are exclusive of) this free tier and require a card. Bandwidth/egress is free (Catalyst's stated position).", "source_url": "https://catalyst.zoho.com/free-tier/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Catalyst Free Trial + one-time $250 production wallet credits (all new customers; card required for the credits)", "detail": "Free Trial: free full-featured development environment (Functions, AppSail, QuickML, ConvoKraft, SmartBrowz, AutoML, auth, Web Client Hosting, APM, push/mail, etc.) that does NOT expire; up to 50 projects per account; no auto-charging unless you move a project to production; one account per new customer; signup needs only an email address. The $250 wallet credits apply to production usage when your first project is deployed live; they are a one-time benefit, valid 6 months from the date claimed, and are exclusive of the monthly free-tier allowance and of the $5/month free tier bundled with subscription plans. After credits + free tier are exhausted, pay-as-you-go billing applies.", "eligibility": "All new Catalyst customers who have never had a Catalyst account or received wallet credits (students, startups, individuals — no commercial restrictions on this general path). Free Trial needs no card; the $250 production credits require adding a payment method ('Add a card to claim them').", "claim": "1) Sign up at catalyst.zoho.com (email or Zoho account) — development use is free and non-expiring. 2) To claim $250: in Billing, click 'Get $250 Credits' → Select Payment Plan → add a payment method; credits become valid for 6 months. 3) Deploy first project to production; usage bills against the $250 first.", "expiry": "Free Trial: no expiry. $250 credits: expire 6 months after claiming; not refreshed monthly; unused credit cannot be recovered or extended.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: 'Free Trial' (dev sandbox, no expiry, no card) is NOT the same as the 'Free Tier' (monthly free usage, pay-as-you-go). The $250 credit IS card-gated, unlike the student no-card allowance. Once credits lapse, usage beyond free tier is billed (with $5/project/month minimum). ConvoKraft is separately free of charge per Catalyst docs. The 2024 price-change notice ended the old free sandbox on 2024-03-31 and moved billing to usage-based from 2024-04-01.", "source_url": "https://catalyst.zoho.com/catalyst-free-trial.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Classes Free Edition: free for schools/teachers up to 100 students ('no questions asked')", "detail": "Zoho Classes (AI-powered LMS: live streaming classes, course distribution, assignments, attendance, mobile apps) has a free edition 'completely free for all schools for up to 100 students. No questions asked' and a 'Free-For-Teacher License for up to 100 students' (per the signup page). No .edu or domain requirement is stated and no payment method is needed for the free license. Paid editions: $4 per student per year globally ('33 cents per student per month', stream live to 50,000 students); ₹250 per student per year in India. With the July 15, 2026 Classes 2.0 relaunch, paid tiers for private institutions are billed per instructor per month (Standard ~$7/instructor/month, Pro ~$20/instructor/month per press reporting; India from ~₹500/teacher/month; Zoho renders these prices dynamically and doesn't print them as text).", "eligibility": "Any school or college up to 100 students (worldwide); individual teachers teaching up to 100 students. No edu-email, no accreditation proof, no credit card stated — 'no questions asked'. Larger institutions need a trial license registration or paid plan.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/classes (classes signup page advertises the free-for-teacher license up to 100 students); the free edition applies automatically. Schools over 100 students register for a trial license / paid plan via the pricing page.", "expiry": "No sunset date published for the 100-student free edition; 'completely free', no stated trial window.", "gotchas": "The 100-student cap is on total students, so a class with 50 students in two sections consumes the whole allowance. Feature depth (AI course builder, agentic AI, lifecycle management) ships with Classes 2.0 (July 2026) and is rolling out region-by-region — India first; check your region's feature availability. Per-instructor paid pricing (2026 model) means costs scale with faculty headcount, not enrollment. Pricing figures for Standard/Pro are press-reported, not Zoho-published text — verify on the live pricing page (which blocks scrapers; direct fetch returned 403).", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/classes/pricing/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Classes 2.0: free for ALL Central and State government schools, colleges, and universities in India", "detail": "Announced July 15, 2026 with Classes 2.0: Zoho Classes is available 'at no product licensing cost to all Central and State Government schools, colleges, and universities' in India (AI LMS with embedded AI for lesson planning/grading/reporting, student