Lightning AI: up to 30 free credits (about 50 GPU hours)
Lightning AIUp to ~50 free GPU hours
- Cost
- Free tier. The extra credits need a card on file.
- How long
- Credits expire 12 months after they're granted.
- Last verified
- Nov 9, 2026 · lightning.ai
What you get
- 5 free Lightning credits when you register, and 25 more when you add a card, for up to 30 credits.
- Lightning says up to 30 credits buys about 50 GPU hours on interruptible machines. Prices vary.
- One free CPU Studio that can run 24/7, with a restart required every 4 hours on the free tier.
Limits
- Free tier: 1 GPU per Studio, up to 2 concurrent GPUs, and a 4-hour session limit on A100/H100/H200.
- Credits expire after 12 months.
Who qualifies
- Anyone who signs up. Lightning asks for a phone number to prevent abuse.
Claim it with an AI agent
A browser or computer-use AI agent, for example Grok Bot or Meta's Muse, can do most of the clicking and setup. You keep the steps tied to your identity, money and legal consent.
The agent can do
- Once you're signed in, create a Studio, pick an interruptible GPU, and set up your environment and code.
- Keep an eye on credit use and switch the Studio back to CPU when you're done.
You do yourself
- Do phone verification yourself.
- Add the card yourself, if you want the extra 25 credits.
- Sign in to your own account yourself (password, 2FA codes).
Example prompt: "Open the official Lightning AI page (lightning.ai) and check that this offer still matches what it says there. Once I've signed in, set it up for me. Stop and hand control back to me at any sign-in, phone or ID check, card field, captcha or terms acceptance."
The phone check exists to stop abuse. Use one account per person.
Sources
Checked Nov 9, 2026 on the official pages above. Offers change, and the official page always wins. All deals