How to Use Claude Code for FREE in 2026

What if you could use Claude Code without paying for Claude Pro or an Anthropic API subscription? If you've been vibe coding and constantly hitting AI token limits, you've probably already experienced the frustration: You’re in the middle of building something... Your AI is finally getting the project right... And then suddenly you hit the limit. So I wanted to see if there was a way to run Claude Code for ₹0 using free-tier AI providers. And yes, I found a setup that works. In this video, I'm showing you step by step how I set up Claude Code for ₹0, using FreeLLMAPI as a local AI routing layer and connecting it with free-tier providers like Gemini and Groq. And we're not just going to install everything and call it a day. I'll actually run Claude Code on a real project and test whether the setup works. ════════════════════════════ WHAT WE'RE BUILDING ════════════════════════════ • Claude Code running without a Claude Pro subscription • A ₹0 setup using free-tier AI providers • FreeLLMAPI as the local AI router • Gemini and Groq as available model providers • Automatic provider fallback when supported • A complete Windows setup from scratch • Claude Code connected to the local routing layer • A real project tested through Claude Code ════════════════════════════ HOW IT WORKS ════════════════════════════ The interesting part isn't just Claude Code. The setup works by putting a local routing layer between Claude Code and the AI providers. Claude Code → FreeLLMAPI → AI Provider Instead of directly relying on a paid Anthropic API subscription, requests can be routed through available free-tier providers. This means you can experiment with Claude Code without immediately spending money on API credits. And when one provider reaches its limit, the routing setup can use another available provider depending on the configuration. ════════════════════════════ WHAT I'LL SHOW YOU ════════════════════════════ 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Setup Claude Code 02:10 Set up FreeLLMAPI 03:42 Add Keys 06:57 Get the Unified Key 07:46 Connecting to Claude Code 09:02 Let's Test ════════════════════════════ WHY I BUILT THIS ════════════════════════════ Vibe coding has made it ridiculously easy to build things with AI. But there's one problem. You eventually hit limits. And when you're experimenting with a project, the last thing you want is to stop your workflow because you've run out of credits or reached a usage limit. So instead of simply telling you that Claude Code can be used for free, I wanted to actually build the setup, test it myself and show you exactly how it works. The goal isn't just to save money. It's to understand how far we can push these AI coding tools when we combine the right tools, models and infrastructure. ════════════════════════════ WHO IS THIS VIDEO FOR? ════════════════════════════ This video is especially useful if you're: • Into vibe coding • Using Claude Code • Constantly hitting AI usage limits • Learning AI-assisted development • Building projects with AI • A college student experimenting with AI tools • A developer who wants to experiment without spending on API credits ════════════════════════════ IMPORTANT ════════════════════════════ This setup does not mean Anthropic's Claude models or paid Claude plans are being provided for free. Claude Code is being used as the coding agent, while the setup routes requests through available free-tier AI providers. Free-tier limits, availability and provider policies can change over time. ════════════════════════════ README File ════════════════════════════ Resource Link : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IhMT... ════════════════════════════ THUMBNAIL INSPIRATION ════════════════════════════ Special thanks to @dhavalkataria1211 and @genaiunplugged for the thumbnail inspiration. ════════════════════════════ WATCH TILL THE END ════════════════════════════ Because I'll actually test the setup instead of just showing you the installation. And the real question is: Can you actually vibe code with Claude Code for ₹0? Watch till the end and let me know whether this setup worked for you. If you try it yourself, tell me what project you built with it. ════════════════════════════ LET'S CONNECT ════════════════════════════ Instagram:   / kunal.techy   If you enjoyed this video, subscribe for more videos around AI, Claude Code, vibe coding, AI tools, coding, automation and projects you can actually build. And if you want me to test more ₹0 AI workflows, let me know in the comments. #ClaudeCode #VibeCoding #AI #AITools #Coding #ArtificialIntelligence #ClaudeAI #AIProgramming #Programming