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Hugging Face free inference ended: current alternatives

Hugging Face used to give every free account a small monthly credit for its routed Inference Providers. Since 7 October 2026 its pricing docs list that credit as “None” — free users now buy credits or upgrade to PRO.

The short answer

The Hugging Face free inference credit has ended: its pricing table now reads “Free Users | None”. For free inference on open models today, look at OpenRouter’s free models, Groq’s Free plan or Cloudflare Workers AI — or see every change we have recorded. Before moving a project, check expiry and billing pitfalls and each replacement model’s limits.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hugging Face inference still free?
Not for free accounts. Since 7 October 2026 Hugging Face’s Inference Providers pricing lists the monthly credit for free users as “None” and says free users can use Inference Providers “by purchasing credits, or by upgrading to PRO”. Until then every free account received $0.10 a month.
What does Hugging Face PRO include?
PRO costs $9 a month and includes $2.00 of monthly credits, which Hugging Face now describes as general-purpose compute credits usable across its compute services. That is a benefit of a paid plan, so we do not list it as a free offer.
Do I need a card to use Hugging Face Inference Providers now?
In practice, yes: free users must buy credits, and Hugging Face’s billing documentation says its compute services are paid by credit card.
Where can I still run open models for free?
OpenRouter’s free model variants, Groq’s Free plan and Cloudflare Workers AI’s daily free allowance are the closest replacements. Each is listed with its current limits and the date we last checked it.