Live checks of headline offers
45 headline offers from the quick-hit tables were re-checked against each provider’s official page on 2026-10-22. Results: 30 confirmed, 13 partly confirmed, 2 no longer available.
Verdicts: Confirmed means the amount and eligibility match. Partly confirmed means the offer exists but the terms differ; the verified terms are shown. No longer available means it has ended or closed. Agents read the pages; check the live terms before you claim.
| # | Provider | Offer | Verdict | Verified terms | Official page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y Combinator | OpenAI API credits for YC startups | Partly confirmed | OpenAI does provide API credits to YC companies - YC's official site states every accepted YC company gets access to "$12M+ in free credits and deals" from partners including OpenAI - but the current terms (as reported in July 2026 and unchanged as of 2026-10-22) are $500,000 in free credits with no equity required, plus an optional additional $1.5 million in credits only in exchange for equity via an uncapped SAFE (up to $2 million total). The $1.5M figure is therefore the equity-linked tranche, not a no-strings free credit, and the earlier May 2026 offer of $2M entirely for equity was limited to the Spring/Summer 2026 batches (summer deadline extended to May 25, 2026); neither YC nor OpenAI publishes per-provider amounts publicly (the deal list is behind Bookface login). | ycombinator.com |
| 2 | 500 Global | 500 Fellowship (500 Global Flagship Accelerator, Palo Alto) | Partly confirmed | 500 Global's flagship accelerator is now branded the 500 Fellowship: a four-month, in-person program in San Francisco (not Palo Alto) running Nov 30, 2026 to Apr 9, 2027, for early-stage founders from day 0 through first users, revenue or pilots who are in the U.S. or will be within six months. The actual investment is "up to $50K right away with the potential for up to $1M more as you progress" (with a stated $35,000 Phase 1 program fee), not a $1,000,000 check, and the Batch 37 intake closed in October 2026 (deadline announced as Oct 2, 2026), with the page now inviting applications for the next batch. | 500.co |
| 3 | Chargebee | Startup Program — $1M free Billing | Partly confirmed | The Chargebee for Startups program is live and open to applications (headline "Free billing to $1M"), but the $1M is a billing threshold, not a credit amount: qualifying startups get Chargebee Billing free only until they invoice their first $1,000,000 in cumulative revenue through Chargebee (not ARR/MRR), then move to pay-as-you-go with no annual commitment — so the real value is a few thousand dollars of waived subscription fees, not $1,000,000. Eligibility is narrower than the claim implies: you must be a new Chargebee customer not on a paid plan, belong to a partner accelerator or VC portfolio network, and have raised under $5M (companies above that, or already billing over $1M, can request a custom offer); free migration and 24/7 email support are included, and non-US thresholds convert from USD. | chargebee.com |
| 4 | Cloudflare | The Cold Start pitch competition — $500,000 credits prize (2026 edition, now concluded) | No longer available | The Cold Start was Cloudflare's live pitch competition at Cloudflare Connect 2026: the judges' choice winner received $500,000 in Cloudflare credits (plus a San Francisco billboard and a VIP speakers dinner invitation), and the audience choice winner received $100,000 in credits, open to US/Canada-based startups that had raised under $10 million with a real product or working prototype. Applications closed 2 October 2026 and the competition was held on 19 October 2026 at Moscone West in San Francisco, so the 2026 edition is concluded and closed to new entrants; Cloudflare for Startups (up to $350,000 in credits for one year) is the standing open programme. | cloudflare.com |
| 5 | Y Combinator | Google Cloud / Gemini credits for YC startups | Partly confirmed | Google Cloud's published offer for YC startups is up to $350,000 in Google Cloud/Gemini credits over two years via the Google for Startups Cloud Program AI Scale Tier (up to $250,000 in year one, plus 20% of year-two spend up to a further $100,000), plus $12,000 in Google Cloud Enhanced Support credits for one year and a year of free Google Workspace Business Plus; non-AI startups get up to $200,000. The $500,000 figure does not appear in Google's published YC terms — it comes only from July 2026 WSJ reporting quoting a Google Cloud spokesperson about startup credits generally (up to $500,000 plus Gemini early access) — and the program remains open to new applicants as of October 2026, with eligibility of Pre-Seed to Series A, founded within the last five years, and no more than $5,000 in prior Google Cloud credits. | cloud.google.com |
