Writing & coding · by Anthropic · verified September 25, 2026
Claude: the writer's and coder's pick.
Anthropic's assistant is the usual recommendation for careful writing, long documents and software work. Claude Opus 5.5 landed in Pro and Max on September 22, 2026, and paid plans got higher 5-hour limits the same day.
Claude plans and prices, September 2026
Claude Free
- Daily usage limit
- Projects and chat history
- Web and mobile apps
Claude Pro
- Opus 5.5 (since Sept 22, 2026)
- Higher 5-hour limits (raised Sept 22, 2026)
- Research and Google Workspace integration
- Claude Code access
Claude Max 5×
- About 5× Pro usage
- Fable 5.1 access
- Priority access at busy times
Claude Max 20×
- About 20× Pro usage
- Fable 5.1 access
- Highest individual limits
- Opus 5.5 included from the $20 Pro tier
- Handles very long documents and codebases (1M-token models)
- Pro is $17/month on annual billing
- Paid 5-hour limits raised on Sept 22, 2026
- No video generation, limited image tooling
- Fable 5.1 is not included in Pro (needs usage credits) and is capped on Max
- Free tier has no Opus access
Best for: Anyone who writes for a living, works with long PDFs and reports, or ships code.
Verdict: Best-in-class for writing and coding. Pro is the sweet spot; Max is for people who hit Pro limits daily.
Anthropic API prices
Per million tokens, input / output.
| Model | Provider | Input /1M | Output /1M | Context | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Anthropic | $10 | $50 | 1M | Anthropic's top generally available tier. |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Anthropic | $4 | $20 | 1M | New Opus; cheaper than Opus 5. |
| Claude Opus 5 | Anthropic | $5 | $25 | 1M | |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Anthropic | $5 | $25 | 1M | |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | $2 | $10 | 1M | Planned increase to $3 / $15 was cancelled; $2 / $10 is permanent. |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | Anthropic | $1 | $5 | 200K |
Claude price history
| Date | Price | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2026 | — | Claude Pro: Opus 5.5 added; 5-hour limits raised, plus a one-time limit reset usable until Oct 22 |
| Sep 22, 2026 | — | Claude Max 5×: Opus 5.5 added; limits raised |
| Sep 22, 2026 | — | Claude Max 20×: Opus 5.5 added; limits raised |
| Sep 1, 2026 | — | Claude Max 5×: Fable 5.1 added (capped at 50% of weekly allowance) |
| Sep 1, 2026 | — | Claude Max 20×: Fable 5.1 added (capped at 50% of weekly allowance) |
Latest news
- Claude Opus 5.5 launched
API at $4 / $20. Included in Pro and Max (not Free). Paid 5-hour limits raised, plus a one-time reset usable until Oct 22.
- Claude Fable 5.1 launched
API at $10 / $50. Not included in Pro; usable on Max for up to 50% of the weekly allowance. Sonnet 5's planned price rise to $3 / $15 was cancelled.
Claude pricing questions
How much does Claude cost?
Claude has 4 plans on sale, from free to $200/mo. The cheapest paid plan is Claude Pro at $20/mo.
Which models does Claude Pro include?
Pro ($20, or $17/month billed annually) includes Claude Opus 5.5, Opus 5, Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5. Claude Fable 5.1 is not part of the Pro allowance and needs separate usage credits.
What does Claude Max add?
Max comes in two sizes: $100 for about 5× Pro usage and $200 for about 20×. Max plans can use Fable 5.1 for up to half of the weekly allowance.
Is Claude free?
Yes, there is a free tier with Sonnet-class models and daily limits. Opus 5.5 and Fable are paid-only.
Sources
Checked against the official pages below on September 25, 2026. Prices are USD before local tax. See how we verify prices and the change log.