Redis Cloud Free tier: free credits and offers

Free Redis Cloud Essentials (always-free 30 MB tier) high confidence

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.

How to 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

redis.io

Pro plan 'First $200 free' (free-usage credit on paid Pro plan) medium confidence

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).

How to 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

redis.io

Redis for Startups program (free Redis Cloud for qualifying startups) low confidence

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.

How to 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

redis.io

Low confidence: verify before claiming.