Can I try ModelRiver without paying for AI calls?
Yes. The Free plan costs nothing and needs no credit card, and test mode lets you build your whole integration without calling any AI provider, so no tokens are spent.
How does test mode work?#
Switch a workflow from Production to Testing and give it a structured output with sample data. Every request then returns that sample data, with an optional delay to mimic a real model.
- No provider is called, and no provider keys are needed.
- Test requests don't count toward your plan's requests or your spend limits.
- Responses are marked
test_mode: true, so your code can tell them apart. - They show up in Request Logs under the Test filter.
It's ideal for building your UI, webhooks and error handling before you connect real models.
What about the Playground?#
The Playground in the console runs real prompts against your connected providers, so the provider charges you for the tokens as usual. Playground runs don't count toward your ModelRiver request allowance.
What does the Free plan include?#
Every feature, with 25,000 requests a month, 40 requests a minute per project, 30 days of request logs and one seat. See Which plan do I need?
When do I need real provider keys?#
When you want real answers. Add your OpenAI, Anthropic or other key under Settings → Providers, switch the workflow back to Production and publish it.