How much does Claude Code cost? Plans and prices explained
Claude Code isn't sold on its own: it's included in the paid Claude plans, and the cheapest, Claude Pro, costs $20 a month plus tax (or $17 a month billed yearly). The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code.
All prices below come from the official page claude.com/pricing, checked on 7 October 2026. They're in US dollars and don't include tax. Anthropic can change them, so check their page too before you pay.
Which plans include Claude Code?
Every paid plan: Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise. The Free plan does not.
| Plan | Price | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Chat only; no Claude Code |
| Pro | $20 a month, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) | Beginners and normal daily use |
| Max | from $100 a month | People who work with Claude all day |
| Team | $25 per person a month, or $20 billed yearly (standard seat) | Teams of 2–150 people |
| Enterprise | $20 per person a month, billed yearly, plus usage at API prices | Large companies |
Besides the subscriptions, there's also pay as you go, through a Claude Console account. It's explained below.
How much is Claude Pro and what do you get?
Claude Pro costs $20 a month if you pay monthly, or $17 a month if you pay for a whole year up front ($200). Tax for your country is added on top.
For $20 you get Claude Code, plus everything in the paid Claude chat: more usage than the free plan, projects, more models. You can cancel any time and the plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for.
For someone just starting out, Pro is usually enough. You can do the whole "Claude Code for Beginners" course with it.
How much is Claude Max and when is it worth it?
Claude Max starts at $100 a month and is billed monthly only. You choose between two options: 5 times or 20 times more usage than Pro in each 5-hour window. The official page shows the starting price, $100; you see the price of the bigger option there when you choose it.
It's worth it when you keep hitting the Pro limit, for example if you work with Claude Code for hours every day. It isn't worth it at the start: begin with Pro and move to Max only if you feel the need. You can switch any time, and the unused time on your old plan is credited toward the new one.
What do the usage limits mean?
Every plan has a limit on how much you can use Claude in a 5-hour window, and paid plans also have a weekly limit. There's no fixed number of messages: the limit depends on how long your conversations are, which model you pick and what you ask for.
Important: Claude Code and the Claude chat share the same limit. If you've chatted a lot, you have less left for Claude Code in that window.
When you hit the limit, you have three options, according to Anthropic:
- wait for it to reset;
- move to a bigger plan;
- on paid plans, turn on usage credits, billed at API prices, to keep working.
You can see how much you've used any time in your Claude account settings, under "Usage". In Claude Code, the /usage command shows the session cost, your plan's usage limits and activity stats (command list); /cost does the same. To use less, type /clear for every new task: long conversations cost more. See also what a token is.
How much does Claude Code cost with pay as you go (API)?
If you don't want a subscription, you can connect Claude Code to a Claude Console account and pay for what you use, based on the number of tokens (small pieces of text) read and written. You top up the account with credit in advance.
A few prices from the official page, per million tokens:
| Model | Text sent (input) | Text received (output) |
|---|---|---|
| Haiku 5.5 | $0.10 | $0.50 |
| Sonnet 5.5 | $2 | $10 |
| Opus 5.5 | $4 | $20 |
For Haiku 5.5, the prices are for prompts of up to 100,000 tokens. Full details are in the API pricing documentation.
For a beginner, a subscription is simpler: you pay a fixed amount and don't think about tokens. Pay as you go makes sense for automation or for people who use Claude Code rarely.
How much does it cost for a team or a company?
Team is for groups of 2–150 people. A standard seat costs $25 per person a month billed monthly, or $20 billed yearly. A premium seat, with 5 times more usage than a standard one, costs $125 monthly or $100 billed yearly. Both include Claude Code.
Enterprise costs $20 per person a month, billed yearly, plus usage billed at API prices. It adds security and admin controls for large companies.
Can you use Claude Code for free?
No. The free Claude plan doesn't include Claude Code, and pay as you go needs credit up front. What you can do for free: read the documentation, look at lessons and learn the steps before you pay.
For example, the first two modules of our course can be read for free, without a Claude subscription. You only need the subscription when you want to actually work with Claude Code on your computer.
How do you pay and how do you cancel?
You pay by card, from your Claude account. You cancel in the settings, under "Billing". The plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for; to avoid the next charge, cancel at least 24 hours before renewal. Once it ends, the account moves to the free plan, and your conversations and projects stay.
On refunds: Anthropic says payments are generally non-refundable, except as stated in their terms and where local law requires. If you're in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom and within your 14-day withdrawal period, you can ask for a refund directly in the app.
Frequently asked questions
Does the price include VAT?
No. The prices on the official page don't include applicable taxes, which are added at checkout.
Can I pay in euros or another currency?
The official page shows prices in US dollars. Your bank handles the conversion when you pay by card.
If I take Pro and it's not enough, do I lose my money?
No. Switch to Max in the settings, and the time left on Pro is credited toward the new plan.
Is the Zero2App course included in the Claude subscription?
No. Zero2App is not affiliated with Anthropic, and the course is paid for separately; prices are on the Pricing page.
What do you do next?
If you have a subscription, the next step is installing it. If you'd rather see how it works before paying for anything, start with the Claude Code tutorial for beginners or with the first module of the course, free. New words are explained in the glossary.