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Free AI Credits for Hackathons: No Card, No Waiting

No-card AI API credits a hackathon team can claim in minutes, approval-gated programs to send before the weekend, and vendor sponsor coupons.

Time
About 30 minutes to claim three or four offers
You need
One team email account with each provider you pick (some vendors allow one signup per person) · A university email or student ID for the student programs · The sponsor code your hackathon organizer hands out, if the event has one
Last checked

Live no-card API credits

Every verified, no-card API offer in the catalog right now (A-Z) - pick two or three and claim them before you code.

Apply in advance: approval-gated credits

Verified no-card programs a reviewer approves, so send the application before the weekend: these have a wait.

A hackathon weekend starts in hours, so only offers you can claim right now count. The two lists above are generated straight from our catalog: the first shows every verified API offer that needs no card and no application - sign up, get a free tier or credit - and the second shows the no-card programs a reviewer approves, where the wait matters. Everything else in this guide is what a team should do with them over 48 hours.

The 48-hour $0 stack #

Pick at most one offer per job, so a rate limit on one cannot stall the demo:

Claim the credits before you code #

  1. Pick two or three offers from the Live no-card API credits list above and open each offer page: it states what you get, the catch and the day we verified it.
  2. Sign up with one teammate's email and add the rest of the team after, where the provider supports it; many free tiers allow exactly one signup per person.
  3. Put every key in a local .env file that is gitignored, and never ship a key in client-side code.
  4. Make one throwaway API call per key within the first hour. A 429 on day one is an early warning: swap a fallback from the stack before the demo, not during it.
  5. Note each offer's reset rhythm from its offer page - some allotments are daily, some monthly. A daily cap that resets tonight may cover your demo just fine.

Credits that need approval: apply before the weekend #

The Apply in advance list above shows the no-card programs a reviewer gates. Send those applications the week before the event - most use cases are decided by a person, so they have a wait. Three are worth knowing:

  • Deepgram Startup Program. As of November 5, 2026, Deepgram's page says a direct application is typically reviewed within one week, credits are deposited in the console within 24-48 hours of acceptance, direct applicants start at $1,000 in credits (tiered up to $100,000 through partners), and each grant expires 12 months from issue. No application needed for the first taste: new Deepgram accounts get $200 in promotional credits immediately on signup - that is Deepgram $200 free credit, no card.
  • YC AI Stack, for students. As of November 5, 2026, Y Combinator's student deals page says YC has partnered with 20 companies to offer free AI credits for eligible YC Events attendees, listing AWS $5,000 cloud credits, OpenAI $1,000 API credits, Anthropic $500 API credits and offers from 17 more YC companies (Langfuse, Firecrawl, Supabase, Vapi and others). Eligibility is checked after you sign in. Our row: YC AI Student Starter Pack.
  • AMD AI Developer Program. As of November 5, 2026, AMD's program page is free to join and includes complimentary cloud credits, premium AI training, expert support and developer resources. Our row: AMD AI Developer Program.

For other programs, the student AI deals hub and the startup AI credits hub list what is live: students can also claim Azure for Students with a university email and Kiro for Students.

Vendor hackathon sponsors: the coupon at the event #

Some vendors appear at your hackathon with their own credits rather than a public program:

  • Vapi runs a public hackathon resources page (checked November 5, 2026): the page links quickstart templates, documentation and a Discord with a #hackathon channel, and its "Activate Hackathon Credits" button applies a coupon in the dashboard's billing settings. No credit amount is published on the page, so ask the organizers or Discord what your event's code carries.
  • If your event lists sponsors, claim every coupon code during the event window; sponsor credits are usually tied to the event or a deadline the organizer announces.

Limits and the catch #

  • Free tiers throttle. Requests per minute and per day are caps, not quotas - a demo sweep with many calls hits them faster than one user will. Design the fallback now.
  • One signup per person is a common rule; a "team plan" of pooled keys violates the terms and risks bans mid-event.
  • Approval credits are not weekend money. Apply early; if the reply has not come by Saturday, build on the no-card tiers instead.
  • Credits expire. Grants carry an expiry (Deepgram states 12 months from issue); use them during the event rather than saving them.
  • Keys are secrets. A key pushed to a public repository is an incident, not a demo. Rotate anything that leaked.

If it doesn't work #

  • 429s in the demo: slow down, retry with backoff, or switch to the fallback model you registered on hour one.
  • The student program rejects the email: check the hub's other student offers; student AI deals lists verified alternatives.
  • No application reply: check spam, then use the instant tier (for Deepgram, the $200 new-user credit) until the program answers.
  • Your event has no sponsor code: the no-card list above still works; nothing in it depends on an organizer.
  • An offer's page contradicts this guide: the offer page and its verification date are the source of truth; the catalog rows behind the lists above re-check monthly.

Offers in this guide

Frequently asked questions

Can a hackathon team really get AI credits without a credit card?
Yes. The no-card list on this page is generated from the catalog and shows verified API offers that need no card and no application: a signup gives a free tier or credits that work for a weekend prototype.
Which APIs should we claim first for a 48-hour build?
At most one offer per job: one LLM API for text, one for search or voice, one for hosting. Claim them before coding, test each key early, and keep a fallback so one rate limit cannot stall the demo.
How far in advance do approval-gated credit programs answer?
In days, not minutes: Deepgram states an application is typically reviewed within one week, with credits deposited 24-48 hours after acceptance. Apply the week before the hackathon and build on no-card tiers meanwhile.
How do we claim a sponsor coupon for our hackathon?
Codes come from the organizer or the vendor event. Vapi, for example, applies its hackathon coupon in the billing settings of its dashboard, and its public page puts support in a Discord #hackathon channel. No published amount means ask before relying on it.
Do the free credits expire?
Some do. Grant-based credit programs carry an expiry the vendor states on its page (Deepgram says 12 months from issue), while free tiers stay free as long as the tier exists. Check each offer page.

Sources

Steps and limits were checked against these official pages.

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Frequently asked questions

What is aifree.dev?

aifree.dev helps everyone access AI through a curated directory of free AI tools, API credits, free tiers, and startup programs for coding, image, voice, video, and students - verified regularly.

How are offers presented?

Each offer includes its access details, free models when available, and expiration information when provided. Limited-time deals stay visible so they are easy to compare.

Do education and startup programs need verification?

Yes. Providers usually ask students to verify their status with a school email, student ID, or a program like the GitHub Student Pack, and ask startups to verify company details such as age, funding, or website. Check each offer’s claim page for the exact requirements.

What kinds of free AI offers are listed?

Free tiers and free trials from AI providers, free API credits, startup and student programs, and free tools for coding, image generation, voice, and video.

How can I suggest a tool or report a broken link?

Use the submit form: paste the offer page URL and a short note. A person checks every submission before anything is listed. Broken links and changed terms go through the same form.

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