# Free tier and free model availability and limits (`billing.free_tier`) Feedback Bench, coding agents, built 2026-10-01, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-09-27. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/#/criterion/billing.free_tier Area: [Paying and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/paying.md) **Definition.** Whether free models, free tiers and trial or promo access exist, how long they stay available, and whether their limits are usable. **Boundary.** Not this: see [Which models are offered on a plan and when](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/models.catalog_access.md) for paid model availability. Not this: see [Outages, server errors and capacity or rate errors](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/rel.service_errors.md) when free models return errors. Rated author-weeks, all agents: 1227. Complaint share: 43%. ## The brief Written by Claude Opus 5.5 from 96 labelled posts and the numbers on this page. Interpretation, not measurement: every quote is verbatim and links to its post. **Free is a promo window, not a plan, and users know it.** TL;DR: - Devin and Google Antigravity lead by giving away models and bundles users actually code with. - Claude Code trails. Credits and promos land unevenly and end before users settle in. - Most complaints are timing and fine print. Promos shrink, caps hit mid-run, harnesses get blocked. In plain terms: You can often code for free, but rarely for long. A model goes free, people switch, then the window closes, a daily cap stops the run, or the free access only works inside one tool. ### How it breaks - **Free windows close without warning** ([Free tier and free model availability and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.free_tier.md)). Free model promos shrink or end abruptly, and users who switched for them leave when they do. OpenCode users watched a free week cut to a single day. On Devin, one user built long sessions around a free model, then cancelled Pro when the promotion ended and the remaining quotas felt too tight. Claude Code posts ask to extend a model promo and mourn ended promoted usage. Keeping free models available permanently is a standing request, loudest from Devin users. Evidence: - Complaint, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-18: “@jekentmewel_nl @opencode its off now they changed it from free for 1 week to free for 1 day” [source](https://twitter.com/2005030894407684096/status/2100900574418051393) - Complaint, Devin, r/windsurf, 2026-09-18: “i completely agree. i was mainly using devin because glm-5.2 was free and worked extremely well for long coding sessions. once that promotion ended, the daily and weekly quotas became way too restrictive for serious development work. swe-2 feels noticeably slower for my workflow, and the paid-model quota disappears ridiculously fast. i also ended up canceling my pro subscription because the value just isn’t there for me anymore. if they bring back something similar to the old glm-5.2 free access, or significantly increase the included quotas, i’d consider subscribing again. but in its current state, i can’t justify paying for it.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/windsurf/comments/1wiv9v6/i_think_windsurf_has_become_unusable/pahmeul/) - Complaint, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-01: “@claudedevs whaaaat 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻😎😎 goood but promoted usage ended 😭” [source](https://twitter.com/1435012899143966720/status/2094876858013872637) - Complaint, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-10: “@claudedevs pls extend the promo for fable🥹 also if the limit for fable can be increased by like 20-25% that would be great too” [source](https://twitter.com/1942906859335368704/status/2098146290865766833) - **Free until the cap hits** ([Free tier and free model availability and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.free_tier.md)). Free models carry daily or per-minute caps that stop real sessions, so users call the free label misleading. Cline users report a free model cutting off mid-run with a wait of nearly a day before it resets. A Devin subscriber says a free model hit rate limits every minute. An OpenCode user found a free model blocked once a paid balance ran dry. Higher free-tier limits is a top ask from Cline and OpenCode users. Evidence: - Complaint, Cline, @cline, 2026-09-19: “@cline dont call it free when only about 1-2m tokens then wait 24h” [source](https://twitter.com/562531425/status/2101148137100575092) - Complaint, Cline, @cline, 2026-09-19: “@cline thanks. i was testing it, kimi k3. after running for around 40 minutes, this pops up and stopped: the run failed: {"error":{"code":"inference_cap_error","message":"error 429: daily free limit reached on model vmc/fireworks-cline-k3-contributor-fallbacks. try again in 23h 6m"}}” [source](https://twitter.com/1776183746670043136/status/2101306591257440556) - Complaint, Devin, @cognition, 2026-09-11: “@cognition are you sure it is free? i subsribed to devin to try it and i hit rate limit every minute, practically useless at the moment.” [source](https://twitter.com/1338197220152270854/status/2098245230730289550) - Complaint, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-17: “@sunnyxdesign @opencode well my 10$ usage plan is depleted so i can't use muse spark 1.3 apparently which means it's not "free"” [source](https://twitter.com/1862086581496016897/status/2100573670724804893) - **Free models locked to one harness** ([Free tier and free model availability and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.free_tier.md)). Free access often works only inside the vendor's own tool, which frustrates users who run other harnesses. OpenCode users ask it to stop blocking other harnesses from its free models. Pi users say they now have to open OpenCode to reach them. A Devin thread notes its free model needs Devin's own CLI or IDE and is not free in the cloud. Posts show the lock rarely stops determined users. It mostly adds friction and costs goodwill. Evidence: - Complaint, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-22: “@opencode stop blocking other harnesses from using the free models. i mean, it does not stop me from using them to be completely clear, but it is an annoyance.” [source](https://twitter.com/1612855102888632320/status/2102397552993915255) - Complaint, Pi, r/PiCodingAgent, 2026-09-17: “opencode blocked it on their system. have to use opencode to get free tier models now... it's a shame because using their free tier on pi was great for people that don't really have the need for a sub.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wiihz1/cant_use_zen_free_models_in_pi/pacwcss/) - Complaint, Devin, r/opencodeCLI, 2026-09-16: “this must be used with devin harness cli or its ide. there's no free tier limit for swe-2 model, unfortunately. though the free tier model is current swe-1. 6 . i don't know which model it's post-trained from but the quality is not as note worthy.