Claude Code pricing
For technical teamsClaude Code starts at $20/mo on the Pro plan; there is no free plan. Checked Sep 24, 2026 against the official pricing page.
An agentic command-line coding tool for building and refactoring software with AI.
Claude Code is an agent in your terminal that reads, edits and runs your codebase, and it comes with a Claude Pro or Max subscription. It is one of the strongest coding agents available; the subscription route is far easier to budget than the API route.
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ProOur pick | $20/moor $200/yr$17/mo effective with annual billing ($200 upfront); $20 monthly | Included with Pro usage limits
|
| Max | $100/moFrom $100/mo; 5x or 20x more usage than Pro | 5x or 20x Pro usage; higher output limits
|
| API (pay-as-you-go) | Usage-basedOpus 5.5 $4/$20 (cache reads $0.20/MTok, cache writes $5/MTok, Fast mode $8/$40), Fable 5.1 / Mythos 5.1 $10/$50 (cache hits $0.25/MTok), Sonnet 5 $2/$10, Haiku 4.5 $1/$5 per MTok; legacy but still available: Opus 5 $5/$25, Fable 5 / Mythos 5 $10/$50; 50% batch discount | Pay per token consumed; no subscription
|
Pick this tier: Pro
Pro includes Claude Code and is enough to try it seriously on real work. Move to Max when you run long agent sessions daily and hit the Pro limits.
What works
- Included with Claude Pro and Max, not sold separately
- Works across a whole codebase from the terminal
- API key option for pay-per-token use
- Batch API discount for non-interactive work
What to watch
- Pro usage limits run out in long agent sessions
- API-key use is billed per token and adds up quickly
- Only useful for people comfortable in a terminal
Skip it if
- You are not a developer
- You prefer an AI editor to a terminal agent
- You need a model provider other than Anthropic
Best for
Works with
Claude Code pricing questions
- How much does Claude Code cost in 2026?
- Claude Code starts at $20/mo on the Pro plan; there is no free plan. Checked Sep 24, 2026 against the official pricing page.
- Do I need a separate subscription for Claude Code?
- No. Claude Code is included with Claude Pro and Max. You can also use it with an API key and pay per token instead.
- Is Claude Code cheaper through the API or a subscription?
- For most individual developers the subscription is easier to budget, because API use is billed per token with no cap. The API suits automated or occasional use.
Reviewed Sep 11, 2026 by the Dapols team. Report a price change
Our evidence on this tool
- Catalog status
- Recommended — can be a primary pick in a plan
- Price last checked
- Sep 24, 2026
- Evidence confidence
- Medium — verified, but the vendor changes plans often
Re-checked in batches. We date every check and never take payment for placement. How we rank tools
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