People often ask which of the big three model makers — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google — gives the best free API access. The honest answer in mid-2026 is that they are very different.
At a glance
| Provider | True free API tier? | Credit card to start | Best free route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Gemini) | Yes — ongoing free tier | No | Google AI Studio free tier |
| OpenAI (GPT) | No general free trial | — | Routers, or cloud credits |
| Anthropic (Claude) | Not confirmed (prepaid) | — | Claude via AWS Bedrock / Vertex credits |
Google: the only true free tier
Google is the standout. The Gemini free tier gives you capable models with no card, in every supported region. For more headroom, the Google Cloud $300 trial covers Vertex AI and the Gemini API for 90 days. See the full Google AI credits page.
OpenAI: no general free trial anymore
OpenAI removed its automatic free API trial credit. New API accounts pay per use, and there is no permanent free tier. To use GPT-class models without paying directly, your realistic options are free models on a router or spending cloud credits where GPT-class models are hosted.
Anthropic: effectively prepaid
Anthropic’s documentation has referred to a small test credit, but at verification we could not confirm an automatic free signup credit on its primary sources — the Console is effectively prepaid. The good news: Claude models are available on Amazon Bedrock and Google Vertex AI, so the AWS up-to-$200 credits and Google Cloud $300 credit both let you run Claude for free within those budgets.
Verdict
For zero-friction free access, Google wins outright. For OpenAI and Anthropic models, lean on cloud trial credits — they’re the most reliable way to use GPT- and Claude-class models without paying directly today.