AI APIs: The Ultimate List of Free Credits & Perks (2025 Edition)

A concise list of AI companies offering API access and credits for startups.

OpenAI

You can access OpenAI API Credits through various partners

- Up to $2,500 in OpenAI API credits through Ramp (valid for 6 months)

- $2,000 in OpenAI credits through Phospho Startup Program

- Up to $5,000 in OpenAI credits through Founder Stack

- Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub offers $2,500 in OpenAI credits

Eligibility:

- Most require being an early-stage startup

Link to Apply 👉 [OpenAI API Credits through Ramp](https://ramp.com/rewards/openai)

Perplexity for Startups

- $5,000 in Perplexity API credits

- 6 months of free Perplexity Enterprise Pro for up to 50 seats

- Access to Perplexity's latest open-source LLMs including Llama 3

- Must be an early-stage startup

- Recently launched program (April 2025)

Link to Apply 👉 https://www.perplexity.ai/startups/

Anthropic (Claude)

- Student Builders Program offers Claude API credits for academic projects

- AWS and Anthropic GenAI Scale Program offers $5-10K in AWS Promotional Credits with access to Claude models

- $25,000 in free Anthropic credits through Anthropic and Menlo Ventures AI Startup Fund

Eligibility:

- Student Builders Program for students

- AWS program for startups using AWS

- Menlo Ventures program for selected startups

Link to Apply 👉 https://www.anthropic.com/contact-sales/for-student-builders

Mistral AI

- 30,000 credits for La Plateforme

- One-on-one support from Mistral's Solutions & Science team

- Early access to new models and products

- Six-month cohort program

Eligibility:

- Startup must have an online presence or company website

- Founded less than 7 years ago

- Has not raised a Series B or later funding round

- Only 10 startups selected per cohort

Link to Apply 👉 https://dataphoenix.info/less-than-three-weeks-left-to-apply-to-mistralship-mistral-ais-startup-program-2/

Google Cloud (Gemini)

- Up to $350,000 in Cloud credits for AI startups over 2 years:

- Year 1: 100% up to $250,000 USD in Google Cloud credits (includes standard program credits plus an additional $150,000 USD for the AI startup program)

- Year 2: 20% up to an additional $100,000 USD in Google Cloud credits

- $12,000 USD in Google Cloud Enhanced Support credits for one year

- 12 months of free Google Workspace Business Plus

- $600 monthly credits on Google Maps Platform for 12 months

- Access to AI experts and exclusive webinars

Eligibility:

- Startups that use AI as their core technology

- Have received equity funding from Seed to Series A (if Series A, raised within the last 12 months)

- Founded within the last 10 years

- Not yet received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits

Link to Apply 👉 https://cloud.google.com/startup/ai

Microsoft (Azure OpenAI)

Program: Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

- Up to $150,000 in credits to access OpenAI GPT-4 through Azure OpenAI Service

- Free access to the latest generative AI models, including OpenAI GPT-4

- One-on-one AI guidance

- Security and compliance benefits of Azure

Eligibility:

- Open to startups at various stages

- Must register for Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

Link to Apply 👉 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups/ai

Cohere

- 25% discount on Cohere's frontier AI models for an entire year

- Marketing exposure and visibility on Cohere's website

- Access to technical experts

- Co-marketing opportunities including joint webinars

Eligibility:

- Early-stage startups with Series B funding or below

- Applications currently closed for 2025

Link to Apply 👉 https://cohere.com/blog/cohere-launches-startup-program

Together AI

**Program**: Together Startups Program

**Benefits**:

- Free credits from partners (amount varies)

- $1 credit for all models when getting started

- No daily rate limits, up to 6000 requests and 2M tokens per minute for LLMs

Eligibility**:

- Must be a startup requesting free credits

- Requires application through partner program

**Link**: [Together Startups Program](https://www.together.ai/forms/startups-program)