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/comments/1whv4kr/the_valuable_aicoding_pass_if_not_the_best_that/pa5jasb/) - Complaint, Devin, @DevinAI, 2026-09-19: “@melvindvivas @dabit3 @devinai but a correction to be made it’s not free in the cloud👍” [source](https://twitter.com/2034540258365489152/status/2101388307653419109) - **No real way to try first** ([Free tier and free model availability and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.free_tier.md)). When trials are missing or opaque, users abandon signup rather than pay to evaluate. A Warp user quit signup when payment came before any use, and another calls the free tier's AI unusable. Amp posts show people wanting credits before they spend. A Cursor trial user burned the allowance fast and could not find how much usage the trial included. Free trial periods for paid plans is a common request, led by Claude Code and Devin users. Evidence: - Complaint, Warp, @warpdotdev, 2026-09-23: “just got access to the new @warpdotdev, then immediately abandoned sign up because they require payment before letting me do anything 😖 i'm not gonna pay for something i cannot try first 🤷” [source](https://twitter.com/867511/status/2102866306982969805) - Complaint, Cursor, r/cursor, 2026-09-16: “i burned through the 7 day free trial usage limit in 15 minutes generating 1 automated email bot to send "thanks for signing up" emails and 1 backend bot to notify me of new user sign ups. the bots just kept talking to each other, presumably taking all the usage internally on conversations i didn't even ask them to have with each other. it doesn't seem very feasible moving forward cost wise with the unknown of how much "usage" is included in the free trial. if i knew how many tokens were allocated for the free trial it would help to better understand and calculate how much going forward it would cost on more complicated bots but they don't provide anywhere how much actual usage is included in the free trial.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1w7j1ue/grok_bot_is_expensive/pa7dq0f/) - Complaint, Amp, @AmpCode, 2026-09-11: “@leodev @quatermain32 @ampcode @sqs yeah that’s how i feel, don’t wanna spend on something i can’t try out first” [source](https://twitter.com/1637701661140606977/status/2098431732512956908) - Complaint, Warp, @warpdotdev, 2026-09-18: “@vikvang1 @warpdotdev warp is still the best terminal i've used. i've championed it to several teams and sold dozens of other engineers on it. but the price changes boxed folks out and the ai plumbing on the current free tier is unusable.” [source](https://twitter.com/14132756/status/2100995345765576727) - **Free models drive switching** ([Free tier and free model availability and limits](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.free_tier.md)). A solid free model is the strongest acquisition lever in this category, and users switch tools to follow it. One user moved from Cursor to Devin because a new model was free and good enough. OpenCode promoted a free model while Claude and Codex were down. Cline pitched a temporary free model against tighter limits elsewhere. The flip side shows in the first card. Loyalty bought this way leaves when the price comes back. Evidence: - Praise, Devin, r/cursor, 2026-09-23: “funnily enough i just switched from cursor to devin (aka windsurf) since their new swe-2 model (based on kimi k3) is currently free and quite solid.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wnpgmf/canceled_cursor_today_after_using_it_for_many/pbmh4qj/) - Praise, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-03: “psa: if you are impacted by claude/codex being down, muse spark is free on @opencode and it's running really fast btw!” [source](https://twitter.com/1637102054240841729/status/2095532573917417690) - Praise, Cline, @cline, 2026-09-16: “agent sessions now supports one more harness (actually two) — cline cli and cline desktop why you may want to try @cline — deepseek v4.1 flash is available for free temporary! worth to check with new reduced claude & codex limits macos • open source • ⭐️ 863” [source](https://twitter.com/17489187/status/2100343637012091332) - Praise, OpenCode, r/codex, 2026-09-06: “meanwhile i’m using opencode without paying anything for the majority of the day non-stop. yes the price difference between the best ai and good enough ai is insane” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1w7x7uw/they_are_robbing_us/p86u72y/) ### Who stands out - **Devin (stronger)**. Devin's free in-house model earns real praise, though users push back on its rate limits and on the end of earlier free access. Posts describe the free model handling more work in a day than paid models did all week, and users wiring Devin in as a provider just to reach it. The sore spots are limits that make the free model hard to use and a previous free promo that ended. Devin users also lead requests to keep free models permanent. Evidence: - Praise, Devin, @cognition, 2026-09-13: “looked at what i routed through omp this week. the standout is swe2 on @cognition. it's totally free, i only started using it yesterday, and in one day it already handled more than some of the paid models i've been running all week. it earned a spot in the rotation so fast!” [source](https://twitter.com/1513438573747486721/status/2099033959573131394) - Praise, Devin, @DevinAI, 2026-09-22: “@lucacaponex only jev recently ( sparked some new ideas ) previously the biggest change wasn't a model drop but wiring the new provider @devinai and their generous free use of swe-2 model” [source](https://twitter.com/423774207/status/2102312192842273157) - Praise, Devin, @cognition, 2026-09-27: “@learnmore_smart @cognition @devindesktop it’s because it’s available for free in devin currently so there is technically no cost” [source](https://twitter.com/906675961177018370/status/2104148639790612704) - Complaint, Devin, @cognition, 2026-09-11: “@cognition are you sure it is free? i subsribed to devin to try it and i hit rate limit every minute, practically useless at the moment.” [source](https://twitter.com/1338197220152270854/status/2098245230730289550) - **Google Antigravity (stronger)**. Antigravity wins on bundled access. Many users get it through other plans and treat it as nearly free. Users point to bundles through telecom and workspace plans, and to cheap models that students can afford. Complaints focus on the standalone free tier. Users say tokens run out within an hour and serious coding needs billing set up. The love comes from the bundle, not from the free tier itself. Evidence: - Praise, Google Antigravity, @antigravity, 2026-09-05: “@antigravity has a really nice ui, idk about the models. models are cheap and almost available for free. such a boon for college students who can not afford it. ” [source](https://twitter.com/1726229807753797632/status/2096279278564581564) - Praise, Google Antigravity, @antigravity, 2026-09-01: “@shirshakchavan nothing as @antigravity free with jio plan in india. and office work on cursor paid plan” [source](https://twitter.com/100717350/status/2094818066693837191) - Complaint, Google Antigravity, r/google_antigravity, 2026-09-27: “do you have billing set up? cuz it takes money to use it. free tier is laughingly small, sadly” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wrh0mx/gemini_38_in_alternative_harnesses/pcfbqwt/) - Complaint, Google Antigravity, r/google_antigravity, 2026-09-08: “free? for a short time. maybe. you run out of tokens within an hour.