Do I need a credit card to start using Baseten?

No — you can sign up and start exploring without a payment method.

Once your usage exhausts any credits ( if applicable) on your workspace, you'll need to add a payment method (card or US bank account) to keep going: if credits run out and the workspace has no payment method on file, Baseten deactivates its models until you add one.

Baseten doesn't offer a perpetual free tier - usage is billed at standard rates.

Docs: Billing and usage