Free Models, Free Server: A 30-Minute Quota Probe Before You Trust Either

Description and use

Testing MonkeyCode's free tier with scripts revealed available models, quota tracking, and request limits, enabling an informed decision.

Problem

Developers cannot reliably assess the validity of free tier claims for model quota and server uptime from marketing statements alone.

Outcome

The probes confirmed server availability, presence of rate‑limit headers, and accurate usage tracking. The burst test identified the request‑per‑minute limit, providing actionable data to evaluate the free tier.

Workflow

• 1. Run the model and usage probe script to list models, send a minimal completion, and inspect response headers and usage fields.
• 2. Verify server reachability via a successful /models call.
• 3. Check for rate‑limit headers and usage object to confirm quota tracking.
• 4. Execute the burst test script to send one request per second for 60 seconds and record the first 429 response.
• 5. Analyze results to determine if free tier meets expectations for quota and request limits.

Evidence

A working /models call proves the server is reachable.

Source

A usage object that shows prompt_tokens and total_tokens proves the model quota is being tracked.

Source