---
title: "AI startup credits, verified October 2026"
slug: "startup-ai-credits"
description: "Up to $350,000 in verified cloud and AI credit programs for early-stage companies."
verifiedAt: "2026-10-19"
offers: 82
verifiedOffers: 80
canonical: "https://aifree.dev/startup-ai-credits"
---

# AI startup credits, verified October 2026

> Up to $350,000 in verified cloud and AI credit programs for early-stage companies.

The AI startup credits list holds 82 startup credits today, best free value first. By type, the startup credits split into 53 startup programs, 14 credit grants, 8 free tiers, 6 free trials and 1 student program. 80 of the 82 startup credits were verified by a person, most recently on Oct 13, 2026; 2 are listed and waiting for a first check. 58 of the startup credits need no credit card (Google Cloud AI Startup Program, Microsoft for Startups and Together AI Startup Accelerator among them); 24 ask for one. In the 7 days to Oct 29, 2026, the startup credits had 10 with changed terms (E2B Free Hobby Tier & $100 Usage Credits, Convex for Startups and 8 more). At the top of the startup credits table: Google Cloud AI Startup Program ($350,000), AWS Activate Startup Credits ($200,000) and Microsoft for Startups ($150,000). Coming end dates among the startup credits: T Cloud Public €250 Starter Credit on Dec 31, 2026. Across these startup credits the catalog records 61 free models; the most listed are DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, Kimi-K3 and GLM-5.3.

## The short answer

The largest verified programs, grouped by what they take to qualify.

- **Up to $150K-$350K:** Google Cloud's AI startup program ($350,000 over two years for AI-first companies), AWS Activate ($200,000), Databricks for Startups ($200,000), Microsoft for Startups ($150,000 Azure), Cloudflare for Startups ($350,000 for a year).
- **Model tracks:** Together AI's accelerator (up to $50,000 inference credits), Devin for Startups ($15,000 upfront, up to $65,000 with matching).
- **No funding stage needed:** Oracle's $300 trial, Akamai's $100 credit, Neon's and Render's startup tracks.

The catch: expect verification - incorporation, a live product, funding stage or accelerator affiliation, and in some cases a VC referral.

## All startup credits, best free value first

82 offers, 80 verified. Each offer has a Markdown page at `https://aifree.dev/offer/<slug>.md`.

