Plan vs plan · Pricing checked October 11, 2026
Claude Free vs Pro
Claude Free gives you Sonnet and Haiku with web search, memory, voice and up to five projects, which is plenty for occasional use. Pro ($20/mo, or $17 billed annually) gives at least five times the usage plus Opus, Claude Code, Research, unlimited projects and Claude in Chrome. Upgrade once you hit the free limit regularly or want to code with it.
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Claude
Free
Free
- Sonnet and Haiku models
- Web search, file creation, Artifacts and voice
- Memory, connectors and up to 5 projects
Claude
Pro
$20/mo
$17/mo billed annually ($200/yr)
- At least 5x Free usage per session, plus weekly limits
- Opus, Claude Code, Research and unlimited projects
- Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365
Claude Free vs Pro: side by side
| Claude Free | Claude Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually ($200/yr)) |
| Usage | Limits reset on a rolling five-hour window. | At least 5x Free per session, plus weekly limits. |
| Models | Sonnet and Haiku. | Opus, Sonnet and Haiku. |
| Claude Code | Not included. | Included. |
| Research | Web search, but no Research mode. | Research mode for multi-source reports. |
| Projects | Up to 5. | Unlimited. |
| Browser and Office | Not included. | Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365. |
Which plan should you get?
Get Claude Free if…
You use Claude a few times a week for writing help and questions, and you rarely see the usage-limit message.
Try Claude →Get Claude Pro if…
You use Claude for work every day, want Opus for hard problems, or want to code with Claude Code. Pay annually and it's $17 a month.
Try Claude →Signs it's time to upgrade
- You hit the free limit and have to wait for it to reset.
- You want to use Claude Code.
- You need more than five projects.
- You want Research for longer, sourced reports.
The fine print
Max API credits (added October 2026) can't be used for interactive Claude Code. Fable models need paid usage credits on Pro and standard Team seats. API access is billed separately per million tokens, and Enterprise adds usage-based charges on top of the seat price.
Prices in USD. Vendors change plans often; full details: Claude pricing
Questions the Humans Keep Asking
What are Claude's free plan limits?
Anthropic doesn't publish a fixed message count. Free usage resets on a rolling five-hour window and depends on message length and model. Pro gives at least five times as much per session.
Does Claude Free include Claude Code?
No. Claude Code needs a paid plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise, or API billing.
Is Claude Pro worth $20?
If you use Claude most working days, yes. Opus, Claude Code and the higher limits are the big differences. Paying $200 for a year brings it to $17 a month.