| 6 | Cloudflare | Cloudflare for Startups: up to $350,000 in credits (3 tiers: $10k / $100k / $350k) | Confirmed | Cloudflare for Startups confirms "up to $350,000 in credits for a year" across exactly three tiers: $10k (Tier 3, bootstrapped/self-funded with under $1M raised), $100k (Tier 2, under $5M raised and funded by an affiliated partner), and $350k (Tier 1, $5M+ raised and funded by an affiliated partner). Credits are valid one year or until consumed, and the page invites applications with no published deadline, so the program is open to new applicants; applicants must be a for-profit tech company incorporated within 10 years, funded up to Series B within the last 12 months, first-time applicants, with a live website, business email on their domain and a public LinkedIn/X/GitHub presence. Note product caps: R2 up to $10,000 and Workers AI up to $2,500/$10,000/$50,000 by tier, with AI Gateway excluded. | cloudflare.com |
| 7 | Cloudflare | Cloudflare for Startups — 3-tier credit program (up to $350,000 in credits, 12 months) | Confirmed | Cloudflare for Startups is a live, three-tier credit program open to new applications as of 2026-10-22, offering up to $350,000 in credits valid for one year or until fully consumed (no extensions, no published deadline). The tiers are $10k (bootstrapped/under $1M raised), $100k (under $5M raised, funded by a Cloudflare-affiliated partner), and $350k (Tier 1: $5M+ raised, funded by an affiliated partner), with all applicants required to be a for-profit tech company incorporated within 10 years, funded up to Series B with a round in the last 12 months, with a live website, a public LinkedIn/X/GitHub presence, a business email matching their domain, and no prior acceptance into the program; R2 credits are capped at $10,000 and Workers AI at $2,500/$10,000/$50,000 by tier. | cloudflare.com |
| 8 | Cloudflare | Cloudflare Startup Program (up to $350,000 in credits) | Confirmed | Cloudflare for Startups currently offers up to $350,000 in credits (Tier 1), with lower tiers of $100,000 (Tier 2) and $10,000 (Tier 3); credits are valid for one year or until exhausted, whichever comes first. Eligibility requires a for-profit technology company founded within the last 10 years, funded up to Series B with funding in the past 12 months, a live website, a public LinkedIn/X/GitHub presence, a domain-matched business email, and no prior program approval; Tier 1's $350,000 specifically requires $5M+ raised and funding from an affiliated Cloudflare partner, and the page remains open for applications with a stated ~48-hour review. | cloudflare.com |
| 9 | Cloudflare | Cloudflare Startup Program — annual credits ($10K / $100K / $350K tiers) | Confirmed | Cloudflare's Startup Program offers three tiers of annual credits — $10K (self-funded, under $1M raised), $100K (under $5M raised, partner-funded), and $350K ($5M+ raised, partner-funded) — valid for one year or until fully consumed, with no extensions available. Eligibility requires incorporation within the last 10 years, funding up to Series B received within the past 12 months, an active technology product with a live public website and public LinkedIn/X/GitHub presence, and first-time application; the program is still accepting applications as of 2026-10-22. | cloudflare.com |
| 10 | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | AWS Activate / AWS for Startups — up to $200,000 in credits + partner offers | Confirmed | AWS Activate (AWS for Startups) still advertises "up to $200,000 USD in Activate Credits," but that ceiling is only the Activate Portfolio tier, which requires an Org ID from an AWS Activate Provider (VC, accelerator or angel investor) plus pre-Series B status, founding within the last 10 years and an AWS account on the Paid Tier plan; self-funded startups get the Activate Founders tier at $1,000 initially and up to $5,000, while an invite-only "AWS Credits for AI Startups" tier offers $200,000+. Applications were open to new applicants as of 2026-10-22 (live "Apply now" flow, 5-10 business day decision, no posted end date), and credits are issued in USD under the AWS Promotional Credit Terms & Conditions alongside provider partner offers such as Kiro Startup Credits. | aws.amazon.com |
