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Looking for a free AI IDE or a free AI coding agent that asks for no credit card and no API key copy-pasting? That is exactly what Navin now offers: download the app, pick Free on first launch, and you are coding with AI in 2 minutes.

This article covers what the Free plan includes, how the connection works, why your key truly belongs to you, and how Free compares to BYOK and paid plans.

Free in a nutshell

• $0, no credit card: no payment requested, not at install time, not later.
• 2 minutes flat: a free Navin account + a guided OpenRouter connection, both done in two clicks from the startup wizard.
• Two free AI models preinstalled: you chat immediately, zero configuration.
• The whole IDE included: agents, the Code module (Agent, Plan, Review, Security, Debug), Vision 360, terminal, task board, scraping, documents.
• Your key belongs to you: it is created on your own OpenRouter account and stays on your machine.

How it works, concretely

On first launch, the wizard offers three paths: your own API key (BYOK), the Free plan, or a navin.live account. The Free path chains two guided connections:

1. Navin account: create or sign in on navin.live, free, in your browser.
2. OpenRouter: you sign in (or create an account) on openrouter.ai and authorize Navin. OpenRouter then hands an API key in your name directly to the app, on your machine.

No key to copy-paste, no config file to edit. The checkmarks appear on their own as each connection completes, and the chat opens with a free model already active.

Why OpenRouter?

OpenRouter is a gateway to hundreds of models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, DeepSeek, and many free models). By linking your own account through their official authorization flow (OAuth PKCE), Navin obtains a key that belongs to you:

• free models cost you nothing;
• if you ever use a paid model, it is billed to your OpenRouter account, at public rates, with no Navin markup;
• you can see and manage the key in Settings > Providers, and revoke it anytime from openrouter.ai.

That is the difference between "free because we resell your data or cap everything" and free because the architecture allows it: Navin is a local app, your usage never flows through our servers.

What you can do on Free

The Free plan does not cripple the app. You get the same IDE as paid plans:

• Agents and teams: @mentions, parallel missions, subagents (agents guide).
• Serious code: plan, implementation, review, security, evidence-based debug.
• Vision 360: web/mobile preview, project graph, tasks, live terminal.
• Autonomous task board: branches, PRs and GitHub issues (details).
• Studios: scraping, leads, marketing, documents.

The two preinstalled free models cover everyday chat and coding. When you want more power, add any model from the OpenRouter catalog in Settings > Models, or plug in your own keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama...).

Free, BYOK or a paid plan: which one?

• Free: you start from zero, no credit card. Ideal to discover Navin and work with free models.
• BYOK: you already own API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter...). Plug them in; they stay on your machine (why that is safe).
• Paid plans (Flash, Plus, Pro, Ultra, Team): a managed key and a premium model budget are provisioned for you, with support and team features (pricing).

All three combine: start on Free today, add a BYOK key tomorrow, move to a managed plan when your usage grows.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free? Where is the catch?

Really free. Navin is a local app: your code, chats and key stay with you. OpenRouter's free models are funded by the model makers themselves (launch offers, community releases). Navin does not pay for your usage and does not resell it: there is no catch to finance.

Do I need a credit card?

No. Not for the Navin account, not for the OpenRouter account, not for the free models.

What are the limits of free models?

OpenRouter's :free models have request quotas set by OpenRouter (enough for real discovery and development use). If you hit a limit, you can wait, switch to another free model, or top up your OpenRouter account with a few dollars - your call, never a surprise bill.

Can I use paid models on the Free plan?

Yes. The whole OpenRouter catalog is available in Settings > Models. Paid models are billed to your OpenRouter account at public rates.

Where is my key stored?

On your machine, in Navin's local configuration, visible in Settings > Providers. Navin never sends it to our servers. You can revoke it anytime from your openrouter.ai dashboard.

Start now

1. Download Navin for Windows, macOS or Linux.
2. Launch the app and pick Free - start at no cost.
3. Two guided connections, and you are coding with AI.

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