How to Run Claude Code for Free

You can run the real Claude Code without a $20 plan. Claude Code is just the app. The AI model behind it is the brain. Ollama is a free app with over 180,000 stars on GitHub, and it lets you swap that brain for a free one. One switch in the Ollama app connects them. One setting is easy to miss. On my 16 GB Mac, Ollama only lets a model read about 4,000 tokens at once. Raise it to 64K in Ollama's settings. I built a timer app and a habit tracker this way. There are 2 more free options, OpenCode and FreeLLMAPI. The full video sets up all 3, and every command and prompt is in my free newsletter. Honest note: Ollama's free cloud plan is a small monthly allowance, not unlimited. Local models cost nothing, but the model and its context have to fit in your memory.