9router/gitbook/content/en/providers/free.md

Free Providers - Zero Cost Fallback

Emergency backup when everything else is quota-limited. Code 24/7 with zero cost!

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Overview

Free tier providers are your fallback when subscription and cheap quota exhausted:

• 🆓 iFlow - 8 models FREE (Kimi K2, Qwen3, GLM 4.7, MiniMax M2...)
• 🆓 Qwen - 3 models FREE (Qwen3 Coder Plus/Flash, Vision)
• 🆓 Kiro - 2 models FREE (Claude Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5)

Strategy: Use as emergency backup. Unlimited usage, zero cost forever!

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iFlow (8 FREE Models)

Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Models	Quota
FREE	$0	8 models	Unlimited

Best Value: Most models in free tier! Kimi K2, Qwen3, GLM, MiniMax, DeepSeek.

Setup

Step 1: Connect via Dashboard

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Connect iFlow

Step 2: iFlow OAuth Login

• Click "Connect iFlow"
• Browser opens → iFlow login page
• Create account or login
• Grant permissions
• Auto token refresh enabled

Step 3: Use in CLI

Model: if/kimi-k2-thinking
       if/kimi-k2
       if/qwen3-coder-plus
       if/glm-4.7
       if/minimax-m2
       if/deepseek-r1
       if/deepseek-v3.2-chat
       if/deepseek-v3.2-reasoner

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Best For
if/kimi-k2-thinking	Kimi K2 Thinking	Complex reasoning
if/kimi-k2	Kimi K2	General coding
if/qwen3-coder-plus	Qwen3 Coder Plus	Code generation
if/glm-4.7	GLM 4.7	Chinese + English
if/minimax-m2	MiniMax M2	Long context
if/deepseek-r1	DeepSeek R1	Reasoning tasks
if/deepseek-v3.2-chat	DeepSeek V3.2 Chat	Conversational
if/deepseek-v3.2-reasoner	DeepSeek V3.2 Reasoner	Complex logic

Pro Tips

• 8 models FREE - Most variety in free tier
• Unlimited usage - No quota limits
• Kimi K2 Thinking - Best for complex reasoning
• DeepSeek R1 - Strong reasoning capabilities

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Qwen (3 FREE Models)

Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Models	Quota
FREE	$0	3 models	Unlimited

Setup

Step 1: Connect via Dashboard

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Connect Qwen

Step 2: Device Code Authorization

• Click "Connect Qwen"
• Dashboard shows device code
• Visit authorization URL
• Enter device code
• Login to Qwen account
• Auto token refresh enabled

Step 3: Use in CLI

Model: qw/qwen3-coder-plus
       qw/qwen3-coder-flash
       qw/vision-model

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Best For
qw/qwen3-coder-plus	Qwen3 Coder Plus	Advanced coding
qw/qwen3-coder-flash	Qwen3 Coder Flash	Fast responses
qw/vision-model	Qwen3 Vision	Image analysis

Pro Tips

• Qwen3 Coder Plus - Strong coding capabilities
• Qwen3 Coder Flash - Fast for quick tasks
• Vision model - FREE image analysis
• Unlimited usage - No quota limits

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Kiro (Claude FREE)

Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Models	Quota
FREE	$0	Claude Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5	Unlimited

Best Value: FREE Claude! Same quality as paid Claude Code.

Setup

Step 1: Connect via Dashboard

9router
# Dashboard → Providers → Connect Kiro

Step 2: AWS Builder ID or OAuth

• Click "Connect Kiro"
• Choose login method:
  • AWS Builder ID (recommended)
  • Google account
  • GitHub account
• Grant permissions
• Auto token refresh enabled

Step 3: Use in CLI

Model: kr/claude-sonnet-4.5
       kr/claude-haiku-4.5

Available Models

Model ID	Description	Best For
kr/claude-sonnet-4.5	Claude Sonnet 4.5	Balanced quality/speed
kr/claude-haiku-4.5	Claude Haiku 4.5	Fast responses

Pro Tips

• FREE Claude - Same quality as paid tier
• AWS Builder ID - Easy setup with AWS account
• Unlimited usage - No quota limits
• Best quality - Claude 4.5 for free!

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Feature Comparison

Provider	Models	Best Model	Setup	Quota
iFlow	8	Kimi K2 Thinking	OAuth	Unlimited
Qwen	3	Qwen3 Coder Plus	Device Code	Unlimited
Kiro	2	Claude Sonnet 4.5	AWS Builder ID	Unlimited

Winner: iFlow for variety, Kiro for quality!

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Usage Example

Cursor IDE Setup

Settings → Models → Advanced:
  OpenAI API Base URL: http://localhost:20128/v1
  OpenAI API Key: [from 9router dashboard]
  Model: if/kimi-k2-thinking

Create Combo (Recommended)

Dashboard → Combos → Create New

Name: free-combo
Models:
  1. if/kimi-k2-thinking (iFlow primary)
  2. qw/qwen3-coder-plus (Qwen backup)
  3. kr/claude-sonnet-4.5 (Kiro quality)

Use in CLI: free-combo

Result: Zero cost, maximum uptime!

