Can you use Claude Code for free? Free plan scope, a 7-day guest pass trial, and actual pay-as-you-go costs

Claude Code is not available on Claude's free plan. The only way to use it for free is the 7-day Pro plan free trial provided by a guest pass from someone with an eligible Pro or Max subscription. Otherwise, you need a monthly subscription or a pay-as-you-go API key. The CLI and editor extension may be free to install, but Claude Code uses paid Claude models each time it performs a task.

This page explains, in sequence, what you can do for free and what costs money, which plans support Claude Code, the guest pass requirements and automatic switch after 7 days, the actual cost per task when using an API key, and the cheapest way to use it without a subscription.

Sources (checked October 10, 2026): Anthropic's Claude Code setup documentation, the Help Center's guest pass article and article on using Claude Code with Pro or Max plans, and the pricing page at claude.com/ja/pricing. Kunavo's unit prices and minimum top-up are read from the model catalog and pricing configuration; no figures have been entered manually.

What you can do for free and what costs money

Claude Code calls a Claude model for each individual operation, such as reading a file, suggesting changes, running a command, or checking the result. These calls cost money; the tool itself does not. Installation and configuration are free, but you need either a plan you're signed in to or an API key when you send your first prompt. See How to install Claude Code for installation instructions.

By plan: which plans support Claude Code

Anthropic's setup documentation states that Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan, or a Console (API) account, and that the free claude.ai plan does not include access to Claude Code. The prices in the table are as listed at claude.com/ja/pricing and exclude tax.

If you use a subscription, you should also be aware of the usage limits. Pro and Max have 5-hour session limits and weekly limits, shared between Claude chat and Claude Code. This means that if you use chat heavily on a given day, you have less available for Claude Code. See Claude Pro limits for what you can do when you hit a limit, and Claude Code pricing for the break-even point between a subscription and API usage.

The only way to try it for free: the 7-day Pro free trial via a guest pass

There is no free trial offer listed at claude.com/ja/pricing. The only way to try Claude Code for free is through Anthropic's invitation-based program called guest passes. Eligible Pro and Max subscribers receive a limited number of passes to share. Recipients get 7 days of Pro for free, including Claude Code, Cowork, and Claude Design. The Help Center lists these requirements:

• Who can send one: Only eligible Pro or Max subscribers. Run /passes in Claude Code to see your remaining passes and invitation links.
• Who can receive one: Only people who are new to paid Claude subscriptions. If you have had a paid plan before, you are not eligible.
• What's included: 7 days of Pro for free, including Claude Code.
• When signing up: You must enter payment information. You will not be charged unless you continue using it after the 7-day trial ends.
• After 7 days: Unless you cancel, your plan automatically switches to paid Pro.
• Number of passes: The number of passes is limited, and they may expire or be revoked. If invitations are sent to more people than there are passes, they are used on a first-come, first-served basis.

In short, Claude Code is free for 7 days, provided that someone with a subscription invites you and you have never used a paid plan. If you do not plan to continue, cancel before the end of day 7. The payment information you enter at signup is for payment to Anthropic and is unrelated to the Kunavo top-ups described below.

How much does each task cost with an API key?

If you cannot get a guest pass or do not use Claude Code enough to justify a monthly fee, you can use a pay-as-you-go API key. You can create an API key in Anthropic Console or through a gateway such as Kunavo; both charge by token usage.

Claude Code resends the system prompt, conversation, and file contents together for each operation. As a result, one round trip with the model (an agentic step) uses about 25,000 input tokens and 1,200 output tokens. Here is the calculation for claude-sonnet-5.

These are baseline figures without prompt caching. Inputs read from the cache are billed at a much lower rate than regular inputs, so actual charges are usually lower (How caching works). Occasional use costs a few dollars per month, while months with substantial daily workloads cost more.

The minimum $10 top-up covers about 230 steps, or about 11 20-step tasks. When you do not have a guest pass, this is a paid way to try Claude Code with a smaller initial outlay than Pro at $20 per month.

The cheapest way to use it without a subscription: Kunavo pay-as-you-go key

Claude Code reads the ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL environment variable by default, so you can change the endpoint without replacing the CLI, as long as the endpoint is compatible with Anthropic's Messages API. Kunavo is an independent API gateway separate from Anthropic and offers the same Claude models at 30% below Anthropic's list price. There is no monthly fee, you can start with a minimum top-up of $10, and balances do not expire.

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.kunavo.com
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=sk-kn-...
export ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-sonnet-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL=claude-opus-5-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL=claude-sonnet-5
export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL=claude-haiku-4-5

Do not omit the four lines that specify the models. Claude Code's default model and the opus and sonnet aliases point to Anthropic's latest models, so a request will return 404 if Kunavo does not yet offer that model. The Sonnet 5.5 model currently referenced by the sonnet alias is not available on Kunavo, so without setting ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL, the execution phases of /model sonnet and opusplan will fail. Pinning opus to Claude Opus 5.5 requires Claude Code v2.1.280 or later, so if you have an older version, run claude update first. ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL routes minor calls that Claude Code makes in the background, such as summarization, to Claude Haiku 4.5 at $0.70 input and $3.50 output per 1M tokens.

Without ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL, the haiku alias calls a model ID that Kunavo does not offer (Haiku 5.5 from v2.1.293 onward, and a dated Haiku 4.5 ID in earlier versions), so switching with /model haiku or specifying haiku for subagents results in a 404.

As long as the environment variable contains a key, Claude Code prioritizes that key over subscription login, and usage is deducted from the key's balance. Remove the variable to switch back to your subscription. Check which is active with /status. See Claude Code API key setup for how to create a key and where to configure it.

Paying from Japan

Kunavo top-ups are paid for through Stripe Checkout. From Japan, you can pay with cards including JCB (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, UnionPay), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link. PayPay and convenience store payments are not supported. The money you pay here becomes a Kunavo API balance and cannot be used for Anthropic Pro or Max fees or charges after a guest pass trial. Kunavo does not issue invoices or qualified invoices with a registration number for top-ups. See Claude payment methods for a list comparing payment methods on Anthropic's side.

How to interpret claims that it is “free to use”

• Connecting to a different model: Search results may include articles that describe Claude Code as “free” by connecting it to a free model other than Claude. The CLI itself is free, but in that case, the model responding is the one you connected, not Claude.
• “A Pro subscription includes API access”: It does not. claude.ai subscriptions and API usage fees are separate, so paying for Pro does not give you access to the API.
• “Haiku is free”: It is inexpensive, but not free. Claude Haiku 4.5 also costs $0.70 for input and $3.50 for output per 1M tokens.
• “Anyone can get a guest pass”: Only eligible Pro or Max subscribers can send them, and only people new to paid plans can receive one. Payment information is required at signup, and the plan switches to paid unless you cancel.

Once you have installed it, see How to use Claude Code for everyday use, including how to write CLAUDE.md and configure permissions.

Frequently asked questions