Free Intelligence · Model access
Which Model, When
Pick by budget, then by task. Each row links to the page that sources it, with vendor links and check dates on that page.
| Budget | If you want… | Pick | Details & sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0, no card | Prototype an app on a free API | Google AI Studio, Groq, Mistral free mode, OpenRouter :free, Cloudflare Workers AI | Free-Tier Tracker → |
| $0, no card | Keep prompts out of training | Groq (terms bar training without permission). Avoid Google's free tier and Mistral free mode, or opt out where you can. | Free-Tier Tracker → |
| $0, no card | Free chat and terminal coding | Mistral Free plan (Vibe app plus Vibe for code) | Mistral & Grok → |
| $1/mo | Cheapest paid coding plan | Command Go: $1 for $10 of credits ($3/5h, $6/week). CLI only, no API. | Command Go → |
| $10/mo | High-volume open models in any agent | OpenCode Go ($10/mo; Go Plus $40) with large per-model allowances | OpenCode Go tracker → |
| Pay per token | Cheap API calls from an EU vendor, open weights | Mistral Small 4 ($0.15/$0.60 per 1M) or Large 4 | Mistral & Grok → |
| Pay per token | Code completion in the IDE | Codestral ($0.30/$0.90 per 1M) | Mistral & Grok → |
| Pay per token | Frontier reasoning or 1M context | Grok 4.7, or Grok 4.3 / 4.20 for 1M context at $1.25/$2.50 | Mistral & Grok → |
| Subscription | An agent that works on X and your tools | Grok Bot (connectors; paid users get starter X API credits) | Mistral & Grok → |
| Your hardware | Run it yourself | Open-weight models on your own GPU. Hardware guides: Local AI Box and the V100 guide. | Local AI Box → |