Last updated 08-20-2026
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Pollinations
Pollinations lets developers build apps that call text, image, audio, and video models through one OpenAI-compatible API at gen.pollinations.ai. You register an app, users sign in with their own Pollen wallet, and your code routes requests without standing up your own GPU backend. The open-source stack handles model routing and infrastructure so you can ship experiments fast.
Most image generation listings cover consumer art tools you use in a browser tab. Pollinations built the opposite model: users bring their own prepaid Pollen credits across every app in the ecosystem, and developers can turn on earnings so they receive a share when someone spends in their app. That shared wallet layer is why 500+ live apps and 10K weekly active developers sit on top of it instead of a single generator UI.
Indie developers, creative coders, and open source contributors use Pollinations to prototype multimodal features fast. The Play page tests models interactively, the polli CLI pipes JSON-friendly output into agents like Cursor, and Quest rewards grant free Pollen for early builds before you buy prepaid credits through Stripe.
One OpenAI-compatible API covers text, image, audio, video, vision, search, and embeddings with streaming
10K weekly active developers and 1.5M daily API requests run through the platform
Quest Pollen grants free credits for prototypes before you buy prepaid Pollen via Stripe
polli CLI generates text, image, audio, and video with --json output for agent workflows
Publishable App Keys let users set spending caps while developers earn a share of Pollen usage
500+ live apps in the ecosystem showcase with Pollen sign-in badges
Latest models include qwen3.8-27b multimodal chat and 28 Grok TTS voices
Open source codebase on GitHub with 4K+ stars and 17K+ Discord members
Users bring their own Pollen wallet so you skip building billing infrastructure
OpenAI-compatible endpoints drop into existing SDKs and agent frameworks
Free Quest Pollen covers regular models before paid usage kicks in
Developer earnings on App Keys when authorized users spend in your app
polli CLI ships with agent-friendly JSON output and bundled SKILL.md
Playground generation on /play requires login, not anonymous access
Paid-only models like glm-5.3 require purchased Pollen credits
Pollen in inactive wallets expires after 12 consecutive months without activity
Per-model Pollen costs vary and are shown only at checkout or pre-flight estimates
Is Pollinations free to use?
Yes, Pollinations offers free Quest Pollen earned through Quests and contribution rewards. Regular models draw from Quest Pollen first. Paid-only models like glm-5.3 require purchased Paid Pollen via Stripe checkout.
What models does Pollinations support?
Pollinations supports text, image, audio, and video generation through OpenAI-compatible endpoints at gen.pollinations.ai. Recent additions include qwen3.8-27b for multimodal chat, glm-5.3 for reasoning, and 28 Grok TTS voices plus Fish Audio S2.1 Pro.
How does Pollen billing work on Pollinations?
Pollinations uses prepaid Pollen credits, not subscriptions. Quest Pollen comes from quests and rewards. Paid Pollen is purchased in USD through Stripe. API requests consume Pollen at rates shown in the pre-flight estimate before each call.
Does Pollinations have an API?
Yes, Pollinations exposes OpenAI-compatible endpoints for chat completions, image generation, audio speech, and transcriptions at gen.pollinations.ai. Simple GET URLs also work for text, image, and audio when you include a Secret API key server-side.
Can Pollinations developers earn money?
Yes, Pollinations lets app developers enable earnings on Publishable App Keys. When authorized users spend Pollen in your app, a share goes to the developer wallet. The rate and user share appear before the user authorizes access.
What is the polli CLI on Pollinations?
Pollinations ships a polli CLI for generating text, image, audio, and video from the terminal. It supports --json output, stdin context, and clear exit codes. Agent tools like Cursor and Codex can use the bundled SKILL.md for integration.