--- title: "Is Claude Free?" slug: "is-claude-free" description: "Where to use Claude free in 2026: no-card API credits for new accounts, research grants and router credits, all with Claude Opus 5.5." published: "2026-11-12" updated: "2026-11-13" verifiedAt: "2026-11-13" canonical: "https://aifree.dev/learn/is-claude-free" --- # Is Claude Free? > Where to use Claude free in 2026: no-card API credits for new accounts, research grants and router credits, all with Claude Opus 5.5. - Time: 5 minutes - You need: A Claude Console account at platform.claude.com; For the research grant: an application; For AgentRouter: a GitHub or LinuxDO account - Last checked: 2026-11-13 ## The short answer 4 offers in this guide are live today, 4 of them with no card required. Start with Claude API New User Credits: A small free Claude API credit for new Console accounts. 1. [Claude API New User Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-api-new-user-credits.md): A small free Claude API credit for new Console accounts (verified 2026-11-06) 2. [Anthropic AI for Science Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/anthropic-ai-for-science-program.md): Up to $20,000 in Claude API credits for selected researchers, 6 months (verified 2026-10-12) 3. [AgentRouter Free Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits.md): Free AI coding credits: $25 per daily check-in and $50 per invite (verified 2026-11-06) 4. [Claude for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-for-startups.md): Claude startup program, cohort full; up to $100K API credits via partner VCs (verified 2026-10-12) Yes, through API credits: new developer accounts get a small free credit with no card, and researchers can apply for a grant. A third-party router also hands out daily credits for Claude models, and all three include Claude Opus 5.5. ## Where Claude is free today - **API credits for new accounts:** [Claude API New User Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-api-new-user-credits) gives each new Claude Console account a small one-time credit. No credit card is needed. Anthropic does not publish the amount, and the credit expires one year after it is issued unless stated otherwise. - **Research grants:** the [Anthropic AI for Science Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/anthropic-ai-for-science-program) awards selected researchers up to $20,000 in Claude API credits for six months. - **Third-party router:** [AgentRouter](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits) gives $25 of API credit per daily check-in for AI coding tools. Claude models come in limited daily batches that can run out. - **Startups:** [Claude for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-for-startups) is closed: the current cohort is full and Anthropic is not accepting new applications. Startups backed by a partner VC may still get API credits through that VC. For setup steps, see [how to get free Claude API credits](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-claude-api-credits). ## Where to use Claude Opus 5.5 for free Claude Opus 5.5 is served by the [new user API credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-api-new-user-credits), the [AI for Science Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/anthropic-ai-for-science-program) and [AgentRouter](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits). The [Claude Opus 5.5](https://aifree.dev/model/claude-opus-5-5) page compares every live source with its limits and card requirement. ## Credit card None of the live offers above asks for a credit card. You add payment details only when you buy API credits after the free credit runs out. For other APIs that need no card, see the [free Gemini API key guide](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-gemini-api-key), the [free DeepSeek API guide](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-deepseek-api) and the full list of [free AI APIs with no credit card](https://aifree.dev/learn/free-ai-api-no-credit-card). ## Offers in this guide | Offer | Free part | Who can claim | Card | Ends | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Claude API New User Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-api-new-user-credits.md) | Free credits | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-11-06 | | [Anthropic AI for Science Program](https://aifree.dev/offer/anthropic-ai-for-science-program.md) | $20,000 | Researchers at academic or nonprofit institutions applying generative AI to scientific research; fields include life sciences, chemistry, medicine, environment, physics, CS, earth sciences. | No card | No end date | 2026-10-12 | | [AgentRouter Free Credits](https://aifree.dev/offer/agentrouter-free-credits.md) | $25 | Anyone | No card | No end date | 2026-11-06 | | [Claude for Startups](https://aifree.dev/offer/claude-for-startups.md) | Startup program | Open to bootstrapped, pre-seed, and venture-backed startups; apply through the Claude Console. | No card | No end date | 2026-10-12 | ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I use Claude Opus 5.5 for free? Yes, within the free credit. The new user API credit, the AI for Science Program and AgentRouter all serve Claude Opus 5.5; none of them needs a credit card. ### Do I need a credit card to use Claude for free? No. The new user API credit, the AI for Science Program and AgentRouter credits need no card. You add one only when you buy more API credits. ### Does the Claude API have a free tier? No recurring free tier. New Console accounts get a small one-time credit (amount not published) that expires one year after issue; after that, standard API pricing applies. ### Can startups still get free Claude credits? Not directly right now. The Claude for Startups cohort is full and new applications are closed; startups backed by a partner VC may get API credits through that VC. ## Sources - https://claude.ai/ - https://platform.claude.com/ - https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11199177-anthropic-s-ai-for-science-program - https://claude.com/programs/startups HTML page: https://aifree.dev/learn/is-claude-free