Vercel AI SDK Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
Vercel AI SDK costs Free to $20 per per month (Vercel plan) as of April 2026. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: No free tier available
Yes, Vercel AI SDK offers a forever free plan as of April 2026. The free tier includes 4 features with limits on observability. Paid plans start at $20/month (Pro). Pricing verified from 1 sources by CostBench.
Vercel AI SDK's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Vercel AI SDK (open-source) fully available
- Basic AI Gateway routing
- Access to all providers via SDK
- Limited observability features
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- Full AI Gateway observability dashboard
- Request caching (reduce duplicate LLM costs)
- Rate limiting per user/team
- Provider routing (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Cohere, Mistral)
- Usage analytics and cost tracking
- No per-token markup
- Team collaboration features
Free Plan Limits
| Limit | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| observability | Limited to basic request logs | Unlimited/Higher |
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like Full AI Gateway observability dashboard or Request caching (reduce duplicate LLM costs)
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- Vercel AI SDK branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Pro Plan Comparison
| Hobby (Free) $0 | Pro $20/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 4 included | 7+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | Vercel AI SDK branding | Your branding |
| Best For | Individual developers using Vercel AI SDK for personal projects | Teams building AI applications on Vercel who want built-in LLM observability and caching |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Vercel AI SDK free?
Yes, Vercel AI SDK offers a forever free plan with 4 core features included. However, there are limits on observability that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in Vercel AI SDK's free plan?
Vercel AI SDK's free plan includes: Vercel AI SDK (open-source) fully available, Basic AI Gateway routing, Access to all providers via SDK, Limited observability features. Key limits include observability: Limited to basic request logs.
03 What's NOT included in Vercel AI SDK's free plan?
The free plan excludes: Full AI Gateway observability dashboard, Request caching (reduce duplicate LLM costs), Rate limiting per user/team, Provider routing (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Cohere, Mistral), Usage analytics and cost tracking. You'll also have Vercel AI SDK branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from Vercel AI SDK's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like Full AI Gateway observability dashboard or Request caching (reduce duplicate LLM costs), require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $20/month.
05 Is Vercel AI SDK's free plan really free forever?
Yes, Vercel AI SDK's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.