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GitHub Models

Free GPT-4o, Llama, Mistral via your GitHub PAT

TL;DR

GitHub Models — Free GPT-4o, Llama, Mistral via your GitHub PAT. Free tier: Free for prototyping with a GitHub PAT. Strict rate limits (varies by model tier — Low/High); GPT-4o limited to a few RPM. API is OpenAI-compatible — point your SDK at https://models.inference.ai.azure.com.

Latency now
Uptime 24h
15
Free RPM
150
Free RPD
Get free API key → Read docs ↗ Pricing ↗

Free tier limits

  • 15 requests/min
  • 150 requests/day
  • 8,000 tokens/min
  • 64,000 tokens/day
No credit card required.

Models on free tier

  • gpt-4o
  • gpt-4o-mini
  • Meta-Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct
  • Mistral-large
  • Phi-3.5-MoE-instruct

Upgrade path

Production traffic should move to Azure AI (paid). GitHub Models is explicitly prototyping-only.

Azure AI Foundry / Azure OpenAI for production.

Endpoint

https://models.inference.ai.azure.com

OpenAI-compatible — works with the OpenAI SDK by overriding base_url.

Quick start
curl https://models.inference.ai.azure.com/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4o",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello in 5 words"}]
  }'
When GitHub Models is the right pick

Stay on free tier when

Trying GPT-4o without an OpenAI account. Prototyping enterprise demos that will later move to Azure.

Pick something else when

Production. Free tier rate limits are intentionally low to push paid Azure migration.

FAQ
Is GitHub Models's API really free?

Free for prototyping with a GitHub PAT. Strict rate limits (varies by model tier — Low/High); GPT-4o limited to a few RPM. No credit card is required to sign up.

What models can I call on GitHub Models's free tier?

Most commonly used: gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, Meta-Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct, Mistral-large. The full current list is on GitHub Models's docs page.

Is GitHub Models OpenAI-compatible?

Yes — point the OpenAI SDK's base URL at `https://models.inference.ai.azure.com` and pass your GitHub Models API key.

When should I upgrade from GitHub Models's free tier?

Production traffic should move to Azure AI (paid). GitHub Models is explicitly prototyping-only. If your traffic is bursty or seasonal, the free tier may be enough; if you need a guaranteed SLA, upgrade.

See also
GitHub Models vs OpenRouter

Side-by-side comparison.

GitHub Models vs Groq

Side-by-side comparison.