| Offer | What is free | Card | Status | The catch |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Google Cloud AI Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-cloud-ai-startup-program) | $350,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Scale-tier eligibility requires VC-backed AI-first startups founded within the last 5 years; third-party models are billed directly and not covered by program credits. |
| [AWS Activate Startup Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/aws-activate-credits) | $200,000 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Applicants must be pre-Series B, founded in the last 10 years, and on a paid AWS tier; the $200,000 level requires an Activate Provider Org ID. |
| [Microsoft for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/microsoft-for-startups) | $150,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | 'Up to $150,000' is a maximum and credits apply only to eligible Azure services; detailed eligibility and tier structure are not published on the program page. |
| [Together AI Startup Accelerator](https://aifree.dev/offer/together-ai-startup-accelerator) | $50,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Selection-based program; credit amounts are 'up to' tier maximums, require an application, and credits do not apply to Reserved GPU Clusters. |
| [Devin for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/devin-for-startups) | $15,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only the $15,000 is free; the other $50,000 is a 1:1 match on credits you buy, so you must spend $50K to get it. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. |
| [Antler Disrupt AI Credits and Perks](https://aifree.dev/offer/antler-disrupt-ai-perks) | $650,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Acceptance is competitive with mandatory in-person attendance for 4 weeks; the US$400K investment takes equity ($250K for 10% via SAFE plus $150K uncapped SAFE with MFN). |
| [Cloudflare for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/cloudflare-for-startups) | $350,000 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | A valid payment method must be on file; overages and usage after credits expire are billed automatically; AI Gateway is not covered. |
| [Databricks for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/databricks-for-startups) | $200,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Up to $200K is a maximum; actual credits depend on qualification, and applications are reviewed via a Google Form (apply directly or through your investor). |
| [Neon Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/neon-startup-program) | $200,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits expire 12 months from acceptance; after that your account moves to your selected plan with normal billing. No commitment to stay. |
| [Datadog for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/datadog-for-startups) | $100,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | All applicants must come through a referral partner — no direct applications; you must confirm credit activation within 30 days or the offer expires. |
| [Grafana for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/grafana-for-startups) | $100,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Selection is at Grafana Labs' sole discretion; credits end at 12 months or the next funding round; accepted startups must serve as reference customers and may be asked to join marketing activities. |
| [Render Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/render-startup-program) | $100,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Requires at least $25,000 in outside funding; credits are valid 1 year from approval and awarded only once per startup. |
| [PostHog Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/posthog-startup-program) | $50,000 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits expire after 12 months, cannot be spent on PostHog AI tools, and require under $5M funding, under 2 years old, a signup after Jan 1 2023, and a payment method. |
| [Vercel for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/vercel-startups) | $30,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Specific eligibility criteria are not published; the page only invites 'eligible teams' to apply. |
| [Baseten AI Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/baseten-ai-startup-program) | $25,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Acceptance is not automatic; credit amounts are 'up to' maximums and subject to Baseten's legal disclaimers. |
| [Yandex Cloud Startup Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/yandex-cloud-startup-credits) | $20,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | One quarter of the grant is restricted to a fixed service list, the rest excludes Cloud Interconnect; amounts exclude VAT and depend on TRL assessment. |
| [Neo4j Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/neo4j-startup-program) | $16,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Limited to startups at Series B or earlier building a single product for many customers; dev shops, consultants, and marketing agencies are excluded. |
| [Notion for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/notion-for-startups) | $12,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Requires a non-paying Notion account with a company-domain email and no previous Notion promotions; under 100 employees, and SMBs, agencies and consultancies generally get only 1 month. |
| [Algolia Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/algolia-startup-program) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Unused credits lapse after 12 months; new customers only; company must be under 7 years old with under $15M raised; auto-moved to Pay-as-you-go when credits run out. |
| [ClickHouse Cloud for Y Combinator](https://aifree.dev/offer/clickhouse-cloud-yc-credits) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only for current YC companies with a valid YC secret code; must be new to ClickHouse Cloud and pre-Series D; credits lapse after 24 months. |
| [Daytona Startup Grid](https://aifree.dev/offer/daytona-startup-grid) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Conditions for scaling from the $10K grant to $100K are not detailed and eligibility criteria are not published; apply via the form and await review. |
| [Daytona Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/daytona-startup-program) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Conditions for scaling from the $10K grant to $100K are not detailed and eligibility criteria are not published; apply via the form and await review. |
| [GitHub for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/github-for-startups) | $10,000 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Requires affiliation with a GitHub for Startups partner; a payment method authorization charge occurs after onboarding; products auto-transition to paid billing when credits end. |
| [Indent for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/indent-for-startups) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Application required via Google Form; the $10,000 in credits are loaded the day you're approved, with no stated time limit or card requirement on the page. |
| [LangSmith for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/langsmith-for-startups) | $10,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Scale tier ($10K credits) requires backing from a LangChain premier VC partner, Series A or earlier and up to $50M raised; both tiers require first-time LangSmith customers. |
| [Sanity Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/sanity-startup-program) | $9,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Limited to partner-portfolio startups; after the free year it converts to $15/seat/month and overages charge the card on file. |
| [ElevenLabs Startup Grants](https://aifree.dev/offer/elevenlabs-startup-program) | $5,500 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Account auto-converts to the Free plan when the 33M characters run out or the 12-month grant ends. |