| 11 | Microsoft | Microsoft for Startups — single-path program, $200 immediate credits, up to $150,000 via milestones (current… | Confirmed | Microsoft for Startups is confirmed as a single-path program ("Every startup enters Microsoft for Startups the same way"), open to new applicants via startups.microsoft.com as of 2026-10-22. It grants up to $200 in Startup credits immediately (sign up for Azure + verify identity with a personal LinkedIn account), with automatic milestone-based progression to $5,000 (business verification), $25,000 (5+ Azure workloads over ~60 days), $50,000 (7+ workloads) and a top tier of $150,000 (10+ workloads plus ~$3,000/month Azure usage sustained ~60 days); eligibility is early-stage B2B startups from pre-seed through Series B, privately held, headquartered in a supported region. The candidate URL was the correct official Microsoft page, last updated 2026-08-05. | learn.microsoft.com |
| 12 | Microsoft Azure | Microsoft for Startups program: milestone credits up to $150,000 (2026 structure) | Confirmed | Confirmed. Microsoft for Startups (the 2026 restructure, which replaced the separate Founders Hub tracks with a single entry path) offers milestone-based Startup credits that grow to a maximum of $150,000 in Azure credits: $200 at signup with LinkedIn identity verification, $5,000 after business verification, $25,000 at 5+ Azure workloads sustained ~60 days (which also adds a one-time 2-year credit-use extension), $50,000 at 7+ workloads, and $150,000 at 10+ workloads with ~$3,000/month Azure spend sustained ~60 days; upgrades are automatic. Eligibility is early-stage B2B startups pre-seed through Series B, privately held, building software/AI/technology, headquartered in a supported Microsoft for Startups region; the program is open to new applicants (signup live at microsoft.com/en-us/startups as of 2026-10-22). | learn.microsoft.com |
| 13 | Microsoft Azure | Microsoft for Startups — up to $150,000 startup credits (single-entry, milestone-based, as of 2026) | Confirmed | Microsoft for Startups is a single-entry program (apply at startups.microsoft.com) offering up to $150,000 in Azure Startup credits that unlock over time as a startup demonstrates verified progress, service adoption and sustained Azure usage; credits must be activated within 90 days of accepting the program agreement and are valid for up to two years, with no extensions. As of 2026 the program remains open to new applicants (review ~3 business days) for privately held, for-profit software startups headquartered in an Azure-available country that have not raised Series C or later and have not received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits; $150,000 is a ceiling, and startups without an investor referral typically start with a smaller offer ($1,000 for 90 days, then $4,000 for 180 days after business verification), while Investor Network-backed startups typically begin around $100,000. | learn.microsoft.com |
| 14 | Microsoft Azure | Microsoft for Startups Investor Network track (~$100,000+ Azure credits, referral-gated) | Partly confirmed | Microsoft for Startups is still open to new applicants and its Investor Network track is real and referral-gated (a 10-character code from a participating VC, accelerator, incubator or university is required), but the amount differs from the claim: the program advertises up to $150,000 in Startup credits over time, and eligible Investor Network-backed startups may unlock up to $200,000 — investor-offer startups typically begin at $100,000 with the opportunity to earn more (Microsoft's FAQ). Credits must be activated within 90 days of accepting the program agreement and are valid for up to two years, with no extensions. | learn.microsoft.com |
| 15 | Microsoft Azure | Microsoft for Startups, Investor Network track: referral-gated, $100,000+ Azure credits + dedicated… | Partly confirmed | Microsoft for Startups is live and open to new applicants (docs updated Aug 2026) and now uses a single application path with milestone-based credits: up to $150,000 in Startup credits over time, with startups backed by a Microsoft for Startups Investor Network partner unlocking up to $200,000 (per learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-for-startups/benefits) plus expanded support, free Azure Standard Support, and a dedicated Microsoft for Startups point of contact for eligible startups. The referral gate is accurate - the investor offer requires a 10-character referral code from a participating VC, accelerator, incubator or university, and Microsoft does not publish the partner list - but the stated $100,000 figure is an outdated prior offer amount, not the current published term. | learn.microsoft.com |
