- Claude Pro costs $20/month or $200/year; Max 5x costs $100/month; Max 20x costs $200/month. Max is currently monthly only.
- The 5x/20x labels mean usage per rolling five-hour session relative to Pro—not speed or a fixed message count. Paid plans also have weekly limits.
- Pro and Max all include Claude Code, and usage across web, desktop, mobile and Claude Code comes from one shared pool. Upgrade only if you regularly reach the limits.
What are Pro, Max 5× and Max 20×
Claude Pro is the base individual paid tier, with more usage, Projects, more models and Claude Code. Claude Max includes everything in Pro and comes in 5x and 20x tiers, primarily adding much larger session capacity, higher output limits and priority access to new features.
Model access: Pro and Max genuinely differ after 2026-07-20
"Pro and Max run the same models, only the quota differs" — that widely repeated line stopped being true on 20 July 2026.
| Pro ($20/mo) | Max ($100 / $200) | |
|---|---|---|
| Strongest model available | Opus 5 | Opus 5 (and set as the default) |
| Fable 5 / 5.1 | Available, but billed as pay-as-you-go usage credits **from the very first message** | **Included in the plan**, up to 50% of your weekly usage limit |
So the real question is now: do you use Fable regularly? Burning more than $80/month of Fable credits already pays for the upgrade — $80 is exactly the gap between Pro and Max 5×.
Tier-by-tier comparison
The table compares official price, five-hour capacity, Claude Code and best-fit users:
| Tier | Official price | Per 5-hour session | Claude Code | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Pro | $20/mo or $200/yr | Baseline | Included | Everyday writing, research and coding |
| Claude Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x Pro | Included | Heavy long-form and project coding |
| Claude Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x Pro | Included | All-day use and large coding tasks |
Actual consumption depends on conversation length, attachment size, model, reasoning effort and tools. Two people on the same plan may therefore get very different message counts.
How five-hour resets and weekly limits work
Claude uses a rolling five-hour session window. Max 5x and 20x provide five and twenty times Pro capacity per session. Paid individual plans also have weekly limits; see the next reset in Settings → Usage.
Is Claude Code included, and is its quota separate?
Pro, Max 5x and Max 20x all include Claude Code in terminals and supported IDEs. Claude on web, desktop and mobile plus Claude Code draw from the same subscription usage pool; Code does not receive a separate allowance.
How three user types should choose
- ✓Everyday writing, research and routine coding, with few limit warnings → start with Pro.
- ✓Daily long sessions in Claude or Claude Code, regularly exhausting Pro during a work block → choose Max 5x.
- ✓Large repositories, long-running agent tasks or all-day workflows, still exhausting Max 5x → consider Max 20x.
All-in price from China
Official web prices are below. The RMB checkout total changes with live FX and payment-channel costs, so this article does not promise a fixed long-term RMB figure:
How to upgrade from Pro to Max
- 1Confirm your accountLog into your own Claude account and confirm you are on Pro.
- 2Pick the target tierChoose Max 5× or 20× on the platform; it quotes the difference or a new cycle.
- 3Pay in RMB and enter your account emailPay with WeChat/Alipay and enter the Claude account email requested by checkout. Never give anyone your account password.
- 4Verify activationAfter it takes effect, log in to verify the tier and renewal date, and keep the receipt.
Frequently asked questions
What is the core difference between Pro and Max?
Max includes Pro benefits while adding much more capacity per five-hour window, higher output limits and priority access to new features. Exact models and features can change with official policy.
Can I upgrade from Pro straight to Max?
Yes. When upgrading through Claude settings, remaining subscription value is generally handled on a prorated basis; exact billing depends on the original plan and purchase channel.
Is Max 20× 20× faster than Pro?
It is 20× the usage quota, not response speed. It lets you go longer and more frequently without throttling; per-answer speed matches the model.
Does Claude Code receive a separate quota?
No. Claude web, desktop, mobile and Claude Code share the plan allowance; long chats, large files and high reasoning effort consume it faster.
- Anthropic official pricingPlan pricing, features and usage windows
- Anthropic plan selection guidePro, Max 5x and Max 20x compared
- Anthropic Claude Code guideSubscription access and shared usage