How to Use Claude Code at 70% Off — Complete Guide

Claude Code Is Powerful — But Expensive

Claude Code has quickly become one of the most capable AI coding assistants available. It runs in your terminal, understands your entire codebase, writes production-quality code, handles git workflows, and can even run shell commands on your behalf.

The problem? Every interaction with Claude Code is an API call to Anthropic, and the costs add up fast. A productive day of coding with Claude Opus can cost $10 to $20 in API fees. Over a month, that is $200 to $400 for a single developer.

There is a better way. By routing your Claude Code traffic through claudeapi.cheap, you can cut those costs by up to 70% without changing anything about how you use the tool.

How Much Can You Actually Save?

Let us break down the real numbers. Here is what a typical month of Claude Code usage looks like for an active developer:

| Usage Pattern | Official Price | With claudeapi.cheap (50% off) | Monthly Savings |

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

| Light (30 min/day) | ~$90/mo | ~$45/mo | $45 |

| Moderate (1-2 hr/day) | ~$200/mo | ~$100/mo | $100 |

| Heavy (3+ hr/day) | ~$400/mo | ~$200/mo | $200 |

On the Ultimate tier ($49/mo subscription), you save 50% on every API call. For heavy users, that translates to $150+ net savings per month even after the subscription fee. VIP tiers push the discount to 70%, saving even more.

For teams of 3 to 5 developers, the savings can easily reach $500 to $1,000 per month. That is real money you can put toward hiring, infrastructure, or just keeping your runway longer.

Setup: 3 Steps, 2 Minutes

Setting up Claude Code with claudeapi.cheap is straightforward. You only need to set two environment variables.

Step 1: Get Your API Key

1. Go to claudeapi.cheap/signup and create a free account

2. Deposit funds using USDT, BTC, or ETH

3. Navigate to your dashboard and generate an API key

Step 2: Configure Your Shell

Add these lines to your shell configuration file so they persist across sessions.

For bash users — edit ~/.bashrc:

# claudeapi.cheap — Claude API at discount rates
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-cc-your-api-key-here"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://claudeapi.cheap/api/proxy"

For zsh users — edit ~/.zshrc:

# claudeapi.cheap — Claude API at discount rates
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-cc-your-api-key-here"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://claudeapi.cheap/api/proxy"

For fish users — edit ~/.config/fish/config.fish:

# claudeapi.cheap — Claude API at discount rates
set -gx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-cc-your-api-key-here"
set -gx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://claudeapi.cheap/api/proxy"

After saving the file, reload your shell configuration:

source ~/.bashrc   # or source ~/.zshrc

Step 3: Launch Claude Code

claude

Claude Code reads the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL environment variables automatically. Every request now goes through claudeapi.cheap at discounted rates.

Picking the Right Model for Each Task

One of the easiest ways to save money with Claude Code is choosing the right model for the job. You do not need Opus for every task.

Use Sonnet 4.6 as Your Default

Sonnet handles the vast majority of coding tasks — writing functions, debugging, code reviews, test generation, and refactoring. It is fast, capable, and significantly cheaper than Opus.

Switch to Opus for Complex Work

Reserve Opus 4.5 for tasks that genuinely need deeper reasoning: complex architecture decisions, multi-file refactors across large codebases, or tricky algorithmic problems. You can switch models in Claude Code using the /model command.

Use Haiku for Quick Lookups

For simple questions, formatting tasks, or generating boilerplate, Haiku 4.5 is the most economical choice. It responds almost instantly and costs a fraction of what Sonnet charges.

Tips to Maximize Your Savings

1. Be specific in your prompts — Clear, focused requests use fewer tokens and get better results. Instead of "fix this file," tell Claude exactly what is wrong.

2. Use compact mode — Claude Code's /compact command reduces context size, which means fewer tokens sent with each request.

3. Break large tasks into steps — Instead of asking Claude to refactor an entire module at once, work through it function by function. This keeps token usage per request lower and gives you more control.

4. Monitor your spending — Check your usage dashboard regularly. Knowing where your tokens go helps you adjust your workflow.

5. Upgrade when it makes sense — If you are spending more than $60/mo on API calls at the Free tier, the Pro tier ($29/mo for 40% off) pays for itself. Similarly, Ultimate ($49/mo for 50% off) is worth it for anyone spending $100+/mo.

How It Works Under the Hood

claudeapi.cheap is a transparent API proxy. When Claude Code sends a request, it goes to our endpoint instead of directly to Anthropic. We forward the request to the real Claude API, get the response, and pass it back to you. Your prompts, code, and responses are not stored or modified.

The result is identical to using Anthropic directly. Same models, same context windows, same output quality. The only difference is the price on your bill.

For more technical details, see our welcome post explaining the service architecture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as the official Claude Code?

Yes. You are using the exact same Claude Code binary from Anthropic. The only change is where API requests are sent.

Will my code or prompts be stored?

No. We act as a passthrough proxy. Your data is forwarded to Anthropic and the response is returned to you. We do not log or store prompt content.

Can I switch back to the official API later?

Absolutely. Just remove or change the two environment variables and you are back to using Anthropic directly.

What happens if claudeapi.cheap goes down?

Claude Code will show a connection error. You can temporarily switch back to the official API by unsetting ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.

Start Saving Today

Every hour you spend using Claude Code at full price is money you do not need to spend. The setup takes 2 minutes, and the savings start immediately with your very first API call.

Get started at claudeapi.cheap