Free LLM - for building, agents, images, etc.

Link to Resources: https://thenextnewthing.ai/my-resources
Presented by Zapier: https://zapier.com/
Andrew Warner and Tashfeen Ahmed reveal how to get free LLM access for AI coding, agents, image generation, video, audio, and more using Free LLM API.

Andrew sits down with Tashfeen Ahmed, creator of Free LLM API, to show how developers can access free token quotas from multiple AI providers through a single unified API. Tashfeen demonstrates how the platform automatically routes requests across providers, supports automatic failover, and lets users prioritize reliability, speed, or intelligence when choosing models. They walk through the setup process on Mac, Windows, Docker, iOS, and Android, showing how to connect the unified API key to coding agents like Claude Code and OpenCode and start experimenting without paying for tokens.

They also explain why free LLM access is particularly useful for prototyping and experimentation, while cautioning against relying on provider free quotas in production applications when the provider doesn't permit it. Tashfeen shows how Free LLM API uses Thompson Sampling to continuously evaluate models and route requests, and how the platform supports more than just text models, including embeddings, image, video, audio, and multi-model Fusion. The episode is a practical look at stretching free AI access further while experimenting with different models and providers.

Links featured:

- Free LLM API — https://github.com/tashfeenahmed/freellmapi
- Zapier SDK — https://zapier.com/sdk

00:00 - Free LLM API
00:27 - $500+ in Free AI Tokens
01:03 - Models, Providers & Automatic Failover
02:06 - Keeping the Same Model Across Providers
02:42 - How to Get Started
03:36 - 45 AI Providers With One API
03:54 - Using Free LLM API With AI Coding Agents
04:30 - Can Free LLM Access Get You in Trouble?
05:24 - Why AI Providers Offer Free Quotas
05:42 - Free Models in Production Apps
06:18 - Zapier SDK
06:36 - Smart Model Routing
07:12 - Thompson Sampling & Model Rankings
07:48 - Embeddings, Images, Video & Audio
08:15 - Free LLM API Desktop App
08:42 - More Ways to Minimize Token Usage

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