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wa6tna/artificialanalysis_has_updated_its_intelligence/p8i2o55/) - **Claude Code (weaker)**. Claude Code's free moments are credits and short promos, and users read them as uneven or poorly timed. Cloud credits drew thanks, but a Max subscriber could not claim them. One user argues credits mean little when subscription usage is the real constraint. Others mourn ended promos and ask for them back. Claude Code users file the most requests for free trial periods and free usage credits. Evidence: - Complaint, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-24: “that’s why the word /free/ is clearly in quotation marks, it rolls better in the tongue than “usage included with the subscription”, speaking of which was quite generous during beta. unless the release nerf the sub usage by a lot, it makes no sense to have the credits before your usage” [source](https://twitter.com/286190402/status/2102937655948288470) - Complaint, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-24: “@claudedevs i'm an existing subscriber on the max plan but cannot claim the $250 credit. did i do something wrong? ” [source](https://twitter.com/4245189387/status/2103066783548666313) - Praise, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-25: “@claudedevs really nice to see claude giving users $250 in cloud credits to try this out. great move from the team. ” [source](https://twitter.com/1363560294514122754/status/2103287033372254627) - Complaint, Claude Code, @ClaudeDevs, 2026-09-10: “@claudedevs pls extend the promo for fable🥹 also if the limit for fable can be increased by like 20-25% that would be great too” [source](https://twitter.com/1942906859335368704/status/2098146290865766833) - **OpenCode (mixed)**. OpenCode is the default free option. Users praise its zero-cost models and complain when those models get slow, capped or pulled. Users stress that the tool is open source and free, with rotating free models through Zen. Some accept that free models may train on their data. Complaints say free means slow, quality is hard to judge under load, and promo windows shrink. OpenCode users lead requests for free access to specific new models. Evidence: - Praise, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-16: “@heyafshin @opencode no, you don't need a paid opencode subscription. opencode is free and open-source. union alpha is free for the next week via opencode (zen free models) or openrouter—just grab a free api key from either and connect it.” [source](https://twitter.com/1720665183188922368/status/2100339922188050490) - Praise, OpenCode, r/vibecoding, 2026-09-20: “opencode with muse spark 1.3 contributor is free for the time being. as long as you're fine with being trained upon” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/vibecoding/comments/1wkzmvw/anyone_vibecoding_on_a_stack_other_than/pb0eew0/) - Complaint, OpenCode, @opencode, 2026-09-22: “@miaai_lab @opencode free will always be slow to support more users.” [source](https://twitter.com/2004497677644619776/status/2102437482839372135) - Complaint, OpenCode, r/opencode, 2026-09-17: “are the free models worth it? are there any free model rn that have a similar performance to smth like gpt 5.6 luna? i tried muse spark 1.3 but i did not really like it, idk if its the model or the harness here, or it's just the load since it's a free model. i appreciate your replies guys. shoutout to this sub reddit community.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wiu75f/free_models/) ### Fine print - Free models and promos rotate quickly. Posts reflect offers that were live during the sample window only. - Kiro, Amp and smaller agents have too few posts to rank. Kiro's signal is mostly student-program eligibility requests. - Users often blur free tiers, promos and bundled access, so posts mix all three. ## Top requests What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 284 author-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by Claude Sonnet 5 reads every counted post and extracts what the author asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. Claude Opus 5.5 groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes; code counts them. A theme counts distinct author-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one author-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 author-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different authors, without slurs, preferring posts of 60 to 450 characters, most recent first. | Rank | Request | Author-weeks | Posts | Agents (author-weeks) | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Free access to specific or new models | 51 | 53 | OpenCode 32, Devin 5, Claude Code 3, Cline 3, OpenAI Codex 3, Google Antigravity 2, Cursor 2, Zed 1 | | 2 | Free trial periods for paid plans | 28 | 29 | Claude Code 9, Devin 8, OpenCode 5, Factory 2, Amp 1, OpenAI Codex 1, GitHub Copilot 1, Cursor 1 | | 3 | Offer a free tier or plan | 19 | 19 | Devin 5, OpenCode 5, Claude Code 4, Cline 2, Factory 2, Google Antigravity 1 | | 4 | Expand student program to more universities | 18 | 20 | Kiro 18 | | 5 | Free usage credits | 18 | 18 | Claude Code 6, Cline 3, Cursor 3, Devin 3, Kiro 2, Google Antigravity 1 | | 6 | Keep free models available permanently | 18 | 18 | Devin 9, OpenCode 5, Cline 2, Claude Code 1, Pi 1 | | 7 | Higher free tier usage limits | 17 | 19 | Cline 8, OpenCode 7, Google Antigravity 1, Claude Code 1 | | 8 | Free access to top-tier max plan | 13 | 13 | Devin 6, Factory 3, Cursor 2, Claude Code 1, OpenAI Codex 1 | | 9 | Make the product entirely free | 11 | 11 | OpenAI Codex 5, Claude Code 3, OpenCode 2, Cline 1 | | 10 | Specific features available on free plan | 8 | 8 | OpenCode 3, Claude Code 2, Cursor 2, GitHub Copilot 1 | | 11 | Free credits for creators, hackathons and research | 7 | 7 | Devin 2, Claude Code 1, Cursor 1, Factory 1, Kiro 1, OpenCode 1 | | 12 | More free model options | 7 | 7 | OpenCode 6, Cline 1 | ### 1. Free access to specific or new models - OpenCode, 2026-09-25, @opencode (X): “that was fast. i paid for the $10/month @opencode go sub & tried qwen 3.8 max, burnt up my 5 hr limit & 40% of weekly usage in just 30 min. i guess it's going to just be ds flash from now on, unless we get a really awesome free model for a week on opencode zen ” [source](https://twitter.com/43463961/status/2103607209263296673) - OpenCode, 2026-09-25, @opencode (X): “@abu_khadeejah11 @opencode @grok @grok can i get deepseek v4.1 flash in the free version” [source](https://twitter.com/2066096300496683008/status/2103538792636506464) - Zed, 2026-09-25, @zeddotdev (X): “@zeddotdev you absolutely need to have a free default model for commit message creation costs almost nothing. now once a quarter, without fail, the commit generation fails because of some configuration issue with models, providers or keys just have it be baked in, it's key onboarding” [source](https://twitter.com/436785962/status/2103372305606860989) ### 2. Free trial periods for paid plans - Factory, 2026-09-27, @droid (X): “@droid really? give me a subscription plan and i'll give it a shot” [source](https://twitter.com/1159835302275346433/status/2104343978137243831) - OpenCode, 2026-09-27, @opencode (X): “@meituan_longcat @opencode hi! would it also be available as a free to try on @commandcodeai? 