How to Get Claude API at 70% Off — Complete Discount Guide (2026)

Why Pay Full Price for the Claude API?

Anthropic's Claude API powers some of the best AI applications in production today. But at $15 per million input tokens and $75 per million output tokens for Opus, costs add up quickly. A single developer using Claude Code heavily can spend $300 to $600 per month. A small team can burn through thousands.

The good news is that you do not have to pay full price. There are several legitimate ways to get a discount on the Claude API, ranging from Anthropic's own built-in savings features to third-party proxy services that offer up to 70% off.

This guide walks through every discount option available in April 2026, so you can pick the approach that fits your usage and budget.

Discount Tier Overview

claudeapi.cheap offers three pricing tiers, each with a progressively larger discount on every Claude API call you make.

Basic Tier — 50% Off (Free)

The Basic tier costs nothing. You sign up, deposit funds, and immediately pay half of what Anthropic charges for every API call.

| Feature | Details |

|---------|---------|

| Discount | 50% off all models |

| Monthly fee | $0 |

| Payment methods | BTC, ETH, USDT |

| Rate limits | Standard |

| Support | Community |

This is the right starting point for individual developers, hobbyists, and anyone who wants to test the service before committing to a subscription.

Pro Tier — 60% Off ($29/year)

The Pro tier unlocks a deeper discount for a small annual fee. At $29 per year, you save 60% on every API call instead of 50%.

| Feature | Details |

|---------|---------|

| Discount | 60% off all models |

| Annual fee | $29/year (~$2.42/month) |

| Payment methods | BTC, ETH, USDT |

| Rate limits | Higher limits |

| Support | Priority email |

The break-even point is low. If you spend more than about $25 per month on API calls at the Basic tier, upgrading to Pro saves you more than the $2.42 monthly cost of the subscription.

Enterprise Tier — 70% Off ($49/year)

The Enterprise tier offers the maximum discount available: 70% off every API call.

| Feature | Details |

|---------|---------|

| Discount | 70% off all models |

| Annual fee | $49/year (~$4.08/month) |

| Payment methods | BTC, ETH, USDT |

| Rate limits | Highest limits |

| Support | Priority |

For anyone spending $50 or more per month on the Claude API, the Enterprise tier delivers significant savings. At $200/month in usage, the 70% discount saves $140/month compared to full price — that is $1,680 per year minus the $49 subscription.

What Does Each Discount Actually Save You?

Here is what each model costs across the three tiers, compared to Anthropic's official pricing.

Claude Opus 4.6 (per 1M tokens)

| Tier | Input | Output | Discount |

|------|-------|--------|----------|

| Anthropic (official) | $15.00 | $75.00 | 0% |

| Basic (free) | $7.50 | $37.50 | 50% |

| Pro ($29/yr) | $6.00 | $30.00 | 60% |

| Enterprise ($49/yr) | $4.50 | $22.50 | 70% |

Claude Sonnet 4.6 (per 1M tokens)

| Tier | Input | Output | Discount |

|------|-------|--------|----------|

| Anthropic (official) | $3.00 | $15.00 | 0% |

| Basic (free) | $1.50 | $7.50 | 50% |

| Pro ($29/yr) | $1.20 | $6.00 | 60% |

| Enterprise ($49/yr) | $0.90 | $4.50 | 70% |

Claude Haiku 4.5 (per 1M tokens)

| Tier | Input | Output | Discount |

|------|-------|--------|----------|

| Anthropic (official) | $1.00 | $5.00 | 0% |

| Basic (free) | $0.50 | $2.50 | 50% |

| Pro ($29/yr) | $0.40 | $2.00 | 60% |

| Enterprise ($49/yr) | $0.30 | $1.50 | 70% |

Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Discount

Getting set up takes about five minutes.

Step 1: Create a Free Account

Go to claudeapi.cheap and sign up. No credit card is required. You start on the Basic tier (50% off) automatically.

Step 2: Add Funds

Deposit funds using cryptocurrency. We accept BTC, ETH, and USDT on both TRC20 and ERC20 networks. Deposits are confirmed within minutes.

Step 3: Generate an API Key

In your dashboard, navigate to the API Keys section and generate a new key. Copy it somewhere safe — you will need it in the next step.

Step 4: Configure Your Application

Replace your Anthropic API credentials with your claudeapi.cheap key and base URL.

