Is Claude Code free?
No. The Free Claude plan does not include Claude Code. The cheapest way in is Claude Pro at $20/month ($17/month billed annually), or an Anthropic API key billed per token.
Coding Agent Guide
Claude Code is included in Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually) and every higher plan; the Free plan does not include it. Pro gives at least 5x Free's usage per rolling 5-hour session plus weekly limits, Max gives 5x or 20x Pro, and anything beyond can run on usage credits billed at API rates. Since late September 2026 it defaults to Claude Opus 5.5 on Pro.
Models: Claude models only — Claude Opus 5.5 by default on Pro and Max, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5 selectable; Fable 5.1 on Max or via credits.
Official rows come from Anthropic's own pricing page; reported rows from press or trackers we could not confirm there.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Freeofficial | $0Claude Code not included. | Claude Code not included. |
| Proofficial | $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually)Claude Code included. At least 5x Free's usage per 5-hour session, plus weekly limits; usage credits available past the cap. | Claude Code included. At least 5x Free's usage per 5-hour session, plus weekly limits; usage credits available past the cap. |
| Max 5xofficial | $100/mo5x Pro's usage per 5-hour session, weekly limits on top; Claude Fable 5.1 included up to 50% of weekly limits. | 5x Pro's usage per 5-hour session, weekly limits on top; Claude Fable 5.1 included up to 50% of weekly limits. |
| Max 20xofficial | $200/mo20x Pro's usage per 5-hour session, weekly limits on top. | 20x Pro's usage per 5-hour session, weekly limits on top. |
| Team (standard seat)official | $25/seat/mo ($20 billed annually)More usage than Pro; team includes up to $500/month in pooled API credits. | More usage than Pro; team includes up to $500/month in pooled API credits. |
| Team (premium seat)official | $125/seat/mo ($100 billed annually)5x a standard seat's usage. | 5x a standard seat's usage. |
| Enterpriseofficial | $20/seat/mo billed annually + usage at API ratesUsage billed at API rates; cost scales with model and task. | Usage billed at API rates; cost scales with model and task. |
| API keyofficial | Pay per tokenOpus 5.5 $4/$20, Sonnet 5.5 $2/$10, Haiku 5.5 $0.10/$0.50 per million tokens. | Opus 5.5 $4/$20, Sonnet 5.5 $2/$10, Haiku 5.5 $0.10/$0.50 per million tokens. |
September 28, 2026 official
Claude Sonnet 5.5 launches at $2/$10 on the API.
September 22, 2026 reported
Claude Opus 5.5 launches. Claude Code v2.1.280 switches the default on Pro and Team Standard from Sonnet to Opus 5.5. Anthropic announces higher 5-hour limits on paid plans without publishing amounts.
September 1, 2026 official
Claude Fable 5.1 launches: credits-only on Pro, included on Max up to 50% of weekly limits.
May 6, 2026 official
Anthropic doubles 5-hour session limits for Pro, Max, Team and seat-based Enterprise, and removes weekday peak-hour reductions.
No. The Free Claude plan does not include Claude Code. The cheapest way in is Claude Pro at $20/month ($17/month billed annually), or an Anthropic API key billed per token.
Pro if you code with it for an hour or two a day. Max 5x ($100) once you hit Pro's weekly limit regularly, and Max 20x ($200) if Claude Code is your main tool all day. Anthropic sells the tiers as 5x and 20x Pro's per-session usage.
Claude Opus 5.5 by default on Pro and Max since late September 2026. You can switch to Sonnet 5.5 or Haiku 5.5 with /model; Sonnet 5.5 stretches your allowance much further for routine work.
You wait for the 5-hour or weekly window to reset, or switch on usage credits, which bill at standard API rates. Settings → Usage shows both meters and their reset times.
Coding-agent pricing changed for almost every vendor in 2026, often without notice. Everything above was checked against the linked sources on October 13, 2026; if you spot something outdated, email hello@userightai.com.
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