Free APIs for SillyTavern: every option and its catch
Updated
There are four honest ways to run SillyTavern for free: a local model on your own hardware, the volunteer-run AI Horde, free tiers or free models from hosted providers, and free lanes such as UnsavedAI's gemma-4-12b. Each costs something else: hardware and setup, waiting, shifting limits and data terms, or a smaller model with a queue at busy times. Avoid "free proxies" built on other people's keys.
Try it now, free, no account neededStart a story with Captain Juno ReyesSmuggler captain, one bad deal from ruinThe options side by side
| Option | What you need | The catch | Who sees your prompts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local model | A GPU with enough memory, or patience on CPU | Model size is capped by your hardware, and you maintain the backend | Nobody; it stays on your machine |
| AI Horde | Nothing beyond SillyTavern, which has it built in | Waits at busy times; the models on offer depend on volunteers | The volunteer whose machine runs the request |
| Free tiers from hosted providers | An account and a key | Limits and model lists change, sometimes without much notice | The provider, under its own data terms |
| UnsavedAI Free lane | A free account and a key from Setup | One model, gemma-4-12b; one reply at a time; a queue at busy times | Not stored; nobody reads or screens it |
| Shared "free proxies" | A link from a stranger | Usually other people's keys, which die without warning | Whoever runs the proxy |
Running a model on your own machine
Local is the only option that is free per message and fully private. Backends such as KoboldCpp, llama.cpp and Ollama run a downloaded model, and SillyTavern talks to them, usually as a Text Completion connection; Chat vs Text Completion explains why the template then matters.
The catch is memory. Your graphics card's memory decides the model size and how much context fits beside it, and a quantized model trades some quality for fitting at all; what 12B means and quantization explain the numbers. Without a strong GPU, CPU-only setups work but write slowly. If that sounds like a hobby of its own, it is one.
AI Horde and hosted free tiers
AI Horde is a community-run network where volunteers lend their GPUs to run models for others. Select it in API Connections, pick from the models currently being served, and wait your turn. It is generous and needs no key, but the wait can stretch at busy hours, the model you liked may not be online tomorrow, and each request is processed on a stranger's machine, so keep that in mind for anything personal.
Several hosted providers and model routers offer free models or a free tier alongside paid ones. They are a good way to try large models. Expect rate limits, which show up as 429 errors, model lists that rotate, and data terms that differ from the paid plan; read whether free-tier prompts may be logged or used for training before you pour a long story into one.
The UnsavedAI Free lane
UnsavedAI's Free plan includes an OpenAI-compatible key for SillyTavern with gemma-4-12b, a 12B model tuned for character writing rather than a general assistant. Context runs to about 61,000 tokens, which on Free is a limited-time boost. API traffic is never stored, so your story exists only in your SillyTavern data folder.
The trade-offs, plainly: it is one mid-sized model, not a giant one; it writes one reply at a time, so swiping while a reply is still coming means waiting; and Free requests run on spare capacity, so at busy times you queue. It is text only. Priority skips the queue and adds gemma-4-31b, and the Free vs Priority comparison helps decide whether that matters to you. Is Gemma 4 good for roleplay? is the honest review of both models. To connect, make a key at Setup and follow the SillyTavern guide.
Why to skip shared key proxies
Links that promise free access to big commercial models through a proxy usually run on keys that were leaked, scraped or shared against the owner's will. They stop working when the key is caught, and the person running the proxy can log every message you send. Pasting your own keys into an unknown proxy carries the same risk in reverse: someone else spends your credit.
A sensible free setup mixes two of the honest options: a hosted free lane for long sessions, plus a local model or AI Horde when you want to try something new. SillyTavern keeps each connection's settings, so switching takes seconds.
Questions people ask
Is SillyTavern itself free?
Yes. SillyTavern is free and open source; any cost comes from the model you connect, and every option on this page can cost nothing.
Which free option writes the best roleplay?
It depends on your hardware and taste. Try the same character for twenty messages on two options and keep the one whose replies you enjoy.
Do I need a credit card for the UnsavedAI Free lane?
No. A free account is enough to make a key and use gemma-4-12b.
