Updates to Our Free Tier: Sustaining Accessible AI for Everyone

We're reaching out with important updates regarding our free tier models. Recently, two major providers who have historically offered free inference announced their transition to a paid-only model within the coming days.

At OpenRouter, we firmly believe that free models play a crucial role in democratizing access to cutting-edge AI. These models allow hundreds of thousands of users worldwide to experiment, learn, and innovate, something we are deeply committed to supporting. While we can't guarantee what the future holds, we're taking immediate action to maintain free AI inference options on our platform.

What We’re Doing to Keep AI Free and Accessible:

• Expanding Free Capacity: We're actively onboarding new providers to replenish and enhance our free model offerings. Additionally, OpenRouter will directly cover some of the associated costs to ensure the most popular models remain freely accessible.

• Introducing Venice Uncensored: We’re excited to announce that Venice Uncensored, a fresh new model from the creator of Dolphin, is now available for free! Check it out along with other free models here.

• Community Favorites Remain Free: Thanks to our partnerships, beloved models such as DeepSeek V3 and DeepSeek R1 will continue to be available under similar free conditions for the foreseeable future. However, note that some less popular models will soon transition away from the free tier.

We deeply understand the value and reliance our community places on free-tier access. Our team remains dedicated to making this model sustainable and continuously expanding access to innovative AI tools.

Thanks for your continued support and understanding.