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Full Fallback Strategy

Complete 3-Tier Combo

Dashboard → Combos → Create New

Name: complete-fallback
Models:
  1. gc/gemini-3-flash-preview (FREE subscription)
  2. cc/claude-opus-4-5 (Paid subscription)
  3. glm/glm-4.7 (Cheap backup, $0.6/1M)
  4. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (Cheapest, $0.2/1M)
  5. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE fallback)
  6. kr/claude-sonnet-4.5 (FREE quality)

Use in CLI: complete-fallback

Result:

• Tier 1: FREE subscription (Gemini CLI)
• Tier 2: Paid subscription (Claude Code)
• Tier 3: Cheap backup (GLM, MiniMax)
• Tier 4: FREE fallback (iFlow, Kiro)

Never stop coding!

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Best Practices

1. Use as Emergency Backup

Priority:
1. Subscription tier (maximize paid quota)
2. Cheap tier (pennies per 1M tokens)
3. FREE tier (unlimited, zero cost)

Only use free tier when:
- Subscription quota exhausted
- Budget limit reached
- Testing/non-critical tasks

2. Choose Right Model

Complex reasoning: if/kimi-k2-thinking
Fast coding: qw/qwen3-coder-flash
Best quality: kr/claude-sonnet-4.5
Long context: if/minimax-m2
Vision tasks: qw/vision-model

3. Create Free-Only Combo

For zero-cost coding:

Name: zero-cost
Models:
  1. kr/claude-sonnet-4.5 (Best quality)
  2. if/kimi-k2-thinking (Complex tasks)
  3. qw/qwen3-coder-plus (Fast coding)

Cost: $0 forever!

4. Test Before Production

Use free tier to:
- Test prompts
- Prototype features
- Learn new frameworks
- Non-critical tasks

Save paid quota for:
- Production code
- Complex refactoring
- Critical features

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Real-World Examples

Example 1: Student/Learner (Zero Budget)

Setup:
1. kr/claude-sonnet-4.5 (Best quality)
2. if/kimi-k2-thinking (Complex reasoning)
3. qw/qwen3-coder-plus (Fast coding)

Monthly cost: $0
Usage: Unlimited

Perfect for:
- Learning to code
- Personal projects
- Homework/assignments

Example 2: Freelancer (Budget-Conscious)

Setup:
1. gc/gemini-3-flash-preview (FREE 180K/month)
2. glm/glm-4.7 (Cheap backup, $0.6/1M)
3. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE fallback)

Monthly cost: $5-10
Usage: 100M+ tokens

Perfect for:
- Client projects (paid tier)
- Testing (free tier)
- Emergency backup

Example 3: Heavy User (Maximize Everything)

Setup:
1. gc/gemini-3-flash-preview (FREE 180K/month)
2. cc/claude-opus-4-5 (Subscription $20-100)
3. cx/gpt-5.2-codex (Subscription $20-200)
4. glm/glm-4.7 (Cheap $0.6/1M)
5. minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (Cheapest $0.2/1M)
6. if/kimi-k2-thinking (FREE unlimited)
7. kr/claude-sonnet-4.5 (FREE quality)

Monthly cost: $40-320 (subscriptions) + $10-20 (cheap tier)
Usage: 500M+ tokens

Perfect for:
- Professional development
- Team projects
- 24/7 coding

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Cost Comparison

Scenario: 100M tokens/month

Option 1: ChatGPT API Only

100M × $20/1M = $2,000/month

Option 2: 9Router Free Tier Only

100M via free tier = $0/month
Savings: $2,000/month (100%)

Option 3: 9Router Complete Strategy

60M via Gemini CLI (FREE): $0
30M via Claude Code (subscription): $0 extra
8M via GLM (cheap): $4.80
2M via iFlow (FREE): $0
Total: $4.80/month + subscriptions you already have
Savings: $1,995/month (99.76%)

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Troubleshooting

"OAuth failed"

Solution:

• Check internet connection
• Try different browser
• Clear browser cache
• Reconnect in dashboard

"Model not available"

Solution:

• Check provider connected in dashboard
• Verify OAuth token valid
• Reconnect provider if needed

"Slow responses"

Solution:

• Free tier may have lower priority
• Use during off-peak hours
• Switch to different free provider
• Upgrade to cheap tier for speed

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Limitations

Free Tier Considerations

• Speed - May be slower than paid tiers
• Priority - Lower priority during peak hours
• Rate limits - Possible rate limiting (but unlimited quota)
• Availability - May have occasional downtime

Solution: Use 3-tier fallback strategy for reliability!

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Next Steps

• Setup subscriptions: Subscription Providers
• Add cheap backup: Cheap Providers
• Create combos: Dashboard → Combos → Create New
• Start coding: Use complete-fallback combo for maximum reliability