On June 17, 2026, the free AI model market delivered a clear set of options for users who refuse to pay API fees or subscription charges. The biggest shift occurred when Anthropic ended its flat-rate agent subsidy on June 15, 2026, replacing it with a credit pool for paid plans. Free users kept access through a five-hour reset window. OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Mistral also adjusted their free tiers earlier in the month. These moves left a handful of models with genuine zero-cost access. We checked the official pricing pages and changelogs to confirm what remained free.
The free tier changes hit different users in different ways. Developers who relied on Gemini API free limits saw Google move some pro models behind paid keys. Anthropic users faced a new five-hour reset instead of a flat daily cap. ChatGPT Codex free tier added agentic coding but limited tasks to ten per day. Grok v9 Medium stayed free with a 25-message limit every two hours. Mistral Le Chat kept a 50-message daily cap. Affected plans included free tiers across all major providers. We used vendor announcements and independent analyses to verify each limit.
Why this matters now: free access is no longer an afterthought. Google slashed Gemini prices in May 2026, forcing rivals to respond. Anthropic overhauled Claude credits on June 15, 2026. OpenAI pushed Codex into its free tier to defend developer mindshare. Those moves reshaped what a free user can expect. A model that required a $20 subscription in May may now be usable for zero dollars in June. For anyone testing agent workflows, coding tools, or multimodal apps, the cost difference is real. This comparison separates marketing promises from actual free-tier limits.
We compared five free models side by side. The comparison table below lists each provider, key limits, and best use case. Limits reflect official free tier pages as of June 17, 2026. Some providers may change limits without notice. We focused on models that work without API keys, without subscriptions, and without a credit card. The five selected models cover coding, writing, large context, real-time data, and open-weight workflows. We did not include models that require a trial period or a minimum spending commitment. Every model on this list had a free tier live on June 17, 2026. Here is what we found after checking each vendor announcement.
How Do the Top Options Compare?
| Model | Provider | Free Tier Limits | Best For | No API Cost? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Codex | OpenAI | 10 coding tasks/day, 32k context | Agentic coding | Yes |
| Claude Opus 4.8 Fast | Anthropic | 20 messages per 5-hour window | Long analysis and writing | Yes |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 1,000 requests/day, 1M token context | Multimodal and large context | Yes | |
| Grok v9 Medium | xAI | 25 messages per 2 hours | Real-time data and reasoning | Yes |
| Mistral Le Chat | Mistral | 50 messages/day, code interpreter | Open-weight workflows | Yes |
Limits reflect official free tier pages as of June 17, 2026. Some providers may change limits without notice. Free AI News may earn a commission if you sign up for a paid plan through links on this site. This does not affect our reporting.
1. ChatGPT Codex Free Tier , Agentic coding without API keys
OpenAI put Codex into the ChatGPT free tier in early June 2026. Free users received ten coding tasks per day and a 32k context window. This change followed months of pressure from Google and Anthropic on AI coding pricing. The free tier did not require an API key. Users could run agentic coding sessions directly from chat. OpenAI confirmed the limits on its official ChatGPT pricing page. The move made ChatGPT Codex one of the strongest free coding options as of June 17, 2026. The free Codex tier was not unlimited. Users who exceeded ten daily tasks had to wait for the next reset. Paid plans removed the cap and added priority access. Still, for hobby projects and small automation scripts, the free tier covered most needs. We verified the task limit against OpenAI’s changelog. This made ChatGPT Codex free tier a clear pick for developers who wanted agentic coding without paying API costs.
Key strengths:
- ✅ Zero-cost agentic coding with 10 tasks per day
- ✅ 32k context window handles medium codebases
- ✅ No API key required for free chat use
- ✅ Direct integration with ChatGPT memory features
- ✅ Paid upgrades available if limits are exceeded
- ❌ Daily task cap blocks heavy coding sessions
- ❌ No API access for free tier
- ❌ Context window smaller than Gemini 3.5 Flash free
Who it’s for: Developers who need free agentic coding for small projects and want a direct upgrade path.
2. Claude Opus 4.8 Fast Free Tier , Long analysis and writing with 5-hour resets
Anthropic changed its free Claude tier on June 15, 2026. The old daily cap became a five-hour reset window. Free users got access to Claude Opus 4.8 in fast mode. The free tier included 20 messages per reset window. Anthropic published the change in its official Claude changelog. This replaced the flat-rate agent subsidy that had supported free agent use. Users who hit the limit had to wait up to five hours. The new reset window gave more predictable access throughout the day. Claude Opus 4.8 fast mode offered strong reasoning and writing quality. The free tier did not require an API key. It did not charge per token. Heavy users complained about the 20-message cap. Anthropic positioned the free tier as a taste of the paid Claude Pro plan. For long-form writing and document analysis, the free tier remained useful. Independent reviewers confirmed the limits matched Anthropic’s official announcement.
Key strengths:
- ✅ 20 messages per five-hour reset window
- ✅ Claude Opus 4.8 fast mode gives flagship quality for free
- ✅ No credit card required for free access
- ✅ Reset window is predictable and frequent
- ❌ Hard 20-message cap per window
- ❌ No free agentic tool use after the June 15 change
- ❌ Fast mode can feel slower than paid mode
Who it’s for: Writers and analysts who need high-quality free Claude access with a predictable reset schedule.
