Claude Pro vs Max 5x vs Max 20x: Usage, Claude Code and Which to Buy
Claude’s three personal plans are nearly identical in features. They differ in usage, and both Pro and Max include Claude Code.
Comparison
| Plan | Official price | Usage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/mo ($17 if billed yearly) | Baseline | Chat, writing, occasional Claude Code |
| Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x Pro | Daily coding, hitting Pro limits |
| Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x Pro | All-day use or several Claude Code sessions at once |
Max 5x and Max 20x have the same features, only a different allowance.
What “5x” and “20x” mean
Usage is measured in rolling five-hour windows, and the multiplier applies to each window. On top of that sits a weekly cap. So 20x is not 20 times everything, and heavy users can run into either limit.
How to choose
- Small projects, occasional coding: Pro is enough.
- Hitting the limit in a normal workday: go to Max 5x.
- Coding for hours every day, running parallel sessions, or hitting the weekly cap on 5x: consider Max 20x.
If you only need Claude for building software through the API, prepaid API credit can fit better: you pay for what you use, with no monthly fee.
Where to buy
Anthropic requires a supported payment card. Other routes are compared here, and ready-made private accounts are sold by shops such as Sublyte, priced from about 60% of the official rate, with pro-rata compensation if a plan is cut short.
Plans change. See the official Claude pricing page for current details.