| 16 | Anthropic | AI for Science program — up to $20,000 API credits for 6 months (researchers/education) | Partly confirmed | Anthropic's AI for Science program exists and is still open on a rolling basis (applications reviewed the first Monday of each month, no deadline): the help center page (dated March 16, 2026) states "up to $20,000 in API credits" for a 6-month period to researchers in academia and nonprofit organizations attached to research institutions, credits for API use only. However, Anthropic's newer official announcement of August 27, 2026 (anthropic.com/news/expanding-support-for-scientists) expanded the program and says researchers "can apply to our AI for Science program for up to $50,000 in credits per project" with "Any researcher is eligible to apply", so the $20,000/6-month figure is the older, un-updated tier rather than the current maximum; the separate rare-disease call ($50,000 over six months, deadline Aug 2, 2026) has closed. | support.claude.com |
| 17 | Algolia Free Plan | Algolia Startup Program (trial credits) | Confirmed | Algolia's Startup Program is live and open to rolling applications: approved startups get $10,000 in Algolia credits (usable on the Grow or Grow Plus plan at list price, not a student/trial plan) valid for 12 months from acceptance, after which unused credits expire. Eligibility per the current page and the Startup Program Terms (effective 7 Sep 2025) is a company incorporated no more than 7 years ago, under $15M in equity funding raised, and not a current or former paid Algolia customer (free-plan users may apply, one coupon per company); note the page's FAQ still quotes an older, stricter 3 years / $5M threshold. | algolia.com |
| 18 | GitHub | GitHub for Startups program — $10,000 credits (education/startup front: startup program) | Confirmed | GitHub for Startups offers "Eligible startups receive $10,000 in GitHub credits," usable across GitHub Enterprise licenses and eligible add-ons (Copilot, Advanced Security, Actions) for up to 12 months from approval. Eligibility: affiliation with an approved GitHub for Startups partner, outside funding up to Series B or earlier, new to GitHub Enterprise (no Enterprise plan in the past six months), no prior GitHub credits or Enterprise licenses, Enterprise Cloud on GitHub.com only, one-time redemption; approval typically takes 2-3 business days. The program is still active with no deadline or closure notice as of 2026-10-22 — the page's "discontinued" note refers only to the earlier free-seat startup offer, not this $10,000 credits program. | github.com |
| 19 | GitLab | GitLab for Startups (free/reduced Ultimate program) | Partly confirmed | GitLab for Startups is live and accepting applications: pre-seed/seed startups with up to $5M in external funding (new customers only) get a free GitLab Ultimate license (SaaS or self-managed) for up to 20 seats for 12 months with no support included, then 50% off any tier in year two; Series A/B startups with up to $20M get 50% off year one and 25% off year two. The parsed $5,000,000 is the Seed-tier funding eligibility ceiling, not the offer's value — the free year is worth roughly $50,000 at list (GitLab's own page headlines "20 licenses, zero cost, one year"), and self-funded/VC-unbacked startups are ineligible. | about.gitlab.com |
| 20 | Google Cloud | Google for Startups Cloud Program (up to $350,000 GCP credits over 2 years + 12 months Google Workspace… | Confirmed | Google's official program pages (cloud.google.com/startup and startup.google.com/cloud/) state the Google for Startups Cloud Program gives "up to $350,000 in Cloud credits over two years" — that maximum is for AI-first Scale-tier startups (100% up to $250,000 in year 1, then 20% of spend up to an additional $100,000 in year 2; the non-AI-first Scale maximum is $200,000) — plus "12 months of Google Workspace Business Plus at no extra cost" and monthly Google Maps Platform credits (listed on the benefits page as $600/month, separate application required). Eligibility is Pre-Seed to Series A funding, founded within the last 3-5 years, a working MVP and company domain, and not having previously received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits; applications are open as of 2026-10-22. | cloud.google.com |
