Learn & Docs
Free AI Tools for Students in 2026: 9 Deals, Compared
Nine free AI and developer deals for students — Gemini, ChatGPT Plus, JetBrains, Azure — what each gives, which need a card, and which end soon.
The best free AI tools for students in 2026 are twelve months of Google AI Pro, four months of ChatGPT Plus for US college students, and the JetBrains Student Pack, which covers every pro JetBrains IDE for as long as you are studying. The first two want a card on file and have an end date — the ChatGPT offer has to be claimed by October 31, 2026 — so they are worth it only if you will set a reminder. Below are all nine student deals we track, what each one actually gives, and which are worth the verification hassle.
Every figure here was checked against the provider's own page on September 19, 2026. Student promotions change without much notice, so treat the provider page as final.
Before you start: what verification involves
Almost every deal on this list asks you to prove you are enrolled before it unlocks anything. In practice that means one of two things: signing in with your school email address, or uploading something that shows current enrollment. The first takes a minute. The second takes longer if a document is rejected and you have to try again, so do it early in a term rather than the night before a deadline.
Three more things to know:
- A card on file means a renewal charge. A free student plan that asks for a payment method turns into a paid subscription when the free period ends unless you cancel. Put the cancellation date in your calendar the day you sign up.
- Eligibility is narrower than the headline. One deal on this list is US-only, and another is limited to a list of named schools. Read that line before you upload anything.
- Some deals ask again. A pack that lasts "for the duration of your studies" can mean re-verifying every year, not once.
Seven of the nine deals below need no card at all, which makes them close to free of risk. The two that do are both AI assistants, and both have an end date.
AI assistants
Google AI Pro — free for 12 months
The Google AI Pro student plan gives you 12 months of AI Pro, which normally costs $19.99 a month — about $240 of subscription at list price. It covers Gemini plus image and video generation. You need to pass student verification and add a card. The offer is listed as ending on December 31, 2026.
It is worth the hassle if Gemini is already the assistant you reach for. Set a reminder for month eleven and decide then whether you want to keep paying.
ChatGPT Plus — four months for US college students
ChatGPT for Students gives four months of ChatGPT Plus, roughly $80 of value. It is limited to US college students, it has to be claimed by October 31, 2026, and the card you add is charged once the four months are up.
If you qualify, plan the timing: four months is about one term, so claim it at the start of a term you will actually use it in. Outside the US it is not available — the free plan is covered further down.
Coding tools and IDEs
JetBrains Student Pack
The JetBrains Student Pack gives you all of JetBrains' pro IDEs plus its AI coding agents, with no card, for the duration of your studies. The conditions are that use is non-commercial — coursework and personal projects, not paid client work — and that you re-verify each year of study.
For a computer science student this is the strongest deal on the list: it lasts longest, costs nothing to hold, and has nothing to cancel. If you only verify for one thing, verify for this.
Zed Pro — 12 months
Zed Pro for Students gives 12 months of Zed Pro, which includes $10 a month of AI token credits. No card is required, and after 12 months the account drops back to the Free plan on its own. Nothing to cancel makes it the easiest yes on this list. See Zed for the editor itself.
Kiro — 1,000 credits a month
Kiro for Students, from AWS, gives 1,000 credits a month for 12 months, with no card. Credits do not roll over, so an unused month is simply gone, and you cannot buy add-ons on top of the student plan. It suits steady use across the year better than one heavy month.
v0 Premium — one year, eligible schools only
v0 Premium Free for Students gives a year of v0 Premium with no card — but only at eligible schools. The named examples include Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and UC, and the list is on the provider page. Check it before anything else; if your school is not there, there is nothing to verify. See v0 for what the tool does.
Cloud and API credits
Azure for Students
Azure for Students gives $100 of cloud credit for 12 months, plus free monthly amounts on popular services, with no card. It is the deal to claim when a class project needs to run somewhere real instead of on localhost.
Anthropic AI for Science Program
The Anthropic AI for Science Program offers up to $20,000 in API credits over a six-month period, with no card. Two limits: it is API usage only, and it does not cover the Claude web app. "Up to" is doing work there, and this is a program for science work rather than a blanket student discount — read who qualifies on the provider page before you apply. See Anthropic API for the API itself.
Tavily Student Plan
The Tavily Student Plan gives 4,000 API credits a month with four months of Project Plan access, after student verification and with no card. Tavily is a search API for AI agents. Four months is short, so this is the one to claim when a project actually needs live web results.
All nine side by side
| Deal | What you get | Card | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AI Pro — Free Student Plan | 12 months of AI Pro | Yes | Listed as Dec 31, 2026 |
| ChatGPT for Students | 4 months of ChatGPT Plus, US college students | Yes | Claim by Oct 31, 2026 |
| JetBrains Student Pack | All pro IDEs + AI coding agents, while you study | No | None listed |
| Zed Pro for Students | 12 months of Zed Pro, $10/mo AI credits | No | None listed |
| Kiro for Students | 1,000 credits a month for 12 months | No | None listed |
| v0 Premium Free for Students | 1 year of v0 Premium, eligible schools | No | None listed |
| Azure for Students | $100 cloud credit over 12 months | No | None listed |
| Anthropic AI for Science Program | Up to $20,000 API credits, 6 months | No | None listed |
| Tavily Student Plan | 4,000 API credits a month, 4 months | No | None listed |
"None listed" means no end date was listed when we checked on September 19 — not that the offer will run forever. The live version of this table, with any changes since, is on the student deals page.
If you don't qualify
Not enrolled, outside the US, or at a school that is not on the list? Several free tiers have no student requirement and do not expire.
- ChatGPT Free Plan — the ongoing free tier on the same site: unlimited text chats, with limits on file uploads, image generation, and reasoning.
- Cursor Hobby Plan — a free tier of the AI code editor with a limited number of agent requests and completions each month. See Cursor.
- Gemini Developer API free tier — rate-limited per model, with no expiration and no student verification.
- Groq free tier — per-organization rate limits, no expiration.
- Mistral AI Free Plan — $10 a month in API credits, with limits on messages, web searches, and coding sessions.
The rest are grouped on the offers page under coding assistants and AI APIs. For building rather than chatting, the model API free tiers that reset or never expire are compared in free AI API tiers that last.
FAQ
Is ChatGPT Plus free for students?
Only for US college students, and only for four months. The offer has to be claimed by October 31, 2026, and the card on file is charged once the four months end. Everyone else has the ongoing free plan.
Is Gemini free for students?
Google AI Pro is free for 12 months for verified students, normally $19.99 a month. It needs a card and is listed as ending on December 31, 2026. For building rather than chatting, the Gemini Developer API has a free tier with no student requirement at all.
Which student deals don't need a credit card?
Seven of the nine: the JetBrains Student Pack, Zed Pro, Kiro, v0 Premium, Azure for Students, the Anthropic AI for Science Program, and the Tavily Student Plan. Only Google AI Pro and ChatGPT for Students ask for one.
Which student developer pack should I claim first?
The JetBrains Student Pack. It is the only deal here that lasts for your whole degree, it needs no card, and it covers every pro JetBrains IDE plus the AI coding agents. Add Zed Pro or Kiro if you want a second, AI-first editor.
What happens when the free period ends?
It depends on the deal. Zed Pro drops back to the Free plan with nothing to cancel. ChatGPT for Students charges the card you added. Google AI Pro has a card on file and normally costs $19.99 a month. The JetBrains pack continues as long as you re-verify each year of study.
The full, dated list — student deals alongside free tiers, credits, and startup programs — is on the offers page. For courses, docs, and references to learn with, see Learn & Docs.