Python:

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="your-claudeapi-cheap-key",
    base_url="https://api.claudeapi.cheap"
)

response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-6-20260409",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

Node.js:

import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";

const client = new Anthropic({
  apiKey: "your-claudeapi-cheap-key",
  baseURL: "https://api.claudeapi.cheap",
});

const response = await client.messages.create({
  model: "claude-sonnet-4-6-20260409",
  max_tokens: 1024,
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});

Claude Code:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-claudeapi-cheap-key"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.claudeapi.cheap"
claude

Step 5: Upgrade Your Tier (Optional)

If you want the 60% or 70% discount, upgrade to Pro or Enterprise in your dashboard. The subscription fee is billed annually and the discount applies immediately to all future API calls.

How This Compares to Other Discount Methods

The Claude API has a few built-in cost reduction features. Here is how they compare to using a proxy discount.

Anthropic Batch API (50% Off)

Anthropic offers a 50% discount for batch requests that can wait up to 24 hours for results. This is useful for bulk processing but does not work for real-time applications or interactive tools like Claude Code.

Prompt Caching (Up to 90% Off Cached Reads)

Prompt caching reduces the cost of repeated system prompts by up to 90%. It is a strong optimization but only applies to the cached portion of your input. Your output tokens and non-cached input tokens are still charged at full price.

claudeapi.cheap Discount (50-70% Off Everything)

The discount applies to every token — input, output, cached, and non-cached. It stacks with prompt caching, so you can get 90% off cached reads and 50-70% off everything else.

Comparison Table

| Method | Discount | Applies To | Real-Time? | Setup |

|--------|----------|-----------|------------|-------|

| Batch API | 50% | All tokens in batch | No (24hr wait) | Code changes |

| Prompt caching | Up to 90% | Cached input only | Yes | Code changes |

| claudeapi.cheap Basic | 50% | All tokens | Yes | 2-minute config |

| claudeapi.cheap Pro | 60% | All tokens | Yes | 2-minute config |

| claudeapi.cheap Enterprise | 70% | All tokens | Yes | 2-minute config |

The most cost-effective approach is to combine prompt caching with a claudeapi.cheap discount. You get 90% off cached reads through Anthropic's caching mechanism, and the remaining tokens are billed at 50-70% off through the proxy discount.

Real-World Savings Scenarios

Solo Developer Using Claude Code

Typical monthly usage: 5M tokens (Sonnet)

| Approach | Monthly Cost |

|----------|-------------|

| Official Anthropic pricing | $55.00 |

| claudeapi.cheap Basic (50% off) | $27.50 |

| claudeapi.cheap Enterprise (70% off) | $16.50 + $4.08 = $20.58 |

| Monthly savings (Enterprise) | $34.42 |

Small Team (3 Developers)

Typical monthly usage: 20M tokens (Sonnet + Opus mix)

| Approach | Monthly Cost |

|----------|-------------|

| Official Anthropic pricing | $320.00 |

| claudeapi.cheap Basic (50% off) | $160.00 |

| claudeapi.cheap Enterprise (70% off) | $96.00 + $4.08 = $100.08 |

| Monthly savings (Enterprise) | $219.92 |

Production App

Typical monthly usage: 100M tokens (Sonnet)

| Approach | Monthly Cost |

|----------|-------------|

| Official Anthropic pricing | $1,100.00 |

| claudeapi.cheap Basic (50% off) | $550.00 |

| claudeapi.cheap Enterprise (70% off) | $330.00 + $4.08 = $334.08 |

| Monthly savings (Enterprise) | $765.92 |

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the discount legitimate?

Yes. claudeapi.cheap operates as an API proxy service. Your requests are forwarded to the real Anthropic Claude API. You get the same models, the same quality, and the same features.

Do I get access to all Claude models?

Yes. Every model available through the Anthropic API — Opus 4.6, Sonnet 4.6, Haiku 4.5 — is available through claudeapi.cheap at discounted rates.

Can I use this with Claude Code, Cursor, and other tools?

Yes. The API is compatible with any tool that supports the Anthropic API or OpenAI-compatible endpoints. Just change the base URL and API key.

What payment methods are accepted?

We accept BTC, ETH, and USDT (TRC20 and ERC20). This keeps our operating costs low, which is how we offer the discounts.

Can I cancel or downgrade anytime?

Yes. You can downgrade to the free Basic tier at any time. Your API key and balance remain active.

Is my data private?

Yes. We operate as a transparent proxy. Your prompts and responses pass through our infrastructure but are not stored, logged, or used for any purpose beyond forwarding them to Anthropic.

What if the service goes down?

You can switch back to the official Anthropic API instantly by changing your base URL. Your code does not need any other modifications.

Start Saving Today

There is no reason to pay full price for the Claude API when you can get 50% off for free, right now. Create an account, swap two environment variables, and your very next API call costs half as much.

For heavier usage, the Pro and Enterprise tiers push that discount to 60% and 70%, paying for themselves many times over.

Get started at claudeapi.cheap | Read the setup docs | See full pricing details