🙂” [source](https://twitter.com/1578681616838365185/status/2104126973064646999) - Claude Code, 2026-09-24, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs good good now know what i really need? @claudedevs? an free month to really test this all out otherwise i run out in a few hours” [source](https://twitter.com/3255525043/status/2103161802934894595) ### 3. Offer a free tier or plan - Claude Code, 2026-09-26, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs when can he achieve free access so that i can give it a try” [source](https://twitter.com/1374716483276709892/status/2103677619757858847) - Cline, 2026-09-24, @cline (X): “@officiallogank @cline can it be free for antigravity users logan?” [source](https://twitter.com/1551960459657478147/status/2103209520575152452) - Claude Code, 2026-09-24, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs just give it for free while you are working out the kinks, this shit barely works and you are trying to charge arm and a leg for it.” [source](https://twitter.com/1811436118191312896/status/2103156909465624587) ### 4. Expand student program to more universities - Kiro, 2026-09-10, @kirodotdev (X): “@ajassy kiro is great but davidson college is sadly not one of the 132 colleges listed. @kirodotdev i'm researching coding agents and would love to access kiro pro for the next year. can we chat?” [source](https://twitter.com/1256997596473720834/status/2097903998695035225) - Kiro, 2026-09-09, @kirodotdev (X): “@kirodotdev would you mind adding the university of electro-communications to your list?” [source](https://twitter.com/1959058795138887680/status/2097790884863705229) - Kiro, 2026-09-09, @kirodotdev (X): “i thought entire world have around 200+ countries but not it's actually 18 thanks @kirodotdev helping ” [source](https://twitter.com/2015748138750058496/status/2097789450831138964) ### 5. Free usage credits - Claude Code, 2026-09-23, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@trq212 @jkelleher @claudedevs can you just give them without all the instructions? just put an expiration.” [source](https://twitter.com/106200344/status/2102900104260694273) - Cursor, 2026-09-21, @cursor_ai (X): “@grok @cursor_ai i burned through all my credits and can’t test @grok 4.7 can i have some freebies pls” [source](https://twitter.com/2085832897756327936/status/2102151189915721978) - Cline, 2026-09-21, @cline (X): “@cline super smooth desktop ux, but the free credits disappear way too fast during actual task execution.” [source](https://twitter.com/1523533577081614336/status/2101881809029992749) ### 6. Keep free models available permanently - Devin, 2026-09-25, @cognition (X): “@cognition congrats! you deserve it! i love devin and swe-2. they’re super reliable. hope swe-2 stays free longer ;d” [source](https://twitter.com/77924805/status/2103506775735751065) - Devin, 2026-09-24, @cognition (X): “@cognition begging to keep swe 2 free forever in cloud agents….” [source](https://twitter.com/1767985295910383616/status/2102981785785454904) - OpenCode, 2026-09-23, @opencode (X): “@opencode please keep the xiaomi mimo model for free one more week. solid model💯” [source](https://twitter.com/1703582271922479104/status/2102904637250535742) ### 7. Higher free tier usage limits - OpenCode, 2026-09-26, r/CLine (Reddit): “so it’s just like their previous free offers... ridiculous. cline made a bad impression to me. if they offer a free tier they should have useful quotas like opencode zen.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1wpyepq/gemini_38_flash_is_now_free_in_cline/pc3rk67/) - OpenCode, 2026-09-26, @opencode (X): “@thdxr hey @opencode @thdxr please give us more free tier daily and more free models. add buitin memory vault” [source](https://twitter.com/141503294/status/2103816074156495086) - OpenCode, 2026-09-25, @opencode (X): “@savram8 awesome! next: $60 of usage for glm 5.3, and @opencode will reign as the undisputed champion of the world 🙏 ” [source](https://twitter.com/1048297438803628034/status/2103559822696399162) ### 8. Free access to top-tier max plan - Cursor, 2026-09-21, @cursor_ai (X): “hey @elonmusk i got $30/month supergrok and $20/month cursor, give me premium subscription for free @x @cursor_ai @supergrok @spacexai” [source](https://twitter.com/1602107661461639169/status/2101868572670841099) - Factory, 2026-09-18, @FactoryAI (X): “@factoryai @tereza_tizkova should i deserve some prize here? a max plan maybe? ” [source](https://twitter.com/144564973/status/2100980539310198987) - Devin, 2026-09-10, @cognition (X): “@joshjnunez @cognition what about a 200$ max plan to me? ahah so many giveaways but i won none :(” [source](https://twitter.com/2193149657/status/2098175761949540385) ### 9. Make the product entirely free - OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-25, r/codex (Reddit): “> but then they need to be extremely clear and all the plans need to be free and unlimited” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wpfoxh/the_downhill_begins/pbwwtul/) - OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-23, r/codex (Reddit): “as long as the app usage is free and unlimited i will be happy. my workflow relies on research just as much as coding. and if you find me an alternative i will gladly switch.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wo317r/gpt6_sol_mimo_26_pro_but_8_more_expensive/pbjyo19/) - OpenCode, 2026-09-21, r/opencode (Reddit): “i need a coding agentic system which is free and i can use it unlimitedly” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wm59au/is_there_any_opencode_open_source_alternative/pb4bt41/) ### 10. Specific features available on free plan - Claude Code, 2026-09-27, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs @claudeai at least give read-only access to cowork chats when the user is on a free plan after their pro plan expires” [source](https://twitter.com/1457007878645043210/status/2104095130659811727) - GitHub Copilot, 2026-09-21, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “just to be clear, you do understand why it only lasted 5 days? for $10, you get 1500 ai credits, which is basically 1500 pennies. your usage burns those pennies to buy tokens, and when they run out, your time is up. so you got what you paid, plus 50%. unfortunately, when running agents and such, $15 worth of tokens just doesn't go very far. note: i think you should still get code-completion in your ide for the month” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1wlpgze/paid_a_monthly_subscription_that_only_lasted_5/pb2goox/) - OpenCode, 2026-09-17, @opencode (X): “@opencode after unsubscribing, can't the account try the free model? ” [source](https://twitter.com/1834475387298217986/status/2100377488048509162) ### 11. Free credits for creators, hackathons and research - Kiro, 2026-09-23, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “i am building presence intelligence, co-brain for multi-location business ceo and executives. i am thinking of record the journey and put on social media, as kiro is one of the vibe coding tool i used, every time i build new feature in pi i record and put on instagram and youtube. does kiro provide sponsorship or give free token if yes help me connect with respective person who can help me.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1wnwq2t/required_kiro_sponsorship/) - Devin, 2026-09-20, @cognition (X): “@da7_tech @cognition @usehazeai should give people some plan like devin pro plan by the times to hackathon so all the people have the same tools and resource to do it. and i think you can ask cognition for some devin pro plan for lower tier prizes. that would be greats!” [source](https://twitter.com/2092527287174631424/status/2101807858232995926) - Factory, 2026-09-19, @droid (X): “@droid maybe an ambassador program with subscription giveaways?” [source](https://twitter.com/2066846062623518720/status/2101322562793848939) ### 12. More free model options - Cline, 2026-09-21, r/CLine (Reddit): “i'm going to be paying very close attention to what you're saying; if you try to deceive us, i'm going to destroy you on reddit and everywhere :-). linux is the most important thing, write it down somewhere you'll see it every day, and then giving things away for free, that's also essential: the more stuff of all kinds you give, the better.