| 21 | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | AWS Activate Program (flagship startup credit program; the VC/accelerator-funded front): up to $100,000 -… | Confirmed | AWS Activate's provider-backed Activate Portfolio tier is advertised as up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits (raised from $100,000 in June 2026), open on a rolling basis to pre-Series B startups founded in the last 10 years that hold an Org ID from an Activate Provider (VC, angel investor or accelerator) and have not already received equal or greater Activate credits; self-funded startups instead get up to $5,000 via Activate Founders ($1,000 to start), with applications reviewed in 5-10 business days. Provider-specific packages vary in size (e.g. $100,000 at seed stage), and credits expire per the AWS Promotional Credit Terms rather than a fixed published term. | aws.amazon.com |
| 22 | Firebase Spark | Google Cloud Startup Program / Launch (credit grant for startups) | Partly confirmed | The Google for Startups Cloud Program (the current name; cloud.google.com/launch is a dead 404 URL) is open to new applicants and its Scale tier offers up to $200,000 USD in Google Cloud credits over two years — Year 1: 100% of spend up to $100,000, Year 2: 20% of spend up to an additional $100,000 — rising to up to $350,000 for AI-first startups, while the Start tier gets only up to $2,000 for one year. The $200,000 is therefore a capped, consumption-based maximum rather than a flat grant, and eligibility is restricted to VC-funded startups from Pre-Seed to Series A founded within roughly the last five years that have not already received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits, with a Google Cloud billing account required. | cloud.google.com |
| 23 | Airwallex | Airwallex for Startups (US) — startup program with fee credits | Confirmed | Airwallex for Startups (US) is live and offers $150,000 in fee credits usable across FX, payments, payouts and platform fees for 12 months, plus no FX fees on the first $50,000 in transfers and 12 months of no monthly fees on multi-currency accounts. Eligibility is venture-backed startups from pre-seed through Series A that have raised $500K+ and have a US-registered business entity; existing Airwallex customers are not eligible, and the program is free to join and rolling (no stated deadline). | airwallex.com |
| 24 | Aiven Startup Program | Aiven Startup Program (startup-credits) | Confirmed | Aiven for Startups (formerly the Cluster startup program) offers "from $12,000 up to $100,000 in Aiven credits" valid for 12 months, with the exact tier set by startup growth stage and funding. Eligibility: founded no more than 7 years ago, external funding from pre-seed to Series B, company website and business email, and affiliation with a VC investor or Aiven ecosystem partner (accelerator/incubator/co-working); agencies, consultancies, NGOs and educational institutions are excluded, and credits are one-time per company. Applications are open and reviewed continually with new participants selected monthly, so the offer remains available as of 2026-10-22; note that $100,000 is the ceiling, not a flat grant. | aiven.io |
| 25 | Grafana Labs | Grafana Labs Startup Program (up to $100,000 in Grafana Cloud credits) | Confirmed | Grafana Labs' official announcement page confirms the Startup Program offers up to $100,000 in Grafana Cloud credits, usable on any Grafana Cloud service for 12 months or until the startup's next funding round (whichever comes first), plus free Enterprise data-source plugins, 24x7 support, and a guaranteed 20% discount off list prices afterwards. Eligibility: open to all new customers (including Grafana Cloud Free accounts) and Grafana OSS users moving to managed cloud, ideally with under $10M raised and fewer than 25 employees, with acceptance at Grafana Labs' sole discretion and a reference-customer requirement; there is no dedicated landing page (grafana.com/startups returns 404), but the official blog page and its linked four-question Typeform application were both still live with no closure notice as of 2026-10-22. | grafana.com |
| 26 | Vonage | Vonage for Startups program — up to $75,000 in Vonage API credits + tailored support | Confirmed | Vonage for Startups offers accepted early-stage startups up to $75,000 in Vonage API credits plus tailored technical support, custom solutions and co-marketing/brand amplification; per Vonage's March 2026 program post the credits are granted "over two years" and startups are selected in small cohorts each quarter. Eligibility: pre-seed through Series A, founded within the past five years, a company website with associated email addresses, an existing Vonage API account, and not an existing managed Vonage customer; the program is still open to applications ("apply today") as of 2026-10-22. | developer.vonage.com |
