Key takeaways
- As of October 27, 2026, Anthropic's pricing page lists Claude Code as not included on the Free plan.
- Pro costs $20 a month ($17 a month billed annually) and includes Claude Code; Max starts at $100 a month.
- Claude Code also runs on a Console account billed per token, which Anthropic's docs put at about $13 per developer per active day on average.
Claude Code is not free. The software installs at no charge, but using it takes a paid Claude plan or a Claude Console account billed per token. The Free plan does not include it: as of October 27, 2026, Anthropic's pricing page lists Claude Code as not available on Free and included on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise.
If you only want to try it, the cheapest route is Pro at $20 a month. If you want to pay only for what you use, sign in with a Console account and pay API rates.
What Claude Code costs on each plan
Prices below are from the Claude pricing page, checked on October 27, 2026.
| Plan | Price | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Not included |
| Pro | $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month ($200 billed up front) on the annual plan | Included |
| Max | From $100 a month, billed monthly | Included, with 5x or 20x the usage of Pro per five-hour session |
| Team | Standard seat $25 a month, Premium seat $125 (annual billing: $20 and $100) | Included |
| Enterprise | $20 per seat a month, 20-seat minimum, plus usage at API rates | Included |
Anthropic's own wording on the pricing page is that Claude Code "shares the same usage limits as the rest of your plan". It does not have a separate allowance.
Why the Free plan doesn't work
The Free plan is built for everyday chat questions, with limits that reset on a rolling five-hour window. Claude Code is not part of it. Anthropic's Claude Code overview says most surfaces require a Claude subscription or a Console account, and that the desktop app requires a paid subscription.
We cover what the Free plan does include in our earlier piece on whether Claude is free.
How to use Claude Code without a subscription
There is one other way in. Claude Code can run on an Anthropic Console account, which bills per token of API use instead of a monthly fee. According to the cost documentation, Claude Code charges by API token consumption in that case. Anthropic says the average across enterprise deployments is about $13 per developer per active day, or $150 to $250 per developer per month, and that 90% of users stay below $30 per active day. Your own bill depends on the model, the size of your codebase and how much you automate.
The CLI and the VS Code and JetBrains integrations can also use third-party providers, per the overview page.
One trap: if the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set, Claude Code uses it instead of your subscription, according to the Pro and Max help article. That produces API charges rather than using your plan's included usage. Claude Code asks you to approve the key first, so decline if you want to stay on your plan.
What the limits look like on Pro and Max
Pro and Max both have a five-hour session limit and a weekly limit, and Claude chat and Claude Code draw from the same pool. When you hit a limit you can wait for the reset, upgrade, or turn on usage credits. Credits and Console API credits are billed at standard API rates, which are not the plan price. Max plans also have a separate weekly limit for Fable, per the same help article.
For a comparison of Claude Code with OpenAI's tool at similar prices, see our Claude Code vs Codex article.
What to check before you pay
Plans and limits change, so confirm the numbers on the pricing page before you subscribe. Once you are in Claude Code, the /usage command shows how much of your plan you have used. Anthropic also offers free self-paced courses at Claude Academy, linked from the overview page, which do not need a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Code free with the Claude Free plan?
No. As of October 27, 2026, Anthropic's pricing page lists Claude Code as not included on the Free plan. It is included on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise.
How much does Claude Code cost per month?
Pro is $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month on the annual plan, and Max starts at $100 a month. On API billing, Anthropic's docs give an enterprise average of $150 to $250 per developer per month.
Can I use Claude Code with an API key instead of a subscription?
Yes. Claude Code works with a Claude Console account and bills per token. If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set, Claude Code uses it instead of your subscription, which results in API charges.
Does Claude Code have its own usage limit?
On Pro and Max it shares limits with Claude chat: a five-hour session limit and a weekly limit. Past those you can wait, upgrade, or turn on usage credits billed at API rates.
Sources
- Claude pricingAnthropic
- Claude Code overviewAnthropic
- Manage costs effectivelyAnthropic
- Using Claude Code with your Pro or Max planAnthropic