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1wmb1co/kimi_k3_is_free_in_cline_desktop_for_a_limited/pb6v3p1/) - OpenCode, 2026-09-02, @opencode (X): “@commandcodeai @opencode : 6 free models, 61 max intelligence index @openrouter : 6 free models, 52 max intelligence @commandcodeai : 2 free models, 46 max intelligence please add good free models, @mrahmadawais” [source](https://twitter.com/1510027424/status/2095295498060251363) - OpenCode, 2026-08-31, r/opencode (Reddit): “opencode needs to recognise what people really use them for... free models” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1w33s1q/when_no_better_models_available_for_free/p6yq5t3/) ## Every agent | Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | [Devin](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/devin.md) | =5 | Better than peers | 0.563 | 0.528–0.593 | 155 | 114 | 41 | | [Google Antigravity](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/antigravity.md) | =5 | Better than peers | 0.545 | 0.519–0.571 | 63 | 46 | 17 | | [OpenAI Codex](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/codex.md) | 2 | Typical | 0.505 | 0.477–0.536 | 104 | 56 | 48 | | [Cline](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/cline.md) | =8 | Typical | 0.498 | 0.465–0.531 | 133 | 80 | 53 | | [OpenCode](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/opencode.md) | 3 | Typical | 0.494 | 0.472–0.516 | 571 | 322 | 249 | | [Cursor](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/cursor.md) | 4 | Typical | 0.482 | 0.457–0.509 | 43 | 20 | 23 | | [Claude Code](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/claude-code.md) | 1 | Worse than peers | 0.448 | 0.417–0.478 | 95 | 40 | 55 | | [Kiro](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/kiro.md) | 13 | Too few posts | – | – | 22 | 2 | 20 | | [Amp](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/amp.md) | =11 | Too few posts | – | – | 12 | 8 | 4 | | [Pi](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/pi.md) | 7 | Too few posts | – | – | 8 | 5 | 3 | | [GitHub Copilot](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/copilot.md) | =8 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 3 | 3 | | [Factory](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/factory.md) | =11 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 3 | 3 | | [Zed](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/zed.md) | =8 | Too few posts | – | – | 5 | 4 | 1 | | [Conductor](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/conductor.md) | 14 | Too few posts | – | – | 2 | 2 | 0 | | [Warp](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/warp.md) | 15 | Too few posts | – | – | 2 | 0 | 2 | | [Grok Build](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/grok-build.md) | 16 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | | [Augment Code](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/augment.md) | 17 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | ## Posts Receipts rule: The 5 most recent praise and complaint posts per area (first 700 characters) and 3 per criterion (first 450 characters). ### Devin - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/windsurf (Reddit): “they had abandoned since almost a year ago. it was up until a month ago, but it didn't even work when it was up. you could install devin desktop and enjoy your unlimited free tab complete there.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/windsurf/comments/1wr7p7l/why_isnt_windsurf_available_in_vscode_anymore/pceq77b/) - Praise, 2026-09-27, @cognition (X): “@max18martin @cognition i have to say that swe-2 can even be used in many scenarios to match gpt-6 sol, and the former is surprisingly free for pro plans and above.” [source](https://twitter.com/1859530427905736704/status/2104025642329330144) - Praise, 2026-09-27, @cognition (X): “psa! @cognition has their swe-2 model on "promo pricing" (e.g. free, unlimited tokens as far as i can tell) through 10/16... and it's nothing close to opus 5.5, but it is a very solid daily driver. i've been burning hard with this guy for the past week or so and outsource design, tougher tasks, and coordination to 5.5” [source](https://twitter.com/2973779705/status/2104111739327348909) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, @cognition (X): “@enactraai @cognition free tier is a trap” [source](https://twitter.com/727847444/status/2103884622652407911) - Complaint, 2026-09-25, @DevinAI (X): “@dabit3 @notjazii @devinai if the swe-2 model had always been free, i can't even imagine how powerful devin would be (✧∀✧)” [source](https://twitter.com/1159835302275346433/status/2103600809342853427) - Complaint, 2026-09-25, @DevinAI (X): “@notjazii @devinai if the swe-2 model had always been free, i can't even imagine how powerful devin would be (✧∀✧)” [source](https://twitter.com/1159835302275346433/status/2103600910048129518) ### Google Antigravity - Praise, 2026-09-27, @antigravity (X): “i do not understand the hate for @antigravity antigravity is an all-round tool for regular tasks. - research (gemini - first hand google data) - image gen models - video gen models - code execution - browser control the below done by prime models - claude, codex, grok - planning - review - design - ui / ux gemini models are almost free and unlimited, so why not?” [source](https://twitter.com/59830564/status/2104245141230027122) - Praise, 2026-09-27, @antigravity (X): “people shit on @antigravity a lot - but its very usable free student plan gives a ton of usage its one of the fastest models and it's great when you need smt simple just done. its also pretty good for browser use ” [source](https://twitter.com/2031861244118945792/status/2104295241935143042) - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/vibecoding (Reddit): “pro tip to use as many google accounts as possible to milk that free antigravity tokens to the max.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/vibecoding/comments/1wrjrt6/to_the_bro_who_said_i_dont_give_a_fuck_im_working/pcemv86/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “do you have billing set up? cuz it takes money to use it. free tier is laughingly small, sadly” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wrh0mx/gemini_38_in_alternative_harnesses/pcfbqwt/) - Complaint, 2026-09-22, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “they do but it's useless. like for 3 or 4 prompts to try” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wni05g/we_need_a_usage_reset_now/pbfgt24/) - Complaint, 2026-09-17, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “gpt has more quota in their free tier than gemini with pro, at least for me, within the same workspace” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1whlcro/thanks_for_the_reset_i_guess/pab2upz/) ### OpenAI Codex - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/codex (Reddit): “i truly don’t understand the hate that grateful people are getting in this thread, we get something for free that gives x amount of weekly usage back and they complain about the fact they didn’t spend more or something else” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wr3yev/ive_been_seeing_a_lot_of_comments_circling_around/pcc0in6/) - Praise, 2026-09-27, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “claude opus 5.5 on xhigh reasoning. ran all day, 10 hours or so. --- tools --- i didn't tell claude to do any of this, it just used the api keys i put in its environment: - generated images using gpt-image-2.5-flare via api - generated 3d models using hunyuan via api, and some from poly haven (cc0) - got the iphone duo model out of xcode somehow and rigged it in blender - did all the motion graphics in python - prompted and generated the backgrou” [source](https://twitter.com/50949650/status/2104262652251734038) - Praise, 2026-09-26, r/codex (Reddit): “openai handing out free compute and you don’t see how that could be beneficial?