Anthropic no longer offers free access for third-party applications using its Claude AI. Boris Cherny, creator of Anthropic and responsible for Claude Code, posted on that Claude subscriptions will no longer cover free use of the AI agent for third-party tools, such as OpenClaw. Starting at 3 p.m. ET on April 4, anyone using Claude through third-party apps or software will need to do so with a additional usage plan or with a Claude API key, according to Cherny.
Most of Claude’s workload may come from simple user questions, but some use the AI chatbot through OpenClaw, a free and open source AI assistant from the same developer as Shedding book. Unlike more general AI solutions, OpenClaw is designed to automate personal workflows, like emptying inboxes, sending emails, or organizing calendars, but relies on large models from external languages, including Claude, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini.
Cherny responded to X users that this change concerns engineering constraints and optimization. “We have worked hard to meet the increase in demand for Claude, and our subscriptions were not designed for the usage patterns of these third-party tools,” Cherny explained on X. “Capacity is a resource we manage thoughtfully and we prioritize our customers using our products and API.”
If OpenClaw users still want to use Anthropic as their LLM, they will need to purchase a usage plan, currently at a discount, or upgrade to another AI integration like xAI, Perplexity, or even DeepSeek. Of course, Anthropic has its own alternative, which tackles similar tasks to OpenClaw, called Claude Cowork.
This article was originally published on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/its-no-longer-free-to-use-claude-through-third-party-tools-like-openclaw-160912082.html?src=rss
