Startup credits programs: what each one gives, who qualifies, and the fine print

Startup credits programs give you free use of one company's product, usually for a year, and take no stake in your company. The largest published amounts on our list come from the cloud companies: AWS Activate offers up to $200,000, the Google for Startups Cloud Program $200,000 and up to $350,000 for AI-first startups, Cloudflare for Startups up to $350,000, and Microsoft for Startups up to $150K, released over time. Developer tools give less: Datadog up to $100k, PostHog $50,000, Vercel up to $30,000, GitHub $10,000.

The catch is in the eligibility. The top tiers usually want an investor first: an accelerator or venture firm that partners with the program, or institutional funding you can prove. Without one, you can still get the smaller tiers: AWS starts self-funded founders at $1,000, Google gives $2,000 before you raise, and Cloudflare gives $10,000 with no minimum funding. This guide sets out each program's amount and rules in its own words, as we read them on 2 October 2026.

01The programs side by side

The terms column shows the first amount in each program's terms, in the short form our posters use. For Cloudflare and Scaleway that is their smallest tier, not their largest. Claude, OpenAI, DigitalOcean and MongoDB state no amount, so their cells are empty. Hover a cell for the full sentence.

02What you can get without an investor

These programs have a tier you can apply for on your own, bootstrapped or self-funded.

AWS Activate. Its credits come in tiers:

A065AWS Activate·Terms

“Eligible startups can apply for packages ranging from $1,000 to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits”

Our reading: Credits (no investment stated): $1,000 to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits by tier (self-funded: from $1,000, up to $5,000; with an Activate Provider Org ID: up to $200,000)

Its credits page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, says the self-funded tier, Activate Founders, gives "Up to $5,000 USD in Activate Credits" and that you "Start with $1,000 USD in Activate Credits". Who qualifies: "Pre-series B, founded in the last 10 years, AWS Account on Paid Tier Plan, and either new to Activate Credits or requesting more credits than previously received". It says you'll hear back "within 5–10 business days". AWS Activate on the list.

Google for Startups Cloud Program. Its startup page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, has a tier for before you raise: "Ideate and iterate your MVP with $2,000 in credits with the Google for Startups Cloud Program." The large tier needs funding; it's in the next section. Google for Startups Cloud Program on the list.

Cloudflare for Startups has three tiers, and the entry one needs no funding. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Get started with $10k in credits to build and launch your product, no minimum funding required." That tier is for startups that are "Bootstrapped or self-funded" and "Under $1M raised". Cloudflare for Startups on the list.

Microsoft for Startups grows with your usage rather than your funding. Its overview (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, says you can "Access Startup credits right away while eligibility is verified", and lists who is eligible, including: "Develop a software-based product or service that is owned by your company", "Not have received more than $350,000 in lifetime free Azure credits" and "Not have raised Series C funding or later". How its credits rise:

A032Microsoft for Startups·Terms

“Unlock up to $150K in Startup credits over time as your startup demonstrates verified progress, service adoption, and sustained Azure usage.”

Our reading: Up to $150K in Startup credits, unlocked over time with verified progress and Azure usage

Its review time is in how long accelerators take to answer. Microsoft for Startups on the list.

PostHog gives a young company its full amount without a partner:

A081PostHog for Startups·Terms

“$50,000 in PostHog credits for 12 months”

Our reading: $50,000 in PostHog credits for 12 months (some tiers add $12,000 in partner perks); no investment stated

Who qualifies, from its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Your company needs to be less than 2 years old and have raised less than $5m funding." You apply from a PostHog account on a paid plan that uses your company email, and the page says "We will apply the credit automatically if you're eligible." PostHog for Startups on the list.

Scaleway has three programs by stage. Its startup program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, gives the Founders Program "up to €1,000 cloud credits to use over one year", the Early Stage program "a total of 9,000€" over six months, and the Growth program: "The Growth Program opens up 3000€ per month for 12 month, for a total of 36,000€ in cloud credits." To apply, a startup must be less than five years old, have fewer than 50 employees and not yet be a Scaleway client, and a committee reviews applications weekly. It welcomes any vertical, "especially when tackling the EU market." European accelerators are in accelerators in Europe. Scaleway Startup Program on the list.

DigitalOcean gives credits "(amount varies)" for 12 months, plus 15 months of its Standard support tier. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, sets a ceiling on funding, "Must have raised $10m or less", and excludes service businesses such as agencies and consultancies. If no investor or accelerator backs you, its FAQ says to apply anyway and pick "Other" as your partner organization. It also says it prioritizes AI-native startups (AI startup accelerators). DigitalOcean Startups on the list.

NVIDIA Inception is a free membership, not a credits package. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, lists "free cloud credits from NVIDIA and partners" among its benefits, with no amount. Who can join: "Members must employ at least one developer, maintain a working website, be officially incorporated, and be less than 10 years old." NVIDIA Inception on the list.

MongoDB for Startups gives Atlas credits and Voyage AI tokens in tiers by stage, without stating amounts. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, sets the early-stage bar: "Less than 7 years old and Series A or earlier". It also asks for a single software product, so dev shops and agencies are out, and it takes each startup once. MongoDB for Startups on the list.

