The open pool: how Tangent keeps learning free
The short version. The open pool is free credit Tangent provides. Any signed-in learner can use it in Tangent Learn, on one economical model, within daily limits.
Why it exists
Good AI tutoring costs real money for every reply, so most of it sits behind a paywall. Tangent keeps the pool open for anyone who wants to learn. It is Tangent’s own decision, within daily limits and while it has credit.
Where the credit comes from
Pool credit isn't sold. Tangent adds it, at its discretion.
How it works
- Any signed-in learner can use the pool in Tangent Learn. When your own credit runs out, Learn uses the pool. When you have both, you choose with the Pay for replies with switch above the message box.
- The pool can never go below zero. Every reply sets aside its worst-case cost first, and is refused if the pool can't cover it.
- When it runs out, Learn says so: "The open pool is empty until Tangent adds more credit." Your message is kept, and you can use your own OpenRouter key instead.
- The meter shows about how many learning sessions the pool still covers, counting $0.02 per session, next to the amount in dollars. Those are totals only; no one's name or questions are shown.
What a reply costs
Each reply is paid from the pool at the AI provider's price (including the provider's credit-purchase fee), with no markup, and costs the learner nothing. Tangent earns nothing on the pool.
Which model pool learners get
Every reply on the pool uses Normal's model (deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash) with lighter thinking, a fixed teaching prompt, replies of at most 8,192 tokens (roughly 6,150 words) and a capped amount of earlier conversation. You can't choose another model or prompt on the pool: that keeps it a learning tool and keeps each reply cheap. Reviews and web search aren't available on the pool either.
Why there are limits
A shared pool only works if no one person or script can drain it. So the pool is good for learning and poor as a free general-purpose AI service:
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Replies per learner per day | 30 |
| Spending per learner per day | $0.10 |
| Replies per minute | 6 |
| Per network per day | 60 replies, $0.30 |
| All learners together, per day | $5.00 or 20% of the pool at 00:00 UTC plus what's added that day, whichever is lower |
The limits are the same for everyone: a membership or credit of your own doesn’t change them. Daily limits reset at 00:00 UTC. The last one keeps a busy day from emptying the pool before later learners that day get to use it; credit added during the day counts toward it straight away. Using the pool needs a signed-in account that passed a quick human check, and one account per email address.
Before a reply starts, the pool sets aside what the longest possible reply could cost (about $0.01) and settles the real cost when it ends. So the last $0.01 or so of a daily spending limit can't start a new reply.
Questions
For questions about the pool, or to arrange something with Yehuda Ringler directly, email privacy@tangentailearning.com.
More
The pool is covered by the terms of service (section 7), and the privacy policy describes what is stored about pool use.