lifecycle management, institutional dashboards, attendance, and support for all 22 scheduled Indian languages). Private institutions pay per-instructor subscriptions. Global rollout is 'in the coming months' with regional capabilities; the government-free offer is India-only.", "eligibility": "Central and State government educational institutions in India (schools, colleges, universities). Private institutions are NOT covered (paid tiers). Individual teachers up to 100 students are covered by the separate free edition. No .edu/student-email condition; no credit card for the government free offer.", "claim": "Government institutions obtain it via Zoho's education program channels (Zoho's launch announcement and education/relationship team; larger private schools can register for trial licenses from the Classes pricing page). No self-serve public application form is published on the pages read today.", "expiry": "No sunset date stated; presented as an ongoing commitment ('no product licensing cost').", "gotchas": "India-only (government offer) and the 2.0 platform initially launched in India; global features/rollout pending — international government institutions should not assume coverage yet. 'No product licensing cost' excludes implementation/infrastructure costs borne by the institution. Zoho is building an education-specific LLM (Zia-based); AI features may evolve.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/news/zoho-unveils-zoho-classes-2.0-an-ai-powered-academic-lms-for-teaching-learning-and-student-success.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho for Startups: Zoho Wallet credits (up to ₹3,00,000 / ₹1,86,000 in India; 360-day validity) — 23 countries, DPIIT-gated in India", "detail": "Program giving startups Zoho Wallet credits to explore 55+ Zoho applications (suits, individual apps, upgrades, add-ons, renewals) plus weekday classic email support and free consultation. Credits valid 360 days from when Stage 1 is enabled; Stage 2 is an extra tranche unlocked by hosting and mapping your business domain with Zoho within 15 days of receiving Stage 1 (both tranches share the 360-day expiry, which cannot be extended). India figures (from the official Startup India resource-partner page, updated Sept 14, 2026): DPIIT-beneficiary startups (tax-exempt, National Startup Award winners, SISFS) up to ₹3,00,000 total = ₹2,00,000 for 360 days + conditional ₹1,00,000 promotional credits for 90 days (dependent on usage, non-negotiable); DPIIT-recognized startups up to ₹1,86,000 = Stage 1 ₹1,00,000 + Stage 2 ₹86,000 (domain on Zoho Mail within 15 days; note ₹1,00,000 cap on Zoho Workplace/Mail purchases). The zoho.com/startups page renders the USD amount dynamically, so it couldn't be captured by scrape today; no public funding/grants — software credits only. Credits can't buy Zoho Voice, Zoho Start, Zoho Domains, Zoho Backstage, Zoho Sign API, Campaigns PAYG, Qntrl, Vikra, TrainerCentral, most ManageEngine products, premium support, or email domains; non-transferable, non-cashable.", "eligibility": "Startup must furnish a DPIIT certificate (Startup India, India) OR be associated with a startup enabler that is a registered Zoho collaborator. Must NOT be a current or past paying Zoho customer (creating a new account does not reset this); prior program beneficiaries excluded; free-trial-only usage is fine; solopreneurs/bootstrapped founders qualify if they hold the DPIIT certificate. No startup-age cap or funding cap is stated. Eligible countries (limited access, live): Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, UAE, United Kingdom. .edu not relevant; org admin email required.", "claim": "1) Create a Zoho account using the organization's primary/admin email. 2) Apply at zoho.com/startups (or via your Zoho-collaborator enabler; DPIIT-beneficiaries apply through the Startup India link). 3) Respond to Zoho's confirmation email; validation/credit enabling takes 5–7 business days. 4) Within 15 days of Stage 1, host and map your domain with Zoho to unlock Stage 2. 5) Spend credits in the Zoho store before the 360-day expiry.", "expiry": "Credits expire 360 days from Stage 1 activation (Stage 2 shares that date); the conditional ₹1L promotional tranche (DPIIT-beneficiaries) is valid 90 days. No program-level sunset date published.", "gotchas": "Exact USD credit amounts are not printed as static text on zoho.com/startups (dynamically rendered; scrape today returned gaps) — confidence in specific dollar values is therefore medium; the India-facing amounts are the firm public numbers. One-time opportunity per startup (no re-application through multiple enablers). No funding/grants. Excluded product list is long. The program is 'exclusive for startups associated or incubated with Zoho collaborators' pending broader rollout. The old 'free Zoho One for a year' subscription (previous program version) has been replaced by wallet credits.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/startups/faq.