Product

Claude Code

Claude Code is a coding agent that processes a project repository, modifies files, executes commands and connects into the development toolchain. It runs across five execution surfaces: terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the browser. Installation carries no cost, but it does not execute without a Claude subscription or a Console account.

  • five execution surfaces
  • MCP and hooks
  • subscription-dependent

current Provider: Anthropic

Last checked: This is a reference page. It is re-checked against the vendor sources and updated when a new version ships. Change log

How it differs from an editor-level code assistant

An ordinary assistant proposes only the next line of code. Claude Code carries a task to its completion point: it builds a plan, modifies several files concurrently, runs the test suite, and when a result is wrong it reverses course and corrects it itself. That is the operational difference, and it is felt in task-delivery time rather than in the quality of any single line.

The component that matters more in practice than the model itself

The CLAUDE.md file at the project root. Claude Code processes this file at the start of every session, and it is where a team defines its coding standards, architecture decisions and preferred libraries. Operational experience shows that a precise CLAUDE.md moves output quality more than swapping the underlying model does, and that is something no benchmark table captures.

MCP, the layer that shifts the difference from code to workflow

With the Model Context Protocol, external sources can be wired into the system: a design document in Google Drive, a ticket in Jira, data in Slack, or an internal organizational tool. This is the point at which the tool moves from "generate code" to "complete the task". Provisioning a first MCP server takes roughly half an hour and produces the highest return at that first stage.

The real constraint for an Iranian user

Installation carries no obstacle. The obstacle is the subscription layer: execution does not proceed without a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account, and Iran is not registered on Anthropic supported-countries list. This platform neither proposes a route around the restriction nor sells accounts.

Specifications

Every number here comes from the vendor's own page, with that page linked beside it.

Where it ships
Terminal CLI, VS Code, JetBrains, Desktop app, Web, Slack, GitHub Actions Source
Free tier
no Source

Using it from Iran

This column carries a date and says how it was checked, because most listicles guess it. Where we have only read a vendor policy page, the note below says exactly that.

Reachable
blocked
Payment
no working route
Free tier
no
Measured on

How we checked: The binary installs at no cost, but runtime execution depends on a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account, and Iran is registered on neither of Anthropic two supported-countries lists. This finding is drawn from Anthropic own documentation, not from a direct network measurement.

Where to actually buy it

The routes that really exist, each with its hidden cost.

Buying direct from the vendor not from Iran

Claude Code runs on the same Anthropic account infrastructure, and Iran is not on the supported-countries list. For this tool, the API-credit route is the most logical option, since it is a command-line interface and a mobile-app subscription provisions no capacity for it.

Anthropic supported countries read on 12 August 2026

Route What it is and how you pay What it costs you that is not the price
OpenRouter API credit A single API layer that puts models from multiple vendors behind one unified interface and sells prepaid credit instead of a monthly subscription. Top-ups run through major cards, AliPay, and USDC, with a 5.5 percent card fee carrying an $0.80 minimum, or 5 percent on crypto. Per-model pricing passes through from the vendor with no added margin. This is not a subscription, so any component tied to the vendor app is absent from this route: no mobile app, no conversation memory, no projects. For someone who only chats in a browser this is the wrong route; its operational value is for someone writing code or wiring the model into their own tool. On small top-up amounts, the percentage fee takes a disproportionate share of the cost.
Bitrefill virtual Visa and Mastercard prepaid card Bitrefill issues virtual prepaid cards for crypto: a Digital Prepaid Visa in the $20 to $1000 range and a Virtual Prepaid Mastercard in the $20 to $500 range. It accepts Bitcoin, Lightning, Ethereum, USDC, USDT, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Solana, and several other cryptocurrencies. Unlike a reseller-market account, whatever you sign up for with this card is in your own ownership from the first moment. A prepaid card is not a full substitute for a real credit card. Some services reject prepaid BIN ranges and the payment fails with no clear error message; next month's automatic renewal also fails if the card balance is insufficient, cutting the subscription off mid-cycle. Any balance left on the card is usually not withdrawable.
Plati.market reseller market A Russian digital-goods marketplace made up of independent sellers. AI subscriptions are on its catalogue too, and its front page lists ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Cursor, and Grok, most tagged for automatic delivery. Prices display in rubles, dollars, euros, and hryvnia. The purchase runs through an anonymous seller, not the vendor. What is delivered is usually access to an account that is not in your ownership, and nearly every one of these services' terms of use prohibits account transfer, meaning the account can be reclaimed or suspended at any moment with no appeal channel. The seller retains the account password and recovery email, so treat anything entered into that account as non-confidential.

We do not sell accounts, we take no commission on any of these routes, and there is no referral link in this table. The hidden-cost column is our own judgement, not the service's claim; anything with a source has the link beside it.

Documented strengths

  • Carries a task to completion: plan, multi-file edit, test execution, self-correction
  • Runs across five execution surfaces, with settings and MCP servers shared across all of them
  • CLAUDE.md injects team rules into the system every session, with no manual repetition
  • Pipeable on the command line and runnable in CI, so it integrates into an existing workflow

Known weaknesses and limits

  • It does not execute at all without a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account.
  • No official route exists for an Iranian user, because Iran is not registered on the supported-countries list.
  • The desktop app explicitly requires a paid subscription and has no free tier.
  • On native Windows without Git for Windows, it falls back to PowerShell instead of Bash, which changes command behavior.

Technical verdict

If a real repository is in play and the volume of repetitive work is high, this tool produces higher throughput than a plain code assistant. The first step is writing CLAUDE.md, not swapping the model; that half hour has returned more than any model upgrade.

Frequently raised questions, with documented answers

Is Claude Code free

Installation is free; execution is not. The official documentation specifies that most execution surfaces require a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account, and the desktop app explicitly mandates a paid subscription.

How does Claude Code differ architecturally from Claude

Claude is a chat application. Claude Code is an agent that modifies files and executes commands inside a project. The underlying model can be identical in both.

Can Claude Code be used from Iran

No official route exists. Iran is not registered on Anthropic supported-countries list and payment does not process. This platform does not propose a route around the restriction.

Sources

  1. Claude Code docs, Overviewvendor sourcecode.claude.comread on 12 August 2026
  2. Anthropic supported countriesvendor sourcewww.anthropic.comread on 12 August 2026

How much this tool is searched for

"claude code" is searched 368,000 times a month in the United States and 6,600 times in Saudi Arabia. That is a 56x gap between two markets this site publishes in.

MarketTerm enteredMonthly search volumeClick costRanking difficultyUser goal
Turkeyclaude code40,500$0.70100Transactional
Saudi Arabiaclaude code6,600$1.1683Informational + Transactional
United Statesclaude code368,000$6.2086Navigational

Data from Semrush, TR, SA, US databases, retrieved 27 August 2026. Search volumes decay over time; read anything more than three months old as a trend line, not a fixed figure.