3. Gemini 3.5 Flash Free Tier , Large context and multimodal tasks at no cost
Google released Gemini 3.5 Flash to free users on June 5, 2026. The free tier included 1,000 requests per day and a 1 million token context window. Google confirmed these limits on its official AI blog. Compared to other free models, the context window was enormous. Users could upload long PDFs, codebases, or video transcripts without breaking the limit. The free tier did not require API keys. It sat inside the Google AI chat interface. Google also tightened pro model API access for free users earlier in June. The Gemini 3.5 Flash free tier became the main free option. It supported multimodal prompts, including images and audio. Paid Google AI plans removed the daily cap and added faster inference. Stanford HAI noted the trend toward larger context windows in free models. For users who needed to process large documents, Gemini 3.5 Flash free was hard to beat.
Key strengths:
- ✅ 1,000 requests per day is generous
- ✅ 1 million token context handles huge files
- ✅ Multimodal input supports images and audio
- ✅ No API key needed for free chat
- ❌ Pro models moved behind paid keys
- ❌ Output quality can lag Claude Opus 4.8 on writing
- ❌ Some advanced features require Google AI Pro
Who it’s for: Researchers and developers who need large context windows without paying API fees.
4. Grok v9 Medium Free Users , Real-time data and reasoning on X
xAI kept Grok v9 Medium free for all users on June 10, 2026. Free users received 25 messages every two hours. The limit applied to the web and mobile apps. xAI published the free tier update in its release notes. Grok v9 Medium stayed free and included real-time data pulls from X and general reasoning. No API key was required for free chat. The free tier did not include API access. For users who wanted fast answers with live context, it was a strong free option. The free tier reset every two hours, which was shorter than Anthropic’s five-hour window but longer than some real-time users wanted. xAI imposed the same limit on all free accounts. Paid tiers removed the cap and added agent features. Independent users discussed the Grok v9 Medium model card. For real-time searches and quick reasoning, the free tier covered casual use. Heavy social monitoring still required a paid plan.
Key strengths:
- ✅ 25 messages per two-hour reset window
- ✅ Real-time X data integrated into answers
- ✅ No API key required for free chat
- ✅ Shorter reset window than Claude
- ❌ No API access on free tier
- ❌ Limit can feel tight during live events
- ❌ Model quality lags Claude Opus 4.8 on complex tasks
Who it’s for: Users who want real-time reasoning and X data without a subscription.
5. Mistral Le Chat Free Tier , Open-weight workflows and code interpreter
Mistral kept Le Chat free tier open in June 2026. Free users received 50 messages per day and access to a code interpreter. Mistral published the limits on its official product page. The free tier did not require API keys. Users could run Python snippets and small data tasks directly in chat. Mistral marketed the free tier as a gateway to its open-weight models. This made Le Chat a practical choice for developers who preferred open-weight workflows. The 50-message daily cap sat between Claude’s 20-message window and Gemini’s huge request number. Mistral did not move its best open-weight models behind a paywall. Paid plans offered higher rate limits and priority inference. Users could download model weights for local use. For users who wanted a free hosted chat plus a path to self-hosting, Le Chat free worked well.
Key strengths:
- ✅ 50 messages per day with code interpreter
- ✅ Open-weight models available for local use
- ✅ No API key required for free chat
- ✅ Clean path to self-hosting
- ❌ Daily cap resets once, not every few hours
- ❌ Smaller context than Gemini 3.5 Flash
- ❌ No real-time X or web data
Who it’s for: Developers who want a free hosted chat and access to open-weight Mistral models.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these free AI models really free with no API costs?
Yes. As of June 17, 2026, ChatGPT Codex, Claude Opus 4.8 Fast, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Grok v9 Medium, and Mistral Le Chat offered free chat access with no API fees. Some features like API calls or higher limits required paid plans.
Which free AI model is best for coding in 2026?
ChatGPT Codex free tier offered ten coding tasks per day with agentic coding. Mistral Le Chat free offered 50 messages per day with a code interpreter. Gemini 3.5 Flash offered a 1 million token context for large codebases.
What are the main limits on free AI tiers in June 2026?
Limits included 20 messages per five-hour window for Claude, 1,000 requests per day for Gemini, 25 messages per two hours for Grok, 50 messages per day for Mistral, and 10 coding tasks per day for Codex.
Do free tiers require a credit card?
No. All five providers allowed free chat access without a credit card. Paid plans required payment, but the free tiers described here did not.
Can I use these models for commercial work?
Free tiers generally allowed commercial use, but terms varied. Users should check each provider’s terms of service. Paid plans often included better support and higher limits.
Will free tiers change again after June 2026?
Likely yes. Free AI limits changed multiple times in 2025 and 2026. Check Free AI News for updates on free tier changes.
What Should You Remember?
- No API costs: The five models above all work free in chat without API keys as of June 17, 2026.
- Free limits are real: Claude resets every five hours, Gemini caps at 1,000 requests daily, and Codex limits coding tasks.
- Anthropic changed the deal: The June 15 credit overhaul moved agent features to paid plans but kept fast mode free.
- Google kept Gemini 3.5 Flash free: A 1 million token context window is the largest among free tiers.
- OpenAI pushed Codex free: Ten agentic coding tasks per day gave developers a zero-cost starter.
- Mistral offered open-weight escape: 50 messages daily plus local model weights make self-hosting easy.
Free AI News is an independent editorial publication. Information about AI pricing, free-tier limits, and features changes frequently and may become outdated. Always verify current details through the vendor’s official pages. Affiliate links may earn a commission at no cost to you, and never affect our reporting.
