How to Use & Access Claude AI for Free From Anywhere in 2024
A VPN is the best way to access Claude AI if you're not in the U.S. or the U.K. This article contains the best Claude AI VPNs based on our research and testing. We’ll also show you how to use Claude AI.
Written by Wisdom Sablah (Writer)
Reviewed by Samuel Chapman (Editor)
Last Updated: 2024-01-25T13:05:00+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: Accessing Claude AI
- Claude AI is better at conversations than many other AI models, including ChatGPT, but is only available in the U.S. and the U.K.
- To access Claude outside the U.S. and U.K., use a VPN. ExpressVPN is the ideal choice, owing to its massive U.S. and U.K. networks with obfuscation on all servers.
- NordVPN is also a good choice, especially if you need fast speeds, while Proton VPN is the go-to option if you need a free VPN for the U.S.
Anthropic’s Claude AI is turning lots of heads, and rightly so. It rivals the more popular ChatGPT by providing more natural conversations and more accurate responses. Technically, this generative AI is available only in the U.S. and U.K., but in this article, we’ll show you how to access Claude AI regardless of your location.
The best way to unblock Claude AI is to use a virtual private network (VPN). It can change your IP address, making Claude AI think you’re in the U.K. or the U.S. so you get full access to the platform. We’ll highlight the best VPNs for Claude AI — our top suggestion is ExpressVPN — and provide step-by-step guides on how to use Claude AI.
What Is Claude AI by Anthropic?
Claude AI is an artificial intelligence tool released in March 2023 by the Google-backed Anthropic. The AI chatbot was built to provide “helpful, harmless and honest” answers to queries. Its biggest selling point is that it’s more conversational than competitors like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.
Anthropic also recently launched Claude Instant, which is built for processing smaller files and casual conversations. As a result, it’s a cheaper and faster version.
In July 2023, Anthropic released Claude 2, which is better at reasoning, coding, math and providing longer responses. This AI model scored over 70% on a Python coding test against the original Claude’s 56%.
Claude 2 also has an expanded context window of 100K. This means it can process large documents of up to 75,000 words in minutes, making it a worthy ChatGPT competitor. By comparison, ChatGPT’s free version has a context window of 3,000 words.
How to Access Claude AI: Where Is It Available?
When the Claude AI chatbot launched in March 2023, it was only available by request. Thankfully, Claude 2 is now available for free in the U.S. and the U.K. If you’re in any other country, you’ll need a VPN to bypass the geoblock.
How to Use a VPN to Access Claude AI
Follow the steps below to set up your VPN and unblock Claude AI. We’ll use ExpressVPN as an example.
- Download and install a VPN service
You can find the VPN’s app on the VPN’s website or your device’s app store.
- Connect to a server in the U.S. or the U.K.
Open the VPN’s app and scroll through the server list to find a U.S. or U.K. server. If the VPN highlights server speeds, choose the fastest server.
- Start using Claude AI
Go to Claude.ai, create your Claude AI account (more steps on this lower in the article) or log in, then type your question or request.
Best VPNs to Access Claude AI Outside US & UK
There are several good VPN providers out there that claim to unblock virtually any website. Based on our testing, we’ve curated the top three Claude AI VPNs that not only reliably unblock the platform but offer excellent speeds and features. Let’s start with the best — ExpressVPN — which is also the best VPN for ChatGPT.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a beginner-friendly VPN with fast upload and download speeds and a massive server spread. There are ExpressVPN servers in at least 17 U.S. cities and five U.K. cities. In the unlikely event that one server fails or is congested, you’ll have multiple backup options to access Claude AI.
Choose ExpressVPN if you intend to use Claude AI in countries that restrict internet freedom. ExpressVPN implements obfuscation on all its servers, which makes it difficult for any third party to monitor and block your VPN use. Thanks to ExpressVPN’s RAM-only servers and a strict no-logs policy, there’ll be nothing to see even if your data is subpoenaed.
You can check out ExpressVPN by reading our ExpressVPN review or by taking advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee for testing Claude.
