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Free AI and software for students October 2026, checked

Which student offers are really free today, which are only cheaper, which go through your school, and which have ended. Twenty programs, each read on the company's own page.

Checked by hand on 2 October 2026, on each company’s own pages.1 of 30 have moved since, re-checked 22h ago.

The short answer

If you read nothing else, read this.

  • Free AI plans you can claim yourself today: Google AI Pro for 1 year (US college students), Google AI Plus for 1 year (students in 140+ other markets), ChatGPT Plus for 4 months (US college students, claim by October 31, 2026) and GitHub Copilot Student.
  • Free software for students: Notion Education, Figma Professional, JetBrains IDEs, SOLIDWORKS Design Standard, Autodesk, Office 365 web apps, and $100 of Azure credits with no card.
  • Not free, only cheaper: Perplexity Education Pro ($10 a month), Mistral Pro ($5.99 a month), Microsoft 365 Personal ($4.99 a month) and Grammarly Pro (50% off one period).
  • Only through your school: Claude, Canva Pro, QuickBooks and Gemini for Education. If your school does not pay for them, there is no student version for you alone.
  • Ended: Colab Pro for Education, Cursor's free year of Pro, and Microsoft 365 Premium free for 12 months.
  • The free AI plans from Google and OpenAI need a card and renew at full price: $19.99 a month for Google AI Pro, $20 for ChatGPT Plus.

Quick picks

Students outside the US

Google AI Plus

1 year free

In 140+ markets, not Canada. Redeem by December 31, 2026. A card is needed.

US college students

Google AI Pro

1 year free

Redeem by December 31, 2026. Then $19.99 a month unless you cancel.

No card, free credits

Azure for Students

$100 of credits

For full-time students aged 18 or over.

AI assistants

What a student gets from each AI company, on its own pages.

You get
1 year of AI Pro free
Who
US college students, 18+
Redeem by
December 31, 2026
Card
Needed
Then
$19.99 a month
In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“The free Google AI Pro student offer is available to eligible U.S. college students ages 18+. Both new users and students whose 2025 AI Pro trial has expired can qualify. Eligibility must be verified each year to maintain access.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026gemini.google
“Eligible students only. Offer Terms apply. Redeem until December 31, 2026. Valid form of payment required at sign-up. Unless cancelled earlier, Google AI Pro will automatically charge $19.99/month after the trial ends. Cancel anytime.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026gemini.google
You get
1 year of AI Plus free
Where
140+ markets, not Canada
Redeem by
December 31, 2026
Card
Needed
Then
$4.99 a month

Also excluded: Bolivia, Albania, Macau, Hong Kong and Tunisia.

In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“For eligible college students outside the U.S., we’re offering one year of Google AI Plus, free of charge.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026blog.google
“Eligible students in over 140 markets where Google AI Plus is available, except for in the U.S., Bolivia, Albania, Canada, Macau, Hong Kong, and Tunisia. Offer Terms apply. Redeem until December 31, 2026. Valid form of payment required at sign-up. Unless cancelled earlier, Google AI Plus will automatically charge $4.99/month or local currency equivalent after the trial ends. Cancel anytime.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026blog.google
You get
4 months of Plus free
Claim by
October 31, 2026
Card
Needed
Then
$20 a month

It is ChatGPT Plus, not ChatGPT Pro. There is no free Pro for students.

In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“The offer is available to current full-time and part-time college and graduate students enrolled at eligible U.S. degree-granting institutions.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026help.openai.com
“A valid payment method is required to activate the offer. You will not be charged for the four free monthly billing periods. After the promotional period, the subscription renews at $20 per month unless you cancel.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026help.openai.com
You get
Claude through your university
On your own
No student plan

Anthropic's pages show no free or discounted Claude Pro for individual students. Free Claude for students means your school pays for Claude for Education.

