🪦 Dead
MiniMax API Free Tier
Feature removed · Monetization Pivot · shut down April 13, 2026
- Born
- Died
- Lifespan
- 2y 3m
- Cause of death
- Monetization Pivot
- Killed by
- MiniMax
- Type
- Service
Chinese AI lab MiniMax was one of the most generous in offering free API access to developers. Killed its free tier two days before Alibaba's Qwen did the same — signaling the end of the 'free forever' era of Chinese AI APIs as labs pivot from land-grab growth to sustainable economics.