| [Sentry for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/sentry-for-startups) | $5,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits expire after 12 months and eligibility is limited to startups founded in the last 2 years that raised under $5M and are new to paying for Sentry. |
| [fal Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/fal-startup-program) | $1,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credit upgrades unlock only as your own monthly spend on fal grows, and the program is limited to Europe- and Asia-based teams. |
| [RunPod Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/runpod-startup-program) | $1,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Starter is a $1,000 credit to get started (no further credits listed), and the program is selective with venture backing strongly preferred. |
| [Runware Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/runware-grant-program) | $1,000 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only the Starter award (up to $1,000, scored on traction) is free; the $10K and $30K bonuses need a non-refundable $25K or $50K deposit. Up to Series A only. |
| [UpCloud Free Trial Up to $500 in Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/upcloud-free-trial-credits) | $500 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credit card verification required (0/1 temporary authorization); the standard trial is 7 days — the 30-day/$500 offer is a promotion that can change. |
| [Google Cloud Free Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-cloud-free-program) | $300 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | A credit card or other valid payment method is required for the 90-day trial; after 90 days or once $300 is spent, the billing account closes and resources stop unless you upgrade. |
| [Oracle Cloud Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/oracle-cloud-free-tier) | $300 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | A credit or debit card is required for identity verification (not charged unless you upgrade); the $300 credit expires after 30 days. |
| [Vultr Free Trial Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/vultr-free-trial-credits) | $300 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Promo codes are for new customers only, cannot be combined, and VULTRMATCH requires a first deposit to match. |
| [Civo $250 Free Trial Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/civo-free-trial-credit) | $250 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | A payment card must be added to receive the credit; the credit expires at the end of the month following issuance and is non-transferable with no cash alternative. |
| [IBM Cloud free tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/ibm-cloud-free-tier) | $200 | card | verified 2026-10-13 | The $200 credit expires after 30 days and the account is Pay-As-You-Go - usage beyond free tiers bills automatically if no card limit is set. |
| [Daytona Free Compute Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/daytona-free-compute-credits) | $200 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Compute past the $200 in free credits and storage beyond the first 5 GiB are billed per second at the listed rates. |
| [IONOS Cloud Free Trial Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/ionos-cloud-free-trial-credit) | $200 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Payment details are required to activate the full version, and the $200 credit is time-boxed to 30 days. |
| [Akamai Cloud $100 Free Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/akamai-cloud-100-free-credit) | $100 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Promotional credit is available only to new customers who have not yet signed up for a free trial; the credit expires after 60 days. |
| [AkashML $100 Free AI Token Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/akashml-free-token-credits) | $100 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | One-time grant for new accounts only, with no renewal; credits are usable only on AkashML's supported open-source models and no expiry is published. |
| [AMD AI Developer Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/amd-ai-developer-program) | $100 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | The page publishes no credit-expiry date or formal eligibility criteria; sweepstakes entries and perks are governed by AMD's program terms. |
| [Anyscale $100 Free Signup Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/anyscale-free-signup-credits) | $100 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | The pricing page does not state card requirements or credit expiry; credits offset usage-based compute billed hourly (CPU $0.0135/hr up to A100 $4.9591/hr). |
| [E2B Free Hobby Tier & $100 Usage Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/e2b-free-credits) | $100 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | The $100 is a one-time grant consumed by per-second sandbox billing; the Hobby tier caps concurrency and session length. |
| [EmberCloud for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/embercloud-for-startups) | $100 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Despite no card required to apply, approved applicants must add $5 to verify their company before they can start building. |
| [Novita Sandbox $100 Free Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/novita-sandbox-free-credits) | $100 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits are promotional and 'may be subject to availability, validity period, usage scope, and quota limits'; standard per-second pay-as-you-go rates apply once credits run out. |
| [Alibaba Cloud Free Trial](https://aifree.dev/offer/alibaba-cloud-free-trial) | $90 | card | verified 2026-10-12 | The $90 ECS credit is valid only 3 months and many other product trials last just 1 month; you must add a payment method before claiming the free tier. |
| [Railway Free Plan and Trial Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/railway-free-plan-and-trial-credits) | $5 | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Trial credit expires in 30 days; the Free plan caps usage at $1/month with no rollover. |
| [DeepInfra DeepStart 50 Billion Free Inference Tokens](https://aifree.dev/offer/deepinfra-deepstart-free-tokens) | 50,000,000,000 tokens | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Token grant is valued at DeepSeek V4 Flash prices and expires one year after approval; startups must have raised $250K-$10M and be founded within the last 2 years. |
| [Free.ai Startup Grant](https://aifree.dev/offer/free-ai-startup-tokens) | 15,000,000 tokens | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Acceptance is application-based, and the grant covers Free.ai's self-hosted models but not premium external models. |
| [Netlify free plan](https://aifree.dev/offer/netlify-free-plan) | 300 credits/month | no card | verified 2026-10-13 | New projects start private on free accounts and only become public when you publish; paid tiers start at 1,000+ credits. |
| [Kaggle Free GPU and TPU Notebooks](https://aifree.dev/offer/kaggle-free-gpu-tpu) | 30 hours/week | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Phone verification is required to unlock GPU/TPU accelerators; weekly quotas reset weekly and can vary with demand, and sessions are capped at 9-12 hours. |
| [Lightning AI Free Plan](https://aifree.dev/offer/lightning-ai-free-plan) | 30 credits | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only 5 free credits on registration out of up to 30, credits expire after 12 months, and GPU machines are interruptible. |
| [Hugging Face ZeroGPU Free GPU Access on Spaces](https://aifree.dev/offer/hugging-face-zerogpu-spaces) | 5 minutes/day | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Hosting needs a verified email and a 30+ day account; free users get 5 GPU minutes a day, Gradio only. Outside ZeroGPU, new Gradio or Docker Spaces need PRO. |
