GPT OSS 20B on Groq
Groq (GroqCloud) Free API tier
The catch: Only 8K tokens a minute on the chat models (far below their 131K context), and the free list is down to 10 models. Groq may log inputs and outputs for up to 30 days for reliability or abuse checks unless you turn on Zero Data Retention.
| Access | Free API tier |
|---|---|
| Free limits | Production model; Free Plan limits are 30 requests a minute, 1,000 a day, 8,000 tokens a minute and 200,000 tokens a day. |
| Modality | text, code |
| Credit card | Not required |
| Commercial use | Allowed |
| Trains on your data | No |
| Licence or terms | Groq Services Agreement (last modified 22 Jun 2026) |
| Context window | 131,072 tokens |
| Model id | openai/gpt-oss-20b |
| Base URL | https://api.groq.com/openai/v1 |
| Last checked | 8 Oct 2026 |
How to use GPT OSS 20B
It speaks the OpenAI API at https://api.groq.com/openai/v1, so the OpenAI SDK you already use works once you change the base URL and key.
curl https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/chat/completions -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $GROQ_API_KEY" -d '{"model":"openai/gpt-oss-20b","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}]}'I want to use the free AI model "GPT OSS 20B" from Groq (model id: openai/gpt-oss-20b) in my project. Please: 1. Check the provider docs and give me the exact steps to get a free API key. 2. Give me a minimal working example that reads the key from an environment variable. 3. Tell me the real free limits and any catch (commercial use, card, data use). Listed limits: 30 RPM · 1K RPD · 8K TPM · 200K TPD. 4. If the same provider has a more generous free option, mention it.
Before you ship on it
- Only 8K tokens a minute on the chat models (far below their 131K context), and the free list is down to 10 models. Groq may log inputs and outputs for up to 30 days for reliability or abuse checks unless you turn on Zero Data Retention.
- The Groq Services Agreement (last modified 22 Jun 2026) covers GroqCloud 'for developers, businesses, or enterprise organizations' and says the services 'are not for consumer use'. No free-plan limit on commercial use;…
- Free tiers are shared capacity: treat the limits as a ceiling, not a promise, and keep a paid fallback.
Questions
Is GPT OSS 20B on Groq free?
Yes. Groq offers it as free api tier, with these limits: 30 RPM · 1K RPD · 8K TPM · 200K TPD. No credit card is needed.
Can I use GPT OSS 20B on Groq commercially?
Yes, under Groq Services Agreement (last modified 22 Jun 2026). Check the current terms before you ship.
How do I start with GPT OSS 20B on Groq?
It speaks the OpenAI API at https://api.groq.com/openai/v1, so the OpenAI SDK you already use works once you change the base URL and key.
Source: console.groq.com/docs/rate-limits, checked 8 Oct 2026.