Baidu - Leading Chinese AI Services Guide
๐ข Provider Information
Provider Name: Baidu
Chatbot: https://yiyan.baidu.com
Developer Platform: https://qianfan.cloud.baidu.com
Type: Free Chatbot + Permanently Free API
๐ Product Overview
Baidu is China’s leading internet company, and its ERNIE Bot (Wenxin Yiyan) is a representative work of Chinese large language models. Starting from April 1, 2025, Baidu announced that ERNIE Bot will be fully free and open to all users.
Core Features:
- ๐ Fully Free - Chatbot fully free from April 1, 2025
- ๐ Latest Models - ERNIE 4.5 multimodal, ERNIE X1 reasoning
- ๐จ๐ณ Chinese Optimized - Top-tier Chinese language performance
- ๐จ Multimodal Support - Text, image, audio, video
- โก Permanently Free API - ERNIE-3.5-8K, ERNIE-Speed-8K
- ๐ Fast Domestic Access - Servers in China, fast response
- ๐ Compliant for Commercial Use - Domestic compliance, safe for business
Recommendation: โญโญโญโญโญ (Top choice for Chinese, leading domestic AI!)
๐ Registration and Account
Registration Requirements
Chatbot (ERNIE Bot):
| Requirement | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Baidu Account | โ Required | Register with phone or email |
| Phone/Email Verification | โ Required | Based on registration method |
| Real-name Verification | โ Not Required | Not needed for Chatbot |
| Credit Card | โ Not Required | Completely free |
API Service (Qianfan Platform):
| Requirement | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Baidu Cloud Account | โ Required | Register for Baidu Cloud |
| Real-name Verification | โ Required | Required for API use |
| Credit Card | โ Not Required | Supports Alipay/WeChat |
Registration Steps
Chatbot Registration (Simplest)
Visit ERNIE Bot
Open your browser and visit https://yiyan.baidu.com.
Login with Baidu Account
Login with your Baidu account (register if you don’t have one). Supports:
- Phone number registration
- Email registration
- WeChat/QQ quick login
Start Using
After login, you can use all ERNIE Bot features for free.
API Registration (Requires Verification)
Visit Qianfan Platform
Open Baidu Cloud Qianfan Platform.
Register Account
Register a Baidu Cloud account (can use existing Baidu account).
Complete Real-name Verification
- Go to Real-name Verification Page
- Upload ID (personal) or business license (enterprise)
- Wait for review (about 10 minutes)
- โ ๏ธ Important: Real-name verification is required for API use
Create Application
- Create an application in Qianfan console
- Get API Key and Secret Key
- Start using free API
๐ฏ Provided Services
Baidu provides two main services:
1. Chatbot Service
- Type: Web conversation interface
- Access: https://yiyan.baidu.com
- Features: Fully free from April 1, 2025
- Functions: Multimodal understanding, document processing, AI painting, multilingual conversation
2. API Service
- Type: RESTful API
- Features: Permanently free models + paid premium models
- Models: ERNIE-3.5-8K (permanently free), ERNIE-4.0-8K, ERNIE-Speed-8K, etc.
- Compatibility: Supports OpenAI SDK interface
๐ Quota Overview
Chatbot Free Quota
| Limit Type | Quota | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Usage | Fully free from April 1, 2025 | Available on PC and App |
| Conversation Count | Free to use | No explicit limit |
| Advanced Features | All supported | Document processing, AI painting, retrieval enhancement |
API Free Quota
| Model | Free Type | Quota | QPS Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERNIE-3.5-8K | Permanently Free | Unlimited | 50 |
| ERNIE-Speed-8K | Permanently Free | Unlimited | 50 |
| ERNIE-4.0-8K | New User Gift | 1M tokens/month | 5 |
โ ๏ธ Important Notes:
- ERNIE-3.5-8K and ERNIE-Speed-8K are permanently free with unlimited tokens
- QPS Limit: Maximum requests per second, excess requests will queue
- New users receive 1M tokens of ERNIE-4.0-8K in first month
- Check detailed quotas at Console
๐ค Supported Models
ERNIE 4.5 - Latest Multimodal Model
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 2025 |
| Type | Multimodal model |
| Capabilities | Text, image, audio, video understanding and generation |
| Features | Understands internet memes and satirical comics, exceeds GPT-4o in multiple benchmarks |
| Cost | Only 1% of GPT-4o |
ERNIE X1 - Reasoning Model
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 2025 |
| Type | Reasoning model |
| Capabilities | Deep reasoning, tool calling, code interpreter |
| Features | Multi-turn feedback optimization |
| Use Cases | Complex problem solving, math reasoning, code generation |
API Free Models
