Free-offer comparison
Free AI Research Tools
Search, crawling, and browser automation are different workloads. Read the allowance for the specific research step you plan to automate.
Guide updated Sep 19, 2026 · Offer review and source dates appear below · Methodology
Free-offer ranking
Each row describes the provider’s recorded free offer, which may cover a different product from the category shown here. The table keeps published units separate. “Not confirmed” means we lack evidence for that detail; it does not mean the provider requires a card.
Scroll horizontally to compare every column.
| Rank | Provider | Free-access score | Recorded free offer | Access pattern | Billing/card | Offer note | Full review | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Browserless | 100/100 | 1K units/mo | Recurring allowance | No card confirmed | One unit covers up to 30 seconds; proxies and successful captcha solves consume extra units. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
| #2 | Firecrawl | 100/100 | 1K credits/mo | Recurring allowance | No card confirmed | The free monthly credit balance is consumed at different rates by endpoint. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
| #3 | Apify | 95/100 | $5 credit/mo | Recurring allowance | No card confirmed | Free plan includes $5 each month to spend on Apify Store Actors or the user's own Actors, with no credit card required. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
| #4 | Tavily | 95/100 | 1K credits/mo | Recurring allowance | No card confirmed | 1,000 API credits every month with no credit card. Credits cover its agent-focused Search, Extract, Map, Crawl, and Research APIs, with endpoint-dependent consumption. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
| #5 | Exa | 75/100 | Recurring free credit: $10 credits per month; Signup credit: $20 credits total | Recurring allowance | Not confirmed | Signup credits and recurring monthly credits are separate balances. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Sep 13, 2026 |
| #6 | Hyperbrowser | 55/100 | Free tier | Introductory offer | No card confirmed | Whether the 5,000 credits replenish monthly is not confirmed. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
| #7 | Browserbase | 30/100 | Free tier | Introductory offer | Not confirmed | Browser hours, Agent runs, Search calls, Fetch calls, and model tokens use separate allowances. | Jul 17, 2026 | View pricingAccessed Jul 17, 2026 |
Why these providers appear in this order
We score each provider’s recorded free offer: up to 40 points for recurring or durable access, 20 for a confirmed no-card signup, 15 for a stated allowance, 15 for distinct evidence links, and 10 for documented terms. Missing details earn no points. Ties favor longer-lasting access, then more detailed records, then provider name. The score does not measure product quality or whether the free offer covers this category. Read the full method before treating it as a recommendation.
Which providers are included?
We include active directory records tagged for AI research APIs and tools. A tag describes a provider’s capability; its recorded free offer may cover only part of that provider’s catalog. Check the model or endpoint in the provider’s terms before building on the allowance.
See the full AI research APIs and tools category, including records excluded from this guide.