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Free tier - verified

Is the Mistral API free?

Yes. The Mistral API offers Free mode, the default state for new accounts. No credit card is required. Trains on your data: Yes, opt-out (opt-out toggle in the Admin panel).

Read from docs.mistral.ai, help.mistral.ai, mistral.ai. Compare every free LLM API

Offer
Free tier
Card required
No
Trains on data
Yes, opt-out
Verified
2026-10-18

The offer

Offer class

Standing free tier

Tier name: Free mode (current docs no longer use the name 'Experiment'; 'Free mode' is the default state for new accounts)

How to get it

Create a Mistral account, open the Studio console and create an API key; Free mode is the default and API access is enabled with no credit card required.

“Free mode: API access is enabled by default with no credit card required. Usage and rate limits apply.”
docs.mistral.ai
“Free mode is the default state for new accounts.”
docs.mistral.ai
“Free mode lets you create API keys and use included monthly usage within the limits shown on the Limits page.”
docs.mistral.ai
Card required

No

Free-tier limits

Values are copied exactly as the provider publishes them, units included. Not stated means the public docs give no value.

Per-model free limits: Not stated

Mistral does not publish which models are callable in Free mode or their per-model limits; limits are shown only on the logged-in Limits page (https://admin.mistral.ai/plateforme/limits). The quickstart's verification call uses model 'mistral-small-latest'. Separately, the API pricing page lists Mistral Moderation 2 as 'Free' for input/cached input/output (that is a price, not a Free-mode allowance).

From the limits docs

“The API enforces three limits: Requests per second (RPS): concurrent requests. Tokens per minute: input + output throughput. Tokens per month: overall consumption cap. A 429 means you exceeded one of them. Free mode (the default) has the lowest limits, intended for evaluation and prototyping.”
help.mistral.ai
“API rate limits define how much traffic your Organization can send. They are shown in Admin Panel > API > Limits.”
docs.mistral.ai
  • Rate limits are applied per model.
  • They are set at the organization level and apply across all your workspaces.

Does it train on your data?

Yes, opt-out

Opt-out toggle in the Admin panel

Yes by default ('may use'), with an opt-out toggle in the Admin panel (Privacy > Anonymous improvement data). The Vibe and API toggles are separate.

“Free mode: As stated during subscription, we may use your data (input and output) to train our artificial intelligence models. You have the right to opt out of this program at any time.”
Data terms - help.mistral.ai
“You may opt out of data training for Mistral Studio and related API services by following the steps below: In the Admin panel, open the Privacy menu in the left-hand navigation bar. Under the Anonymous improvement data section, disable the toggle to prevent API calls and related data from being used to improve Mistral's services.”
“Vibe and API opt-out toggles are separate. Opting out of one does not opt you out of the other - you must configure each toggle individually.”
“In any case, and whichever subscription plan you adhere to, providing feedback by using the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" button and adding a comment authorize us to use your rating, your input and output in order to improve the behavior of our artificial intelligence models.”

Also read: https://help.mistral.ai/en/articles/455207-can-i-opt-out-of-my-input-or-output-data-being-used-for-training

Restrictions

  • Not for production

    “Free mode (the default) has the lowest limits, intended for evaluation and prototyping.”
    help.mistral.ai

  • Usage cap

    “When your included monthly usage is exhausted, access depends on your plan settings. If pay-as-you-go is enabled, additional usage draws from your prepaid credits. If it isn't enabled, usage can stop until the next billing period or until an admin changes the settings.”
    docs.mistral.ai

Upgrade path

Enable pay-as-you-go (prepaid credits) to unlock Tier 1; tiers then rise automatically with cumulative billed usage (Tier 2 over $20, Tier 3 over $100, Tier 4 over $500); prepaid top-ups alone do not raise limits.

“Pay-as-you-go: unlocks Tier 1 and above.”
help.mistral.ai
“| Tier 1 | Enabling pay-as-you-go | | Tier 2 | Over €20 / $20 billed | | Tier 3 | Over €100 / $100 billed | | Tier 4 | Over €500 / $500 billed | | Higher limits | Over €2,000 / $2,000 billed, then contact support |”
help.mistral.ai
“Adding credits does not raise your rate limits”
help.mistral.ai

FAQ

Is the Mistral API free?

Yes. The Mistral API offers Free mode, the default state for new accounts. No credit card is required. Trains on your data: Yes, opt-out (opt-out toggle in the Admin panel).

What are the Mistral free limits?

Lowest limits, shown only on the logged-in Limits page. Mistral does not publish which models are callable in Free mode or their per-model limits; limits are shown only on the logged-in Limits page (https://admin.mistral.ai/plateforme/limits). The quickstart's verification call uses model 'mistral-small-latest'. Separately, the API pricing page lists Mistral Moderation 2 as 'Free' for input/cached input/output (that is a price, not a Free-mode allowance).

Does Mistral train on your data?

Yes, opt-out (opt-out toggle in the Admin panel). The terms say: "Free mode: As stated during subscription, we may use your data (input and output) to train our artificial intelligence models. You have the right to opt out of this program at any time."

Sources

Last verified from Mistral's own pages below. Quotes are verbatim.

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