How to Get a Free Groq API Key (2026)
4 free models available — no credit card required. Get your Groq API key → Test free models →
Groq FreeLLM Score
A usable option, though it may have noticeable restrictions or older models.
What is Groq?
World's fastest LLM inference — ultra-low latency, free tier.
Groq is a cloud AI platform powered by its proprietary LPU (Language Processing Unit) chips, delivering dramatically faster inference than GPU-based providers. The free tier supports Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek-R1, and Whisper models with generous daily limits. Groq is fully OpenAI SDK-compatible, making it a drop-in replacement for any tool that accepts a custom base URL.
- Ultra-fast inference (~2,600 tok/s)
- Free tier: 14,400 RPD for most models
- Supports Llama 4, Qwen3, DeepSeek-R1
- OpenAI-compatible
API Compatibility: OpenAI SDK-compatible (Chat Completions)
How to Get a Groq API Key
- 1 Sign up at console.groq.com Email or Google/GitHub login. No credit card.
- 2 Go to API Keys in the sidebar
- 3 Create API key
- 4 Choose a model Llama 3.3 70B is the most popular free option.
- 5 Configure OpenAI client Base URL: https://api.groq.com/openai/v1
All Free Groq Models — Context Windows & Rate Limits
| Model | Context | Max Output | Modality | Rate Limit | Released | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| llama-4-scout-17b-16e-instruct | 131K | 8K | 30 RPM, 1,000 RPD | — | Online | |
| qwen3-32b | 131K | 131K | 30 RPM, 1,000 RPD | Apr 28, 2025 | Online | |
| llama-3.3-70b-versatile | 131K | 32K | 30 RPM, 1,000 RPD | Dec 6, 2024 | Online | |
| llama-3.1-8b-instant | 131K | 131K | 30 RPM, 1,000 RPD | Jul 23, 2024 | Online |
Groq Free Tier Limits & Pricing
Groq API Setup Tutorial & Tools
Groq is fully compatible with popular AI coding assistants like Cursor, Claude Code, and more. To see step-by-step API configuration instructions for your favorite tool, please visit our Global Configuration Guide →
Use Cases
What Groq's free models are best for, based on aggregated model capabilities:
Limitations & Caveats
- Rate limits vary significantly by model — check per-model limits
- Some models have token-per-minute caps in addition to RPM
- LPU availability may cause queuing during peak usage
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Groq's rate limits different for each model?
Groq's LPU hardware has model-specific throughput. Larger models (70B+) get lower RPM, while smaller models (8B) can handle 30 RPM or more. Always check the per-model rate card in the Groq console.
Is Groq really faster than other free LLM providers?
Yes — Groq's LPU chips deliver 2,000-3,000 tokens/second on smaller models, which is 5-10× faster than GPU-based providers. This makes Groq ideal for real-time applications like chatbots and coding assistants.
Can I use Groq as a drop-in replacement for OpenAI?
Yes. Groq's API is fully OpenAI-compatible. Just change the base URL to https://api.groq.com/openai/v1 and use your Groq API key. Model names differ (e.g. llama-3.3-70b-versatile instead of gpt-4o).