Is LlamaIndex free?

LlamaIndex free tier — is it worth it?

LlamaIndex free vs paid

How long does LlamaIndex free tier last?

LlamaIndex free tier limits 2026

LlamaIndex free tier is generous. Core LlamaIndex framework is completely free and open-source (MIT license). LlamaParse offers 10K free credits/month for document parsing. Starter at $50/month includes 40K credits. Pro at $500/month includes 400K credits. Best open-source choice for building LLM applications. Free core framework with no limits. LlamaParse adds commercial document parsing. Excellent for developers building custom AI applications.

LlamaIndex
framework

LlamaIndex

Open-source LLM framework for building RAG and AI agents — free core, paid Parse

8.3
Overall / 10
Free Tier: Generous
Visit LlamaIndex
9Power
8Useful
8Feedback
8Free Tier

⚠ Requires API Key

Data as of

April 2026

Requires Your Own API Key

You need keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, etc. For a truly free path, use local models via Ollama.

LlamaIndex is an open-source data framework for building LLM-powered applications including RAG pipelines, AI agents, and chatbots. The core framework is free and open-source (MIT). LlamaParse (commercial) offers document parsing at $0 for 10K free credits/month, then $50/month for Starter.

Free Tier

Generous

Best open-source choice for building LLM applications. Free core framework with no limits. LlamaParse adds commercial document parsing. Excellent for developers building custom AI applications.

Core LlamaIndex framework is completely free and open-source (MIT license). LlamaParse offers 10K free credits/month for document parsing. Starter at $50/month includes 40K credits. Pro at $500/month includes 400K credits.

What's included

Core framework

MIT license, no usage limits

Unlimited - free and open-source

LlamaParse credits

Document parsing credits on free tier

10K free/month

Projects (Starter)

Starter at $50/month

1 project

Users (Starter)

Team collaboration on paid plans

5 users

How long until you run out?

Real-world estimates for typical developer usage.

Building RAG applications (free)

Unlimited

Core framework has no usage limits

Document parsing (10K credits)

Moderate document processing

10K credits covers significant document parsing

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • +Fully open-source (MIT license)
  • +No usage limits on core framework
  • +Large community (35K+ GitHub stars)
  • +Works with any LLM provider
  • +Excellent for RAG and agentic applications

Cons

  • Requires your own API keys
  • Self-hosting needed for production
  • Steep learning curve for beginners

Scores

Powerfulness
9/10
Usefulness
8/10
User Feedback
8/10
Free Tier
8/10

Best for

Developers building custom RAG applicationsTeams wanting open-source AI infrastructureBuilding production LLM applications with full control

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