If you are prototyping agents, research tools, or search-backed apps, API spend shows up early. Desearch publishes a public Earn Credits path so builders can unlock free API credits by doing useful, verifiable work: a real walkthrough, public support actions, honest feedback, or inviting another builder.
This guide walks through the offers currently listed on the Earn Credits page, how claiming works, and how to avoid wasting a submission. The live page is always the source of truth. Offers and amounts can change.
Primary CTA: Earn Credits. In Console, use the sidebar Earn Credits entry when it is available on your account view.
What "free API credits" means here
Desearch credits are account balance you can spend on Desearch API usage. Earned credits are typically added after a claim or approval flow, not instantly for every offer.
Important boundaries for this article:
- Credits are API credits, not cash payouts.
- Many offers are one-time per account (or per offer) and go through manual check / approval.
- Do not treat the program as "always free forever" or "unlimited credits."
- Treat any dollar figures below as currently listed on the Earn Credits page at the time of writing. Confirm live amounts before you plan a campaign around them.
The Earn Credits page language currently references a one-time offers total in the neighborhood of the amounts shown on that page (the page has used "one-time total" framing such as ~$155). Use the live page, not this blog post, as the ledger.
Where to start
- Create or sign in to your Desearch account.
- Open https://desearch.ai/earn-credits or Console Earn Credits.
- Pick one eligible contribution.
- Follow the claim steps and submit verifiable proof where asked.
- Wait for approval when the offer says credits land after review.
If you have not run a single successful query yet, do that first. Credits are most useful after you know which endpoint and tool mix you actually need.
Featured ways to earn
1) Publish a YouTube walkthrough (+$100 API credits after approval)
This is the largest one-time offer currently called out on the page.
What to ship
- A public YouTube video
- At least 3 minutes
- A real Desearch workflow (query, integration, or agent), not a vague shoutout
- Your own narration (English on the default path; contact the team before recording in another language)
What usually fails review
- Shoutouts with no product demo
- AI-generated voiceovers
- Reuploads or recut promo clips
- Paid promotions without hands-on usage
How claiming works (high level)
The page walks you through gathering the video link and details, then preparing an email to the Desearch team. Credits for this offer are added after approval. Send from the email tied to your Desearch account so the team can match the account to credit. The program language on the page indicates one approved YouTube video per account for this reward.
Idea starters for a useful video
- Run an AI search prompt, show the sources, and explain how your agent would cite them
- Extract or fetch a page and show how you use the cleaned content
- Wire Desearch into a coding agent and demonstrate a live tool call
Make the video something another builder can replay. That is what approval is for.
2) Add a payment method (+$5)
Attach a payment method in Console to unlock the one-time account bonus currently listed for this action.
Clarification from the page: adding a payment method does not charge you by itself. It unlocks the listed bonus after the claim path for that offer.
Treat this as a small, fast unlock once you are ready to keep a card on file for future paid usage. It is separate from the YouTube reward.
3) Invite another builder (ongoing reward)
Share your referral link and keep earning when the builders you invite start using Desearch.
The page frames this as an ongoing reward rather than a single fixed dollar line item like the one-time list. Check Console / Earn Credits for the current referral mechanics, eligibility, and how rewards are attributed.
Public support actions
These are smaller, usually faster contributions. Still expect a claim flow and verification.
Star Desearch on GitHub (+$15)
Star the Subnet 22 repository:
https://github.com/Desearch-ai/subnet-22
Then follow the How to claim path on the Earn Credits page. Credits land after the claim / check process for that offer.
Follow on LinkedIn (+$5)
Follow the Desearch company page, then claim via the page instructions.
Follow on X (+$5)
Follow @desearch_ai, then claim via the page instructions.
Tip: complete the public action first, then open the claim control so your proof is already in place.
Feedback offers
Honest G2 review (+$20)
Write a real review of your Desearch experience on G2. The page states the review can be positive or negative. Sentiment is not the condition. The review must be approved and published on G2, then claimed through Desearch's flow.
Be specific: which API you used, what worked, what was confusing, and what you still need. Honest detail helps the product team and makes the review useful to other buyers.
Tell us how you found Desearch (+$5)
Share one sentence about where you first heard about Desearch, then complete the claim step. Small offer, useful signal for the team.
Suggested order if you want credits quickly
There is no single "correct" sequence, but a practical builder path looks like this:
- Add a payment method if you are comfortable doing so (+$5 listed).
- Complete the quick public actions you already intended (GitHub star, LinkedIn, X).
- Submit how you found Desearch while it is fresh.
- If you have real usage, write the G2 review.
- Film the YouTube walkthrough once you have a workflow worth teaching.
- Share your referral link with builders who are actually shipping.
That order front-loads smaller claims and saves the largest creative effort for last.
How approval and claims usually feel
Across offers, the pattern is:
- Do the contribution
- Submit proof through the Earn Credits claim path
- Wait for manual check / approval where required
- See API credits on the account after approval
Do not assume instant credit for every tile. Do not submit unfinished videos, private unlisted links if the page requires public access, or reviews that never publish.
If a claim stalls, use the support path listed on the Earn Credits page (the YouTube flow references support@desearch.ai for submission and language questions).
What credits are good for
Once credits land, put them toward work that teaches you something:
- Playground experiments that match your production prompt shape
- Agent tool loops that need live web / social context
- Comparing link-only results vs summarized AI search responses
- Measuring cost with the billing metadata your responses return (when present)
Credits are a runway, not a substitute for watching usage in Console. Keep an eye on spend as you move from demos to scheduled jobs.
FAQ
Are these free API credits unlimited?
No. Treat listed amounts as finite, often one-time offers, subject to eligibility and approval. The live Earn Credits page is the source of truth.
Do I get cash?
No. Rewards are described as API credits after approval / claim.
Can I claim the YouTube reward more than once?
Page language for the walkthrough program indicates one approved YouTube video per account. Confirm on the live page if that policy changes.
Is the G2 review required to be five stars?
No. The page asks for an honest review. Positive or negative is fine. It must be approved and published, then claimed.
Will adding a card charge me?
The Earn Credits page states that adding a payment method for the listed bonus does not make a charge. Future paid usage is a separate matter you control in Console.
Where is the official list of offers?
https://desearch.ai/earn-credits and Console Earn Credits. If this article and the page disagree, trust the page.
Checklist before you submit
- Account email matches the inbox you will use for video / support mail
- Proof is public and durable (repo star visible, video public, review published)
- YouTube video is 3+ minutes with a real on-screen workflow
- You followed the claim control for that specific offer
- You verified current dollar amounts on the live page
Next steps
- Open Earn Credits.
- Claim the small offers you can finish today.
- Ship one real walkthrough if you want the larger listed credit.
- Spend credits on a workflow you will keep, then watch usage in Console.
Free API credits are useful when they buy you learning time. Earn them with proof, keep the live page as the contract, and build something you would show another engineer.