{"eid":"sambanova","name":"SambaNova Cloud","domain":"sambanova.ai","resolved_by":"domain","topics":["compute"],"n_records":1,"best_vorder":4,"review":null,"aliases":["SambaNova Cloud","sambanova.ai"],"records":[{"rid":"compute/sambanova-cloud","card":{"rid":"compute/sambanova-cloud","eid":"sambanova","topic":"compute","slug":"sambanova-cloud","provider":"SambaNova Cloud","url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","domain":"sambanova.ai","category":"inference API","tier":null,"verdict":"fails-identity","vorder":4,"grp":"rejected","self_hosted":0,"confidence":"documented","binding":"write-gated","identity_kind":"card","identity_basis":"stated","needs_card":1,"needs_phone":1,"needs_id":0,"needs_institution":0,"country":null,"crypto":null,"interfaces":"rest","egress_metered":null,"per_object_bytes":null,"retention_days":null,"verified_at":"2026-11-04T05:38:57.839Z","verified_basis":"live","checked_on":"2026-11-04","stale_on":"2026-12-05","n_evidence":5,"usd_month":null,"usd_per_tb_month":null,"summary":"No free lane left. The Free plan now reads 'Add a payment method and purchase credits to run your first requests'; the prior offer was USD 5 of free API cred...","duplicate_of":null,"n_unknown":9,"free_unit":"none"},"record":{"topic":"compute","slug":"sambanova-cloud","provider":"SambaNova Cloud","url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","category":"inference API","free_tier":{"stated":"No free lane left. The Free plan now reads 'Add a payment method and purchase credits to run your first requests'; the prior offer was USD 5 of free API credits with no card required, expiring after 30 days, and that grant was dropped on 2026-08-14. The rate-limit documentation still describes a 'Free Tier: Applied when there is no payment method linked with your account', which contradicts the plans page.","unit":"none","metered_on":"wall-clock","source_url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","read_on":"2026-10-22","notes":"none"},"per_object_cap":{"stated":"not applicable","bytes":null,"source_url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","notes":null},"retention":{"stated":"not applicable","days":null,"source_url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","notes":null},"egress":{"terms":"not stated","metered":false,"free_allowance":null,"price_per_tb":null,"source_url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans"},"interface":["rest"],"interface_detail":"inferred from the tooling the provider documents; not probed","tooling":"not stated","chaining":"nothing composes: needs a card before the first request.","limits":[{"kind":"write-gated","value":"the free lane stops at the payment method, not at a quota: a call on an unfunded key returns 402 PAYMENT_METHOD_REQUIRED while /v1/models still answers 200, so a health check that reads the model list looks healthy while every completion is refused.","source":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans"}],"limits_note":"the free lane stops at the payment method, not at a quota: a call on an unfunded key returns 402 PAYMENT_METHOD_REQUIRED while /v1/models still answers 200, so a health check that reads the model list looks healthy while every completion is refused.","binding":"write-gated","binding_note":"the free lane stops at the payment method, not at a quota: a call on an unfunded key returns 402 PAYMENT_METHOD_REQUIRED while /v1/models still answers 200, so a health check that reads the model list looks healthy while every completion is refused.","identity_cost":{"kind":"card","detail":"a payment method and purchased credits before the first request: the plans page reads \"Add a payment method and purchase credits to run your first requests\", and the previous USD 5 no-card grant was dropped on 2026-08-14. The record does not name which payment methods are accepted, whether a card is required rather than another rail, any hold, debit or prepaid acceptance, or whether signup asks for an email or a phone. The rate-limit documentation still describes a \"Free Tier: Applied when there is no payment method linked with your account\", which contradicts the plans page","country":null},"reliability_note":"no reliability event recorded","confidence":"documented","evidence":[{"url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","date":"2026-10-22","proved":"Free plan text: 'Start exploring SambaNova Cloud. Add a payment method and purchase credits to run your first requests', quoted"},{"url":"https://www.usagepricing.com/blueprint/activity/sambanova-2026-08-14-free-credit-grant-dropped","date":"2026-08-22","proved":"the USD 5 no-card free-credit grant was dropped on 2026-08-14; the Free plan is now pay-as-you-go credits requiring a payment method"},{"url":"https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/en/models/rate-limits","date":"2026-10-22","proved":"documentation still lists 'Free Tier: Applied when there is no payment method linked with your account' and a Developer Tier at 20M tokens per day across all models, which contradicts the plans page"},{"url":"https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans","date":"2026-11-03","proved":"the Free plan on the plans page still requires a payment method and purchased credits","capture":"sha256:9c6e87258527ddaa1c1d2917dc2f7fd7550c005d9076a9e077560f611941c7a2","quote":"Add a payment method and purchase credits to run your first requests."},{"url":"https://toolfreebie.com/sambanova-cloud-free-api/","date":"2026-11-03","proved":"a third-party live test on 2026-08-31 of a free account was refused with 402","capture":"sha256:a2400800e62f2a75c6543d2b4b646127198ca13c93234592614a702640c165cd","quote":"In our own test on 2026-08-31 a free account got `402 PAYMENT_METHOD_REQUIRED` with a zero balance"}],"verdict":"fails-identity","verified_at":"2026-11-04T05:38:57.839Z","notes":null,"extras":{"facets":{"class":"refutation","free_tier_kind":"none","shape":{"vcpu":null,"ram_gib":null,"gpu_class":null,"gpu_count":0}}}},"claims":[{"path":"$.free_tier","kind":"has-free-tier","num":0.0,"unit":null,"per":null,"currency":null,"usd":null,"fx_date":null,"parse":"ok"},{"path":"$.free_tier.stated","kind":"free-quota","num":null,"unit":null,"per":null,"currency":null,"usd":null,"fx_date":null,"parse":"unparsed"},{"path":"$.limits[0].value","kind":"limit:write-gated","num":null,"unit":null,"per":null,"currency":null,"usd":null,"fx_date":null,"parse":"unparsed"}],"unknown":[["$.egress.metered","egress-unknown"],["$.egress.terms","not-stated"],["$.notes","withheld"],["$.per_object_cap.notes","process"],["$.per_object_cap.stated","not-applicable"],["$.reliability_note","none-observed"],["$.retention.notes","process"],["$.retention.stated","not-applicable"],["$.tooling","not-stated"]],"history":[],"drift":[]}]}