03What needs an investor or a partner

The big numbers sit behind a partner: an accelerator, a venture firm or another program that the company works with.

AWS Activate Portfolio. "Up to $200,000 USD in Activate Credits", by its credits page, but "You must have an Organization ID (Org ID) from your Activate Provider, such as an accelerator, angel investor, and venture capital firm". A further tier for AI startups is "Invite only for startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio".

Google's Scale tier. Its early-stage page, read on 2 October 2026, offers "$200,000 in Cloud credits and up to $350,000 for AI startups", spread "over 2 years". To qualify you must "Have received recent startup equity funding from pre-seed to Series A by an institutional investor or common Web3 funding sources", "Have been founded within the last 5 years" and "Have not received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits". The page counts pre-seed and seed rounds "within the last five years, and Series A rounds within the last 12 months", and says SAFEs are eligible.

Cloudflare's upper tiers. The tagline gives the ceiling:

A068Cloudflare for Startups·In their words

“Cloudflare for Startups gives early-stage companies up to $350k in credits to build the next big idea.”

Its startups page sets the conditions: $100k for startups "Under $5M raised" and "Funded by an affiliated partner", and the $350k maximum for "$5M+ raised", also partner-funded. A separate Cloudflare program, Workers Launchpad, runs in cohorts with venture partners:

A045Cloudflare Workers Launchpad·Terms

“Get $250,000 in credits and enterprise-level features with the Cloudflare for Startups program to build and scale your app.”

Our reading: Up to $250,000 in Cloudflare credits (Startup Enterprise Plan); no investment stated

Claude for Startups (Anthropic). Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Venture backed? Apply for free credits and priority rate limits." The credit rule: "your company must have received equity funding from institutional investor, been founded within the last four years, and not previously received Anthropic startup credits." It names no amount. You apply with a Claude Console account (the API console, not the Claude app) and a company email. Claude for Startups on the list.

OpenAI for Startups works only through venture firms. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), as read for our list on 2 October 2026, says the benefits can include "free API credits, rate limit upgrades, and time with our solutions engineers or other technical team members", and that you won't need a pitch deck but will need "A unique referral code from your VC". The partner firms it names include "Thrive Capital, Sequoia, a16z, Kleiner Perkins, and Conviction Partners". OpenAI for Startups on the list.

GitHub for Startups. Its terms are short:

• What you get: "Eligible startups receive $10,000 in GitHub credits to use across the full GitHub Enterprise platform for up to 12 months."
• Who: startups "affiliated with a GitHub for Startups partner", with "outside funding (up to Series B or earlier)", that haven't been on a GitHub Enterprise plan in the past six months.
• What doesn't count: "Non-equity credits do not qualify as outside funding."

All three are from its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, which says you'll get an email "within 2-3 business days". GitHub for Startups on the list.

Datadog for Startups is referral-only. Its startups page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, offers "A year of Datadog (up to $100k in credits)" to companies that are "Series A or earlier", "New to Datadog" and referred by a partner. Asked if you can apply without a referral: "No. All applicants must come through one of our referral partners." Datadog for Startups on the list.

Vercel for Startups states its amount but, on the page we read on 2 October 2026, not who qualifies: "Vercel for Startups gives eligible teams up to $30,000 in Flexible Commitment Amount, Enterprise-tier access, and startup-focused support to build and scale on Vercel." Ask before you plan around it. Vercel for Startups on the list.

Microsoft has a partner route too. Its overview: "Startups backed by a partner in the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network may unlock higher-value benefits earlier in their journey."

04The fine print

Most programs' pages say more about limits than the headline suggests. Four kinds come up again and again.

Credits expire. Cloudflare: "Credits are valid for one year or until fully consumed, whichever comes first." GitHub: "Credits are valid for up to 12 months from approval." DigitalOcean: "If you do not use the credits, they will be forfeited", and "The DigitalOcean Startups program does not grant extensions." Apply when you're about to spend them, not months before.

They cover only some products. Claude: "Claude startup credits apply to the first-party Claude API via the Claude Console. They can't be used on AWS Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, or other third-party platforms." DigitalOcean: "DigitalOcean Startups core credits do not cover your GPU Droplet usage." PostHog changed its rules in September: "From September 14, 2026, startup credits can no longer be used towards bills incurred on AI tools such as PostHog Desktop, the PostHog Slack app, Replay Vision, PostHog AI, and Inbox."

They are for newcomers. Most programs limit credits to new customers or first-time applicants: AWS ("new to Activate Credits or requesting more credits than previously received"), Cloudflare ("First-time applicants only"), Google (no more than $5,000 in earlier credits), Claude, GitHub, Datadog, MongoDB, Scaleway and DigitalOcean. If you expect to qualify for a bigger tier soon, read the rules before taking the small one. Google's $2,000 tier stays under its $5,000 line; Cloudflare's wording doesn't say whether the $10k tier rules out a later one.

The bill comes after. Several want a card or a paid plan from the start: AWS asks for an account on its paid tier plan, PostHog for a paid plan, and GitHub for a payment method. GitHub spells out what happens next: "Upon credit exhaustion or program expiration, any active products will automatically transition to standard paid billing and will be charged to the payment method on file." Put the expiry date in your calendar when you're approved.

