General chat clients

LobeChat

Modern open-source web chat UI.

LobeChat supports any OpenAI-compatible host through env vars or its `Add Custom Provider` UI. Pair it with FreeTheAi for a slick local web client.

Base URL https://api.freetheai.xyz/v1
Recommended models bbg/zai-org/GLM-5.1
Chat completions Streaming Tool calling
Get a free key Official docs GitHub repo
Step by step

Connect LobeChat to FreeTheAi.

  1. 1

    Open Settings > Language Model

    Click `Add Custom Provider` and fill in the form.

    text 
    Provider Name: FreeTheAi
Provider ID: freetheai
Request Format (SDK Type): openai
Proxy URL: https://api.freetheai.xyz/v1
API Key: PASTE_YOUR_FREETHEAI_KEY
  2. 2

    Add models

    Save the provider, then add the FreeTheAi aliases you want as models. LobeChat will surface them in the model picker.

  3. 3

    Optional: Docker env vars

    If you self-host, you can set the OpenAI envs at container runtime.

    bash 
    docker run -e OPENAI_API_KEY=fta_PASTE_YOUR_FREETHEAI_KEY \
           -e OPENAI_PROXY_URL=https://api.freetheai.xyz/v1 \
           lobehub/lobe-chat
Recommended aliases

Models that pair well with LobeChat.

  • bbg/zai-org/GLM-5.1
  • wsf/kimi-k2.6
  • rev/claude-sonnet-4.5

See the full live catalog at /models. Aliases are stable; pricing on the free tier stays $0.

Heads up

Common gotchas.

  • If you want to keep first-party OpenAI alongside FreeTheAi, use `Add Custom Provider`, not the OpenAI env vars.
  • Provider ID must be lowercase. `freetheai` works, `FreeTheAi` does not.
Where to next

Keep building.

All setup guides Quickstart Cross-compatibility docs Model catalog Ask in Discord