Is Jev free?
Short answer: Jev is free to try and paid to run at scale. You can make real decisions in the browser playground right now with no account and no card. Calling it from your own code needs a key and is billed per decision — but each one costs well under a cent, and output is free. And if you'd rather pay nothing, open Jev-like models are free to self-host.
Jev is TypeSafe AI's hosted System One decision model, so there are three honest answers to 'is it free', depending on what you mean: trying it, calling it from code, and running an open alternative yourself.
Free: try it in the browser
The playground runs real, calibrated decisions against the live model with no signup, no card, and no waitlist. You can evaluate Jev on your own examples — classify, score, or a yes/no — before you write a line of code or hand over an email. That part is, and stays, free.
Paid: calling the API from your code
Once you want to call Jev from your own app, you generate a jv_live_ key and the hosted endpoint is metered. Pricing is deliberately tiny: we bill per input token on a sliding scale (larger top-ups are cheaper), output is free, and a typical decision lands well under a cent. There's no monthly minimum and no seat fee — you pay for the decisions you make. Exact numbers live on the pricing page.
- Free: the browser playground — real decisions, no account
- Paid: the API with a jv_live_ key — per input token, output free, sub-cent per decision
- No subscription or seat fee — usage-based, top up as you go
- Self-serve: grab a key and go, no sales call
Also free: run an open Jev-like model yourself
If you want zero per-call cost and don't mind running it, open-weight decision models in the same family (Laya and others) are free to download and self-host — for example with Ollaya, the 'Ollama for decision models'. You trade calibration and ops for open weights: the open models aren't RLCD-calibrated, so you validate accuracy and confidence yourself. See the Ollama guide and the alternatives page for that route.
Which 'free' do you want?
| If you want to… | Use | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluate Jev quickly | Browser playground | Free, no account |
| Ship it in your app | Hosted API (jv_live_ key) | Sub-cent per decision, output free |
| Pay nothing per call | Self-hosted open model (Laya via Ollaya) | Free to run, you own compute + calibration |
For most people the honest path is: try it free in the playground, and if it fits, the API is cheap enough that cost is rarely the deciding factor. If you need zero marginal cost or full data control, self-host an open model instead.
FAQ
Is Jev free to use?
Free to try, paid to run from code. The browser playground makes real decisions with no account or card. Calling the API needs a jv_live_ key and is billed per input token (output free), typically well under a cent per decision — with no subscription or seat fee.
Is there a free trial or free tier?
The free part is the browser playground — you can run real, calibrated decisions there with no signup, as an open-ended way to evaluate Jev. When you move to the API you pay per decision; there's no monthly minimum, so a few test calls cost a fraction of a cent.
How much does a Jev decision cost?
We bill per input token on a sliding scale (larger top-ups are cheaper) and output is free, so a typical decision is well under a cent. There's no per-seat or monthly fee — see the pricing page for current numbers.
Is there a completely free way to use Jev?
Two: the browser playground is free for trying decisions, and open Jev-like models (such as Laya) are free to self-host — for example with Ollaya — if you're willing to run the model and own its calibration. Hosted Jev itself is paid once you call it from code.
Do I need a credit card to try Jev?
No. The playground needs neither an account nor a card. You only add payment when you generate a jv_live_ key and start calling the API from your own code.
See also: Pricing · Sign up / get a key · Run a free local model · Jev alternatives · Playground
Try Jev free, right now
Run a real decision in the browser — no account, no card — then grab a jv_live_ key when you're ready to build.