Open-source AI CLI and local MCP server that connects 25 clients (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, ChatGPT and more) to 2,000+ models and APIs with OAuth and rollback; free starter credits, then pay-as-you-go.
Free Version Limitations
CLI itself is open source (Apache-2.0) and free; the SandBase platform provides starter free credits (Start：Free credits, the official pricing page does not disclose the credit amount, and this site does not estimate), after which billing is based on actual usage of the invoked model/API/Agent (2026-09-05 direct read from the browser of sandbase.ai/pricing).
Long-form writing and document quality are its strengths, with the paid version including the Claude Code engineering tool
FreeThe quota is calculated based on a rolling 5-hour usage window (not simply resetting at a fixed number every day), and general conversations can be used for around 10-20 times, excluding Claude Code.
AI code editors are a staple in the engineering community
FreeHobby: 2000 times of completion + 50 times of slow progress requests (confirmed on the official website on 2026-07-26, but the official website no longer lists these numbers in detail, only mentioning limited quota, and the specific numbers are now only seen in third-party community sources, keeping the record but adjusting the confidence level to medium)
The most popular AI completion tools have a hidden benefit of being free for students
FreeThe general user free tier includes 2,000 completions and 50 chats per month. Open-source maintainers and teachers can upgrade to Pro for free. The free student plan has reopened for new applications since 2026-06-17, after being suspended since 2026-04-20 for 58 days. As of 2026-07-27, the model selection for Free and Student plans has been limited to only Auto, and manual model specification is no longer available, while Pro and above plans are not affected.
GitHub sandbaseai/cli is open source (Apache-2.0), has 110 stars, 156 commits, and the README provides 7 language versions including Simplified Chinese (direct read as of 2026-09-05). It is positioned as a “bridging tool” rather than a model itself: the advantage is that a single API key can access multiple models and APIs, with usage‑based pricing; the disadvantage is that the amount of free credits is not listed on the official site, and the actual cost depends entirely on which model you invoke. Candidate source: data/candidates.json (2026-09-03 eight‑person team two‑pass verification, ampm_score 86.45).
Related Guide：SandBase's Pricing Page Has No Numbers on It: Where the Free Credits Start and the Five Steps to Your First Call
SandBase's pricing page lists START free credits, BUILD pay-as-you-go and SCALE team tiers without a single figure. From the official docs: the three billing components, how Agent, Service, Session and Schedule relate, and the official five-step first run. Last verified: 2026-09-07
Looking for SandBase CLI deals, discounts or promo codes? We check the official site automatically every day, review changes by hand, and date-stamp every entry.
