Free AI Tiers Are Shrinking, and I've Started Paying for Three of Them
The free lunch is getting smaller across the board. I tracked what changed and which paid plans actually paid for themselves versus which just felt like a tip jar.
For two years the pitch was 'try it free forever.' This year the free tier quietly shrank in half the tools I use, and I noticed because the thing I relied on moved behind a paywall.
The pattern is the same everywhere: free gets you a taste, then the useful limit drops. A tool that gave me fifty generations a day now gives me ten. That's not greed, it's math, but it changes how I plan work.
I gave in on three. One because the free cap made me ration the tool and rationing made me avoid the work. One because the paid model was genuinely better, not just less limited. One out of pure laziness, and I'll drop that one next month, watch me.
The takeaway I'd tell past me: treat the free tier as a trial with an expiration you don't control. Decide early which tools are worth real money, and don't let a shrinking free tier quietly tax your output.
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Which AI tools are still free?
A: Most keep a thin free tier; the limits just keep tightening. Read the plan page, not the homepage.
Q: Is paying worth it for casual use?
A: Only if the paid tier removes a task you actually do. Otherwise the free taste is enough.
Q: How do I avoid forgetting subscriptions?
A: One card, one folder, a calendar reminder the day before every renewal.