free-coding-models

Find the fastest free coding model in seconds
_{Ping 160 models across 20 AI Free providers in real-time
Install Free API endpoints to your favorite AI coding tool:
OpenCode, OpenClaw, Crush, Goose, Aider, Qwen Code, OpenHands, Amp or Pi in one keystroke}

npm install -g free-coding-models
free-coding-models

Why • Quick Start • Providers • Usage • TUI Keys • Contributing

_{Made with ❤️ and ☕ by Vanessa Depraute (aka Vava-Nessa)}

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💡 Why this tool?

There are 160+ free coding models scattered across 20 providers. Which one is fastest right now? Which one is actually stable versus just lucky on the last ping?

This CLI pings them all in parallel, shows live latency, and calculates a live Stability Score (0-100). Average latency alone is misleading if a model randomly spikes to 6 seconds; the stability score measures true reliability by combining p95 latency (30%), jitter/variance (30%), spike rate (20%), and uptime (20%).

It then writes the model you pick directly into your coding tool's config — so you go from "which model?" to "coding" in under 10 seconds.

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⚡ Quick Start

① Get a free API key — you only need one to get started:

160 coding models across 20 providers, ranked by SWE-bench Verified.

Provider	Models	Tier range	Free tier	Env var
NVIDIA NIM	44	S+ → C	40 req/min (no credit card needed)	NVIDIA_API_KEY
iFlow	11	S+ → A+	Free for individuals (no req limits, 7-day key expiry)	IFLOW_API_KEY
ZAI	7	S+ → S	Free tier (generous quota)	ZAI_API_KEY
Alibaba DashScope	8	S+ → A	1M free tokens per model (Singapore region, 90 days)	DASHSCOPE_API_KEY
Groq	10	S → B	30‑50 RPM per model (varies by model)	GROQ_API_KEY
Cerebras	7	S+ → B	Generous free tier (developer tier 10× higher limits)	CEREBRAS_API_KEY
SambaNova	12	S+ → B	Dev tier generous quota	SAMBANOVA_API_KEY
OpenRouter	11	S+ → C	Free on 🆓 50/day <$10, 1000/day ≥$10 (20 req/min)	OPENROUTER_API_KEY
Hugging Face	2	S → B	Free monthly credits (~$0.10)	HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY
Together AI	7	S+ → A-	Credits/promos vary by account (check console)	TOGETHER_API_KEY
DeepInfra	2	A- → B+	200 concurrent requests (default)	DEEPINFRA_API_KEY
Fireworks AI	2	S	$1 credits – 10 req/min without payment	FIREWORKS_API_KEY
Mistral Codestral	1	B+	30 req/min, 2000/day	CODESTRAL_API_KEY
Hyperbolic	10	S+ → A-	$1 free trial credits	HYPERBOLIC_API_KEY
Scaleway	7	S+ → B+	1M free tokens	SCALEWAY_API_KEY
Google AI Studio	3	B → C	14.4K req/day, 30/min	GOOGLE_API_KEY
SiliconFlow	6	S+ → A	Free models: usually 100 RPM, varies by model	SILICONFLOW_API_KEY
Cloudflare Workers AI	6	S → B	Free: 10k neurons/day, text-gen 300 RPM	CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN + CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID
Perplexity API	4	A+ → B	Tiered limits by spend (default ~50 RPM)	PERPLEXITY_API_KEY
Replicate	1	A-	6 req/min (no payment) – up to 3,000 RPM with payment	REPLICATE_API_TOKEN

💡 One key is enough. Add more at any time with P inside the TUI.

Tier scale

Tier	SWE-bench	Best for
S+	≥ 70%	Complex refactors, real-world GitHub issues
S	60–70%	Most coding tasks, strong general use
A+/A	40–60%	Solid alternatives, targeted programming
A-/B+	30–40%	Smaller tasks, constrained infra
B/C	< 30%	Code completion, edge/minimal setups

② Install and run:

npm install -g free-coding-models
free-coding-models

On first run, you'll be prompted to enter your API key(s). You can skip providers and add more later with P.