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Zoho general free Standard editions (available to anyone, including students and startups)", "detail": "Most Zoho apps ship a free 'Standard' edition with a small seat cap (commonly up to 3 users, more in some apps, e.g., Zoho Mail/Books/Analytics allow a few more), plus 15-day full-feature paid-plan trials. These are not education- or startup-specific offers — they are open to students and startups as individual accounts, no credit card for the free edition. Useful as a base layer (CRM, Docs, Mail, Analytics) under the Catalyst/Classes offers above.", "eligibility": "Anyone (individuals, students, startups). No .edu requirement; free editions have no CC requirement in most apps (paid trials do). Seat caps vary per app.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com with a personal/edu/any email, start the free Standard edition of each app (or claim the 15-day paid-plan trial from the app's trial page).", "expiry": "No sunset; free Standard editions are standing offers. (Not re-verified page-by-page today; per-app seat caps vary — treat 3-user as the typical default, not a guarantee.)", "gotchas": "Not verified today per-app (listed at low confidence deliberately); seat limits are per-app and some require billing details to start (e.g., certain apps' trials). For startups, the Zoho for Startups credits program is the higher-value path instead of piecing together free Standard plans.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/crm/pricing.html", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "No 2025–2026 sunset of the core free offers; the changes were additive or model-level: (1) Zoho Catalyst Student Program ($250/6 months, no CC) is NEW — announced Sept 2, 2026, blogged Sept 6, 2026; nothing before it was retired. (2) Zoho for Startups: the old 'free Zoho One subscription for a year' was replaced by the wallet-credit model (FAQ explicitly calls Zoho One 'our old offering'); Stage 1/Stage 2 structure and 360-day validity are the current model. (3) Zoho Classes 2.0 relaunched July 15, 2026: pricing model flipped from per-student-per-year ($4/₹250, 2020 model) to per-instructor-per-month (Standard ~$7, Pro ~$20, press-reported) for private institutions; the 100-student free edition and the India government free-license offer were kept/strengthened — the government offer expanded explicitly to all Central & State government schools, colleges and universities at no licensing cost. (4) Catalyst historical price-change notice (effective Jan 1, 2024 / Apr 1, 2024 for pre-existing users) ended the free sandbox on Mar 31, 2024, introduced the monthly-renewing free tier and $5/project/month minimum billing on Apr 1, 2024 — still in force today, relevant gotcha for the free tier. Method note: final web-search budget was exhausted after six searches; all findings above were read today via WebFetch or same-day official-page search snapshots (zoho.com direct fetches returned 403 to the fetcher, so zoho.com pages were read via search snapshots of the live pages)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 5, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Catalyst Student Program: $250 usage / 6 months, no credit card, non-commercial only", "link": "https://catalyst.zoho.com/students/", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } }, { "key": "zoho crm free edition", "name": "Zoho CRM Free Edition", "fronts": [ "apis-data" ], "audiences": [ "free-for-all" ], "urls": [ "https://www.zoho.com/crm/pricing.html" ], "offers": [ "Zoho CRM Free: free forever for up to 3 users, 5,000 API calls/day, 10 email templates; Zoho also runs free tiers in several other products (Creator, Analytics, Projects, Desk, Writer)" ], "notes": [ "CRM Free Edition verified 2026-10 on the pricing page (no record/storage caps stated there). No active general Zoho startup credit program found this session." ], "findings": [ { "name": "Zoho CRM Free Edition (free forever, 3 users)", "detail": "Forever free Zoho CRM. Limits: up to 3 users; 5,000 API calls/day; up to 10 custom email templates; free data export up to 10 times; spreadsheet import free. Includes contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, tasks/meetings/call tracking, standard reports, mobile app. Excluded: mass email, forecasting, CPQ, custom portals, reporting hierarchy, sandbox, field-level encryption, AI agents (paid tiers only). No billing/credit-card for the free plan. No region limit stated.", "eligibility": "Anyone; up to 3 users; no .edu, no startup cap, no credit card; appears available in all Zoho-supported regions.", "claim": "Go to zoho.com/crm/pricing.html, click 'Start Free' / create account on the Free edition; no payment method entered.", "expiry": "Free forever; no renewal. Limits (3 users, 5,000 API calls/day, 10 email templates, 10 exports) are the permanent caps.", "gotchas": "No storage cap or automation-count cap is published; data export capped at 10 times total; API quota 5,000 calls/day is lower than Standard paid (15,000/day) — API workloads will hit the ceiling; paid-tier features are hard-gated; local taxes added to any later paid upgrade.