Free Claude Code Alternatives
Free alternatives to Claude Code: terminal and IDE coding agents with free models, next to the small Claude API credit for new accounts.
Esta seção está em inglês.
Claude Code has no free plan of its own: it runs on a paid Claude subscription or on Claude API credit, and the only free part is the small, unpublished API credit Anthropic gives new Console accounts. The alternatives below are coding agents - most of them in the terminal, like Claude Code - that come with free models: some ad-funded, some sponsor-funded, some on rotating promotions or a small monthly credit. Every row is a verified offer from the same data as the free AI coding tools directory; for an editor rather than an agent, see free Cursor alternatives, and to bring your own model through a free API, see free LLM APIs.
Os dados das ofertas são verificados e exibidos em inglês.
| Opção | O que é grátis | Cartão | A pegadinha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude API New User Creditsreferência | Free credits | Não | Anthropic publishes no amount; it is a one-time small grant that expires (one year after issue unless stated otherwise), then standard paid pricing applies. |
| Freebuff Free Coding Agents | 30 hours/day | Não | Full access is limited to 25 countries - elsewhere (and on VPNs) you get limited mode with 4 models. Ad-funded: prompts may be analyzed to personalize ads, and some models train on your data. |
| Evot Free Models | Free tier | Não | Which models are free changes over time, and access is sponsor-funded (Databend Cloud names may appear in ad spaces inside the tool). |
| OpenCode Zen Free Models | Free tier | Sim | All free models are limited-time and you must add billing details and credits; Big Pickle, LL Alpha, Exo and MiMo data may be used to improve the models, and NVIDIA trial endpoints log use. |
| Cline Free Models | Free credits | Não | Rotating, limited-time promotions with a usage quota; after the quota ends you need ClinePass ($9.99/mo), usage billing, or your own API key. |
| Alysis Code Free Tier | 50 credits/month | Não | Unused credits do not carry over between 30-day periods; the free tier now spans multiple providers (DeepSeek, GLM, GPT-6 Luna, Claude Sonnet) and is subject to fair-use limits. |
As 6 opções em detalhe
Claude API New User Credits
A small free Claude API credit for new Console accounts
- One-time grant for new users, not a recurring allotment
- Amount not published
- Promotional credits expire at the stated time, or one calendar year after issue
- Non-refundable, non-transferable, lost if the account is closed
A pegadinha: Anthropic publishes no amount; it is a one-time small grant that expires (one year after issue unless stated otherwise), then standard paid pricing applies.
Freebuff Free Coding Agents
Free coding agents across CLI, desktop, web, cloud, and chat, funded by ads
- Usage is measured in hours; models other than MiMo v2.6 Flash Slow carry a multiplier (an hour on a 3x model uses three)
- Free plan: 30 hours refilled daily, reset at midnight in your local timezone; unused daily hours do not roll over
- Where the app shows sessions: limited mode includes 6 one-hour sessions per day, earnable up to 7
- Muse Spark 1.3 is rate limited and shared by all users; it queues when busy
A pegadinha: Full access is limited to 25 countries - elsewhere (and on VPNs) you get limited mode with 4 models. Ad-funded: prompts may be analyzed to personalize ads, and some models train on your data.
Evot Free Models
Free models with unlimited tokens in the Evot terminal coding agent
- Catalog of free and low-cost models; which models are free changes over time
- Unlimited tokens on the free models
- No API key required to start; macOS and Linux
- Free access sponsor-funded (Databend Cloud); sponsor names may appear in ad spaces
A pegadinha: Which models are free changes over time, and access is sponsor-funded (Databend Cloud names may appear in ad spaces inside the tool).
OpenCode Zen Free Models
Free coding LLMs including Big Pickle, MiMo, DeepSeek, and Nemotron
- Limited time — every free model is marked 'available on OpenCode for a limited time'
- Free models: Big Pickle, GLM-5.3-Flash, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, MiniMax M3.1 Flash, Beam, LL Alpha, LongCat 2.5 Preview, Exo, MiMo-V2.6-Flash, MiMo-V2.5, Nemotron 3 Ultra, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, Nemotron 3.5 Super VL, Jev 1.13 (all "Free" variants)
- Sign in to the OpenCode Console, add billing details and credits, and copy an API key to use the models
- Free models carry data-retention exceptions to the zero-retention policy
A pegadinha: All free models are limited-time and you must add billing details and credits; Big Pickle, LL Alpha, Exo and MiMo data may be used to improve the models, and NVIDIA trial endpoints log use.
Cline Free Models
Try select models free in Cline via rotating promotions with a usage quota
- Rotating, limited-time free model promotions
- Limited usage quota per promotion (amount not published)
- Requires a Cline account
- Free models work only in the IDE extension and CLI, not the Cline API
A pegadinha: Rotating, limited-time promotions with a usage quota; after the quota ends you need ClinePass ($9.99/mo), usage billing, or your own API key.
Alysis Code Free Tier
50 free credits every 30 days for hosted coding models, no card
- 50 credits every 30 days; unused credits do not carry over
- 100 credits equal $1 of usage
- Free tier covers hosted DeepSeek, GLM, GPT-6 Luna and Claude Sonnet models
- Can also use your own API key
A pegadinha: Unused credits do not carry over between 30-day periods; the free tier now spans multiple providers (DeepSeek, GLM, GPT-6 Luna, Claude Sonnet) and is subject to fair-use limits.
Grátis para sempre hospedando você mesmo
Projetos de código aberto que fazem o mesmo trabalho no seu próprio hardware, sem cota.
Perguntas frequentes
Esta seção está em inglês.
- Is Claude Code free?
- No. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan or Claude API credit. New Claude Console accounts get a small free API credit to test with; Anthropic does not publish the amount, and promotional credits expire one year after issue unless stated otherwise. It is in the table as the baseline.
- What is the best free alternative to Claude Code?
- For a terminal agent with no API key and no card, Evot (open source, sponsor-funded free models) and Freebuff (ad-funded, 30 hours of usage refilled daily) are the closest matches. OpenCode gives a longer list of free coding models but asks for billing details, and Cline’s free models come in rotating, limited-time promotions.
- Can I use Claude models for free in a coding agent?
- Only in small amounts. Freebuff’s daily allowance covers about 2 hours of Claude Haiku 5.5, and the Claude API starter credit is a one-time grant. The other free tiers here run open or stealth models instead.
- Do these free coding agents need a credit card?
- Most do not. OpenCode asks for billing details before you can use its free models; the others start without a card. Each row in the table states the requirement.
Guias passo a passo
- How to Use an AI Coding Agent for Free (em inglês)
- How to Get Free Claude API Credits (em inglês)