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wqc44m/reset_confirmed/pc3poy5/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/codex (Reddit): “that 1 month is available to millions of people for free but compute isn't there for paid users. if they are constantly nerfing paid plans why give out free trial to everyone?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wrutwv/theyre_offsetting_the_cost_of_giving_out_free/pcgl5po/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/codex (Reddit): “man i wish they did something like that for pro users” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wrutwv/theyre_offsetting_the_cost_of_giving_out_free/pcglr30/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/OpenAI (Reddit): “the free tier can do a lot more, more conveniently than codex can at a free tier. it is great for people who want a capable agentic tool that doesn’t require it to be a tool and a hobby they have to tinker with.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/comments/1wrswrq/does_openai_have_any_plans_to_release_something/pcfpca6/) ### Cline - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/LocalLLaMA (Reddit): “yeah i want to try that. z.ai has been really generous with free usage for glf 5.3 flash via opencode, cline etc. i actually used their app, zcode, with that model, and it was pretty great. i'm sure claude code/codex might be even better in many cases” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/1wrfp50/another_harness_matters_post_codex_cli_pi_and/pcg9v8x/) - Praise, 2026-09-26, @cline (X): “@cline it's a wonder, this way you always bump into free models for those of us who don't have money.” [source](https://twitter.com/1765888710992601088/status/2103666431212569026) - Praise, 2026-09-26, @cline (X): “@cline thank you cline for offering free models and your environment and windows app are very nice and comfortable.” [source](https://twitter.com/2029693365630164992/status/2103695840044871745) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, @cline (X): “@cline @positronx_ not free in desktop app cline?🫠😵💫” [source](https://twitter.com/2415779468/status/2104345761236586862) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/CLine (Reddit): “so it’s just like their previous free offers... ridiculous. cline made a bad impression to me. if they offer a free tier they should have useful quotas like opencode zen.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1wpyepq/gemini_38_flash_is_now_free_in_cline/pc3rk67/) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/CLine (Reddit): “it didn’t have a useful quota, so this makes no difference.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1wpyepq/gemini_38_flash_is_now_free_in_cline/pc3rpzr/) ### OpenCode - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/opencode (Reddit): “if you're on opencode, the free models are honestly the move. i built a little wrapper that exposes them through an openai-compatible endpoint, so you can use them from other clients too instead of being stuck in the cli. [” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wq8vp9/best_free_model_after_deepseek_leave/pcal0fn/) - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/opencode (Reddit): “i agree, having free access to longcat-2.5-preview for two weeks is a great way to test its capabilities in real workflows.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wqqtgx/longcat25preview_is_now_free_on_opencode_for_two/pcbdeeb/) - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/opencodeCLI (Reddit): “it gives me 60$ on deepseek and muse for sure” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/comments/1wr9f75/is_opencode_go_subscription_good_or_not_call_it/pccdsx9/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/opencode (Reddit): “you can. the problem is you can’t use free models that way anymore.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wrqpjq/can_i_use_the_opencode_go_api_inside_n8n/pcfucu9/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, @opencode (X): “@kfchowai @opencode i learned the hard way, free models are for simple testing, to see how it behaves, the limits will make most free models unusable for most tasks” [source](https://twitter.com/1830607756937588736/status/2104200217511768321) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, @opencode (X): “@kfchowai @opencode good to know, maybe they will offer 2.5 for free. icymi, opencode zen offers @meituan_longcat 2.5 for free for 2 weeks - sadly, recently opencode zen started to block access to free models outside of @opencode 👎 see our post about it: ” [source](https://twitter.com/1830607756937588736/status/2104240180945158201) ### Cursor - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/cursor (Reddit): “yes, but some have cursor anyway so its still "free bonus", even if not much” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wrbmrn/is_it_a_waste_of_money_to_run_opus_55_inside_of/pcc155q/) - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/cursor (Reddit): “the rate limit does not seem to apply to swe-2 free. i've been running it all day (many millions of tokens) and have yet to run into a limitation.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wnpgmf/canceled_cursor_today_after_using_it_for_many/pcg4q8q/) - Praise, 2026-09-25, r/cursor (Reddit): “can't speak to the quality stuff, but a couple of things worth knowing before you pay for either: both are $20. cursor pro gets you the editor plus extended agent limits. claude pro gets you claude code, but your usage is shared with regular claude chat, so if you also use the web app a lot it all comes out of the same pool. the bigger difference for a beginner is probably the workflow. cursor is a full editor you click around in, while claude co” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wpm09i/beginner_making_a_react_native_app_is_cursor_pro/pc24gjz/) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/cursor (Reddit): “i cancelled recently, but i was one of their old customers where they offered me unlimited tokens for free for a year, and it ends after 4 days. i'd say i made the most out of it, but i wouldn't pay for it again.