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/crm/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho for Startups — Zoho Wallet Credits program (startup program)", "detail": "Early-stage startups get Zoho Wallet Credits to trial Zoho's 55+ app SaaS suite (any Zoho app/suite incl. Zoho One, Workplace Stage 1, People Plus; also upgrades, add-ons, monthly renewals; Workplace/Mail excluded from Stage-2 credits). Two stages: base credit after validation + extra credit if the startup hosts its domain with Zoho within 15 days. Credits valid 360 days, then balance resets to 0, no extensions; one-time benefit; not transferable, not refundable. Amounts in $ are not published on the page (left blank as fetched today).", "eligibility": "Must fit Startup India definition; registered with a collaborating ecosystem enabler (incubator/accelerator/coworking space) OR DPIIT/Startup India recognition; must be new/free Zoho user with no paid-subscription history; MSMEs excluded; one claim only. Limited to startups in ~24 countries (India, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, UAE, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana-listed neighbors, etc.).", "claim": "1) Create Zoho account with the org's primary admin email. 2) Register at the Zoho founders-registration page, selecting your associated startup hub. 3) Validation takes 5-7 business days. 4) Credits land in Zoho Wallet; follow the confirmation email to enable domain hosting for Stage-2 credits within 15 days.", "expiry": "Credits expire 360 days from deposit, no extension; program is one-time per startup.", "gotchas": "Credit values are undisclosed on the public page (verify at registration); strictly gated on enabler/DPIIT association — no open application; deleting the account zeroes the balance; weekdays-only classic email support and free English consultation only; training via paid Zoho Partners; no US in the country list as fetched today (confirm current list on the page).", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/startups/", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho CRM paid-edition free trial (Standard/Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate, Bigin, CRM Plus)", "detail": "Free trial of all paid editions via 'START FREE TRIAL' CTAs on the pricing page; 'flexible free trial' signup; no trial duration in days and no credit-card statement appears anywhere on zoho.com/crm/pricing.html as fetched today. Trial signups for free editions elsewhere in Zoho use email only (no billing).", "eligibility": "Anyone signing up; new accounts; no .edu requirement; credit card not required for trial sign-up on Zoho product pages (email/password only).", "claim": "On zoho.com/crm/pricing.html click 'Start free trial' for the chosen paid edition and complete email sign-up; downgrade/choice of plan available during signup.", "expiry": "Trial window not stated on the CRM page (sibling Zoho products state 14-day Books/Cliq trials and 15-day Desk/Creator trials); at trial end you are charged only if you convert to paid.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: after the trial you must actively subscribe (paid) — unlike Desk/Creator, Zoho CRM has no public auto-downgrade-to-Free path stated on the pricing page; free edition remains available separately; duration unverified on official page today (medium confidence).", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/crm/pricing.html", "confidence": "medium" }, { "name": "Zoho Desk Free Edition (3 users, free forever)", "detail": "Zoho Desk Free: 3 user licenses, easy email ticketing out of the box, 'Free Forever' (₹2,600 crossed out in INR locale). No numeric caps on tickets/storage stated on the page. 15-day free trial of any paid plan (Standard/Professional/Enterprise), sign-up explicitly 'without ever providing a credit card'; when a paid plan's trial ends, the account auto-downgrades to the Free plan.", "eligibility": "Anyone; 3 users; no .edu, no credit card, no region limit stated.", "claim": "Sign up at desk.zoho.com / zoho.com/desk/pricing.html Free edition; or start a 15-day paid-plan trial without a card.", "expiry": "Free forever. Paid-plan trial: 15 days then automatic downgrade to Free (data retained, no charge).", "gotchas": "No light-user seats, no automation/AI/multi-department/SLA features in Free; Standard starts at 5 users; annual billing saves up to 34% vs monthly if you upgrade.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/desk/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Creator Free Edition (1 app, free forever)", "detail": "Zoho Creator Free: one custom app for low-code app building; basic app-building needs supported; standing free tier per FAQ. Granular caps (users, storage, API-call/cloud-function counts) are not on the pricing page — they live in the linked full feature-comparison. 