AI platforms are killing free tiers in months, not the years it once took

A growing pattern of rapid free-tier rollbacks is emerging across AI platforms, with companies like Mistral, Suno, and Perplexity cutting generous access within months of launch rather than the years seen with earlier platforms like Heroku or Twitter. Mistral's free API tier, introduced in September 2024, had significant restrictions imposed by February 2025 — just five months later — followed by model deprecations and price hikes through 2026. Suno and Perplexity followed similar arcs, with retroactive usage caps and sharply reduced free access hitting existing users who had built workflows around those services. Analysts note that when one major AI provider tightens access, competitors quickly follow, removing the competitive pressure that historically slowed such changes. The trend mirrors what writer Cory Doctorow termed 'enshittification' — platforms first attracting users with generous terms, then progressively extracting more value — but the AI sector is completing this cycle at unprecedented speed.