How we verify

The method

1. We read the provider’s own terms before anything else, then sign up with a fresh account and claim the credit, plan, or program exactly a reader would.
2. We run real work against it - code reviews, API calls, image generations, transcripts, renders - not a marketing page.
3. We record what the free allowance actually produced: usage caps, model lists, queue and watermark behavior, whether a card was demanded at signup, regional limits, and the expiry date the provider states.
4. Only then does the offer earn its row in the directory, stamped with the date we did the work.

The weekly re-check

Verification is a cycle, not a one-time gate. Every week we re-check balances, quotas, and eligibility rules, and re-read the provider’s terms. The verified date on each row is the day we last confirmed it - when something changes, the row is re-dated; when a free tier stops being real, the row is pulled.

What the badges mean

• Verified · Sep 11, 2026A person claimed and tested this offer, most recently on the date shown.
• Listed · Sep 10, 2026New in the directory: the listing is live, but our desk has not completed the first verification yet, so claim details may still change.
• Re-verification in progressThe recorded terms changed during our checks. The row keeps its last confirmed details while we re-verify; the badge returns to Verified once the re-check lands.
• ExpiredExpired offers leave the directory, and their pages redirect to the matching category - they are never counted in the totals.

When an offer turns bad

Offers that turn dark, bait-and-switch, or never deliver the advertised free tier are pulled from the directory. Where a provider is dishonest by design, we name it on the scam list.