15-day fully-featured trial of Standard/Professional/Enterprise, 'No credit card' listed as a trial condition; default signup lands in the Professional trial; after 15 days the account moves to the Free plan.", "eligibility": "Anyone; individuals/small teams; no .edu, no credit card; region not limited on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at creator.zoho.com / zoho.com/creator/pricing.html; choose Free (or start the 15-day trial without a card).", "expiry": "Free forever; trial auto-downgrades to Free at day 15.", "gotchas": "Free is single-app only; user/storage/API limits undisclosed on the pricing page — check the feature-comparison link before relying on Free for API workloads; yearly billing >30% cheaper if you upgrade.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/creator/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Analytics Free Plan (2 users, 10K rows, free forever)", "detail": "Zoho Analytics Free: 2 users, 10K rows, 5 workspaces, unlimited reports and dashboards; 'No credit card required' listed among sign-up conditions; FAQ confirms the Free Plan continues 'always' without upgrading. Not included: Streaming Datasets, Email Import, Live Connect, Data Snapshots, Ask Zia AI Agent, Auto ML, Code Studio, premium connectors, data alerts, Zoho Flow integration, access logs, backup/restore.", "eligibility": "Anyone; 2 users; no .edu, no credit card; region not limited on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/analytics/pricing.html 'GET STARTED NOW' (routes to Free plan signup, no trial needed).", "expiry": "Free forever; no renewal; row cap (10K) is the binding constraint, not time.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: no trial conversion trap — it is a standing tier; 10K-row limit rules out most production BI; per-plan prices/rows for paid tiers unchanged (check page for current pricing).", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/analytics/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Projects Free Plan (5 users, 3 projects, 5 GB, free forever)", "detail": "Zoho Projects Free: up to 5 users, 3 projects, 5 GB storage, 50 workflow actions/executions per month; includes subtasks, Whiteboard, iOS/Android apps, Google & Office 365 integration, Zoho MCP Server access. 'We do not ask for your credit card information when you sign up.' 15-day free trial of Premium/Enterprise/Ultimate, no credit card.", "eligibility": "Anyone; 5 users / 3 projects; no .edu, no credit card; region not limited on the page.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/projects/pricing.html Free plan; or start a 15-day paid-plan trial without a card.", "expiry": "Free forever (no expiration stated); trial ends at 15 days and converts only if you purchase.", "gotchas": "50 workflow executions/month is tight for automation-heavy teams; project cap of 3 blocks small agencies; MCP Server access is a genuinely useful free developer perk.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/projects/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Writer Free (free word processor, no credit card)", "detail": "Zoho Writer is a free word processor: 'unrestricted access to all its features as soon as you sign up'; no credit card mentioned. Document automation: unlimited template creation for free; generating documents consumes credits — a free monthly automation-credit allotment is included, with paid add-on credits for extra volume. Also free: grammar checker, plagiarism checker, document translation tool, online PDF editor. Exact storage quota not stated on the landing page (pricing page /writer/pricing.html is the source of record).", "eligibility": "Anyone; no .edu, no credit card; region not limited on the page.", "claim": "Sign up via writer.zoho.com 'Start writing now' (/writer/signup.html) or the free demo link.", "expiry": "Free with no stated expiration; automation free-credit allotment renews monthly; template creation unlimited.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: core writing is free (not a trial); but bulk document generation is credit-metered — free monthly credits can run out; storage cap not disclosed on the page fetched today (check /writer/pricing.html).", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/writer?zsrc=fromproduct", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Books Free Plan (1 user + 1 accountant, $50K revenue cap)", "detail": "Zoho Books Free: $0/org/month, indefinitely provided your revenue for the financial year does not exceed 50K USD. 1 user + 1 accountant; up to 1,000 invoices/year and 1,000 expenses/year; 5 scheduled reports; 100K-record async report exports; 50 receipt autoscans/month. No credit card ('we don't store your credit card information'). 14-day free trial of paid tiers (Standard-Elite/Ultimate), no credit card mentioned as required. Email support Mon-Fri 9am-7pm.", "eligibility": "Startups/small businesses worldwide; hard cap: revenue under 50K USD for the financial year or the Free plan no longer applies; no .edu needed.