| 27 | Amplitude Free Plan | Startup Scholarship (Early-Stage Startup Plan) — 1 year of Growth plan free | Confirmed | Amplitude's Startup Scholarship (also called the Startup Plan) gives qualifying early-stage startups the full Growth plan free for 12 months, no credit card, which Amplitude values at $60,000 and caps at up to 100M events/month (200K MTU). Eligibility is fewer than 20 employees and less than $10M raised in funding; applicants create a free Amplitude account first and then apply from inside the workspace, with most approvals within hours. Year two is a 40% discount on an annual Plus plan, or the account can drop to the free 2M-events/month tier. As of 2026-10-22 the page lists no deadline or closing date and the apply links are live, so the offer remains open to new users. | amplitude.com |
| 28 | ClickHouse Cloud trial | ClickHouse x Y Combinator deal: $10,000 credits for 24 months | Confirmed | ClickHouse's official YC page still offers "$10,000 in ClickHouse Cloud credits, valid for 24 months," plus Basic Support, a one-hour expert training session and joint promotion. Eligibility: companies in the current Y Combinator program (page header reads "Current & Alumni" but the criteria say current YC program), pre-Series D, holding a valid YC secret code, and not already a ClickHouse Cloud customer; the page shows "Apply now" with no deadline or closed notice as of 2026-10-22. Note the separate general startup offer is a different deal ($5,000 credits for 12 months via partner codes), so the $10,000/24-month figure is specific to the YC offer. | clickhouse.com |
| 29 | GitHub | GitHub for Startups (startup program) — $10,000 Enterprise credits | Confirmed | GitHub for Startups offers $10,000 in GitHub credits, valid for up to 12 months from approval, applied to the startup's GitHub Enterprise account and usable across Enterprise licenses, Copilot, Advanced Security, Actions and other metered products. Eligibility requires affiliation with a GitHub for Startups partner, outside funding up to Series B or earlier, and being new to GitHub Enterprise (not on an Enterprise plan in the past six months, no prior GitHub credits or Enterprise licenses); the program is open to new applicants as of 2026-10-22. | github.com |
| 30 | Modal | Modal for Academics — up to $10,000 free compute credits (student/researcher program) | Confirmed | Modal for Academics offers "up to $10k of credits to be used on Modal" per modal.com/academics, and modal.com/pricing states that "Graduate students, labs, and researchers can get up to $10k free compute credits on Modal," with an "Apply now" button linking to /academics — so the $10,000 amount and student/researcher eligibility both match the claim. No expiry date or fixed deadline is published; awards are made by application and the actual amount granted varies by project, with the academics page pointing applicants to a grant-program signup at /academics#apply. | modal.com |
| 31 | Replicate 'Try for Free' collection | YC Summer Fellows (2025): Replicate $10,000 credits for students | No longer available | The 2025 YC Summer Fellows Grants post did list "Replicate ($10k)" in credits alongside Fly.io ($50k), Supabase ($10k) and Resend ($3k), available to any undergraduate computer science or engineering student, so the $10,000 amount was accurate for that cohort. However the 2025 cycle is closed (applications ended March 2025, program ended Aug 22 2025), replicate.com/startups now returns 404 with no startup or student credit program on Replicate's site, and Replicate is absent from YC's current 2026 AI Stack student deal list, so no new user can claim it as of 2026-10-22. | ycombinator.com |
| 32 | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | AWS Activate Founders tier (self-serve; $1,000 start, up to $5,000) | Confirmed | AWS's official Activate Credits page lists a self-serve "Activate Founders" tier for self-funded startups that awards up to $5,000 USD in credits, with the footnote "Start with $1,000 USD in Activate Credits. Select participants may qualify for additional credits up to $5,000." Eligibility is pre-Series B, founded within the last 10 years, an AWS account on a Paid Tier Plan, and either new to Activate Credits or requesting more than previously received; applications are open ("Apply here") as of October 2026, with decisions in 5-10 business days. | aws.amazon.com |
