Independent AI buying guide

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Last checked 26 Oct 2026

Which AIshould I buy?

Prices & plans

Claude pricing

Every Claude plan by Anthropic: what it costs, which AI models you get and whether the free plan is enough. Every price links to its source, and we re-check them every week.

The short answer

Claude · 3 plans

Cheapest way in

Free

Yes. Claude has a free plan. Paid plans start with Claude Pro at $20/mo.

Is the free plan enough?

Mostly

Claude Free covers the basics: it scores 82% of Claude Pro for everyday use in the same independent tests.

Highest score

Pro

Claude Pro scores 97/100 for everyday use, with Claude Opus 5.5.

Right as of 26 Oct 2026. New models and price changes come out often, and we re-check every week. Check back before you buy or renew.

All Claude plans

Prices per month, with the official source and the date we checked it. Scores are for everyday use, out of 100, from the same independent tests as our rankings.

PlanPriceScoreWorth it?
FreeFreeSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 202680Claude Sonnet 5.5—
Pro$20/moSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 202697Claude Opus 5.5Is it worth it? →
Max$100/moSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 202697Claude Opus 5.5Is it worth it? →

What you get per plan

The sourced facts per plan: price, AI models and what's included. Our opinion comes after.

Free plan

Claude Free

By Anthropic · Free

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

AI models included

  • Claude Haiku 5.5 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Sonnet 5.5 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.

What you get with Free

  • Chat on web, desktop and mobile, with web search and file creation.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Memory carries across conversations.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Free covers everyday questions.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Chat on web, desktop, and mobile for freeSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Official site: claude.ai ↗

Paid plan

Claude Pro

By Anthropic · $20/mo

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

AI models included

  • Claude Fable 5.1 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Haiku 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Opus 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Sonnet 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.

What you get with Pro

  • Pro gives at least 5x more usage per 5-hour session than FreeSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Claude Code is included with the planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Includes projects and access to more Claude models.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Can hand off and schedule tasksSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Access to more Claude modelsSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • More usage than the Free planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Projects to organize chats and documentsSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Is Claude Pro worth it? →
Official site: claude.ai ↗

Paid plan

Claude Max

By Anthropic · $100/mo

Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

AI models included

  • Claude Fable 5.1 (limited use)Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Haiku 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Opus 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.
  • Claude Sonnet 5.5Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026The plan lists the model family; the version comes from the same page's list of current models.

What you get with Max

  • Offers 5x or 20x more usage than Pro.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Higher output limits for all tasksSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Monthly API credits for building on the Claude PlatformSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • $100 to $200 monthly in API credits for buildingSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Priority access at busy timesSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Is Claude Max worth it? →
Official site: claude.ai ↗

About Claude

On every plan. Our take is opinion; strengths and limitations are sourced facts.

Our take (opinion, reviewed 7 Oct 2026)

Strong at writing and long, careful work with documents and code.

Good for

  • Long writing and editing work
  • Developers who want a coding agent included

Not for

  • People who want to make images

Strengths

  • Free plan includes web search, file creation and code running.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Memory across conversations is included on every plan.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Claude Code is included in all paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Works in Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365 on Pro and MaxSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Limitations

  • Your chats may be used for model training unless you opt outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Usage limits apply and there is no fixed message count.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Prices shown do not include applicable taxes.Source: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Usage limits reset every five hours, with weekly caps on paid plansSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Claude Code is not included in the free planSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026
  • Model training on your chats is on by default, with an opt-outSource: Anthropic · verified 26 Oct 2026

Official site: claude.ai ↗

Questions people ask

How much does Claude cost?
Claude has 3 plans: a free plan, Pro at $20/mo and Max at $100/mo. Every price links to its source; we last checked them on 26 Oct 2026.
Is Claude free?
Yes. Claude has a free plan. Paid plans start with Claude Pro at $20/mo.
Is the free version of Claude enough?
Mostly. Claude Free covers the basics: it scores 82% of Claude Pro for everyday use in the same independent tests.
Which Claude plan scores highest?
Claude Pro scores 97/100 for everyday use, with Claude Opus 5.5.

Prices are copied from each company's own pages, never estimated: a price we couldn't check says so. Scores come from independent benchmarks. Read how we rank, or see every AI plan side by side.