AI startup credits compared
Stated maximums: Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) $350,000, Cloudflare for Startups $250,000, AWS Activate Portfolio $200,000, Microsoft for Startups $150,000. Updated 2026-10-20.
Choosing a startup credit program is easier with the same fields side by side: headline amount, who qualifies, and the official apply link. This page only includes programs CreditDrop still lists as live after a daily check against the provider's own page. Open each source before you apply. Amounts and rules change.
| Program | Headline amount | What you get | Who qualifies | Apply | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google for Startups Cloud Program (AI tier) | $350,000 | Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 years for AI-first startups; covers Gemini and Gemma | AI-first, VC-backed startups founded in the last 5 years | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Cloudflare for Startups | $250,000 | Up to $250,000 in Cloudflare credits (tiered), Workers AI included | Eligible startups | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| AWS Activate Portfolio | $200,000 | Up to $200,000 in AWS credits, usable for Amazon Bedrock models | Pre-Series B startups linked to an Activate Provider | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Microsoft for Startups | $150,000 | Startup credits right away while eligibility is verified, unlocking up to $150K over time with verified progress and Azure usage; usable on eligible Azure services | Privately held, for-profit software startups, pre-Series C, under $350K lifetime free Azure credits | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Oracle Startup Growth Engine | $60,000 | USD 5,000 to 60,000 in OCI Universal Credits for selected startups, plus possible free one-year Oracle PartnerNetwork membership, Oracle engineer support and Oracle Marketplace listing | Technology companies building on OCI in countries Oracle designates (launched in Latin America, then EMEA on 2026-10-15); aimed at venture-backed, high-growth startups; not guaranteed | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| PostHog for Startups | $50,000 | $50,000 in PostHog credits for 12 months (AI tools excluded since 2026-09-14) | Companies under 2 years old with under $5M raised | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| ElevenLabs Startup Grants | $5,500 | 12 months of free ElevenLabs access with 33M characters (ElevenLabs states $5,500+ in value), plus founder community access | Startups under 25 employees with a business email and a monetized, long-term product (no agencies or kids' apps) | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Google Cloud Start tier (pre-funded) | $2,000 | $2,000 in Google Cloud credits for 12 months + 12 months of Workspace Business Plus + $200 in Google Skills credits | Startups without equity funding yet | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| AWS Activate Founders | $1,000 | $1,000 in AWS credits (up to $5,000 over time), usable for Bedrock | Self-funded startups founded in the last 10 years with a working website | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Requesty Startup Program | $1,000 | $1,000 in AI credits across 600+ models + 6 months with no gateway fee | Teams backed by YC, 20VC, Tapestry, TinyVC or a comparable fund | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Adral for Startups | No USD figure | Studio tier free for up to 3 months (20M credits/month) | Idea-stage to Series A founders; India and emerging markets get priority | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Free.ai for Startups | No USD figure | 15,000,000 tokens on self-hosted models + Pro-tier API keys (100K requests/month) | Companies under 3 years old with under $5M raised and a working product | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| MongoDB for Startups | No USD figure | MongoDB Atlas credits plus Voyage AI embedding tokens and technical support, tiered by stage (amounts not published) | Startups under 7 years old, Series A or earlier, with a website and LinkedIn page | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Sarvam Startup Program | No USD figure | 6 to 12 months of Sarvam API credits sized to your use case and scale (speech to text, text to speech, translation, chat and document APIs with 22 Indian languages plus English), plus priority support and launch visibility (amounts not published) | AI startups building on Sarvam APIs, including existing Sarvam users; participants must show "Powered by Sarvam" in their product | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
| Z.ai Startups Program | No USD figure | Up to 1B GLM tokens in API credits + volume pricing and priority support | AI startups (application review) | Official page ↗ | 2026-10-20 |
Questions
Should I apply to more than one?
Often yes if you qualify. Credits are product-specific and usually non-transferable. Follow each program's rules.
Where do bootstrapped founders start?
AWS Activate Founders and the Google Cloud Start tier. See AI credits without VC funding.
See also: AI startup credits · AI credits without VC funding · All 58 offers