| 33 | ClickHouse Cloud trial | ClickHouse Startup Program: $5,000 credits for 12 months (partner-gated) | Confirmed | ClickHouse's official Startup Program page (live as of 2026-10-22, no deadline or closing notice) offers "$5000 in ClickHouse Cloud credits, valid for 12 months," plus ClickHouse Basic Support, a joint blog feature and community speaking opportunities. It is partner-gated as claimed: applicants must be part of a selected partner's program (listed: Antler, Bessemer, Blackbird, Google for Startups, Lightspeed, Merantix, Station F, TechLeap, TechStars), be under three years old, pre-Series D, new to ClickHouse Cloud (not a prior paid customer), and hold a verification code from their accelerator, incubator or VC; there is no self-serve path without a partner. Note a separate Y Combinator track exists at clickhouse.com/deals/ycombinator offering $10,000 over 24 months. | clickhouse.com |
| 34 | Microsoft Azure | Microsoft for Startups, self-service track: $1,000 Azure credits instantly (90 days), up to $5,000 (180… | Partly confirmed | Microsoft for Startups is still open to new applicants (new personal Microsoft account with no prior Azure account, B2B software startup, pre-seed to Series B, under $350K lifetime free Azure credits), but the self-service path taken by selecting "Continue without a code" now grants $200 in starter Azure credits immediately, not $1,000 — the $1,000 starter credit applies only to applicants entering a 10-character Investor Network referral code. Completing business verification unlocks the $5,000 milestone, with further milestones to $25,000, $50,000 and $150,000; current program pages state no 90-/180-day validity windows, and the "$1,000 for 90 days, then an additional $4,000 for 180 days after business verification" wording survives only in an older FAQ entry describing the separate "Azure startup credit offer". | learn.microsoft.com |
| 35 | Microsoft Azure | Azure for Startups (self-service credit offer, up to $5,000) | Partly confirmed | The self-service startup credit offer still exists and is open to new applicants as of 2026-10-22, but the amount is no longer capped at $5,000: Microsoft for Startups (apply directly at startups.microsoft.com, no investor referral needed) now advertises up to $150,000 in Azure Startup credits over time, starting with up to $200 immediately after sign-up and identity verification, with the $5,000 level now only milestone 2, unlocked by completing business verification (eligibility: privately held for-profit startup with its own software product, headquartered in an Azure-available country, under $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits, no Series C or later, not a government/education/consultancy/agency or crypto miner). Note the candidate URL azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students is the Azure for Students page ($100 credit for 12 months, full-time students only), a different offer that merely compares against Azure for Startups. | learn.microsoft.com |
| 36 | Microsoft Azure | Azure for Startups self-serve credits ($1,000 instant, up to $5,000) — no application | Confirmed | Azure for Startups is a self-serve offer open only to new Azure customers: $1,000 in Azure credits are granted instantly with no application required, and the total unlocks to up to $5,000 after business verification (an additional $4,000). Initial credits are valid for 90 days and post-verification credits for 180 days; a credit card is required only for identity verification, and the subscription moves to pay-as-you-go once credits expire. Microsoft's Microsoft for Startups FAQ (updated Aug 2026) independently repeats the same terms — "$1,000 for 90 days, then an additional $4,000 for 180 days after business verification" — so the offer is still live as of 2026-10-22. | azure.microsoft.com |
| 37 | Appsmith | Community Edition (free self-hosted, Apache 2.0) | Confirmed | Appsmith's Community Edition is still a free, self-hosted, open-source edition: the official pricing page lists a "Community" plan at $0 described as "our open-source low code application platform, available for free," and Appsmith's subscription terms (appsmith.com/terms-and-conditions, §2.1.1) state the Community Edition is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith/blob/release/LICENSE). Self-hosted Community Edition carries no license fee and no user cap; only the separate free cloud tier is limited to 5 users. | appsmith.com |
| 38 | Appsmith | Business Edition 15-day free trial (all new signups, cloud or self-hosted) | Confirmed | Appsmith's official pricing page states: "All new signups receive a 15-day free trial of Appsmith Business, and there is no credit card required to start," after which the account can activate Business or drop to the Free tier. This matches the claim exactly — 15 days, Business edition, all new signups, no credit card — and Appsmith's docs separately confirm the 15-day Business trial on Appsmith Cloud signups, while the pricing page's trial CTA covers self-hosted instances, so both deployment types are eligible as of 2026-10-22. | appsmith.com |
