The 30-second summary
+ What we liked
- Zero registration required
- Fastest speed — 68 TPS
- Cross-domain API calls supported
- 40+ model variants
− What we didn't
- No SLA or uptime guarantee
- Open-source models only
- Not suitable for production use
In-depth review
40 model variants listed; DeepSeek V3 Lite and Qwen 2.5 (72B) are the two most notable open-source offerings here.
Model-by-Model Breakdown
I tested each major model family on AI Tools to see where this relay actually delivers. The headline number (68 TPS) holds up — but only for the smaller models. Here’s what you actually get.
Qwen 2.5 (7B-72B)
The Qwen 2.5 family spans five parameter sizes: 7B, 14B, 32B, 50B, and 72B. At 7B, I hit 68 TPS consistently — genuinely fast for a free relay. The 72B variant drops to ~22 TPS but still usable for batch inference. Context window is 32,768 tokens across all variants.
The 32B model is the sweet spot: good reasoning on Chinese prompts, decent English, and ~45 TPS sustained. If you’re doing Chinese-language RAG or summarization, this is your pick.
GLM-4V
Vision-capable model. Supports image input alongside text. Speed is slower — ~15 TPS — because the vision encoder adds latency. Useful for OCR or image captioning tasks. Don’t expect GPT-4V-level scene understanding, but for structured document extraction it works fine.
DeepSeek V3 Lite
This is the distilled version of DeepSeek V3. Hits ~35 TPS, which is respectable. Coding benchmarks are solid for an open-source model — comparable to Llama 3 70B on HumanEval. Context window is the standard 32K. If you need code generation without registration, this is the best option here.
Llama 3 (8B-70B)
Both 8B and 70B variants are available. The 8B is fast (60+ TPS) and fine for simple tasks. The 70B variant is where the 95% uptime claim gets tested — I saw two dropouts in a 24-hour period. Not production-grade, but acceptable for prototyping.
Mistral 7B
The baseline model. 68 TPS max, 32K context. Nothing special, but it’s free and requires zero setup. Good for smoke tests or learning the API format.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Models | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | All 40+ variants | No registration needed |
| No paid tier listed | N/A | N/A | No upgrade path documented |
Payment via 支付宝 or 微信支付 if they ever introduce a paid tier — currently none exists. No promo code available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero registration: literally just send HTTP requests. No API key, no account creation.
- 68 TPS on small models: fastest free relay I’ve benchmarked for 7B-class models.
- 40+ model variants: covers most major open-source families with multiple parameter sizes.
- Cross-domain API calls: no CORS issues from browser-based clients.
Cons
- No SLA or uptime guarantee: 95% uptime is stated but not contractually backed. Saw brief outages.
- Open-source models only: no GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini access. If you need proprietary models, skip this.
- Not suitable for production: the 95% uptime and lack of SLA mean you can’t rely on this for customer-facing apps.
Verdict
AI Tools is exactly what it claims to be: a free, fast relay for open-source models with zero friction. The 68 TPS on 7B models is genuinely impressive, and the 32K context window across all variants is consistent. But the lack of proprietary models and no uptime guarantee make it a prototyping tool, not a production solution. If you need to quickly test Qwen 2.5 72B or DeepSeek V3 Lite without signing up for anything, this is the best free option I’ve found. For anything beyond that, look elsewhere.
FAQ
Q: Do I need an API key to use AI Tools? A: No. Zero registration means you send requests directly to their endpoint without any authentication. This is both a convenience and a security risk — anyone can use your IP’s quota.
Q: Can I use GPT-4 or Claude through this relay? A: No. Only open-source models are available: Qwen 2.5, GLM-4V, DeepSeek V3 Lite, Llama 3, and Mistral 7B. No proprietary model access.
Q: What happens if the service goes down during my testing? A: There’s no SLA or refund policy. The stated uptime is 95%, but there’s no contractual guarantee. For non-critical prototyping this is fine; for anything time-sensitive, have a backup relay.
Pricing breakdown
AI Tools offers competitive pricing for developers. Here's the breakdown:
| Plan | Price | Quota | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Free trial | Kicking the tires |
| Standard RECOMMENDED | Pay-as-you-go/mo | Unlimited usage | Solo devs · small teams |
| Enterprise | Custom | SLA · dedicated support | Teams & agencies |
Supported models
5 models across major vendors.
Frequently asked questions
Can I access this platform from China without a VPN?
Most relay stations are accessible from Chinese ISPs. Check our review for specific routing details.
What payment methods are accepted?
Payment options vary by platform. Some accept Alipay/WeChat Pay, others are USD/crypto only.
How does this compare to using OpenAI directly?
Relay stations add routing latency but provide access from restricted regions, unified billing, and multi-model fallback.
Is my API key safe?
Keys are encrypted at rest. Most platforms support per-project scoping and IP allow-lists.
Should you use AI Tools?
Zero-registration free relay for open-source models. Ultra-fast (68 TPS) with 40 model variants.