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cost guide
Cheapest way to get Claude Code
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You want Claude writing your code and you don't want to overpay for it. Here is every route in our dataset, sorted by what you hand over each month.
The ladder, cheapest first
| Tool | Plan | Price | Usage / limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiro | Free | $0 | 50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5 with rate limits (Claude models run on Kiro credits inside Kiro, not Claude Code itself.) | source |
| Zed | Personal | $0 | Unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents (Claude Agent, Codex CLI) (Runs Claude through your own API key or the Claude Agent; you pay the model provider on top.) | source |
| Amp | Hobby | $0 | Pay-as-you-go orbs or your own runners; bring your own keys/subscriptions (Amp bills runner minutes; the Claude tokens come from your own Claude subscription or API key.) | source |
| Cline | Open Source | $0 | Free; pay only for model inference (your keys or Cline credits at cost) (No subscription; you pay the model provider directly (BYOK) or buy Cline credits at cost.) | source |
| Claude Code | Pro | $20/mo $17/mo annual | At least 5x Free per 5-hour session; exact tokens unknown 5× Free | source |
| Kiro | Pro | $20/mo | Monthly credits; premium models incl. Claude Opus 5; add-on credits $0.04 (Claude models run on Kiro credits inside Kiro, not Claude Code itself.) | source |
| Amp | Individual | $20/mo | 45,000 orb minutes; bring your own keys/subscriptions (Amp bills runner minutes; the Claude tokens come from your own Claude subscription or API key.) | source |
| Claude Code | Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x Pro per 5-hour session; weekly limit; $100/mo API credits; monthly billing only 5× Pro | source |
| Claude Code | Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x Pro per 5-hour session; weekly limit; $200/mo API credits; monthly billing only 20× Pro | source |
Claude Code itself
Claude Code ships with Claude subscriptions. The Free plan says it plainly: No Claude Code. So the floor is Pro.
- Pro $20 ($17/mo billed annually): At least 5x Free per 5-hour session; exact tokens unknown. source
- Max 5x $100: 5x Pro per 5-hour session; weekly limit; $100/mo API credits; monthly billing only. source
- Max 20x $200: 20x Pro per 5-hour session; weekly limit; $200/mo API credits; monthly billing only. source
How limits work: Rolling 5-hour session window plus weekly limits on paid plans; Claude Code shares the pool with Claude chat; no fixed message count published; optional usage credits at API rates.
The tradeoffs
- Pro annual is the cheapest way into Claude Code itself: $17/mo, but you pay a year up front: $17/mo billed annually ($200/yr).
- Pro monthly at $20 keeps you free to quit. Anthropic publishes no fixed token count, only "At least 5x Free per 5-hour session; exact tokens unknown".
- Max is for when you keep hitting the 5-hour wall. It also includes API credits each month, but there is no annual discount.
- The $0 routes (Cline, Zed Personal, Amp Hobby) cost nothing up front but bill you per token through your own key, so a busy week can cost more than Pro. Our data has no Claude API prices, so we can't tell you where that line is.
- Kiro gives Claude models inside its own IDE on credits. Cheap entry, but it's Kiro's agent, not Claude Code.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to get Claude Code?
Claude Pro at $17/mo billed annually ($200/yr), or $20/mo billed monthly. Verified 2026-10-14.
Is Claude Code free?
No. The Claude Free plan lists: No Claude Code.
Can I use Claude models without a Claude subscription?
In our data: Kiro Free ($0): 50 credits; open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5 with rate limits; Kiro Pro ($20): Monthly credits; premium models incl. Claude Opus 5; add-on credits $0.04; Zed Personal ($0): Unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents (Claude Agent, Codex CLI); Amp Hobby ($0): Pay-as-you-go orbs or your own runners; bring your own keys/subscriptions; Amp Individual ($20): 45,000 orb minutes; bring your own keys/subscriptions; Cline Open Source ($0): Free; pay only for model inference (your keys or Cline credits at cost).
Is Claude Max worth it over Pro?
Max 5x gives 5x Pro usage per 5-hour session and Max 20x gives 20x, each with monthly API credits. Both are monthly billing only.
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