NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) free tier
Trying heavyweight open models (incl. reasoning models) on serious hardware, free.
| Free tier type | Permanent free tier |
|---|---|
| What you get free | Free developer access is rate-limited (tens of requests per minute); it's meant for building and testing. |
| Credit card | No card required |
| Signup | Free API key with an NVIDIA account — build.nvidia.com |
| API endpoint | https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1 (OpenAI-compatible) |
| Top free models | Llama 3.3 70BDeepSeek-R1Mixtral 8x22BVision + embedding models |
Copy-paste setup
Two things: the base URL above, and a free key from the provider's site. Pick your tool:
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1" export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here" # then pick one of the provider's models in your tool
Settings → Models → paste your key under the matching provider, or use 'Override OpenAI Base URL' with: https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1
# ~/.codex/config.toml model_provider = "custom" [model_providers.custom] base_url = "https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1" env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
Claude Code natively speaks the Anthropic API. To use the providers on this page, point it at a router/gateway (e.g. an OpenAI-to-Anthropic proxy) configured with: https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1
Choose 'OpenAI Compatible' as the provider, then paste: Base URL: https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1 API key: your key Model: one of the models listed on this page
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NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) — FAQ
Is NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) really free?
NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) is listed in our index as: Permanent free tier. Free developer access is rate-limited (tens of requests per minute); it's meant for building and testing. We last probed its API endpoint on 2026-08-19. Always confirm current limits on the provider's own pricing page.
Does NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) need a credit card?
No card required. Signup: Free API key with an NVIDIA account.
How do I use NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) in my coding tool?
NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) exposes an OpenAI-compatible endpoint (https://integrate.api.nvidia.com/v1). Paste that base URL plus your key into Cursor, Codex CLI, a Claude Code router, or any OpenAI-compatible tool — the snippets on this page are copy-paste ready.
Free APIs build the prototype.
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