Free developer tools and cloud credits for students

Students get some of the best free offers in software, and most need nothing more than a school email address or proof of enrolment: no company, no funding and often no credit card. The catch is that each one is claimed separately, and a few of them unlock the rest.

Start with the GitHub Student Developer Pack

The pack is a single verification that unlocks free offers from dozens of developer companies: cloud credits, domains, IDEs, databases and learning platforms. Several other student offers ask for it as proof that you are a student, so it is the one to get first.

Apply with your school email and a clear, unedited proof of enrolment. Verification can take a few days, and the offers are meant for non-commercial use while you study.

• GitHub Student Developer PackFree bundle of developer credits and toolsCredits · GitHub · Global

Cloud credits without a credit card

Azure for Students gives credit you can use on most Azure products for a year, with a school email and no card, and it can be renewed each year while you are still a student. Other offers come through the GitHub pack, such as hosting credits from Heroku and database credits from MongoDB.

• Azure for Students$100 credit for 12 months, no cardCredits · Microsoft Azure · Global
• Heroku for GitHub Students$13/month in credits for 24 months ($312)Credits · Salesforce Heroku · Global
• MongoDB for Students$50 Atlas credit + free certificationCredits · MongoDB · Global

Tools for the rest of your work

Productivity and design tools often have education plans that are free while you study, usually claimed by signing in with your school email.

• Notion Education Plus planFree Plus plan while you studyDiscount · Notion · Global

Tips

1. Use your school email everywhere. Many offers check the domain automatically, and a personal email address means a manual review or a rejection.
2. Write down expiry dates. Student credits usually last a year and some need renewing; set a reminder.
3. Keep student offers for study. Most are for non-commercial use. When you start a company, move to the startup programs, which are much larger: see free cloud credits for startups.

Every student offer on CreditBase

• EXIST Business Start-up GrantUp to €3,000/month stipend per founder + €30k material costsGrant · German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs · Germany
• Up to $10,000 in IonQ research creditsUp to $10,000 in credits for 1 yearCredits · IonQ · Global
• $500 in free GPU credits$500 in creditsCredits · Zylora · Global
• Heroku for GitHub Students$13/month in credits for 24 months ($312)Credits · Salesforce Heroku · Global
• Google Cloud Free Trial$300 credit for 90 daysCredits · Google Cloud · Global
• Oracle Cloud Free Tier$300 credit for 30 days + Always Free servicesCredits · Oracle · Global
• AWS Free Tier creditsUp to $200 in creditsCredits · Amazon Web Services · Global
• Azure free account$200 credit for 30 days + 12 months of free servicesCredits · Microsoft Azure · Global
• DigitalOcean free trial$200 credit for 60 daysCredits · DigitalOcean · Global
• IBM Cloud trial credit$200 credit for 30 days + 40 always-free productsCredits · IBM · Global
• Akamai Cloud (Linode) free credit$100 credit for 60 daysCredits · Akamai (Linode) · Global
• Azure for Students$100 credit for 12 months, no cardCredits · Microsoft Azure · Global
• MongoDB for Students$50 Atlas credit + free certificationCredits · MongoDB · Global
• 12 months free on the full Cartesia voice AI stack12 months free on the full Cartesia stack, including 8M Sonic & Ink…Credits · Cartesia · Global
• GitHub Student Developer PackFree bundle of developer credits and toolsCredits · GitHub · Global
• JetBrains Student PackFree IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and other IDEsCredits · JetBrains · Global
• Autodesk Education planFree 1-year access, renewableDiscount · Autodesk · Global
• Figma for EducationFree Professional planDiscount · Figma · Global
• Discounted or Free Access for Startups, Students, and ResearchersDiscounted or free access to AgentaDiscount · Agenta · Global
• Notion Education Plus planFree Plus plan while you studyDiscount · Notion · Global

See them all on free credits and tools for students, or makers and indie developers if you are building on your own.

Values are “up to” amounts and terms change: confirm on the provider’s page before you rely on them.