Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is a language model with 30B parameters from NVIDIA. It is currently free at 5 providers with up to 1M tokens of context. The model supports step-by-step reasoning, supports tool calling. Its weights are open, so it can also run locally.
- Developer
- NVIDIA
- Parameters
- 30B / 3B active
- Context
- 1M tokens
- Type
- Text
- License
- Open weights
- Free since
- September 19, 2026
Where to use Nemotron 3.5 Lightning for free
Each row is a separate free endpoint with its own limits.
| Provider | Context | Limit | Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
OpenRouter nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning:free |
1M | Free tier | No | Open |
NVIDIA Build nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning-30b-a3b |
— | Free serverless inference for development; limits and model availability may change. | No | Open |
Vercel AI Gateway nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning-free |
1M | A valid payment card must be on file even for zero-price models. Free promotions may change; availability is refreshed from the Models API. | Yes | Open |
UnoRouter nemotron-3.5-lightning-30b-a3b:free |
262K | No-card free models use shared capacity and per-model limits; availability can change. | No | Open |
OpenCode Zen nemotron-3.5-lightning-free |
— | Free models are available for a limited time; prompts may be used to improve the model. | — | Open |
Quick start
curl https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENROUTER_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning:free",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
}'from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
base_url="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
api_key="YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
)
reply = client.chat.completions.create(
model="nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning:free",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
print(reply.choices[0].message.content)import OpenAI from "openai";
const client = new OpenAI({
baseURL: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
apiKey: process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY,
});
const reply = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: "nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning:free",
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
console.log(reply.choices[0].message.content);Example for OpenRouter. Any OpenAI-compatible client works: Cursor, Cline, OpenCode, Open WebUI.
Benchmarks
Source: Artificial Analysis · Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Similar free models
FAQ
Is Nemotron 3.5 Lightning free?
Yes. As of October 24, 2026, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is free at OpenRouter, NVIDIA Build, Vercel AI Gateway, UnoRouter, OpenCode Zen. Each provider has its own limits — see the table above.
What is the context window of Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?
The largest context among free routes is 1,000,000 tokens. Some providers cap it lower.
How do I call Nemotron 3.5 Lightning via API?
Use any OpenAI-compatible client with base URL https://openrouter.ai/api/v1, model ID nvidia/nemotron-3.5-lightning:free, and a OpenRouter key.
How good is Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index: 12.9, GPQA Diamond: 74%. For comparison, the strongest free model in the catalog right now is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.
Is Nemotron 3.5 Lightning open-weight?
Yes, the weights are published — you can download and run it locally, for example with Ollama or LM Studio.