Claude for free: six working methods
The Claude API has no permanent free tier — but there are six ways to use Anthropic's models without paying a cent. From instant ones to "credits in the cloud".
1. Anthropic's $5 trial — for the API
A new Anthropic Console account gets a one-time $5: no card, but you must verify a phone number by SMS. That's roughly 25 million Haiku input tokens or under a million for Opus. Enough to test an integration, not enough for production.
2. Claude.ai — chat without a card
The free plan of claude.ai: Claude Sonnet with a message cap every few hours. Works on the web and in apps; the API and Claude Code are not included.
3. Kiro — Claude Sonnet in an IDE
The most generous way to code with Claude: Kiro's free plan gives 50 credits a month and direct access to Claude Sonnet 4.5. No card.
4. Duck.ai — Claude Haiku without an account
Duck.ai by DuckDuckGo: Claude 4.5 Haiku for free, no registration, with a daily cap. The fastest way in for questions and writing.
5. Aggregators with promo balances
AgentRouter ($100–200 in promo balance) and other routers give access to Claude
through an OpenAI-compatible API. The balance is promotional: it can't be withdrawn and the model catalog changes.
The upside: it plugs into Claude Code via ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.
6. Cloud credits
Claude is available in Google Vertex AI: a $300 credit for 90 days can be spent on Anthropic models too. A card is required, but nothing is charged within the credit.
What to pick
- To try the API — Anthropic's $5 trial;
- To code with Claude — Kiro (50 credits/mo) or AgentRouter;
- To just chat — Duck.ai or claude.ai;
- For a serious project — GCP credits or a paid key.
Snapshot 05.11.2026 · terms change — check the official pages