Pricing explained
How much does Claude Code cost? Pro, Max and pay-as-you-go explained
Claude Code is Anthropic’s coding agent: it reads your project, edits files and runs commands for you. It isn’t sold on its own — it comes with a Claude subscription or pay-as-you-go API credits. Here is what each option costs and who it suits.
Claude Code is not free. It comes with Claude Pro at $20 a month ($17 if you pay yearly), Max from $100 a month for five times Pro’s usage, or pay-as-you-go API credits. Start with Pro; move up only if you keep hitting the limit.
Every way to pay for Claude Code
| Option | Price | Claude Code usage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Not included | Trying Claude chat only |
| Pro | $20 a month, or $200 a year (≈$17 a month) | Included; at least 5× Free’s usage, shared with chat | Learners and side projects |
| Max 5× | $100 a month | 5× Pro per five-hour window, priority at busy times | Coding most days |
| Max 20× | Not shown on the page (historically $200) unconfirmed | 20× Pro per five-hour window | All-day, every-day coding |
| API credits (Console) | Pay per use at API rates | No subscription; you pay for what you use | Occasional bursts, automation, teams with a budget |
| Team / Enterprise | Enterprise: $20 a seat plus usage at API rates | Admin controls, central billing | Companies |
From Anthropic’s pricing page and Claude Code docs, checked Oct 2, 2026. US dollars before tax. Max is billed monthly only.
How Claude Code usage works
There’s no fixed number of requests. Anthropic says every plan has a usage allowance that resets on a rolling five-hour window, with weekly limits on top for paid plans. Coding sessions are heavy because Claude Code reads files, runs commands and checks its own work, so a long session uses far more than a chat question. Your chats and your Claude Code sessions share the same pool.
When you hit the limit on Pro or Max, you can switch on usage credits and keep going at standard API rates, rather than waiting. Check where you stand any time under Settings → Usage.
Which option should you choose?
- Just curious, or building your first small app? Pro. You also get everything else in Claude for the same $20.
- Hitting Pro’s limit several times a week? Try usage credits for a month to see what you’d actually spend, then compare with Max at $100.
- Coding with it for hours every day? Max 5× or 20×.
- Only need it now and then, or for automated jobs? API credits, so you pay nothing in quiet months.
- Not a coder at all? You may not need Claude Code. Claude’s Artifacts build small apps right inside a free chat — see our vibe coding guide.
Where it runs
Claude Code works in the terminal (Mac, Linux and Windows), as an extension for VS Code, Cursor and JetBrains editors, in the Claude desktop app’s Code tab, and in the browser at claude.ai/code, including on the Claude phone app. Anthropic notes that the desktop app needs a paid subscription. Whichever you use, it’s the same engine and the same usage pool.
Comparing it with OpenAI’s coding agent? Read Codex vs Claude Code: which costs less?
Sources: Claude pricing (Anthropic) · Claude Code docs: overview · OpenAI: plans that include Codex
Quick answers
Is Claude Code free?
No. Claude Code isn’t included in Claude’s free plan. The cheapest way to get it is Claude Pro at $20 a month ($17 a month billed yearly). You can also pay as you go with API credits from an Anthropic Console account.
Is the $20 Claude Code plan worth it?
For learning, small projects and a few sessions a week, usually yes — Pro includes Claude Code plus everything else in Claude. People who code with it for hours every day tend to hit Pro’s limits and move to Max.
Do Claude Code and the Claude chat app share limits?
Yes. Anthropic says your chats on the web, desktop and phone and your Claude Code sessions all draw from the same usage pool, which resets on a rolling five-hour window plus weekly limits on paid plans.
What happens when I hit the limit?
You can wait for it to reset, move to a bigger plan, or — on Pro and Max — turn on usage credits to keep working at standard API rates.
Which is cheaper, Claude Code or Codex?
Codex is cheaper to start: OpenAI includes limited Codex access even on ChatGPT’s free and $8 Go plans, while Claude Code starts at $20. At $20 a month the two are priced the same (Claude Pro vs ChatGPT Plus). See our Codex vs Claude Code comparison.
Keep learning
OpenAI Codex vs Claude Code: which is cheaper, and which suits a beginner?
Is Codex cheaper than Claude Code? Plan by plan from both pricing pages: Codex starts free, Claude Code at $20. Where each runs and who should pick which.
Is Claude free? What you get without paying, and what you don’t
Yes, Claude has a free plan. What it includes (Sonnet, web search, files, voice), what needs Pro at $20 (Claude Code, Opus, Research) and how limits work.
Does your AI assistant learn from your chats? How to turn it off
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI, Grok and DeepSeek: which use your chats for training by default, how long they keep them, and the exact switch.