When did Claude 4 shut down? June 15, 2026. But the shutdown didn't start there — and the impact is still unfolding. This timeline covers every date in the Claude 4 deprecation process, from the initial announcement through the post-shutdown aftermath. Whether you're just learning about this or still dealing with 410 errors, this is your complete roadmap.

410
HTTP status code after June 15 — "Gone" — the resource was permanently removed

The Complete Claude 4 Deprecation Timeline

Here's every key date in the Claude 4 shutdown process, with what happened (or has happened) and what you should do at each stage:

April 2026
Anthropic announces Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 — New flagship models with improved performance, better reasoning, and lower costs. Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet 4 are not mentioned as deprecated yet.
✓ No action needed
May 2026
Claude 4 deprecation officially announced — Anthropic confirms Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet 4 were retired. Deprecation warnings added to API responses. Email notifications sent to API users. Developers advised to migrate to Opus 4.8 or Sonnet 4.6.
✓ Start migration planning
Late May 2026
Deprecation warnings intensify — API responses include Deprecation and Sunset headers. Console dashboard shows deprecation alerts. Documentation updated with migration guides.
✓ Begin testing alternatives
Early June 2026
Warning emails sent to all Claude 4 API users — Direct email notifications with migration instructions. Deprecation timeline confirmed: June 15, 2026. No grace period announced.
✓ Migrate now or risk downtime
June 8, 2026
7-day warning — One week until shutdown. Most migration guides published. Community discussions peak. Developers begin final migration testing.
✓ Complete migration testing
June 10, 2026
5-day warning — Final weekend to migrate — Last full weekend before shutdown. APIpulse publishes complete developer checklist, cost comparison tools, and 10 migration guides.
✓ Migrate this weekend
June 12, 2026
3 days left — Pricing data verified — APIpulse verifies all alternative pricing. Mistral Small corrected ($0.15→$0.10). Kimi K2.6 updated ($0.90→$0.95). Llama 4 Scout fixed ($0.11→$0.18). All 67 alternatives verified.
✓ Use cost calculator for accurate pricing
June 13, 2026
2 days left — Final preparations — Developers completed checklists. Model references updated. Applications tested with new model IDs. Interactive cost calculator used for last-minute comparisons.
✓ Completed
June 14, 2026
24 hours left — Last chance — Final day to migrate. No extensions planned. Developers deployed migration changes. Last-minute scrambles happened across the industry.
✓ Completed
June 15, 2026 — SHUTDOWN DAY
FULL SHUTDOWN — All Claude 4 API endpoints returned HTTP 410 Gone. No grace period. No extension. No way to restore access. Thousands of developers woke up to broken apps. Day 1 analysis.
✓ Completed
June 16, 2026
Day 2 — Recovery begins — Most apps migrated. Developers discovered 67-99% cost savings with alternatives. Framework-specific migration guides published. Day 2 analysis.
✓ Completed
June 17, 2026
Day 3 — Aftermath — Hidden issues surface: rate limit differences, token counting quirks, streaming behavior changes. Quality comparisons emerge. Day 3 analysis.
✓ Completed
July 2026+
Long-term aftermath — Claude 4 model IDs permanently removed from documentation. New developers never encounter Claude 4. Industry settles on new model lineup. APIpulse continues tracking 42+ alternatives.
📈 Monitor pricing changes with APIpulse

What Happened on June 15?

On June 15, 2026, Anthropic permanently removed the Claude 4 Opus and Claude 4 Sonnet model endpoints. Here's exactly what changed:

🚫

API Calls Fail

Any request to claude-4-opus or claude-4-sonnet returns HTTP 410 Gone

🔑

API Keys Still Work

Your Anthropic API key works for Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 — just update the model ID

📝

Docs Updated

Claude 4 model IDs removed from documentation. Only newer models listed.

💥

Integrations Break

Any third-party tool, library, or framework using Claude 4 model IDs fail until updated

The Fix: If You're Still Seeing 410 Errors

If your application is still broken, here's the fastest fix — most developers complete this in under 5 minutes:

Option 1: Stay with Anthropic (Quickest Fix)

Update the model ID in your code. Same API key, same parameters, same code structure:

# Python
# Before (broken):
client.messages.create(model="claude-4-opus", ...)

# After (fixed):
client.messages.create(model="claude-opus-4-8", ...)  # 67% cheaper
# or:
client.messages.create(model="claude-sonnet-4-6", ...)  # 50% cheaper
# Node.js
// Before (broken):
{ model: "claude-4-sonnet" }

// After (fixed):
{ model: "claude-sonnet-4-6" }  // 50% cheaper
# curl
# Before (broken):
"model": "claude-4-opus"

# After (fixed):
"model": "claude-opus-4-8"  // 67% cheaper

Option 2: Switch Providers (Biggest Savings)

If you want to save 67-99% on API costs, switch to a cheaper provider. Here are the top alternatives:

Claude 4 Opus (DEAD)
$15 / $75
per 1M tokens (input/output)
DeepSeek V4 Flash
$0.14 / $0.28
99% cheaper · Same quality for most tasks
Llama 4 Maverick
$0.27 / $0.85
98% cheaper · Open source, self-hostable
DeepSeek V4 Pro
$0.44 / $0.87
97% cheaper · Best reasoning model
Save up to 99%
Switch from Claude 4 Opus ($15/$75) to DeepSeek V4 Flash ($0.14/$0.28)

10 Migration Guides — Step by Step

Choose your target provider and follow the step-by-step migration guide with code snippets, cost comparisons, and FAQ:

⚡ Pro

Need help choosing?

