How to Use Claude Code for 99% CHEAPER

Name: How to Use Claude Code for 99% CHEAPER
Uploaded: 2026-04-04T02:56:12.000Z
Duration: 2 min 58 s

How to Use Claude Code for Free

Understanding Claude Code

Claude code is likened to a car, while the AI model (chat model) represents the engine. This analogy helps clarify how they function together.

Using Claude code natively involves accessing models like Opus or Sonnet through a harness provided by Anthropic, which requires payment for access.

Accessing Free Models

Users can switch out the engine of Claude code to utilize free models available in the cloud or self-hosted local models on personal devices.

The first step to using these free options is visiting ola.com and downloading Olama tailored for your operating system.

Downloading and Launching Models

After downloading Olama, users need to select and download a specific model, such as Quen 3.5, from the interface.

Once downloaded, users can launch Claude code by executing commands in their terminal within VS Code, allowing them to choose which model they want to run.