#2 in LLM APIs & inferenceUsage-based

Claude Platform

Anthropic's API for Claude models.

The Claude Platform is Anthropic's API for Claude models, at platform.claude.com. You pay per token. It is separate from a claude.ai subscription, except where a plan explicitly includes API credits.

Official site

Why this rank

If the product needs Claude specifically, use Anthropic's API rather than hoping a chat subscription covers production traffic.

Best for

Apps and agents that need Claude models.

Pricing

Usage-based token prices, published on claude.com/pricing. Claude Max includes $100/month of API credits and Ultra includes $200/month. Those credits are not a substitute for a production budget.

Pricing checked November 7, 2026. Confirm it on the official site.

Before you commit

Claude Pro does not include the monthly API credit that Max and Ultra include.
Prompt caching and long context change the bill. Read the current rate card.

Also look at

OpenAI API — The default API for GPT models and OpenAI tools.
OpenRouter — One API key for many models and providers.
Gemini API — Google's Gemini models, with a free tier in AI Studio.