feat: Add prominent Free Trial section to README with setup guide #8857
There are no files selected for viewing
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
|---|---|---|
| @@ -0,0 +1,112 @@ | ||
| # 🚀 Free Trial Setup Guide | ||
|
|
||
| Get started with Roo Code in minutes using free AI provider trials! No credit card required for initial setup. | ||
|
|
||
| ## Quick Start Options | ||
|
|
||
| ### Option 1: OpenRouter (Recommended - Easiest Setup) | ||
|
|
||
| OpenRouter offers **$1 in free credits** upon signup - enough for hundreds of interactions! | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Sign up** at [openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai/auth/signup) | ||
| 2. **Get your API key** from [openrouter.ai/keys](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | ||
| 3. **Configure in Roo Code**: | ||
| - Open VS Code Command Palette (`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P`) | ||
| - Type "Roo Code: Open Settings" | ||
| - Select "OpenRouter" as your provider | ||
| - Paste your API key | ||
| - Choose a model (we recommend `claude-3.5-sonnet` for best results) | ||
|
|
||
| ### Option 2: Google Gemini (Most Generous Free Tier) | ||
|
|
||
| Google offers **free usage** of Gemini 1.5 Flash with generous rate limits. | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Get API key** at [aistudio.google.com](https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey) | ||
| - Sign in with your Google account | ||
| - Click "Get API Key" | ||
| - Create a new API key | ||
| 2. **Configure in Roo Code**: | ||
| - Open VS Code Command Palette (`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P`) | ||
| - Type "Roo Code: Open Settings" | ||
| - Select "Google Gemini" as your provider | ||
| - Paste your API key | ||
| - Select `gemini-1.5-flash` (free tier) | ||
|
|
||
| ### Option 3: Groq (Fastest Responses) | ||
|
|
||
| Groq provides **free tier access** with extremely fast inference speeds. | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Sign up** at [console.groq.com](https://console.groq.com/signup) | ||
| 2. **Create API key** at [console.groq.com/keys](https://console.groq.com/keys) | ||
| 3. **Configure in Roo Code**: | ||
| - Open VS Code Command Palette (`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P`) | ||
| - Type "Roo Code: Open Settings" | ||
| - Select "Groq" as your provider | ||
| - Paste your API key | ||
| - Choose `llama-3.1-70b` for best performance | ||
|
||
|
|
||
| ## Provider Comparison | ||
|
|
||
| | Provider | Free Credits | Best For | Setup Difficulty | | ||
| | ----------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------- | | ||
| | **OpenRouter** | $1 free credits | Trying premium models | ⭐ Easiest | | ||
| | **Google Gemini** | Generous free tier | Extended usage | ⭐⭐ Easy | | ||
| | **Groq** | Free tier | Fast responses | ⭐⭐ Easy | | ||
| | **Anthropic** | $5 free (with phone) | Claude models | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | | ||
| | **OpenAI** | $5 free (new accounts) | GPT models | ⭐⭐⭐ Moderate | | ||
|
|
||
| ## Configuration Tips | ||
|
|
||
| ### Setting Up Your First Model | ||
|
|
||
| 1. After adding your API key, Roo Code will show available models | ||
| 2. For best results, we recommend: | ||
| - **Code generation**: Claude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4 | ||
| - **Quick tasks**: Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 3.1 | ||
| - **Budget-conscious**: Gemini Flash (free) or Claude Haiku | ||
|
|
||
| ### Switching Between Providers | ||
|
|
||
| You can easily switch providers or use multiple providers: | ||
|
|
||
| 1. Open Roo Code settings | ||
| 2. Click "Add Provider" to configure additional providers | ||
| 3. Use the provider dropdown in the chat interface to switch | ||
|
|
||
| ## Troubleshooting | ||
|
|
||
| ### "Invalid API Key" Error | ||
|
|
||
| - Double-check you've copied the entire key | ||
| - Ensure no extra spaces before/after the key | ||
| - Verify the key is active in your provider's dashboard | ||
|
|
||
| ### "Rate Limit Exceeded" | ||
|
|
||
| - Free tiers have usage limits | ||
| - Wait a few minutes and try again | ||
| - Consider upgrading or switching providers | ||
|
|
||
| ### "Model Not Available" | ||
|
|
||
| - Some models require paid accounts | ||
| - Switch to a free-tier model in settings | ||
|
|
||
| ## Next Steps | ||
|
|
||
| Once configured, try these to get started: | ||
|
|
||
| 1. **Test your setup**: Type "Hello, can you see this?" in Roo Code | ||
| 2. **Try Code mode**: Ask Roo to create a simple HTML file | ||
| 3. **Explore Architect mode**: Plan your next project | ||
| 4. **Use Debug mode**: Fix an existing code issue | ||
|
|
||
| ## Need Help? | ||
|
|
||
| - **Documentation**: [docs.roocode.com](https://docs.roocode.com) | ||
| - **Discord Community**: [discord.gg/roocode](https://discord.gg/roocode) | ||
| - **Video Tutorials**: [YouTube Channel](https://youtube.com/@roocodeyt) | ||
|
|
||
| --- | ||
|
|
||
| 💡 **Pro Tip**: Start with OpenRouter for the easiest setup experience. You can always add more providers later! | ||
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Choose a reason for hiding this comment
The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.
The recommended model ID
claude-3.5-sonnetis incomplete for OpenRouter. OpenRouter requires the full model ID with provider prefix. Based on the codebase model definitions, this should beanthropic/claude-3.5-sonnetto match the actual available models in the system.