| [Atlassian for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/atlassian-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Must be VC-funded or accelerator-affiliated, not an existing paid Atlassian customer, and have raised under US$10M; one 12-month enrollment per startup. |
| [Auth0 for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/auth0-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only for venture-backed startups with under $5M funding, under $1M ARR, and under two years old; not valid for existing paid Auth0/Okta customers. |
| [Convex for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/convex-for-startups) | Startup program | card | verified 2026-10-12 | You must be on the Convex Starter plan with a card on file; usage-fee savings are capped at $30k and applications are reviewed on a rolling 30-day basis. |
| [Customer.io Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/customer-io-startup-program) | Startup program | card | verified 2026-10-12 | A credit card is required for all Startup Program accounts; you are charged for profile overages or if you continue past the free term. |
| [DigitalOcean Hatch Startup Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/digitalocean-hatch) | Startup program | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits come via approved partners, carry a $10,000 monthly limit, and unused credits are forfeited with no extensions. |
| [Exoscale 20 EUR/CHF Free Trial Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/exoscale-free-trial-credit) | Free credits | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Requires saving a credit card (20 EUR/CHF is pre-authorized, not charged) and choosing Post-paid Billing mode. |
| [Fireworks for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/fireworks-ai-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Build Credits expire after 1 year and no dollar amount is published; credits exclude reserved GPU capacity, SLAs, professional services, and premium support. |
| [Koyeb Free Web Service and Postgres Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/koyeb-free-tier) | Free tier | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Sign-up selects the Pro plan ($29/mo) and charges it pro-rated; downgrade to Starter to stay free. A card is verified with a $29 pre-authorization hold that may take 7-21 days to clear. |
| [Linear Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/linear-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only startups affiliated with an official Linear partner (investor, accelerator, or community) can redeem; afterwards Business auto-renews at the standard rate unless you switch or cancel. |
| [Mintlify Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/mintlify-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only the current YC batch gets Pro free; other startups get 50% off, and only if founded in the past 2 years with under $2M raised. |
| [Modal for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/modal-startup-program) | Startup program | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits are a one-time grant with no reapplication within a tier, a payment method is required, and specific credit amounts per tier are not disclosed. |
| [MongoDB for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/mongodb-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Promo codes must be activated within 12 months and credits expire 12 months after activation; codes apply only to future charges, not past usage. |
| [Northflank Developer Sandbox](https://aifree.dev/offer/northflank-developer-sandbox) | Free tier | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Card verification is part of signup and the card is charged at the end of each billing cycle for any billable usage. |
| [NVIDIA Inception](https://aifree.dev/offer/nvidia-inception) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Preferred GPU pricing works as a rebate deducted from supplier prices — NVIDIA doesn't sell directly to members; consulting firms, crypto companies, CSPs, resellers and public companies are excluded. |
| [OpenAI for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/openai-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Benefits flow through OpenAI's VC/accelerator partner network, so eligibility depends on your investor; no fixed credit amount is published. |
| [OVHcloud Startup Program Cloud Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/ovhcloud-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credits are vouchers tied to building on OVHcloud for the 12-month program; amounts and support hours depend on the Start/Scale tier and detailed eligibility is only on the application page. |
| [Paperspace Gradient Free GPU Notebooks](https://aifree.dev/offer/paperspace-gradient-free-tier) | Free tier | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Free-tier machines are basic instances only — paid GPU instances bill per hour on top of the plan, storage overage is $0.29/GB/month, and only public projects are included. |
| [Pinecone for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/pinecone-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | No dollar amount is published for the usage credits; eligibility is limited to Series A or earlier with fewer than 100 employees. |
| [RunPod Referral Bonus Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/runpod-referral-bonus-credits) | Free credits | card | verified 2026-10-12 | Bonus is randomized ($5-$500), expires after 90 days, and only pays out after the referred user spends $10. |
| [Sarvam AI Startup Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/sarvam-ai-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | No credit dollar value or eligibility criteria are published; credit size is matched to each startup's scale, stage and expected use. |
| [Shortcut for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/shortcut-startup-program) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Only new Shortcut customers qualify: fewer than 50 employees, under 5 years old, pre-Series A with under $10M raised; must upgrade if users pass 50 or funding passes $10M. |
| [Snowflake for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/snowflake-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | No specific credit amount is published; free usage applies to the first contract and detailed eligibility criteria are not disclosed on the page. |
| [Stripe for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/stripe-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Credit amount, duration and country list are not published on the page; the program is restricted to venture-backed businesses just getting started and requires an application. |
| [T Cloud Public €250 Starter Credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/t-cloud-public-starter-credit) | Free credits | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | The credit expires two months after conclusion of the contract, is not payable in cash, and is aimed at new customers who register for free. |
| [Tencent Cloud Free Tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/tencent-cloud-free-tier) | Free tier | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Trials are restricted to new users of each product; anyone who has already purchased or tried the corresponding product does not qualify. |
| [Vultr Free Tier Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/vultr-free-tier-program) | Free tier | no card | verified 2026-10-12 | Not automatic: access is granted in phases through a randomized, weighted selection based on identity and usage validation; approval is not guaranteed. |
| [Claude for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-for-startups) | Startup program | no card | changed | New applications are closed until the next cohort; API credits come only through partner VCs and work only on the first-party Claude API. |
| [Huawei Cloud Free Packages for New Users](https://aifree.dev/offer/huawei-cloud-free-packages) | Free trial | card | listed | Requires a Visa or Mastercard with a deposit authorization to claim packages. The page's terms-and-conditions window text still references 2024, so details may be outdated. |