Need to fix contrast because your terminal theme is fighting the TUI? Press G at any time to cycle Auto → Dark → Light. The switch recolors the full interface live: table, Settings, Help, Smart Recommend, Feedback, and Changelog.

③ Pick a model and launch your tool:

↑↓ navigate   →   Enter to launch

The model you select is automatically written into your tool's config (OpenCode, OpenClaw, Crush, etc.) and the tool opens immediately. Done.

If the active CLI tool is missing, FCM now catches it before launch, offers a tiny Yes/No install prompt, installs the tool with its official global command, then resumes the same model launch automatically.

💡 You can also run free-coding-models --goose --tier S to pre-filter to S-tier models for Goose before the TUI even opens.

🚀 Usage

Common scenarios

# "I want the most reliable model right now"
free-coding-models --fiable

# "I want to configure Goose with an S-tier model"
free-coding-models --goose --tier S

# "I want NVIDIA's top models only"
free-coding-models --origin nvidia --tier S

# "Start with an elite-focused preset, then adjust filters live"
free-coding-models --premium

# "I want to script this — give me JSON"
free-coding-models --tier S --json | jq -r '.[0].modelId'

# "I want to configure OpenClaw with Groq's fastest model"
free-coding-models --openclaw --origin groq

Tool launcher flags

Flag	Launches
--opencode	OpenCode CLI
--opencode-desktop	OpenCode Desktop
--openclaw	OpenClaw
--crush	Crush
--goose	Goose
--aider	Aider
--qwen	Qwen Code
--openhands	OpenHands
--amp	Amp
--pi	Pi

Press Z in the TUI to cycle between tools without restarting.

→ Full flags reference

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⌨️ TUI Keys

Key	Action
↑↓	Navigate models
Enter	Launch selected model in active tool
Z	Cycle target tool
T	Cycle tier filter
D	Cycle provider filter
E	Toggle configured-only mode
F	Favorite / unfavorite model
G	Cycle global theme (Auto → Dark → Light)
Ctrl+P	Open command palette (search + run actions)
R/S/C/M/O/L/A/H/V/B/U	Sort columns
P	Settings (API keys, providers, updates, theme)
Y	Install Endpoints (push provider into tool config)
Q	Smart Recommend overlay
N	Changelog
W	Cycle ping cadence
I	Feedback / bug report
K	Help overlay
Ctrl+C	Exit

→ Stability score & column reference

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✨ Features

• Parallel pings — all 160 models tested simultaneously via native fetch
• Adaptive monitoring — 2s burst for 60s → 10s normal → 30s idle
• Stability score — composite 0–100 (p95 latency, jitter, spike rate, uptime)
• Smart ranking — top 3 highlighted 🥇🥈🥉
• Favorites — pin models with F, persisted across sessions
• Configured-only default — only shows providers you have keys for
• Keyless latency — models ping even without an API key (show 🔑 NO KEY)
• Smart Recommend — questionnaire picks the best model for your task type
• Command Palette — Ctrl+P opens a searchable action launcher for filters, sorting, overlays, and quick toggles
• Install Endpoints — push a full provider catalog into any tool's config (Y)
• Missing tool bootstrap — detect absent CLIs, offer one-click install, then continue the selected launch automatically
• Width guardrail — shows a warning instead of a broken table in narrow terminals
• Readable everywhere — semantic theme palette keeps table rows, overlays, badges, and help screens legible in dark and light terminals
• Global theme switch — G cycles auto, dark, and light live without restarting
• Auto-retry — timeout models keep getting retried

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📋 Contributing

We welcome contributions — issues, PRs, new provider integrations.

Q: How accurate are the latency numbers?
A: Real round-trip times measured by your machine. Results depend on your network and provider load at that moment.

Q: Can I add a new provider?
A: Yes — see sources.js for the model catalog format.

→ Development guide · Config reference · Tool integrations

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📧 Support

GitHub Issues · Discord

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📄 License

MIT © vava

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Contributors

_{vava-nessa · erwinh22 · whit3rabbit · skylaweber · PhucTruong-ctrl}

_{Anonymous usage data collected to improve the tool. No personal information ever.}