SambaNova Cloud free tier
Fast RDU-chip inference on big open models without a credit card.
| Free tier type | Permanent free tier |
|---|---|
| What you get free | Free tier with rate limits intended for development and demos. |
| Credit card | No card required |
| Signup | Free API key — cloud.sambanova.ai |
| API endpoint | https://api.sambanova.ai/v1 (OpenAI-compatible) |
| Top free models | Llama 3.3 70BDeepSeek-R1Qwen / Llama family |
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://api.sambanova.ai/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://api.sambanova.ai/v1
# ~/.codex/config.toml model_provider = "custom" [model_providers.custom] base_url = "https://api.sambanova.ai/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://api.sambanova.ai/v1
Choose 'OpenAI Compatible' as the provider, then paste: Base URL: https://api.sambanova.ai/v1 API key: your key Model: one of the models listed on this page
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SambaNova Cloud — FAQ
Is SambaNova Cloud really free?
SambaNova Cloud is listed in our index as: Permanent free tier. Free tier with rate limits intended for development and demos. We last probed its API endpoint on 2026-08-19. Always confirm current limits on the provider's own pricing page.
Does SambaNova Cloud need a credit card?
No card required. Signup: Free API key.
How do I use SambaNova Cloud in my coding tool?
SambaNova Cloud exposes an OpenAI-compatible endpoint (https://api.sambanova.ai/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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