Free Claude Code

What is Free Claude Code?

Free Claude Code is an open-source local proxy that lets developers run Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Aider, and seven other coding agents on free or cheaper models. It connects to 56 providers, including NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, and local Ollama, and falls back to another model automatically when one provider fails.

Top Features:

• Many agents: run eleven coding agents, including Codex and Cline, from one catalog.
• Provider fallback: tries your next configured model when a provider keeps failing.
• Token savings: trims terminal output sent to models by up to 90 percent.

Use Cases:

• Lower costs: keep your usual agent workflow while routing requests to free tiers.
• Local models: point agents at Ollama, LM Studio, or llama.cpp on your machine.
• Remote coding: send tasks and voice notes to agents through Discord or Telegram.

Who Can Use Free Claude Code?

• Solo developers: use capable coding agents without paying for a monthly subscription.
• Engineering teams: compare models and providers behind the same agent tools before committing.
• Students: practice agentic coding with free model tiers instead of paid plans.

Pricing

• Open source (free): the full proxy, admin UI, and agent launchers under AGPL.
• Free tiers (free): over 1.3 billion monthly tokens, with limits set by each provider.
• Paid providers (usage based): connect OpenAI, Azure, or other paid keys at their own rates.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• No cost: the software is free, open source, and installs with one script.
• Wide choice: dozens of cloud and local providers share one searchable model menu.
• Tools intact: streaming, tool calls, images, and thinking still work through the proxy.

Cons:

• Uneven quality: free models can trail top paid models on complex refactoring work.
• Shifting limits: providers set their own free quotas and can change them anytime.
• Self-managed: you run the local server and manage every provider API key.

FAQs:

1) Is it from Anthropic?

No, it is an independent open-source project not endorsed by Anthropic.

2) Which agents work?

Claude Code, Codex, Pi, OpenCode, Cline, Aider, VS Code Chat, and more.

3) Does it cost anything?

The software is free, but paid providers you connect bill separately.

4) Can I use local models?

Yes, Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp run models entirely on your machine.

5) Which systems are supported?

It installs on Windows, macOS, and Linux using one command each.