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 โ even a small one โ or the tokens wonโt 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 โ 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. Answer from IKDevMan on reddit.com
OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com โบ api
OpenAI API keys in free account - API - OpenAI Developer Community
September 3, 2023 - I have genertaed openai api keys in the free account. But these keys are not working. I got this error If keys does not give a few limits to use, what it is their purpose? Is there any possiblility to get some free API credits in free account just for testing purpose?
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GitHub
github.com โบ dan1471 โบ FREE-openai-api-keys
GitHub - dan1471/FREE-openai-api-keys: collection for free openai keys to use in your projects
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Forked by 361 users
Reddit
reddit.com โบ r/n8n โบ 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!
Top answer 1 of 10
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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 โ even a small one โ or the tokens wonโt 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 โ 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.
OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com โบ api
Issue with Receiving Free Credit on OpenAI Account - API - OpenAI Developer Community
March 20, 2024 - I created an OpenAI account but did not receive the $5 free credit. The phone number I used is clean, meaning it is not associated with any other account. I am 100% certain of this. Additionally, the email address I usedโฆ
OpenAI Developer Community
community.openai.com โบ api
API Access using free tier - API - OpenAI Developer Community
April 8, 2024 - Greetings. I would like to test and evaluate OpenAI GPT API for a project, and Iโve found about the free API tier here https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/rate-limits?context=tier-free , which supposedly allows for a very limited access of 3 requests per minute to the older 3.5 Turbo model.
Cursor IDE
cursor-ide.com โบ blog โบ how-to-get-openai-api-key-free-2025
Complete Guide to OpenAI API Access: Free Trials, Alternatives & Cost-Effective Solutions 2025 - Cursor IDE ๅๅฎข
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....
Tenorshare
ai.tenorshare.com โบ ai-analytics โบ openai-api-key-free.html
How To Get A Free Openai Api Key In 2026: A Step-By-Step Guide
3 weeks ago - It charges you every time you make an API call but gives you a seed credit of $5 when you first sign into the system, valid for three months. You must pay to make API calls once you have spent this amount or have passed three months.