In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“A comprehensive university-wide plan for institutions, including its students, faculty, and staff.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026claude.com
You get
Pro at a student price
Price
$10 a month, not free
Check
SheerID
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Education Pro ($10/mo with verification from SheerID).”
Checked 2 Oct 2026perplexity.ai
Price
$5.99 a month, not free
Normally
$14.99 a month
For
Up to 12 months
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Verified students can get Mistral Pro for $5.99 / month (normally $14.99).”
Checked 2 Oct 2026mistral.ai

Gemini for Education

Active today
You get
Gemini on your school account
Needs
Your school admin to turn it on
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“However, to access the Gemini app with a school-issued Google Account, your organization needs to have a qualifying Google Workspace for Education edition and your administrator must have enabled access to Gemini Apps for your account.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026edu.google.com

Coding, design and notes

You get
Copilot Student, free
Check
GitHub Education, every month

Since March 13, 2026 students get the Copilot Student plan, not Copilot Pro.

In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Verified students on GitHub Education get free access to Copilot's features.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026docs.github.com

JetBrains Student Pack

Active today
You get
10 IDEs free
Card
No card
For
Your whole studies, renewed yearly

Full-time programs of one year or more. The AI part is only a limited trial.

In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“Access tools at no cost for the duration of your studies”
Checked 2 Oct 2026jetbrains.com
“No card required”
Checked 2 Oct 2026jetbrains.com
You get
Professional plan free
For
1 year, then reapply
In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“Students and educators enrolled in a higher education, approved bootcamp, or secondary/high school get the Professional plan.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026help.figma.com
“One year for students, two years for educators. If you are still a student or educator at the end of your term, you must reapply for education status.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026help.figma.com
You get
Education Plan free
Who
College email; not K-12
For
No end date, verify yearly
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“There is no set end date. To stay on the free Education Plan, verify your status once a year with your school email.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026notion.com
School students
Free, by teacher invite
University students
Only via Canva for Campus

There is no way to sign up for free Canva Pro on your own. A university student whose school has no Canva for Campus gets Canva Free.

In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Get started as a university and college student with Canva Free. You may be eligible for free access to Pro and premium features through Canva for Campus. Contact your university or institution for access.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026canva.com

Office, engineering, finance and writing

Office 365 Education (A1)

Active today
You get
Word, Excel, PowerPoint on the web
Needs
A school email
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Educators and students with an eligible education email address can get Office 365 A1 for free.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026microsoft.com
Price
$4.99 a month, half price
Includes
Copilot and 1 TB

The free year of Microsoft 365 Premium for students is gone from this page. It now offers 50% off instead.

In their own words(3, checked 16 Oct)
“Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal”
Checked 16 Oct 2026microsoft.com
“1 TB of cloud storage, advanced security, and more for $4.99/month”
Checked 16 Oct 2026microsoft.com
“Yes, this offer includes Microsoft Copilot”
Checked 16 Oct 2026microsoft.com

SOLIDWORKS Design Standard

Active today
You get
3D CAD free
For
1 year, sign up again
Needs
A Windows PC
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“You receive 1 year of access. If you are still a qualified student at the end of your 1-year access, you may sign up again by completing the same web form. You may be asked to provide proof of student verification.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026solidworks.com

Autodesk Education Plan

Active today
You get
AutoCAD, Revit, Fusion and more free
For
1 year, renewable
In their own words(2, checked 16 Oct)
“The education plan gives eligible students and educators free, one-year, single-user access to Autodesk software for educational purposes.”
Checked 16 Oct 2026autodesk.com
“You can access all software available through the Education Community, and access is renewable annually as long as you’re eligible.”
Checked 16 Oct 2026autodesk.com

Azure for Students

Active today
You get
$100 of credits
Card
No card
Who
Full-time students, 18+
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Azure for Students gets you started with $100 in Azure credits to be used within the first 12 months, plus select free services as described below (services subject to change) without requiring a credit card at sign-up.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026azure.microsoft.com
You get
A 1-year trial
Needs
An invite from your instructor
In their own words(2, checked 2 Oct)
“QuickBooks Online for students is a 1-year trial.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026intuit.com
“Current educators, students, and staff at accredited US educational institutions are eligible for free trials of Intuit software.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026intuit.com
Price
50% off, one period
Free plan
Open to everyone
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Yes. For a limited time, eligible students can get 50% off Grammarly Pro through SheerID verification.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026support.grammarly.com

Offers that ended

Still promised on many websites. Not on the companies' own pages any more.

