01.AI Yi API
skipSelf-serve Yi API platform is shutting down; open-weight Yi models remain on HuggingFace.
Visit platform.lingyiwanwu.com →> **01.AI Yi API** — skip > Verified 2026-08-24 > Limitation: The self-serve API platform is shutting down: new signups/top-ups closed 2026-08-03; API calls stop 2026-09-03. > > https://noemium.com/tools/yi-api/Add to kitOpen in NoemiumFact-check this catalog entry for 01.AI Yi API (models-api). Verdict: skip Verdict text: 01.AI is winding down the self-serve Yi API platform. A 2026-08-03 notice stopped new signups and top-ups; API calls end 2026-09-03 and balance refunds run through 2026-12-03. The open-weight Yi models remain available, but the hosted API is no longer a viable choice for new projects. Limitations: - The self-serve API platform is shutting down: new signups/top-ups closed 2026-08-03; API calls stop 2026-09-03. - Existing balances can be refunded through 2026-12-03; contact [email protected]. - The current card is RMB-only and requires Chinese-platform identity verification; the international surface closed in 2024. - yi-lightning and yi-vision-v2 are intelligent-routing SKUs; the actual model served may be DeepSeek or Qwen, not Yi. - Open-weight Yi models are separate from the hosted API and still free on HuggingFace. - The company is pivoting to sales-led enterprise platforms (TrueNorth/Wanzhi); no public pricing for those. - Self-serve API closes 2026-09-03 (announced 2026-08-03): registrations and top-ups stopped, existing calls work until then — enterprise sales only after. Receipts: https://platform.lingyiwanwu.com https://www.usagepricing.com/blueprint/01-ai https://nolist.ai/item/yi-lightning Last verified: 2026-08-24 Find outdated prices, wrong claims, or missing limitations. Cite primary sources (docs, pricing pages, benchmarks, model cards). Do not use marketing pages.[](https://noemium.com/tools/yi-api/)
ledger entry · observed by @whysanesanders
01.AI is winding down the self-serve Yi API platform. A 2026-08-03 notice stopped new signups and top-ups; API calls end 2026-09-03 and balance refunds run through 2026-12-03. The open-weight Yi models remain available, but the hosted API is no longer a viable choice for new projects.
Strengths
- yi-lightning is cheap on a per-token basis.
- Open-weight Yi models remain free on HuggingFace.
- Shutdown timeline is clearly published.
Known limitations
- The self-serve API platform is shutting down: new signups/top-ups closed 2026-08-03; API calls stop 2026-09-03.
- Existing balances can be refunded through 2026-12-03; contact [email protected].
- The current card is RMB-only and requires Chinese-platform identity verification; the international surface closed in 2024.
- yi-lightning and yi-vision-v2 are intelligent-routing SKUs; the actual model served may be DeepSeek or Qwen, not Yi.
- Open-weight Yi models are separate from the hosted API and still free on HuggingFace.
- The company is pivoting to sales-led enterprise platforms (TrueNorth/Wanzhi); no public pricing for those.
- Self-serve API closes 2026-09-03 (announced 2026-08-03): registrations and top-ups stopped, existing calls work until then — enterprise sales only after.
Use it when
- Existing users winding down before 2026-09-03.
- Experimenting with open-weight Yi models on HuggingFace.
Skip it when
- You need a hosted API for a new project.
- Chinese-platform identity verification is a blocker.
- You want stable SKU identity rather than intelligent routing.
Price trail — 1 revisionchangelog →
- 2026-W34Yi-Large $3.00/M input and output, 33K context; Yi-Li…yi-lightning ¥0.99/1M (~$0.14) and yi-vision-v2 ¥6/1M…
Facts
- pricing
- paid1
- price note
- yi-lightning ¥0.99/1M (~$0.14) and yi-vision-v2 ¥6/1M (~$0.85), 16K context; new signups/top-ups closed 2026-08-03, API calls end 2026-09-03
- free tier
- no
- open source
- no
- api
- yes
- self-host
- no
- category
- models-api
- evidence
- source-verified
- Models
- bundled
Sources
- 1platform.lingyiwanwu.com[snapshot]
- 2usagepricing.com/blueprint/01-ai[snapshot]
- 3nolist.ai/item/yi-lightning[snapshot]
No source, no number.
Similar joball alternatives →
| tool | verdict | price | oss | self-host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01.AI Yi API | skip | paid | no | no |
| Google AI Studio / Gemini API | ship | freemium | no | no |
| Anthropic API | ship | paid | no | no |
| Cerebras | ship | freemium | no | no |
Facts from the catalog files — not scores you can buy. Quality and speed stay in the briefing, not in a fake 1–5 grid.
Google AI Studio / Gemini API
Gemini API with a real free tier — huge context, multimodal, generous limits.
APIFREE TIER
freemiumfree tier (text models); paid from $0.75/1M input (Gemini 3.7 Flash promo till 2027-01)
Anthropic API
Claude models direct — the practitioner's pick for coding and long-form text.
API
paidpay-as-you-go, from $1/1M input (Haiku 4.5); small free credits for new users
Cerebras
Ultra-fast inference on wafer-scale AI accelerators with competitive API pricing.
APIFREE TIER
freemiumfree trial ($5 credits); self-serve Developer from $10 deposit; Enterprise custom