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
2. NordVPN
NordVPN is also a good ExpressVPN alternative, primarily because of its servers in 15 U.S. cities and four U.K. cities. That said, NordVPN truly shines when it comes to VPN speeds. Its download speeds in both the U.S. and the U.K. were almost identical to our unprotected speeds, making it an excellent choice for intensive tasks such as coding.
In addition, NordVPN has lots of extra features that can be beneficial while using AI. For instance, the dedicated IP feature assigns a unique IP address to you, reducing the chances of facing CAPTCHAs while using Claude AI. There’s also a double VPN feature, which encrypts your traffic twice, so you can keep working with Claude AI even if one of the servers fails.
We’ve broken down all of NordVPN’s features in our NordVPN review. Alternatively, you can test it using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 6
- Yes
3. Proton VPN
If you’re on a tight budget, Proton VPN is your best bet. Its free version doesn’t include servers in the U.K., but you can connect to VPN servers in three U.S. cities. This will give you a U.S. IP address to access Claude AI from anywhere in the world. This is also why ProtonVPN is great for U.S.-based streaming services like Hulu and Tubi TV.
We’ve written about Proton VPN’s free features in our Proton VPN review, but the most notable is its unlimited data offer. You can chat with Claude AI as much as you want without your data running out. This lack of limits is why we recommend Proton VPN over Windscribe for Claude AI, although Windscribe (one of the best free VPNs) has more free servers and faster speeds.
- Unlimited GB
- 1
- Yes
- Unlimited GB
- 5
- Yes
Examples of How to Use Claude 2
Signing up for a Claude account is easy. Here are the steps to follow after connecting to a U.S. or U.K. VPN server.
- Go to Claude.ai and enter your email address
After you enter your email address to create an account, Anthropic will create a free account and send you a temporary login code. Copy it and enter it into the required box.
- Enter your name and username
Confirm your age and agree to the terms and conditions to proceed.
- Learn about Anthropic
Anthropic will walk you through a few pointers regarding the AI model and how it operates. Click “next” to continue.
- Chat with Claude
The chat box will appear next. Type in your question or prompt to get started.
Why Use the Claude AI Model?
Claude AI is a good choice for many use cases, including:
- Serving as a personal assistant: Claude can schedule meetings, send reminders, make recommendations, set alarms, set timers, create content, hold natural conversations and make calculations.
- Conducting research: Claude AI can search the internet and retrieve information, summarize large documents, explain complex concepts, conduct literature reviews and extract data from papers and datasets.
- Creating enterprise applications: Companies can use Claude AI to streamline various business processes, including customer service, market research and human resource management.
- Providing accurate responses: Claude AI uses a set of guidelines known as Constitutional AI to reduce the chances of false and biased answers. Claude AI also admits when it doesn’t have answers and sometimes asks clarifying questions.
Final Thoughts: Anthropic’s Claude AI Chatbot
Claude AI stands out among other models, thanks to its focus on friendly conversations and safe and accurate responses. However, it’s only available in the U.S. or the U.K., so you’ll need a VPN if you’re based elsewhere.
In our experience, ExpressVPN is the best VPN to access Claude AI because it has a large server network in the U.S. and the U.K. Its obfuscation can also hide your VPN use — a vital feature for certain countries. NordVPN is a much faster choice, though it has fewer servers, while Proton VPN’s free plan has servers in the U.S. that can access Claude AI.
If you’d like to experiment with other chatbots, such as Bing Chat, read our guide on how to use Bing Chat on Edge.
Have you used a VPN to access a large language model like Google’s Bard (check out our Bard VPN guide) or OpenAI’s ChatGPT? Which of the various AI models worked best? Which of the VPNs in this article would you use alongside Claude? Share your thoughts and comments with us below. As always, thanks for reading.
FAQ: Using Claude AI
If you’re in the U.K. or the U.S., visit Claude.ai and enter your login details. However, if you’re not in one of those countries, you’ll need to connect to VPN first to skip the geoblock.
Claude AI is free to use in the U.S. and the U.K. — just visit Claude.ai and enter your Claude AI login name and password. However, if you’re outside the U.S. or U.K., you’ll need a VPN to change your virtual location to gain access to Claude AI’s website.