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OpenAI Academy: Offers free API credits, training, and support for developers, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Researcher Access Program: Provides free API access for early-stage researchers.
Note: So… Answer from polepole on community.openai.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/n8n › how can i benefit from the free api credits from openai?
r/n8n on Reddit: How can I benefit from the free API credits from OpenAI?
April 21, 2025 -
Hey guys - I know that there was (sometime ago) the possibility of getting your hands on some free credits for OpenAI api. I want to start working with n8n and I'm quite strapped for cash now.
I haven't seen any kind of new offers on the OpenAI chat and I was wondering if the promos are off the table or are available in some dark corner of the internet?
Thanks!
EDIT: Thank you all for your great inputs!
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If you're trying to explore AI + n8n without spending much (or anything), here's what actually works right now: OpenAI still provides free tokens if you enable "share data for training" in your settings. Just make sure your account has a positive balance — even a small one — or the tokens won’t apply. OpenRouter has a bunch of models you can use without an API key. You can send HTTP requests directly from n8n. Models like LLaMA, DeepSeek, MythoMax, and others are available for free. Gemini API from Google gives free access to Gemini Flash (2.5). You can use it with an API key via Google AI Studio — generous daily limits and solid speed. Hugging Face offers some free inference credits if you're on a Pro plan. Not huge, but good enough for testing out flows. With this stack, you can already build working automations and demos without needing any paid API plans.
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Openrouter has a lot of free models you can try out.
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Ramp
ramp.com › rewards › openai
Access up to $2500 in OpenAI API credits
Start hiring internationally with $1,500 in Deel credits! ... Ramp customers now save up to 50% every time they ship with UPS. ... Startups can receive up to $2,500 in OpenAI API credits to explore the possibilities of building on top of the OpenAI platform.
OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com › api
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OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com › api
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OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com › api
Still stuck in Free tier after adding credits (spike since Aug 28, 2025) - API - OpenAI Developer Community
August 29, 2025 - Hi all, I added $5 in API credits yesterday and expected to move to Usage Tier 1. Billing shows Paid, but my account is still in Free. What I tried • Waited 6+ hours • Logged out and back in, hard refreshed • Created a new API key after payment What I see • Limits page: Current tier = Free • API returns 429 like: “Rate limit reached for gpt-4o-mini on requests per min (RPM): Limit 3. Please try again in 20s.” Questions Is anyone else seeing this since Aug 28, 2025?
Cursor IDE
cursor-ide.com › blog › how-to-get-openai-api-key-free-2025
Complete Guide to OpenAI API Access: Free Trials, Alternatives & Cost-Effective Solutions 2025 - Cursor IDE 博客
August 21, 2025 - If you're searching for how to ... careful understanding to use effectively. Here's what OpenAI actually offers new users: a $5 trial credit that expires after three months....