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brian austin
brian austin

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I built a $2/month Claude API — here's the curl command

#claude #api #tutorial #webdev

I built a $2/month Claude API — here's the curl command

If you've been paying $20/month for ChatGPT or $100-200/month for Claude API credits, this is for you.

I run SimplyLouie — a Claude-compatible API endpoint that costs $2/month flat. No per-token billing. No usage anxiety. Just a fixed monthly rate.

Here's the curl command:

curl https://api.simplylouie.com/v1/messages \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-opus-4-5",
    "max_tokens": 1024,
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Claude"}
    ]
  }'
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That's it. Claude responds. You pay $2/month.

Why I built this

I kept seeing the same problem in developer communities:

  • Students in Nigeria, India, Philippines, Indonesia who want to build AI projects but can't justify $20/month
  • Freelancers who use AI occasionally but don't want per-token billing
  • Hobbyists building side projects who get a surprise $80 API bill

The Claude API is excellent. The pricing model is designed for enterprise. Most developers aren't enterprise.

How it works

SimplyLouie uses ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL — the official Anthropic mechanism for routing API calls through a custom endpoint. This is the same mechanism used by Claude Code for enterprise deployments.

import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    api_key="YOUR_SIMPLYLOUIE_KEY",
    base_url="https://api.simplylouie.com"
)

message = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-5",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Write a Python function to parse JSON"}
    ]
)

print(message.content[0].text)
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Works with the official Anthropic Python SDK. Works with Claude Code. Works with any tool that supports ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL.

Claude Code integration

If you're using Claude Code, set your endpoint in your shell profile:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.simplylouie.com
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_simplylouie_key
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Then launch Claude Code normally:

claude
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All your Claude Code sessions route through SimplyLouie at the fixed $2/month rate.

JavaScript/Node.js example 

const Anthropic = require('@anthropic-ai/sdk');

const client = new Anthropic({
  apiKey: 'YOUR_SIMPLYLOUIE_KEY',
  baseURL: 'https://api.simplylouie.com'
});

async function askClaude(question) {
  const message = await client.messages.create({
    model: 'claude-opus-4-5',
    max_tokens: 1024,
    messages: [{ role: 'user', content: question }]
  });
  return message.content[0].text;
}

askClaude('Explain async/await in one paragraph')
  .then(console.log);
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Streaming responses 

with client.messages.stream(
    model="claude-opus-4-5",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Write a sorting algorithm"}]
) as stream:
    for text in stream.text_stream:
        print(text, end="", flush=True)
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Streaming works the same as the native Anthropic API.

Real-world pricing comparison

Service Monthly cost Per-token billing
ChatGPT Plus $20/month No
Claude Pro $20/month No
Anthropic API Variable Yes (~$15/MTok)
SimplyLouie $2/month No

For developers in emerging markets, the difference is even more stark:

  • Nigeria: ₦3,200/month vs ₦32,000 for ChatGPT
  • India: ₹165/month vs ₹1,600+ for ChatGPT
  • Philippines: ₱112/month vs ₱1,120 for ChatGPT
  • Indonesia: Rp32,000/month vs Rp320,000+ for ChatGPT

Getting started

  1. Sign up at simplylouie.com/developers
  2. 7-day free trial, no charge until day 8
  3. $2/month after that — cancel anytime
  4. Your API key works immediately

The full API documentation is at simplylouie.com/developers.

SimplyLouie donates 50% of revenue to animal rescue. Built by a developer who wanted affordable AI for everyone.

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