DeepSeek-OCR on SiliconFlow
SiliconFlow (siliconflow.cn) Free API tier
The catch: Free models are only on the Chinese site, which signs up by phone number, and you must pass real-name verification (Alipay face scan) to use them; online checks accept mainland ID, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan permits, residence permits or a foreign permanent residence card, not passports. The free models are small (0.9B–29B).
| Access | Free API tier |
|---|---|
| Free limits | Free (¥0 input and output); fixed limit of 1,000 requests and 80,000 tokens per minute. |
| Modality | text, image |
| Credit card | Not required |
| Commercial use | Allowed |
| Trains on your data | No |
| Licence or terms | SiliconFlow (硅基流动) Terms of Service and Privacy Policy |
| Context window | 8,192 tokens |
| Model id | deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-OCR |
| Base URL | https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1 |
| Last checked | 8 Oct 2026 |
How to use DeepSeek-OCR
It speaks the OpenAI API at https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1, so the OpenAI SDK you already use works once you change the base URL and key.
curl https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1/chat/completions -H "Authorization: Bearer $SILICONFLOW_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model":"deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-OCR","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}]}'I want to use the free AI model "DeepSeek-OCR" from SiliconFlow (model id: deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-OCR) 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: 1,000 RPM · 80K TPM. 4. If the same provider has a more generous free option, mention it.
Before you ship on it
- Free models are only on the Chinese site, which signs up by phone number, and you must pass real-name verification (Alipay face scan) to use them; online checks accept mainland ID, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan permits, residence permits or a foreign permanent residence card, not passports. The free models are small (0.9B–29B).
- The siliconflow.cn Terms of Service (updated 30 Jul 2026) contain no clause barring commercial use of the API; model licences apply.
- Free tiers are shared capacity: treat the limits as a ceiling, not a promise, and keep a paid fallback.
Questions
Is DeepSeek-OCR on SiliconFlow free?
Yes. SiliconFlow offers it as free api tier, with these limits: 1,000 RPM · 80K TPM. No credit card is needed.
Can I use DeepSeek-OCR on SiliconFlow commercially?
Yes, under SiliconFlow (硅基流动) Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Check the current terms before you ship.
How do I start with DeepSeek-OCR on SiliconFlow?
It speaks the OpenAI API at https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1, so the OpenAI SDK you already use works once you change the base URL and key.
Source: siliconflow.cn/pricing, checked 8 Oct 2026.