| 39 | BookStack | MIT-licensed BookStack software is free to self-host (no trial, no expiry) | Confirmed | BookStack is confirmed as "fully free and open, MIT licensed", with the official site stating "There is no cost to downloading and installing your own instance of BookStack." The source is provided under the MIT License (Copyright (c) 2015-2026, Dan Brown and the BookStack project contributors), and the project FAQ/blog confirm there are no paid editions, no dual licensing, no open-core tier and no trial or expiry — self-hosting is free for anyone, with only optional donations/support plans and your own hosting costs. | bookstackapp.com |
| 40 | Cal.com | Self-hosted Cal.com under MIT (free software, self-hosted) | Partly confirmed | As of 2026-10-22 the offer is free ($0) and MIT-licensed, but it is no longer "Cal.com": on 15 April 2026 Cal.com moved its production code to a private repository (closed source) and relicensed the public, self-hostable codebase from AGPL-3.0 to MIT under a separate community edition called Cal.diy (github.com/calcom/cal.diy, no license key or Cal.com account required). Cal.diy is feature-reduced (Teams/Organizations, Routing Forms, Workflows, Insights, SSO/SAML, API v1 and other Enterprise features removed) and Cal.com explicitly recommends it for personal, non-production use only — commercial self-hosting of the full Cal.com product now requires an Enterprise license through cal.com/sales. | cal.com |
| 41 | Chroma Cloud Starter | Starter free tier ($0/mo + metered usage) | Partly confirmed | Chroma Cloud's Starter plan is $0/month plus metered usage and includes $5 in one-time free credits for new accounts — the recorded $2.50 is actually the $2.50/GiB write rate, not a free-credit amount. It covers 10 databases and 10 team members, requires a credit card, credits generally do not expire, and the tier is open to new sign-ups as of 2026-10-22. | trychroma.com |
| 42 | CircleCI | Free plan (Cloud) | Confirmed | CircleCI Cloud still offers a Free plan at $0/month, including 30,000 credits per month (up to ~6,000 build minutes on the small Docker resource class) and 5 active users per month, with 30x concurrency and Docker/Windows/Linux/Arm/macOS/self-hosted executors; no credit card is required to sign up. Open-source projects get up to 400,000 credits/month for Linux builds, and free credits expire at the end of each month. Additional active users beyond 5 cost 25,000 credits each per month, deducted from the 30,000-credit pool (effective December 1, 2025). | circleci.com |
| 43 | CircleCI | Open source build pool (free OSS program) | Confirmed | CircleCI's free open source program is active and automatically available: organizations on the Free plan with public repositories get up to 400,000 credits per month for Linux, Arm and Docker open source builds, plus 30,000 credits per month for macOS and Windows builds (CircleCI's credits docs still show a stale 25,000 figure for macOS in one FAQ section, and cap macOS open source credit use at 2 concurrent jobs). No application or approval step is required, no end date is published, and open source builds keep running even after an org's personal credit balance is exhausted. | circleci.com |
| 44 | ClickHouse Cloud trial | Open-source ClickHouse - free forever (self-hosted) | Confirmed | ClickHouse's official pricing page lists open-source ClickHouse as "free forever" for self-hosting, with no cost, time limit or eligibility restriction (Apache-2.0 licensed; install via `curl https://clickhouse.com/ | sh`). The separate ClickHouse Cloud trial on the same page remains open to new users at $300 in credits over 30 days, no credit card required, ending at 30 days or when credits run out, whichever comes first, after which the account converts to pay-as-you-go. | clickhouse.com |
| 45 | Countly | Countly Lite (Community Edition) — free self-hosted | Confirmed | Countly Lite is confirmed as a free, open-source, self-hosted edition, described on Countly's own page as "free forever" with 20+ plugins and community (Discord/GitHub) support; Countly has dropped the "Community Edition" label, and its licensing FAQ restricts Lite to internal, non-commercial use under AGPLv3 (providing Countly as a service to customers requires a paid Enterprise license). Paid tiers are separate: Countly Flex private cloud starts at $175/month and Enterprise is custom-priced. | countly.com |