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wq3m71/im_out/pc3hs6s/) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, @cursor_ai (X): “muse from @meta is free. grok @bot requires a paid sub from @spacexai or @cursor_ai. it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to make grok bot free but restricted to just one bot (rather than the 15 that i have). something else for @elonmusk to think about.” [source](https://twitter.com/1526423709086412800/status/2103700752665587858) - Complaint, 2026-09-24, r/cursor (Reddit): “i saw it once, but like after two request they hit you up for the paid service.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wpeqaa/i_composer_available_for_free_hobby_tier/pburgyz/) ### Claude Code - Praise, 2026-09-27, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “yeah, probably using free models or paying a few bucks is the way to go for hobby stuff. same goes for animations.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wrteof/is_pro_subscription_good_enough_for_unreal_engine/pcfkzu9/) - Praise, 2026-09-26, @ClaudeDevs (X): “thanks @claudedevs @claudeai opus 5.5 has been awesome ! and the cloud credit was sweet” [source](https://twitter.com/1791414206660517888/status/2103642738348507565) - Praise, 2026-09-26, r/ClaudeAI (Reddit): “claude code users are getting up to $250 in free credit don't forget to claim it guys!” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wqnn5x/claude_code_users_are_getting_up_to_250_in_free/) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, r/AI_Agents (Reddit): “hello guys i need your help please hello everyone, actually, i need your inputs regarding different agents which are free for certain amount of time so if u guys have any such agents in your mind please tell me because previously i used to go with agent router+ claude code but it is now not working that properly they are releasing models in batched , my codex is the free one so it recharges next month currently i am using qoder which has qwen” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1wrmju9/hello_guys_i_need_your_help_please/) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “already used the free reset in 2 days!!!” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wqnh3q/me_after_opus_55_release/pc5cjgd/) - Complaint, 2026-09-26, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “same here i used the entire free reset in abit over a day” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wqsz67/opus_55_has_absolutely_restored_value_to_the_200/pc6pcml/) ### Kiro - Praise, 2026-09-27, @kirodotdev (X): “@kirodotdev i created a lightweight php dashboard to display data from switchbot temperature and humidity sensors. i was able to implement all of this smoothly using only the features of "kiro free"! #kirouniversity #buildwithkiro” [source](https://twitter.com/2104203277688811520/status/2104233829972246799) - Praise, 2026-09-08, @kirodotdev (X): “@mattsgarman @kirodotdev great move, @mattsgarman. giving students access to real-world ai tools today creates stronger builders for tomorrow.” [source](https://twitter.com/1301415704709591058/status/2097423719945884023) - Complaint, 2026-09-22, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “ugh i first messed with this stuff on kiro so it's my default but i'm gonna have to pay to mess with new modelsss” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1wnkhp7/is_claude_sub_better_than_kiro_sub_20/pbg11ji/) - Complaint, 2026-09-18, @kirodotdev (X): “@kirodotdev kiro will never have a universal student verification system like google's. never forget this and this is one of the worst things for kiro.” [source](https://twitter.com/1896160400716267520/status/2101007441785663795) - Complaint, 2026-09-13, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “yeah they are telling me same, too spend some dollar and generate some invoices. but idk how much exactly i need to spend so i look active? cause i don't have any free credits that i can spend so i need to use my own money” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1wf62bw/i_recieved_aws_kiro_plus_credits_under_their/p9kujer/) ### Amp - Praise, 2026-09-23, @AmpCode (X): “@jpramoss98 @ampcode hello juan, i just started trying it today because i saw it a lot on tw, the 2 months thing is useful for me haha” [source](https://twitter.com/1569799644796047360/status/2102841989591187569) - Praise, 2026-09-14, @AmpCode (X): “appreciate the shoutout on grok for amp byok. supergrok unlocks grok 4.6 with solid limits; heavy at $300 delivers max rate limits plus multi-agent grok 4 heavy for intensive coding runs. pairs cleanly with amp's free byok tier for strong value alongside the other subs you listed.” [source](https://twitter.com/1720665183188922368/status/2099564117832966646) - Praise, 2026-09-13, @AmpCode (X): “honestly speaking, you're gonna find it really hard to beat this model @ampcode has been one of the best harnesses and with byok going free and local models, i'm super excited to try some opensource quantized models on my mac ” [source](https://twitter.com/1312268376547323905/status/2099030566201069652) - Complaint, 2026-09-11, @AmpCode (X): “@quatermain32 @ampcode i wanna try it but it costs money @sqs any chance you can hook me up with some credits 👀” [source](https://twitter.com/1921723057502146560/status/2098415112201630106) - Complaint, 2026-09-11, @AmpCode (X): “@leodev @quatermain32 @ampcode @sqs yeah that’s how i feel, don’t wanna spend on something i can’t try out first” [source](https://twitter.com/1637701661140606977/status/2098431732512956908) - Complaint, 2026-09-02, @AmpCode (X): “@ryan_morr @hoplite_sh everything is good in the beginning, like @ampcode did it before, but they removed the free option and became a paid provider.” [source](https://twitter.com/2017090289866076160/status/2095209787277676929) ### Pi - Praise, 2026-09-23, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “really, cline is very good. the glm 5.3 flash model is available for free with usage limits. based on my personal testing, i found that glm 5.3 flash delivers about 95% of the quality of kimi k3, making it an excellent option for regular use within the free tier. the $9.99 usd plan also provides significantly more usage compared to the kimi allegretto plan. i **installed it on pi cli using:** pi install npm:@maxpaulus/pi-cline good news: we can” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wofu5y/cline_in_pi/) - Praise, 2026-09-22, r/opencode (Reddit): “pi agent is totally free - it is harness, not provider. you can use exactly same models as in opencode harness plus many more as you can connect any provider. in addition, you have about 5000 plugins to enhance/advance your harness” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1wm7pi6/what_the_hell_is_going_on_with_deepseek/pbb5257/) - Praise, 2026-09-21, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “right now i am just setting up a good pi setup. but long term i want to use pi and local llms as an intelligent task manager that also stores everything i do in markdown files, creating a sort of extended detailed lore/wiki about my life and tasks. i want to be able to ask pi: what did i do on that day, and it should give me a detailed overview. i will also use pi for code support, image generation etc. i like that i can do all of this for free a” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wi77ib/for_what_you_are_using_pi_coding_or_something/pb5rl6s/) - Complaint, 2026-09-17, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “opencode blocked it on their system. have to use opencode to get free tier models now... it's a shame because using their free tier on pi was great for people that don't really have the need for a sub.