APIpulse includes the Migration Cost Calculator, Best Model for Your Use Case tool, and real-time pricing for 88 models across 10 providers.

Free Tools →

Migration Status: Where Are You Now?

Use this quick reference to find your current situation:

If you haven't migrated yet
Do it NOW. The shutdown is complete. Your app is broken. Most migrations take 5-15 minutes. Follow the checklist, update model IDs, test, deploy.
⚡ Start now: blog-claude-4-shutdown-checklist.html
If you migrated but haven't deployed
Deploy immediately. Your code changes are useless if they're not live. Push to production now.
🚀 Deploy now
If you're already migrated and deployed
You're ready. Monitor your application for any unexpected issues. Check error rates, response times, and output quality. Use APIpulse to track your new costs.
✓ Monitoring active

Key Numbers After the Shutdown

Claude 4 Opus — DEAD
$15 / $75
per 1M tokens · Retired June 15
Claude 4 Sonnet — DEAD
$3 / $15
per 1M tokens · Retired June 15
Cheapest Alternative
$0.14 / $0.28
DeepSeek V4 Flash · 99% cheaper
Best Direct Replacement
$5 / $25
Claude Opus 4.8 · 67% cheaper, same API

Need Help Migrating?

Use APIpulse to calculate your exact migration cost, compare 67 alternatives, and find the cheapest option for your usage. Most developers save 67-99%.

Open Migration Hub →

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Claude 4 shut down?

Claude 4 shut down on June 15, 2026. On this date, all API calls to claude-4-opus and claude-4-sonnet returned HTTP 410 Gone. There was no grace period or extension.

What was the full Claude 4 deprecation timeline?

The timeline: May 2026 — deprecation announced. Early June — warning emails and API headers. June 10 — 5-day warning. June 15 — full shutdown, all endpoints returned 410 Gone. June 16-17 — aftermath analysis and migration cleanup.

Is there a grace period after Claude 4 shut down?

No. The shutdown on June 15, 2026 was permanent and immediate. All API calls returned HTTP 410 Gone with no grace period, no extension, and no way to restore access to these model versions.

What happens to my Claude 4 API key after shutdown?

Your Anthropic API key still works — but only for newer models like Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6. The key isn't revoked; the Claude 4 model endpoints are removed. Update your model ID to continue using the same key.

What are the best Claude 4 alternatives?

Top alternatives by cost: DeepSeek V4 Flash ($0.14/$0.28, 99% cheaper), Llama 4 Maverick ($0.27/$0.85, 98% cheaper), DeepSeek V4 Pro ($0.44/$0.87, 97% cheaper), Kimi K2.6 ($0.95/$4.00, 94% cheaper), and GPT-5 ($1.25/$10, 92% cheaper). Use the cost calculator for your specific usage.

How do I migrate from Claude 4?

Migration takes 5-15 minutes: (1) Find all model references with grep, (2) Update model IDs — claude-4-opusclaude-opus-4-8 or claude-4-sonnetclaude-sonnet-4-6, (3) Test your application, (4) Deploy. If switching providers, you'll also need a new API key. See the complete checklist.

Can I still use Claude after the shutdown?

Yes — but you need to use newer model IDs. Claude Opus 4.8 (claude-opus-4-8) and Sonnet 4.6 (claude-sonnet-4-6) are available and actually cheaper than Claude 4. Or switch to DeepSeek, GPT-5, Gemini, or any of the 67 alternatives tracked by APIpulse.

🎯 Rate Your API Setup in 30 Seconds

Get an A+ to F grade on your AI API costs. See how you compare and find cheaper alternatives instantly.

Get Your Cost Score →

📊 Generate Your Personalized API Cost Report

Select your model, enter your monthly spend, and get a custom savings report with cheaper alternatives — free, in 60 seconds.

Related Resources

💡 Looking for Cheaper Claude Alternatives?

5 Cheaper Claude Alternatives → Save 40-98%
💸 Looking for DeepSeek V4 Flash Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some offer better quality at similar prices.
See 5 DeepSeek V4 Flash Alternatives →
💸 Looking for Sonnet 4.6 Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some are 90% cheaper.
See 5 Sonnet 4.6 Alternatives →
💸 Looking for Opus 4.8 Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some are 98% cheaper.
See 5 Opus 4.8 Alternatives →
💸 Looking for Llama 4 Maverick Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some are 95% cheaper.
See 5 Llama 4 Maverick Alternatives →
💸 Looking for Mistral Small 4 Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some are 90% cheaper.
See 5 Mistral Small 4 Alternatives →
💸 Looking for Llama 4 Scout Alternatives?
5 models ranked by cost — some are 95% cheaper.
See 5 Llama 4 Scout Alternatives →
🔧 Free Embeddable Pricing Widget
Add live AI API pricing to your docs, blog, or README with one script tag. 88 models, auto-updating.
Get the Free Widget → Free MCP Server →

Stop guessing — get exact API cost comparisons

No signup required to 67-model comparison, migration code snippets, PDF reports, price alerts, and cost monitoring. ✅ All tools free.

Free Tools →