ZeroFare
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Providers

Free providers, curated
and certified.

ZeroFare is the source of truth for which LLM providers have a real free tier — and which don't qualify. Every listed route carries an upstream-enforced no-overage boundary: no billing instrument on the account, so a request cannot silently become a charge. If we can't prove it, we don't list it.

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Google Gemini

Free quota on eligible flash models via Google AI Studio.

gemini-2.5-flash · gemini-2.5-flash-lite · gemini-2.0-flash · gemini-2.0-flash-lite

Quotas vary per model and change; some models carry no free quota. Review the data-use controls in AI Studio before commercial use.

Key: aistudio.google.com/apikey · shape AIza… · no-overage: no billing instrument possible

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Groq

Fast open-model inference; the free tier needs no credit card.

llama-3.1-8b-instant · llama-3.3-70b-versatile · openai/gpt-oss-120b · qwen/qwen3-32b

Roughly 30 requests/min, ~14,400 requests/day per organization (varies by model). Terms restrict reselling; your own apps through your own gateway are the intended use.

Key: console.groq.com/keys · shape gsk_… · no-overage: no card on file

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Cerebras

Ultra-fast inference with a generous daily free allowance.

llama-3.3-70b · llama3.1-8b · qwen-3-32b · gpt-oss-120b

Historically ~1M tokens/day on eligible models with per-minute caps; check the console for current numbers.

Key: cloud.cerebras.ai · shape csk-… · no-overage: no card on file

Not listed ≠ free. These providers have free offers that don't yet meet the bar — documented honestly, onboardable later:
Provider Why not yet
Mistral La Plateforme Free tier requires opting in to data-training consent; unresolved evidence until reviewed. (console.mistral.ai)
OpenRouter :free models Rate limits and terms vary per model; per-model evidence required first. (openrouter.ai/settings/keys)

Onboarding

Three commands, zero files.

The local edge reads the same catalog. Get a key from any provider above, then:

zerofare onboard list                     # what's available, what's configured
zerofare onboard provider  --preset groq  # add the provider to the edge config
zerofare onboard credential --preset groq # store its free-tier key in the vault
zerofare doctor                           # verify everything
zerofare serve                            # edge on 127.0.0.1:8787

Keys are validated by shape before they reach the encrypted vault, and every dispatch decision leaves a receipt. The full walk-through, including the Gemini billing trap, is in Getting started.