Overview
This page is a landing/search entry point for getting started with Azure AI using the Azure Free Account or Pay-As-You-Go. It describes the Azure Free Account offer (a $200 credit usable for 30 days for new customers), notes that some services have always-free tiers or 12-month free offers, and explains that after the trial or credit is exhausted customers must upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go to continue production workloads. The page highlights verification requirements (phone verification and a valid non-prepaid credit/debit card; a temporary $1 authorization may appear), limitations (one free account per new customer; credits generally do not apply to Azure Marketplace offers), and global availability constraints (availability varies by country; sovereign clouds excluded). It points users to service-specific pricing and SLAs, the Azure Pricing Calculator for estimating costs, and to contact sales or partners for enterprise/custom pricing. The landing page links to the Azure AI product collection and individual services such as Azure OpenAI Service, AI Search, AI Speech, AI Document Intelligence, AI Vision/Computer Vision, Content Safety, Azure AI Foundry, and bots & conversational services, directing users to each service’s product and pricing pages for details.
Key Features
Free trial (Azure Free Account)
New customers can create an Azure Free Account that includes a $200 credit usable for 30 days for exploration and proof-of-concept.
Always-free and 12-month offers
Some Azure services provide always-free tiers and some offer free access for 12 months to new customers; the $200 credit can be used for services outside the free list.
Upgrade requirement
To continue using services after the trial or after the $200 credit is used, customers must upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go.
Signup verification
Signup requires phone identity verification and a valid non-prepaid credit/debit card; a temporary $1 authorization may appear (not charged).
Limitations and exclusions
Only one free account with $200 credit per new customer; credits generally do not apply to Azure Marketplace offers; sovereign clouds excluded.
Cost management guidance
Page points to the Azure Pricing Calculator and recommends reading service-specific pricing pages and SLAs; contact sales for enterprise/custom pricing.
Who Can Use This Tool?
- New customers:Explore Azure AI services and trial capabilities using the $200 credit and free tiers for proof-of-concept work.
- Developers:Discover and prototype with Azure AI APIs (OpenAI, Speech, Vision, Search) and follow links to service-specific docs and pricing.
- Enterprise buyers:Evaluate pricing options, PTUs/reserved capacity, and contact sales or partners for custom/enterprise pricing and SLAs.
Pricing Plans
Free account for new customers including a $200 credit usable for 30 days for exploration and proof-of-concept.
- ✓$200 credit for 30 days
- ✓Access to many Azure services for trial
- ✓Intended for exploration / proof-of-concept
- ✓Requires identity verification and valid non-prepaid card
Standard Pay-As-You-Go billing model used to continue using services and run production workloads after trial/credit is exhausted.
- ✓Consumption-based billing for services
- ✓No fixed monthly fee by default (depends on usage)
- ✓Required to retain production workloads after trial
Provisioned Throughput Units (PTUs) and other reserved/capacity options are available for higher throughput or predictable billing; pricing varies by service, region, and configuration.
- ✓Reserved capacity for predictable performance
- ✓Often used for high-throughput workloads
- ✓Pricing details on service-specific pricing pages
Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- ✓Generous $200 credit for new customers to explore services for 30 days
- ✓Some services offer always-free tiers or 12-month free plans
- ✓Clear guidance to service-specific pricing, SLAs, and cost estimation tools
- ✓Direct links to a broad collection of Azure AI services (OpenAI, Speech, Vision, Search, etc.)
✗ Cons
- ✗Trial requires identity verification and a valid non-prepaid card (temporary $1 authorization possible)
- ✗One free account per new customer; limits on applicability of credits (Marketplace exclusions)
- ✗Service availability and specific free offers vary by country; sovereign clouds excluded
- ✗Pricing varies by service/region/model; exact costs require checking service pricing pages or using the pricing calculator
Compare with Alternatives
| Feature | Azure Free AI Services (Azure Free Account landing/search) | Salesforce AI (India regional page) | Gooey.AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | N/A | N/A | $199/month |
| Rating | 8.2/10 | 8.3/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Free Tier Scope | Yes | No | Partial |
| Signup Friction | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Upgrade Path | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Service Linkage | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Model & Service Breadth | Wide Azure AI service coverage | CRM-focused AI suite with agents and data | Model-agnostic multi-model orchestration |
| Developer Onboarding | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise Governance | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Regional Availability | Yes | Yes | Partial |
