Free AI API: $1 Credit for 27+ Models (Video, LLM, Image)

TL;DR: $1 instant signup credit unlocks every model in the LinkModel catalog — 16 Kling V3 videos, ~285K GPT-5.5 input tokens, or 33 Seedream images on the free tier alone. The $20 first-top-up bonus (through June 30) extends that to ~344 videos or 6M tokens. No card to sign up, no tier restrictions, full commercial rights.

What You Get

That $1 signup credit is enough to test any model and validate your integration. The $20 bonus on first top-up (any amount) unlocks serious production testing.

What $1 Buys (Signup Credit)

What $21 Buys (After First Top-Up Bonus)

344 production-quality videos is enough to validate an entire content pipeline.

How It Works

Step 1: Sign Up (30 seconds)

Visit LinkModel → register. Email or GitHub OAuth. $1 free credit hits your account immediately.

Step 2: Generate API Key

Dashboard → API Keys → Create. Copy the lm-xxx... key.

Step 3: Make Your First Call

from openai import OpenAI
 
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.linkmodel.ai/v1",
    api_key="lm-your-key-here"
)
 
# Test a video generation
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="kling-v3",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "A cat playing piano, warm lighting"}],
    extra_body={"resolution": "720P", "duration": 5}
)

Or skip code entirely — use the visual Playground to test prompts interactively.

All 27+ Models Available on Free Credit

The free credit isn't restricted — full access to every model in the API catalog:

Text: GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Sonnet 4.6, DeepSeek V4, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Kimi K2.6, GLM 5.1

Video: Kling V3, Seedance 2.0, Sora 2, Hailuo 2.3, Wan 2.6

Image: GPT Image 2, Seedream 5.0, Seedream 4.5, Gemini Image

FAQ

Credits expire? No. They stay until you use them.

Rate limits on free tier? Same as paid. No throttling.

Commercial use allowed? Yes. No watermarks, full commercial license.

What happens at $0? API returns 402. Top up any amount — no minimums.

vs Other Platforms

Start Now

Register → instant $1 credit

Browse all models or jump to the Playground to test visually.