Journal
Developer notes from FreeAIRouter: free LLM tiers, model comparisons, free-API routing with graceful fallback, and how to run big models on a budget.
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How to Avoid Rate Limits on Free LLM APIs
A practical 2026 guide to avoiding 429s on free LLM tiers: respect Retry-After, dual token buckets, backoff with jitter, request coalescing, and fallback ladders.
The Cheapest Ways to Call an LLM in Production
How to slash LLM API costs in 2026: cheapest models per token, batch discounts, prompt caching, right-sizing, and routing — with concrete June 2026 prices.
Free Claude API Access in 2026: What's Actually Available
There's no permanent free Claude API tier in 2026, but new-account credits, student, open-source, and startup programs can get you real Claude access for $0.
GPT vs Claude vs Llama vs Gemini: Free-Tier Comparison (2026)
A developer's free-tier comparison of GPT, Claude, Llama, and Gemini in 2026 — who gives you the most calls for $0, who has no free tier, and what to pick.
Which LLMs still have a free tier in 2026 (and the catches)
A developer's map of the LLMs you can still call for free in 2026 — first-party free tiers, public-benefit relays, and the catches (rate limits, training on your data, sudden shutdowns) for each.