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Free Models Router is DGrid’s free intelligent inference gateway for users worldwide. Instead of choosing a specific free model manually, you call one stable model ID and let DGrid route the request to available model capacity based on service availability, response efficiency, and the task requirements.
Use model ID dgridai/free when you want DGrid to select an available free model automatically. See the model detail page for the live model listing.

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What it is for

Free Models Router is designed for general-purpose AI usage where fast access and low friction matter more than selecting a specific provider model. It works well for:
  • Everyday Q&A and research assistance
  • Multilingual writing, rewriting, and translation
  • Coding help, debugging suggestions, and code explanation
  • Logical analysis and structured reasoning
  • Learning support and concept explanation
  • Drafting, summarizing, and content creation
  • Complex problem solving that benefits from a capable general model

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How routing works

DGrid aggregates multiple sources of free inference capacity behind a single routing layer. For each request, the router evaluates available model resources and schedules the request to a suitable backend. Routing may consider:
  • Current service availability
  • Expected response speed
  • Task type and prompt requirements
  • Free compute availability across connected model sources
  • Operational stability of the underlying route
This means the underlying model can change from request to request. If your application requires a fixed model identity, use a specific Model API model ID instead of dgridai/free.

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Quickstart

Free Models Router uses the same OpenAI-compatible chat completion interface as the rest of DGrid AI Gateway. 
curl https://api.dgrid.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DGRID_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "dgridai/free",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Explain zero-knowledge proofs in simple terms."
      }
    ]
  }'
You can also use the OpenAI SDK by setting the DGrid base URL: 
import OpenAI from 'openai';

const client = new OpenAI({
  baseURL: 'https://api.dgrid.ai/v1',
  apiKey: process.env.DGRID_API_KEY,
});

const completion = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: 'dgridai/free',
  messages: [
    {
      role: 'user',
      content: 'Help me outline a launch plan for a developer tool.',
    },
  ],
});

console.log(completion.choices[0].message.content);

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Rate limits

To keep free access reliable and fair, DGrid applies request limits to Free Models Router. Limits are enforced per account.
Access levelEligibilityRequests per minuteRequests per day
Standard accessAccount has not completed at least $5 in qualifying top-ups10100
Increased accessAccount has completed at least $5 in qualifying top-ups201,000
A qualifying top-up is a direct addition of funds to the account balance and is used to determine whether the account meets the $5 threshold.

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Rate limit errors

Requests that exceed the applicable limit are rejected with: 
Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later.
If your application needs predictable higher throughput, use a paid model route or contact DGrid support for production guidance.

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Operational guidance

  • Treat dgridai/free as a convenience router, not a fixed model.
  • Avoid relying on provider-specific behavior from the underlying routed model.
  • Add retry logic with backoff for temporary rate-limit or availability responses.
  • Use paid model IDs when you need deterministic model selection, higher throughput, stronger SLA expectations, or model-specific capabilities.
  • Log DGrid-Request-ID from responses if you need to reconcile usage later. See Get request billing details for request-level billing lookup.