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/books/pricing.html Free plan (company name, email, phone, password — no card).", "expiry": "Free indefinitely while revenue stays under 50K USD per financial year; the cap is annual, so it effectively renews every fiscal year based on revenue.", "gotchas": "Revenue cap is the gotcha: cross 50K USD and you must move to paid; 1-user + 1-accountant is very restrictive for teams; add-ons unsupported except document autoscans; 14-day (not 15-day) paid trial.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/books/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Cliq Free Plan (10K searchable messages, 60-min meetings, 100 GB, free forever)", "detail": "Zoho Cliq Free: permanent Free tier for any team size (no user cap stated on the page); 10,000 searchable messages; 100-participant groups/channels (no external channels); meetings up to 100 participants, 60 min max; audio/video messages and screen recordings capped at 5 min; 100 GB org-level file storage; 24-hour delete window. Excluded: call recording, team channels, roles/permissions, custom domain/email, DLP, eDiscovery, branded meetings, live events. 14-day trial of Standard/Professional/Enterprise, 'Start free trial' buttons; unsubscribing at trial end downgrades to Free with data retained.", "eligibility": "Anyone; all team sizes; no .edu, no credit card.", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/cliq/pricing.html 'Try Now' on the Free tier; no trial conversion for the free tier itself.", "expiry": "Free forever; 14-day paid trial expires unless you purchase.", "gotchas": "Trial-vs-free: the Free tier is a real standing plan, not a trial; 10K searchable-message cap and no external channels matter for customer-facing use; Professional/Enterprise require minimum 10 users.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/cliq/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho Mail 'Free Forever' plan (5 users, 5 GB/user)", "detail": "Zoho Mail Free Forever: up to 5 users on one custom domain ('from the 6th user all users enter a paid plan'); 5 GB mail storage per user; IMAP/POP/Active Sync NOT included; mobile app included; bundles free editions of Mail, Calendar, ToDo, Cliq (free: 5-min A/V messages, 10K searchable messages, 100-participant channels, 60-min meetings, 100 GB org storage) and eWidget & Developer Space. No credit card. Footnote: '*Available only in select data centers.' 15-day trial of Mail Premium, no credit card.", "eligibility": "Anyone; 5 users/custom domain; no .edu, no credit card; availability limited to select Zoho data centers (not a single-region lock, e.g., India-only).", "claim": "Sign up at zoho.com/mail/pricing.html Free plan (email/password only).", "expiry": "Free forever; 15-day Mail Premium trial expires at day 15 unless purchased.", "gotchas": "No IMAP/POP/ActiveSync is the big one — desktop mail clients won't work on Free; 'select data centers' footnote means some regions can't claim it; 6th user forces everyone to paid; mixed paid/free yearly plans only allowed on yearly billing.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/mail/pricing.html", "confidence": "high" }, { "name": "Zoho University (free courses & certification exams, open to all — not a .edu license)", "detail": "Zoho's free e-learning program: courses and certification exams for Zoho products, open to anyone (no .edu email required) with most content free; some certification exams historically carry a fee. Treat as free learning, not a free software license.", "eligibility": "Open to all (students and professionals); no .edu requirement; no funding caps.", "claim": "Register at Zoho University (zoho.com/university redirects to zohouniversity.com); enroll in courses; take exams where free.", "expiry": "n/a (not a time-boxed offer).", "gotchas": "The zohouniversity.com site was unreadable today due to a TLS certificate mismatch, so the current free/fees split for exams could not be verified on the official page today; confirm fees per exam before relying on 'free'.", "source_url": "https://www.zoho.com/university/", "confidence": "low" } ], "sunsets": [ "No offers found to be sunset on the pages read today. (1) No public student/.edu education-license program found: https://www.zoho.com/education/, /students/, /academic/ all 404, and the CRM pricing page carries no student offer — Zoho's education angle today is Zoho University (free courses/exams, open to all, not a .edu license), whose site (zohouniversity.com) was unreadable today due to a TLS cert mismatch, so its current details are unverified. (2) Zoho for Startups is active but region-gated (incl. India, UK, US-adjacent list; no US on the list as fetched today) and enabler-gated; credit amounts are not published on the page. (3) Verification caveat: WebSearch budget was exhausted mid-task, so 2025-2026 change checks relied on today's official pages only; the CRM paid-trial duration is not stated on zoho.com/crm/pricing.html (sibling Zoho pages confirm 14-15 day, no-CC trial pattern)." ], "corrections": [], "confidence": { "high": 10, "medium": 1, "low": 1 }, "best_offer": "Zoho CRM Free Edition (free forever, 3 users)", "link": "https://www.zoho.com/crm/pricing.html", "flags": { "startup": true, "student": true, "nocard": true, "selfhost": false } } ] }