# Limits

### Rate Limits

Rate limits are enforced globally across your account. Creating additional accounts or API keys does not increase your capacity. However, different models have separate rate limits, so distributing requests across multiple models can help manage throughput constraints.

### Additional Rate Limits

Specific limits apply regardless of account tier:

**Free Model Limits**: Models with IDs ending in `:free` have per-minute and daily request caps. Accounts with purchased credits receive higher daily allowances than accounts without.

**DDoS Protection**: Cloudflare's protection layer blocks traffic patterns that significantly exceed normal usage thresholds..

{% hint style="info" %}
A negative credit balance triggers `402 Payment Required` errors, including on free models. Restore access by adding credits to bring your balance above zero.
{% endhint %}