FreeGuide
China Models + API Platforms Free Guide
2026 Free API quotas from Alibaba Cloud, Volcano Engine, SiliconFlow and more
Reading tip: skim the summary first, then the tables and FAQ, then use the next-step cards below.
Auto-updated by AI, continuously updated
📌 Top Picks
| Platform | Free Quota | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Volcano Engine | 2M Tokens/day | Scheduled tasks, automation |
| SiliconFlow | 2000 API calls/day | Dev & testing |
| Alibaba Cloud | New user free + ¥360 coupon | Qwen series |
🔥 Volcano Engine (ByteDance Doubao)
Official Free Quota
- New users: One-time 2M Tokens after model activation
- Daily: Reset 2M Tokens every day based on previous usage
- Forever free: Perfect for scheduled automation scripts
Pricing Reference
- Doubao models: ~0.0008 CNY/1K Tokens (extremely cheap)
- Even paid tier is very affordable
How to Get
- Visit Volcano Engine
- Register and complete real-name verification
- Go to console → Create API Key
- Use in Coze platform or direct API calls
Best For
- ✅ Daily news aggregation
- ✅ Scheduled weather updates
- ✅ Automated data collection
- ✅ Regular report generation
⚡ SiliconFlow (SiliconCloud)
Official Free Quota
- Verified users: 2000 free API calls daily
- Invite registration: Register with invite code for 20M free Tokens
Registration Link
https://cloud.siliconflow.cn/i/8bNHqanY(Enter phone number and verification code)
Supported Models
- DeepSeek V3 / R1
- Qwen series (Qwen2.5, Qwen3)
- Zhipu GLM-4
- Qwen (Tongyi)
- Thousands of open-source & closed-source models
Best For
- ✅ Development & testing
- ✅ Production environment
- ✅ Model comparison & evaluation
- ✅ Long text processing
🏢 Alibaba Cloud百炼 (Qwen)
Official Free Quota
- New users: Free quota for each model
- 2026 Promotion: ¥360 (personal), ¥1728 (enterprise) coupons
Links
Coding Plan
- Fixed monthly fee: No token exhaustion anxiety
- Combined models: Qwen, GLM, Kimi, MiniMax
- Price: Much lower than regular API calls
Supported Models
- Qwen series (Qwen2.5, Qwen3)
- Image generation models
- Speech models
🧩 Other China Platforms
Tencent Cloud Hunyuan
- Free quota for new users
- Models: Hunyuan series
- Tencent Cloud
Zhipu GLM
- Free quota for new users
- Supports Coding Plan
- Zhipu官网
iFlytek Spark
- Free API calls available
- iFlytek官网
🌍 Overseas API Platforms
Fireworks AI
- $200 new user credit
- Llama, DeepSeek models
- Sign up
Replicate
- Free credits available
- Open-source models
- Sign up
Anyscale
- $10 free credit
- Sign up
💡 Usage Tips
Combined Strategy
- Main model: Volcano Engine (2M/day, most stable)
- Dev/Test: SiliconFlow (unlimited calls)
- Specific models: Alibaba Cloud (when needing Qwen series)
Gotchas
- Volcano Engine: Choose China region for free tier
- SiliconFlow: Consider using multiple accounts when quota runs out
- Alibaba coupons have expiration dates - use them ASAP