ERNIE-3.5-8K (Permanently Free)
- Context Window: 8K tokens
- Quota Limit: QPS 50
- Features: Performance exceeds GPT-3.5 Turbo
- Use Cases: General conversation, text generation, Q&A
ERNIE-Speed-8K (Permanently Free)
- Context Window: 8K tokens
- Quota Limit: QPS 50
- Features: Fastest response speed
- Use Cases: Real-time conversation, quick response scenarios
ERNIE-4.0-8K (New User Gift)
- Context Window: 8K tokens
- Free Quota: 1M tokens/month (first month)
- Features: Latest flagship model
- Use Cases: Complex tasks, high-quality output
๐ Core Advantages
1. Top-tier Chinese Capabilities
Optimized for Chinese:
- Deep understanding of Chinese context and culture
- Industry-leading Chinese generation quality
- Supports dialects and internet slang
Actual Performance:
- Excellent performance on Chinese NLU tasks
- Understands Chinese-specific expressions
- Great at processing long Chinese texts
2. Powerful Multimodal Capabilities
ERNIE 4.5 Supports:
- โ Text understanding and generation
- โ Image recognition and analysis
- โ Audio processing
- โ Video understanding
- โ Cross-modal interaction
Application Scenarios:
- Mixed text-image content understanding
- Video content analysis
- Speech recognition and synthesis
- Multimedia content generation
3. Domestic Access Advantage
Fast Speed:
- Servers deployed in China
- No VPN required
- Low response latency
Compliance Guarantee:
- Complies with Chinese laws and regulations
- Data stored domestically
- Legal for commercial use
4. Permanently Free API
ERNIE-3.5-8K:
- Permanently free, unlimited
- Performance exceeds GPT-3.5 Turbo
- QPS 50, meets most needs
ERNIE-Speed-8K:
- Permanently free, ultra-fast response
- Suitable for real-time applications
- Reduces development costs
โ ๏ธ Usage Notes
Real-name Verification
- Chatbot: No real-name verification required
- API: Must complete real-name verification
- Review Time: About 10 minutes
- Verification Entry: Click here
Content Moderation
- Complies with Chinese laws and regulations
- Sensitive content will be rejected
- Focus on legal and compliant use
QPS Limits
- Free models have QPS of 50
- Excess requests will queue
- Can increase QPS through paid plans
Regional Support
- Primarily serves users in mainland China
- Overseas access may be slower
- Recommended for domestic users
๐ Service Comparison
| Feature | Baidu | DeepSeek | Google AI Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Chatbot | โ From 4/1/2025 | โ 50 msg/day | โ Free |
| Chinese Performance | ๐ Top | ๐ Top | Good |
| Multimodal | ๐ Strong | โ | ๐ Strong |
| API Free Models | ๐ Permanently Free | ยฅ5 trial | Free |
| Real-name Required | โ API only | โ API only | โ |
| China Access | โ Very Fast | โ Fast | ๐ง VPN needed |
| Compliant for Business | โ Domestic compliance | โ | โ ๏ธ Consider |
๐ก Selection Advice
Choose Baidu If
โ Highly Recommended:
- Mainland China users (fast, compliant)
- Need strong Chinese capabilities
- Need permanently free API
- Need multimodal features
- Commercial use requires compliance
- Limited budget but need high performance
โ Suitable Scenarios:
- Chinese content generation and understanding
- Education and learning assistance
- Enterprise intelligent customer service
- Document processing and analysis
- Multimedia content understanding
โ Less Suitable:
- Overseas users (access speed)
- Cannot provide ID (API)
- Need English-specific optimization
- Need very high QPS
๐ Related Links
- ERNIE Bot (Chatbot): https://yiyan.baidu.com
- Qianfan Platform (API): https://qianfan.cloud.baidu.com
- API Documentation: https://cloud.baidu.com/doc/qianfan/index.html
- Console: https://console.bce.baidu.com/qianfan/overview
- Pricing: https://cloud.baidu.com/doc/qianfan/s/Blfmc9dlf
- Real-name Verification: https://console.bce.baidu.com/idc/#/personal/verify
- Quota Query: https://console.bce.baidu.com/qianfan/ais/console/quota
๐ Update Log
- 2026-01-28: Document verification and optimization, clarified free model quota limits
- April 2025: ERNIE Bot fully free and open
- March 2025: Released ERNIE 4.5 multimodal model and ERNIE X1 reasoning model
- November 2024: User base reached 430 million, daily API calls exceeded 1.5 billion
- Continuous Updates: Ongoing optimization of model performance and user experience
๐ง Support and Feedback
- Official Support: Submit tickets through Baidu Cloud console
- Developer Community: Baidu AI Open Platform Forum
- Issue Feedback: Submit feedback in console
- Business Cooperation: Contact business team through official website
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