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wiihz1/cant_use_zen_free_models_in_pi/pacwcss/) - Complaint, 2026-09-13, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “please dont make free offerings, it will make situations worse.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wegibk/surprisingly_still_seeing_real_demand_for_v4/p9huup9/) - Complaint, 2026-09-09, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “it is not free if you need to pay for the subscription lol” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1w72ajc/free_glm_53_flash_for_your_agents/p8o6oup/) ### GitHub Copilot - Praise, 2026-09-26, r/codex (Reddit): “if you're strapped for cash, switch to the $10 copilot model, and sign up for muse spark 1.3 contributor (you'll get an api key). install the copilot add-in for muse spark 1.3, and you'll pay 1 cent per 1 million tokens. this is what i use when my weekly limit in codex gets near 0. works pretty good, and at 1 cent, it basically never runs out. note: nearly free, but by using the "contributor" tier, you are allowing meta to train with your promp” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wqnhjm/was_forced_do_downgrade_from_pro_5x_to_plus_i/pc6xgcj/) - Praise, 2026-09-18, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “i never had a copilot subscription, but there is a free tier. you will lose access to certain models but i doubt anything serious will happen. i regularly use alternative model providers in vscode with the copilot extension.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1wjioby/deepseek_en_github_copilot_sin_suscripción/paiwbu3/) - Praise, 2026-09-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “acho que ele se referia ao github copilot. eu já usei isso com minha conta gratuita do github education como uma alternativa quando o limite do claude se esgotou. it's a model aggregator. it also came in handy for pull request reviews. but the performance definitely doesn't compare to claude code/codex.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wigcqm/copilot_is_replacing_claude_code/paabcpj/) - Complaint, 2026-09-23, r/codex (Reddit): “claude code vs codex 20 dollar plan as of today?(or better alternatives) i have used claude code for the past months on some apps and projects, but i have been somewhat disatisfied because of how fast rates hit. also despite some of these projects being relatively shorter projects the fact that the rate limits hit so fast has been a hassle. i am planning on taking out a 20 dollar subscription(i can only take one not both), and had heard a while” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wntbbt/claude_code_vs_codex_20_dollar_plan_as_of_todayor/) - Complaint, 2026-09-18, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “i don't think so, i canceled my subscription (still have a logged in gh account) and lost access to everything. i actually miss the ai autocomplete, because codex doesnt have it, and other extensions that i tried are shitty or don't work anymore.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1wjioby/deepseek_en_github_copilot_sin_suscripción/pajdo1z/) - Complaint, 2026-09-17, r/ChatGPTCoding (Reddit): “thanks ! but last time i tried copilot free after i lapsed my subscription, it was a bit bitten by the limits.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTCoding/comments/1wj0o96/chatgpt_go_vs_github_copilot_pro_vs_claude_pro/paffl3l/) ### Factory - Praise, 2026-09-24, @FactoryAI (X): “didnt make it into the guild but @factoryai were kind enough to gift me a month of pro anway 🫶 love this ceremony of setting up a cloud computer - secure environment for agents to run around rather than local where i sometimes wonder what they are up to! 👀 ” [source](https://twitter.com/1510762653299396609/status/2103153457079456039) - Praise, 2026-09-20, @droid (X): “@dragoscomedy @droid we do have a desktop app and it’s quite snazzy but free usage _weeks_ is wild 😭” [source](https://twitter.com/1721143727043887104/status/2101500413006786609) - Praise, 2026-09-17, @droid (X): “glm 5.3 flash is practically free in @droid and it just works - i'm blown away by how good this model is for its cost” [source](https://twitter.com/1382136217601417222/status/2100688411241922729) - Complaint, 2026-09-27, @droid (X): “currently, only big influencers have droid max or devin max @droid @cognition consider me” [source](https://twitter.com/2018156578617090049/status/2104141229428781334) - Complaint, 2026-09-17, @droid (X): “@tereza_tizkova @droid @factoryai new users only :(” [source](https://twitter.com/1248119942194421760/status/2100650522747228211) - Complaint, 2026-09-06, @droid (X): “what would it take for a free max account @droid” [source](https://twitter.com/741782818972405763/status/2096401193215881418) ### Zed - Praise, 2026-09-17, r/ZedEditor (Reddit): “it don't replace git. also its free, you can use your own api keys” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZedEditor/comments/1whydrw/delta_in_public_beta/paftkwl/) - Praise, 2026-09-17, r/ZedEditor (Reddit): “they're saying it will always be a free version. currently works like zed, you can bring your own sub/api keys or you can use zed pro plan.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZedEditor/comments/1whydrw/delta_in_public_beta/paftw8t/) - Praise, 2026-09-08, @zeddotdev (X): “just got delta beta access from @zeddotdev -- looks exciting. gonna use it for a while and see if it actually holds up. only wish is local provider support like llama.cpp or ollama, the way zed itself does it. but the $100 credit that comes with zed vip should keep me going for now” [source](https://twitter.com/1198703901270249479/status/2097404923461681646) - Complaint, 2026-09-18, r/ZedEditor (Reddit): “sure, i'm going to version control enterprise project with a company product where they superduper promise that it will always be free. do you understand how long a time "always" is? companies seize to exist as well you know. what then?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZedEditor/comments/1whydrw/delta_in_public_beta/paikt7b/) ### Conductor - Praise, 2026-09-15, @conductor_build (X): “my stack now is @conductor_build + qwen models for building apps. fast and free!” [source](https://twitter.com/1382193359641481217/status/2099810273439715525) - Praise, 2026-09-08, @conductor_build (X): “@connortbot @tryreplicas @conductor_build i think the biggest bummer is that other apps can be used for free to just orchestrate local agents, whereas i'll need to pay for replicas and the developer plan is quite steep already. for example, conductor is free to run local workspaces etc.” [source](https://twitter.com/2843813092/status/2097345802993611082) ### Warp - Complaint, 2026-09-23, @warpdotdev (X): “just got access to the new @warpdotdev, then immediately abandoned sign up because they require payment before letting me do anything 😖 i'm not gonna pay for something i cannot try first 🤷” [source](https://twitter.com/867511/status/2102866306982969805) - Complaint, 2026-09-18, @warpdotdev (X): “@vikvang1 @warpdotdev warp is still the best terminal i've used. i've championed it to several teams and sold dozens of other engineers on it. but the price changes boxed folks out and the ai plumbing on the current free tier is unusable.” [source](https://twitter.com/14132756/status/2100995345765576727)