Colab Pro for Education

Ended
Was
1 year of Colab Pro free
In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Colab Pro for Education subscriptions were free, 1 year, Colab Pro subscriptions for students and faculty members of US-based universities. They are no longer available for new signups at this time.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026research.google.com

Cursor Pro free for students

Ended
Was
1 year of Cursor Pro free

The free year was on Cursor's student page in June 2026. Now upgrades come only through promotions at events.

In their own words(1, checked 2 Oct)
“Anyone can get started with Cursor for free. To upgrade your access, look out for promotions at our on-campus and online events starting this fall.”
Checked 2 Oct 2026cursor.com

Microsoft 365 Premium free for students

Ended
Was
12 months of Premium free

Microsoft posted no end notice, but its student page no longer shows the free year. It offers 50% off Microsoft 365 Personal instead (see above).

For when the student offer runs out: the same tools as any other customer gets them, from our catalogue.

Their regular free plans and trials 10

Figma

UI design and prototyping

Try free

Free trialFree plan

Notion

Notes, docs and files

Try free

Free trialFree planthen €9.50/mo

Gemini

AI chat and research

Try free

Free trialCard neededFree planthen $19.99/mo

Canva

AI image and design

Try free

Free planthen $144/yr

Claude

AI chat and research

Try free

Free planthen €18/mo

Grammarly

Content and writing

Try free

7 days freeFree planthen €12/mo, billed yearly

Their own words, tool by tool (10)
  • Figma: “Free Trial with No Payment Method - Buyer Flow”
  • Notion: “Trial of Notion AI”
  • Gemini: “Trials memberships are available for new customers only, unless otherwise specified.”
  • Canva: “Canva Free is available to anyone.”
  • ChatGPT: “The free version of ChatGPT is available to everyone.”
  • Claude: “Free for everyone”
  • GitHub Copilot: “GitHub Copilot Free is a new free pricing tier with limited functionality for individual developers.”
  • Mistral: “Yes, Mistral’s Free plan provides limited access to Vibe , including our latest models, chat, search, creation, and Vibe for code for agentic coding in your terminal.”
  • Perplexity: “$0 /month”
  • Grammarly: “Start 7-day Free Trial”

Questions

Is Gemini Pro free for students?

Yes, for US college students aged 18 or older: Google AI Pro is free for one year if you redeem by December 31, 2026. A card is needed and it then costs $19.99 a month. Students in over 140 other markets get Google AI Plus free for one year instead.

Is ChatGPT Pro free for students?

No. The student offer is ChatGPT Plus, not Pro: four free months for current US college and graduate students, claimed by October 31, 2026. A payment method is needed, and it renews at $20 a month.

Is Claude Pro free for students?

Not for students on their own. Anthropic offers Claude to students only through Claude for Education, a plan their university pays for.

Is Perplexity Pro free for students?

No. Perplexity offers Education Pro at $10 a month to students verified by SheerID. It is a discount, not a free plan.

Is Canva Pro free for students?

Only through school. Primary and secondary students get it free when a teacher invites them to Canva Education. University students get it only if their school has Canva for Campus; otherwise they get Canva Free.

Is Colab Pro free for students?

Not any more. Google says Colab Pro for Education, which gave US university students a free year, is no longer available for new signups.

Is GitHub Copilot free for students?

Yes. Students verified through GitHub Education get the Copilot Student plan for free. Since March 13, 2026 it is Copilot Student, not Copilot Pro.

How we checked

Every fact here comes from the company’s own page, with the sentence it is in. The facts checked for this guide show the day we read them. The tables come from our catalogue, which re-reads each price page on its own. When a page does not say something, we write that, and we never guess. How we check

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