Free LLM APIs: OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM, and HackChance

Use OpenRouter and NVIDIA NIM for free AI access, then let HackChance choose available free models automatically

Free quotas, available models, and rate limits change over time. Always check the current platform page, and never put API keys in public repositories or shared messages.

Why free LLM APIs matter

When building AI tools, quick prototypes, or personal learning projects, free LLM APIs can greatly reduce experimentation cost. Instead of binding your code to only one model provider, OpenRouter and NVIDIA NIM both provide online model endpoints that are useful for free AI demos, model comparison, and lightweight automation.

The difficult part is that free models change frequently: some models disappear, some add rate limits, and some require a different model name. HackChance helps by maintaining lists of currently usable free models so code can read the list and choose a model automatically.

OpenRouter: free models behind one unified API

OpenRouter is useful because it combines a unified API with access to models from many providers. After you create an OpenRouter API key, you can select free or low-cost models while keeping an OpenAI-style integration.

Read the OpenRouter API key guide

NVIDIA NIM: free serverless AI access

NVIDIA Build / NIM is a good entry point for trying NVIDIA's model-serving ecosystem. The page shows the current API rate limit, and once you generate a key you can call available NIM models from supported tools or scripts.

Read the NVIDIA NIM API key guide

How HackChance chooses free models automatically

HackChance maintains free LLM model lists for OpenRouter and NIM. An app only needs to fetch the list by provider, then use the returned model names for automatic selection or fallback. This avoids manually checking platform pages every time.

OpenRouter free model list

/api/free_llm_list/?provider=open_router

NIM free model list

/api/free_llm_list/?provider=nim

The API returns the currently enabled model names. Your program can use the first model in the sorted list, or switch to the next model when a request fails or hits a rate limit.

GET https://www.hackcha.cn/api/free_llm_list/?provider=open_router
GET https://www.hackcha.cn/api/free_llm_list/?provider=nim

Recommended workflow

  1. First create an OpenRouter API key and an NVIDIA NIM API key.
  2. Call the free model list API from HackChance or your own script to fetch available models for open_router and nim.
  3. Connect the list to your model-selection logic: try an available free model first, then fall back to another model or provider if needed.

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