Free AI tools in 2026: list and limits

Most major players offer free access with limits (requests per day, tokens per month, or capped features). ChatGPT (free tier) gives access to a recent model with a limited quota. Claude and Gemini also have free tiers with usage caps. Perplexity allows a number of free queries per day. On the development side, Codeium and open-source alternatives (Llama, Mistral self-hosted) can be used without a subscription.

Free limits are enough to try, for light personal use, or for prototyping. As soon as volume grows (regular writing, product integration, customer support), you need to compare paid plans and APIs: cost per million tokens and included quotas vary a lot. An up-to-date list of free offers and their caps helps you choose without commitment.