Top Free Q&A tools, APIs, and Open Source models
Tags: ai, topfreeapis, questionanswering, opensourcemodels
Published: 2023-11-06 08:43:07

## **What is [Question Answering API](https://www.edenai.co/feature/question-answering-apis?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)?**
[Question Answering (Q&A)](https://www.edenai.co/feature/question-answering-apis?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models) tools use artificial intelligence and language analysis to analyze questions and provide accurate answers. They work by breaking down the questions into their core components, processing the text, and identifying patterns to generate relevant answers.

These APIs are designed to simplify language and make it understandable to a diverse audience. Additionally, they improve efficiency by providing answers quickly and accurately, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual research and analysis.

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![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fxkf8xkwvxddtcq6bqoz.png)



This API is beneficial for building chatbots, virtual assistants, search engines, and other applications that require the ability to understand and respond effectively to user queries.

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## **Top Open Source (Free) Q&A models on the market**
For users seeking a cost-effective engine, opting for an open-source model is the recommended choice. Here is the list of the best Question Answering Open Source Models:

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**1‍. [Hugging Face Transformers](https://github.com/huggingface/transformers?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
Hugging Face Transformers is a renowned library that offers a diverse array of pre-trained models for a plethora of natural language processing tasks, comprising question answering. It facilitates models such as BERT, GPT-2, RoBERTa, and numerous others.

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**2. [AllenNLP](https://github.com/allenai/allennlp?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
AllenNLP is an open-source library for natural language processing research, developed using PyTorch. Its framework presents a versatile and user-friendly tool for designing and assessing deep learning models suitable for numerous NLP applications, such as question answering.

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**3. [BERT](https://github.com/google-research/bert?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
BERT is a computer program made by Google that has done impressive things with words. It understands how people use language and can give answers to questions in a clever way.

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**4. [XLNet](https://github.com/zihangdai/xlnet?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
XLNet is a pre-trained model for understanding language, used for answering questions and similar tasks. It’s created to capture context and the connections between parts of the text accurately.

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**5. [ELECTRA](https://github.com/google-research/electra?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
ELECTRA trains a model that is better and faster, designed for many natural language tasks such as answering questions.

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**6. [DrQA(Document Reader Question Answering)](https://github.com/facebookresearch/DrQA?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
DrQA is a reading comprehension system that selects relevant passages using a document retrieval component and answers questions using a neural-network based model.

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**7. [BiDAF (Bi-Directional Attention Flow)](https://github.com/allenai/bi-att-flow?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
BiDAF is a widely used model for comprehending and answering questions through machines. It leverages a bidirectional attention flow mechanism to locate answers within a given context.

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## **Cons of Using Open Source AI models**
‍While open source models offer many advantages, they also come with some potential drawbacks and challenges. Here are some cons of using open source models:

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**- Not Entirely Cost Free:** Open-source models, while providing valuable resources to users, may not always be entirely free of cost. Users often need to bear expenses related to hosting and server usage, especially when dealing with large or resource-intensive data sets.
**- Lack of Support:** Open source models may not have official support channels or dedicated customer support teams. If you encounter issues or need assistance, you might have to rely on community forums or the goodwill of volunteers, which can be less reliable than commercial support.
**- Limited Documentation:** Some open source models may have incomplete or poorly maintained documentation. This can make it difficult for developers to understand how to use the model effectively, leading to frustration and wasted time.
**- Security Concerns:** Security vulnerabilities can exist in open source models, and it may take longer for these issues to be addressed compared to commercially supported models. Users of open source models may need to monitor for security updates and patches actively.
**- Scalability and Performance:** Open source models may not be as optimized for performance and scalability as commercial models. If your application requires high performance or needs to handle a large number of requests, you may need to invest more time in optimization.
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## **Why choose Eden AI?**
Given the potential costs and challenges related to open-source models, one cost-effective solution is to use APIs. Eden AI smoothens the incorporation and implementation of AI technologies with its API, connecting to multiple AI engines.

Eden AI presents a broad range of AI APIs on its platform, customized to suit your specific needs and financial limitations. These technologies include data parsing, language identification, sentiment analysis, logo recognition, question answering, data anonymization, speech recognition, and numerous other capabilities.

To get started, we offer free $10 credits for you to explore our APIs.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3sfrvsn8lpc00hr4ksev.png)

**[Try Eden AI for FREE](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**


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## **Access Q&A providers with one API**
Our standardized API enables you to integrate Question Answering APIs into your system with ease by utilizing various providers on Eden AI. Here is the list (in alphabetical order):

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- OpenAI
- Tenstorrent
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**1. OpenAI- Available on [Eden AI‍‍](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
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![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/idcmcgtut182rhe84tjp.png)



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OpenAI's Question Answering API uses advanced Deep Learning models. It is trained on copious data and regularly updated to supply precise answers to a broad spectrum of questions. Its scalability aims to provide real-time solutions for a vast quantity of inquiries. Moreover, its technology can tackle intricate queries that demand an understanding of context and conceptual relationships.

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**2. Tenstorrent- Available on [Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**
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![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/4u1fvdbhpqyxudj9gv7e.png)






Tenstorrent's AI Q&A API uses machine learning to provide contextually relevant answers. Their technology is capable of supporting a variety of languages with high accuracy and rapid response time. Furthermore, the system can be tailored to adapt to different sectors.

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## **Pricing Structure for Question Answering API Providers**
Eden AI offers a user-friendly platform for evaluating pricing information from diverse API providers and monitoring price changes over time. As a result, keeping up-to-date with the latest pricing is crucial. The pricing chart below outlines the rates for smaller quantities for November 2023, as well as you can get discounts for potentially large volumes.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fenjeqj4504ckfj1lrz3.png)

**[Check the current prices on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**


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## **How Eden AI can help you?**
Eden AI is the future of AI usage in companies: our app allows you to call multiple AI APIs.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nzh5lvh7cxj33c04mh9s.gif)





- Centralized and fully monitored billing on Eden AI for Question Answering APIs
- Unified API for all providers: simple and standard to use, quick switch between providers, access to the specific features of each provider
- Standardized response format: the JSON output format is the same for all suppliers thanks to Eden AI's standardization work. The response elements are also standardized thanks to Eden AI's powerful matching algorithms.
- The best Artificial Intelligence APIs in the market are available: big cloud providers (Google, AWS, Microsoft, and more specialized engines)
- Data protection: Eden AI will not store or use any data. Possibility to filter to use only GDPR engines.
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You can see Eden AI documentation [here](https://docs.edenai.co/reference/text_question_answer_create?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models).

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## **Next step in your project**
The Eden AI team can help you with your AI Conversational bot integration project. This can be done by :

- Organizing a product demo and a discussion to understand your needs better. You can book a time slot on this link: [Contact](https://www.edenai.co/contact?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)
- By testing the public version of Eden AI for free: however, not all providers are available on this version. Some are only available on the Enterprise version.
- By benefiting from the support and advice of a team of experts to find the optimal combination of providers according to the specifics of your needs
- Having the possibility to integrate on a third-party platform: we can quickly develop connectors.
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**[Create your Account on Eden AI](https://app.edenai.run/user/register?referral=top-free-q&a-tools-apis-and-open-source-models)**