How to Get a Free Ollama Cloud API Key (2026)
5 free models available — no credit card required. Get your Ollama Cloud API key →
Overview
Ollama Cloud — run Llama, Qwen, Gemma via Ollama API in the cloud.
Ollama Cloud provides a hosted version of the popular Ollama runtime, exposing Llama, Qwen, Gemma, and other open models through the familiar Ollama API format. Free tier has unpublished session/weekly limits. Useful for developers already using Ollama locally who want a zero-config cloud option.
- Ollama-native API format
- Llama, Qwen, Gemma models
- Familiar Ollama tooling
- OpenAI-compatible endpoint available
API Compatibility: Ollama API + OpenAI-compatible wrapper
Quick Start Guide
- 1 Sign up at ollama.com Email registration. No credit card.
- 2 Go to Settings → API Keys
- 3 Create an API key
- 4 Choose a model Llama, Qwen, Gemma available. Familiar Ollama API format.
- 5 Configure client Base URL: https://api.ollama.com. OpenAI-compatible wrapper available.
All Free Ollama Cloud Models — Context Windows & Rate Limits
| Model | Context | Max Output | Modality | Rate Limit | Released | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| llama3.1:cloud | 128K | 131K | Session/weekly limits (unpublished) | — | Online | Details | |
| deepseek-r1:cloud | 128K | 131K | Session/weekly limits (unpublished) | — | Online | Details | |
| qwen2.5:cloud | 128K | 131K | Session/weekly limits (unpublished) | — | Online | Details | |
| gemma2:cloud | 8K | 131K | Session/weekly limits (unpublished) | — | Online | Details | |
| mistral:cloud | 32K | 131K | Session/weekly limits (unpublished) | — | Online | Details |
Pricing & Limits
Credit Card Not required
Free Tier Permanently free
Context Range 8K – 128K
Total Models 5 free
Rate Limits Session/weekly limits (unpublished)
API Compatibility Ollama API + OpenAI-compatible wrapper
Use Cases
What Ollama Cloud's free models are best for, based on aggregated model capabilities:
Limitations & Caveats
- Rate limits are unpublished — hard to plan capacity
- Limited model selection compared to Ollama self-hosted
- Newer/smaller provider with limited track record