Claude Code plan calculator
Enter how much you actually code with Claude. Get the cheapest plan that fits, and what the same usage would cost at API rates.
Anthropic sells Claude Code three ways: Pro at $20 a month, Max 5x at $100, and Max 20x at $200. The plans differ in how much you can use inside each 5 hour window and across a week. Anthropic no longer publishes exact caps, so most people guess.
This calculator turns your real schedule into an estimate. Set your days, hours, and model mix. You get an estimated monthly token count, what that usage would cost at API rates, and a fit rating for each plan. If Pro covers you, it says so.
Max 5x at $100/month is the cheapest plan that fits. The same usage at API rates: about $166/month.
Assumptions: a normal active hour processes ~0.5M input and ~50K output tokens; a heavy agentic hour ~2M input and ~200K output. Plan capacity uses community observed weekly hour ranges, since Anthropic no longer publishes exact caps. Real usage varies with prompt caching, repo size, and how often you interrupt. Treat every number as an estimate, not a quote. Rates last verified 2026-07-15.
Whichever plan you pick, it only pays off while the agent is running. Put the same Claude login on an always-on box and the hours you pay for finish their work.
Run Claude Code 24/7Is Claude Max worth it?
Only if you hit Pro's limits. Pro at $20 covers roughly 40 to 80 hours of Sonnet per week by community estimates. If you code with Claude under 2 hours a day, Max is usually wasted money. Max 5x starts to make sense around 3 to 6 focused hours a day, or if you want Opus in Claude Code.
What is the difference between Claude Pro and Max?
Price and capacity. Pro is $20 a month. Max 5x is $100 and gives about 5 times Pro's usage per 5 hour session. Max 20x is $200 and gives about 20 times. The Max plans also include Opus in Claude Code. Pro is limited to Sonnet.
What are the Claude Code usage limits?
Two layers. A 5 hour rolling window caps each session, and weekly caps sit on top: one across all models plus a separate Opus cap on Max plans. Anthropic stopped publishing fixed numbers in 2025, so this calculator uses community observed ranges and labels them as estimates.
Is the API cheaper than a Claude subscription?
For light use, yes. Sonnet costs $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens. A few short sessions a week can land under $20 a month, and then the API or Pro is the right call. Heavy daily agentic use often burns several dollars an hour at API rates, and a flat plan wins fast.
What happens when I hit my Claude Code limit?
Claude Code pauses until the window resets. The 5 hour window resets on a rolling basis and weekly caps reset every 7 days. You can also switch that session to API billing and keep going at per token prices.
Do the plan limits apply if Claude Code runs in the cloud?
Yes. The limits follow your Anthropic account, not the machine. Running Claude Code on an always-on box does not raise your caps. It does mean the hours you pay for produce finished work instead of dying when your laptop sleeps.
Put your agent on a box that stays on.
Live in minutes. Free tier available. Pro is $9.99/mo.
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