05AWS Activate vs Microsoft for Startups vs Google Cloud

The three big clouds reward different situations:

• If you have an investor that partners with AWS, Activate Portfolio gives up to $200,000 with your Activate Provider's Org ID. Without one, Activate Founders starts at $1,000.
• If you have institutional funding from pre-seed to Series A, Google's Scale tier gives $200,000 over two years, and up to $350,000 if you're AI-first. Before funding, its tier is $2,000.
• If you have no investor yet, Microsoft gives credits right away while it verifies your eligibility, and raises them as your Azure usage grows, up to $150K. Its rules are about the product more than the funding: a software product you own, and no Series C or later.

Nothing in the rules we read stops you from holding credits from more than one cloud. Which one to build on is a technical choice; the credits only change what the first year or two cost.

06If you're building with AI models

Claude for Startups and OpenAI for Startups both give API credits and higher rate limits, and both want an investor first. Google and AWS add credits for AI startups on top of their cloud tiers. The accelerators that back AI companies with money, not credits, are in AI startup accelerators, and where to list an MCP server in this guide.

07Credits are not investment

Credits lower what you pay one supplier. They don't go into your bank account, don't count as a round and, by GitHub's own rule, don't count as outside funding. When you compare an accelerator's offer, count the cash and the stake first, and treat credits as a discount. Some accelerators add partner credits to their deal: Antler's US terms do (Antler vs Entrepreneur First), and AI House mentions cloud credits through its partner network (AI startup accelerators). Programs that take no stake at all are in equity-free accelerators. Pages on the list: Antler, AI House.

08How to apply, in order

1. List what you'll actually run in the next 12 months: cloud, a model API, analytics, monitoring, a database, code hosting. Credits for a product you won't use expire unused.
2. Apply now where no investor is needed: AWS Activate Founders, Google's $2,000 tier, Cloudflare's entry tier, Microsoft for Startups, Scaleway, DigitalOcean, NVIDIA Inception, and PostHog if your company is young enough.
3. When you join an accelerator or raise, ask which programs it partners with and for the codes: an AWS Org ID, a GitHub or Datadog partner referral, an OpenAI referral code, a Microsoft Investor Network code. AWS's credits page names some of its providers: "Andreessen Horowitz, Brex, Carta, Greylock Partners, Sequoia, and Y Combinator are just a few examples."
4. Check the newcomer rules first, so a small tier today doesn't block a big one next quarter.
5. Note each expiry date when you're approved, and check usage before the credits run out.

Add the programs you pick to My launch with the + on each poster, next to the launch sites in the launch plan:

09How we checked

Every amount and rule here comes from the program's own pages, with the exact words, as we read them on 2 October 2026. Each program's page on the list holds its amount and its rule on who qualifies. Some wording quoted here is not there yet, and we read it on the company's own page the same day: AWS's tier names, Google's pre-funding tier and Scale-tier rules, Cloudflare's tier conditions and expiry, Microsoft's eligibility list, NVIDIA's credits line, and the fine print from GitHub, DigitalOcean, PostHog and Claude. OpenAI's page blocked our reader that day, so its quotes are the ones on its page on the list, also read on 2 October 2026. What we did: we read each place's own pages and checked its link; every table row and poster shows the date of our last link check. We don't apply to these programs and can't say how long any single application takes beyond what each page states. Amounts and rules change, often without notice, so read the current page before you plan around a number.

Nobody pays to be listed or to appear in a guide. Read how we check for the details.

10Questions

01

What are startup credits programs?

Programs run by cloud, AI and software companies that give startups free use of their own products for a set time, usually a year. AWS Activate, the Google for Startups Cloud Program, Microsoft for Startups, Cloudflare for Startups, Claude for Startups and OpenAI for Startups are examples. They take no stake in your company, and the credits are not cash.

02

Can a bootstrapped startup get cloud credits?

Yes, but usually the smaller tiers. AWS Activate has a self-funded tier, Google has a tier for startups that haven't raised, Cloudflare's entry tier needs no minimum funding, and Microsoft for Startups, Scaleway, DigitalOcean, NVIDIA Inception and PostHog accept direct applications. The largest tiers at AWS, Google and Cloudflare need an investor or a partner.

03

AWS Activate or Microsoft for Startups: which is better?

It depends on your funding. AWS Activate's largest tier needs an Org ID from a partner investor or accelerator; without one, its self-funded tier is small. Microsoft for Startups gives credits right away and raises them as your Azure usage grows, with no investor needed. Nothing in either program's rules we read stops you from applying to both.

04

Do startup credits expire?

Yes. Cloudflare's credits last one year or until used up, GitHub's up to twelve months from approval, Google's Scale tier is spread over two years, and DigitalOcean forfeits unused credits and grants no extensions. Check the expiry date when you're approved.

05

Do credits count as funding?

No. Credits are a discount on one company's products and never reach your bank account. GitHub's own terms say non-equity credits don't count as outside funding. Programs that invest are compared in how much equity accelerators take.