Yes. DSPy has a free plan: Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls. We last checked dspy.ai's pricing page on 2026-10-24.

What does the DSPy free plan include?

Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls. Source: https://dspy.ai/current/ (checked 2026-10-24).

How do I get DSPy for free?

Steps: pip install -U dspy; Set your language model with dspy.LM; Write a signature and call it through a module. Start at https://dspy.ai/current/ (checked 2026-10-24).

Do I need an account to use DSPy for free?

Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host DSPy (pip install -U dspy). Checked 2026-10-24.

What's the catch with DSPy's free plan?

Optimizer runs make many extra LLM calls, billed by your provider. Checked 2026-10-24.

What are free alternatives to DSPy?

Tavily (free plan), Postman (free plan) and Exa (free credits) are free alternatives. We checked their free offers on 2026-10-25.

Is DSPy free and open source?

Yes. DSPy is licensed under the MIT License.

Does optimizing with DSPy cost money?

DSPy itself is free, but optimizers make extra LLM calls. An example in the FAQ took about 6 minutes and 3,200 API calls, for a total cost of about $3 in OpenAI usage.

Can I save a compiled DSPy program?

Yes. Compiled modules can be saved and loaded, and exporting a program for deployment is simply saving it.

DSPy started at Stanford NLP and grew into a research community. It has been built in the open since December 2022.

DSPy

Open-source Python framework for building LLM programs from typed signatures and modules, with prompt optimizers.

Dev Infrastructure & AI APIsFreeverified 24 Oct 2026Listed on 24 Oct 2026, 5:30 PM ISTOpen source

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Is DSPy free?

Yes, DSPy has a free plan. What you get: Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls. To get it: pip install -U dspy; then set your language model with dspy.LM; then write a signature and call it through a module. Verified 24 Oct 2026 on dspy.ai.

Free plan at a glance

Includes: Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls
MIT licensed and free; the language model you configure sets any cost.
Duration: Free forever
Commercial use: Allowed on the free plan

How to get it free

Self-host

pip install -U dspy
Set your language model with dspy.LM
Write a signature and call it through a module

Good to know

Optimizer runs make many extra LLM calls, billed by your provider

Get the free plan

dspy.ai, Checked 2026-10-24Source

Overview

DSPy, started at Stanford NLP, has you declare LLM tasks as typed signatures instead of prompts, compose them with modules such as ChainOfThought and ReAct, and use optimizers like GEPA to tune prompts against a metric. It is MIT licensed and installs with pip.

Key features

Signatures: declare tasks as typed inputs and outputs instead of prompt strings
Modules such as Predict, ChainOfThought and ReAct for reasoning and tool use
Optimizers, including GEPA, that tune prompts against your metric and examples
Save and load compiled programs as JSON files
Caching of LM calls, which you can turn off

Best for

Tasks: Use LLM & AI model APIs, Build AI agents
People: Python developers building LLM pipelines, RAG or agents, NLP and AI researchers exploring new pipelines, Teams that want to optimize prompts against a metric

Limitations

You need a language model to call; optimizing makes many extra calls, which your provider bills
Python only, version 3.10 or later

Screenshot

FAQ

Is DSPy free?: Yes. DSPy has a free plan: Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls. We last checked dspy.ai's pricing page on 2026-10-24.
What does the DSPy free plan include?: Open source (MIT): free framework; you pay your LLM provider for calls. Source: https://dspy.ai/current/ (checked 2026-10-24).
How do I get DSPy for free?: Steps: pip install -U dspy; Set your language model with dspy.LM; Write a signature and call it through a module. Start at https://dspy.ai/current/ (checked 2026-10-24).
Do I need an account to use DSPy for free?: Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host DSPy (pip install -U dspy). Checked 2026-10-24.
What's the catch with DSPy's free plan?: Optimizer runs make many extra LLM calls, billed by your provider. Checked 2026-10-24.
What are free alternatives to DSPy?: Tavily (free plan), Postman (free plan) and Exa (free credits) are free alternatives. We checked their free offers on 2026-10-25.
Is DSPy free and open source?: Yes. DSPy is licensed under the MIT License.Source: github.com/stanfordnlp/dspy/blob/main/LICENSE
Does optimizing with DSPy cost money?: DSPy itself is free, but optimizers make extra LLM calls. An example in the FAQ took about 6 minutes and 3,200 API calls, for a total cost of about $3 in OpenAI usage.Source: dspy.ai/current/faqs
Can I save a compiled DSPy program?: Yes. Compiled modules can be saved and loaded, and exporting a program for deployment is simply saving it.Source: dspy.ai/current/faqs
Who makes DSPy?: DSPy started at Stanford NLP and grew into a research community. It has been built in the open since December 2022.Source: dspy.ai/current

Free alternatives

Sources

Free offer: Verified 2026-10-24 on github.com/stanfordnlp/dspy/blob/main/LICENSE
…is licensed under the MIT…
Page content: Checked 2026-10-24 against
dspy.ai/current
dspy.ai/current/faqs
github.com/stanfordnlp/dspy
github.com/stanfordnlp/dspy/blob/main/LICENSE

How we check free offers

Added by our team. We check that a free option exists and record the date; signing up is between you and DSPy, so read their privacy policy and terms first.

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