Home / Guides / Claude Code Pricing
Claude Code Pricing in 2026: Pro, Max, Team and API
Claude Code comes with a paid Claude plan: Pro at $20 a month, Max 5x at $100 or Max 20x at $200. The Free plan does not include it. Max buys more usage per 5-hour session, and includes Fable within its weekly limits.
Prices checked 3 October 2026 on claude.com/pricing and Anthropic's Max plan article · By Soren Starck
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Chat on web, desktop and mobile. No Claude Code. |
| Pro | $20 / month, or $17 / month billed annually | Claude Code included. At least 5x Free's usage per 5-hour session. |
| Max 5x | $100 / month | 5x Pro's usage per 5-hour session. Billed monthly. |
| Max 20x | $200 / month | 20x Pro's usage per 5-hour session. Billed monthly. |
| Team, Standard seat | $25 / seat / month, or $20 billed annually | Claude Code included. |
| Team, Premium seat | $125 / seat / month, or $100 billed annually | More usage per seat than Standard. |
| Enterprise | $20 / seat / month billed annually, plus usage | Usage cost scales with model and task. |
Every paid plan also has a weekly limit across all models, which resets on a fixed schedule. Anthropic may apply other caps at its discretion.
What Pro and Max actually differ on
Usage, plus Fable: Pro reaches Fable only through usage credits, while Max includes it within 50% of its weekly limits. Anthropic measures a plan's allowance per 5-hour session: Pro gets at least five times Free, Max 5x gets five times Pro and Max 20x twenty times Pro. On top of that, every paid plan has a weekly limit that applies across all models. You can be fine on the 5-hour session and still run into the weekly limit after a few heavy days.
Both limits show up under Settings > Usage on claude.ai and in /usage inside Claude Code. How each one works is in Claude's session and weekly limits.
API prices, if you use a key instead
With an API key rather than a subscription, Claude Code bills per token. Anthropic's prices per million tokens:
| Model | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Fable 5.1 | $10 | $50 |
| Opus 5.5 | $4 | $20 |
| Sonnet 5.5 | $2 | $10 |
| Haiku 4.5 | $1 | $5 |
Output costs five times input on every model, so long generated diffs cost more than long prompts. For anyone coding daily, a subscription is usually the predictable option; the API suits occasional or automated use. The free plan calculator compares both for your workload.
Which plan fits
- You rarely see a limit: Pro at $20, or $17 a month billed annually.
- You hit the 5-hour session or the weekly limit most weeks: Max 5x at $100.
- You run Claude Code all day, often in parallel: Max 20x at $200.
- A company paying for several developers: Team seats, $20 to $25 each for Standard.
The $80 step from Pro to Max 5x is the decision most people get wrong, in both directions. Upgrade because your usage says so, not because one bad afternoon did.
SessionWatcher
See your real Claude usage
before you pay for more.
Native app for the Mac menu bar and the Windows taskbar. Track Claude, Codex and 18 more tools' usage, costs, and rate limits in real time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. 7-day Bundle trial. No credit card.
How to see what you actually use
1. Settings > Usage and /usage: Anthropic's own readings of your session and weekly limits. Accurate, and only when you go and look.
2. SessionWatcher: SessionWatcher for Claude keeps your session and weekly usage in the Mac menu bar or the Windows taskbar and notifies you at 70% and 90% by default. $6.99 one-time; it pays for itself the first time it stops an upgrade you did not need.
If your company is paying for SessionWatcher for several developers, Pro for Teams is $40 per seat per year (or $4 per seat per month, 3-seat minimum) and currently covers Macs only; each teammate sees their own usage on their own machine, so it is not a central team dashboard.
Claude stopped and your usage looks fine? Check whether Claude is down right now.
SessionWatcherTrack your real Claude Code usage.
$6.99. Pays for itself day one.
Native app for the Mac menu bar and the Windows taskbar. Track Claude, Codex and 18 more tools' usage, costs, and rate limits in real time.
“Fast, simple, and does exactly what it should. Definitely worth it.”
@nicojerome on GitHub
macOS 14+. 7-day Bundle trial. No credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Claude Code cost per month?
Claude Code comes with a paid Claude plan: Pro at $20 a month (or $17 a month billed annually), Max 5x at $100 a month or Max 20x at $200 a month. The Free plan does not include Claude Code. On a team, Standard seats are $25 a month ($20 billed annually) and Premium seats $125 ($100 billed annually). Prices checked on claude.com on 3 October 2026.
What is the difference between Pro and Max?
Usage, plus Fable. Max 5x gives five times Pro's usage per 5-hour session and Max 20x gives twenty times. Pro reaches Fable only through usage credits, while Max includes it within 50% of its weekly limits. Every paid plan also has a weekly limit on top, which Anthropic says applies across all models and resets on a fixed schedule.
Is there a per-token charge for Claude Code?
Not on a Pro or Max plan: you pay the subscription and work within its limits. If you use Claude Code with an API key instead, you pay per token at API rates, for example $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens on Sonnet 5.5.
Is Max worth it over Pro?
Only if you keep running into Pro's limits. The honest test is your own usage: if you regularly use up the 5-hour session or the weekly limit before the reset, Max 5x at $100 buys you headroom; if you rarely get close, Pro at $20 is enough.
How can I see how much of my Claude plan I am using?
Open Settings > Usage on claude.ai or run /usage inside Claude Code. SessionWatcher ($6.99 one-time, Mac and Windows) keeps your session and weekly usage in the Mac menu bar or Windows taskbar and notifies you at 70% and 90% by default.