Inference API by Hugging Face
No longer free
No longer free (checked Nov 11, 2026). Pricing page: "Free Users | None - yes (credits purchase required)"; only PRO ($2.00/mo) and Team/Enterprise get monthly credits
Check the provider docs for current pricing, or browse the models that are free today.
Replacing a retired model in production?
We wire free-tier and open-weight models into production stacks: evals against your real inputs, failover, cost caps. Book a free 30-minute call.
Frequently asked
Is Inference API still free?
No. No longer free (checked Nov 11, 2026). Pricing page: "Free Users | None - yes (credits purchase required)"; only PRO ($2.00/mo) and Team/Enterprise get monthly credits
What should I use instead of Inference API?
Use the paid tier if the price fits, or move to a model that is still free and keep a paid fallback behind it. The directory at https://www.ayautomate.com/free-models lists what is free today, checked against each provider's own docs.
Free monthly update
The monthly free-models update
What is newly free, what got rate-limited, and what to switch to. One email a month. Unsubscribe anytime.
Related free models
- GLM 4.6 (Z.ai) · Self-host free
- DeepSeek V3-0324 (DeepSeek) · Self-host free
- Gemini 2.5 Flash (Google AI Studio) · Free tier · existing users only, shuts down Dec 1, 2026
- Gemini 2.5 Pro (Google Gemini) · Free tier · existing users only, shuts down Dec 1, 2026
- Qwen3.7 Max (Qwen) · One-time 1M tokens, 90 days (new users)
- GPT OSS 120B (Scaleway) · First 1M tokens free (shared) · then paid