## Top picks

- [Google Cloud's AI startup program](https://aifree.dev/offer/google-cloud-ai-startup-program) if you are AI-first - the biggest verified pool, $350,000 over two years; [AWS Activate](https://aifree.dev/offer/aws-activate-credits) is the easiest to self-apply for (up to $200,000 at the funded tiers).
- [Together AI's accelerator](https://aifree.dev/offer/together-ai-startup-accelerator) and [Devin for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/devin-for-startups) for model-heavy products - up to $50,000 of inference credits, and $15,000 upfront (up to $65,000 with matching).
- [Microsoft for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/microsoft-for-startups) and [Cloudflare for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/cloudflare-for-startups) for infrastructure-heavy teams - $150,000 in Azure, and a year of platform credits up to $350,000.
- [Oracle's free tier](https://aifree.dev/offer/oracle-cloud-free-tier) and [Akamai's $100 credit](https://aifree.dev/offer/akamai-cloud-100-free-credit) if you are pre-seed or unincorporated - no funding stage required.
- [Every offer tagged for startups](https://aifree.dev/offers?audience=startups) in the full catalog, including grants this page leaves out.

## How we verify

We read the program terms line by line, then apply or interview wherever possible.

- **We record** what each tier actually requires (incorporation, funding stage, YC or VC affiliation), how credits are disbursed, and how long they last.
- **We re-check** program sizes and eligibility rules monthly - startup programs change often - and the verified date on each row is the day we last confirmed the terms.
- **We pull** programs that advertise amounts they do not pay out, and name them on our scam list.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many AI startup credits does aifree.dev list?

82 right now: 80 verified by a person and 2 listed, waiting for a first check. By type: 53 startup programs, 14 credit grants, 8 free tiers, 6 free trials and 1 student program. The newest verification is from Oct 13, 2026.

### Which startup credits need no credit card?

58 of 82, among them Google Cloud AI Startup Program, Microsoft for Startups and Together AI Startup Accelerator. 24 ask for a card, often to verify identity or to bill usage past the free part. The "Card?" column of the table marks each row.

### What changed in AI startup credits this week?

In the 7 days to Oct 29, 2026: 10 with changed terms (E2B Free Hobby Tier & $100 Usage Credits, Convex for Startups and 8 more). Every change is on the hub's changes page and its RSS feed.

### What do startup credit programs require?

Commonly: an incorporated company, a working product or site, and a funding stage check - self-certified for lower tiers, or documented (accelerator batch, VC portfolio) for the largest grants. Each offer page records the exact requirements we confirmed.

### Do the credits expire?

Most run 12 months from acceptance, and some (Google's AI program) span two years. Expired credit is gone - plan spending before applying. The "Key limits" column states the duration each program gave us.

### Do I need to be funded or in an accelerator?

No for most entry tiers - AWS Activate's founders tier, Neon, Render, and Akamai accept self-funded teams. The biggest amounts (Google's $350,000, Databricks' $200,000) typically require VC backing or an accelerator affiliation at the top tiers.

### Are these credits only for AI startups?

The headline AI programs (Google's AI track, Together AI, Devin) are, but the general cloud programs - AWS, Azure, Cloudflare, Render - cover any early-stage company, including AI-first ones. This page lists both because most AI startups need the infra credits too.

### Can one startup apply to several programs?

Usually yes - the programs are independent, and stacking a cloud program with a model-credits program (say AWS Activate plus Together AI) is common practice. Check each provider's terms for exclusivity clauses; we note them on the offer pages where stated.

HTML page: https://aifree.dev/startup-ai-credits