OpenRouter Free Models: free credits and offers

Free tier: ':free' model variants and openrouter/free Free Models Router high confidence

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.

How to 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

openrouter.ai

OpenRouter for Startups: up to $5,000 universal inference credits + 12 months of 0% platform/BYOK fees high confidence

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.

How to 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

openrouter.ai

Mercury Perks partner tier: $1,000 in OpenRouter credits (6 months) + 12 months of 0% fees, for Mercury customers medium confidence

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.

How to 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

mercury.com

Stripe Atlas partner tier: $500 inference credits with 0% fees for approved Stripe Atlas founders low confidence

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).

How to 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

heap.page

Low confidence: verify before claiming.

Student/education license: no dedicated program — free tier is the student path; trial credits: none published medium confidence

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.

How to 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

costgoat.com