Anthropic Renames Claude Max and Ultra Plans

Anthropic renamed its paid Claude plans “Max 5x” to “Max” and “Max 20x” to “Ultra” on October 30 local time. Monthly prices remain $110 and $220, respectively. Ultra no longer has a five-hour usage limit, but its description says it offers “10 times Pro’s usage,” prompting users on X and elsewhere to question whether the allowance had been cut from 20 times to 10 times.

Anthropic product lead Mike Obervel said on X that “Max 20x” originally referred to a five-hour limit set at 20 times Pro’s usage, when that was the only limit. Anthropic later added a weekly limit to Max 20x and set that cap at 10 times Pro’s weekly allowance, he said. Removing Ultra’s five-hour limit leaves the weekly cap, which is 10 times Pro’s, and the plan description was changed to reflect it.

An ITmedia review of the pricing page as of October 23 found that Max was described as offering a choice of five or 20 times Pro’s usage. The FAQ said Max provided that amount during each five-hour session and that paid plans also had weekly limits. It also said Anthropic could restrict usage at its discretion to manage capacity and ensure fair access for all users. The FAQ did not specify that Max 20x’s weekly limit was 10 times Pro’s.

Obervel apologized and said he understood that some new users had interpreted “20 times” as applying to both the five-hour and weekly limits. He denied that the renaming halved the plan’s capacity, explaining that the former “20 times” label and the weekly “10 times” cap referred to different limit periods. The older pricing page did not explain how the plan name’s multiplier related to its weekly cap. After the five-hour limit was removed, Ultra’s stated weekly usage cap remained 10 times Pro’s; the explanation that the former Max 20x weekly cap was also 10 times Pro’s came from Obervel.

Anthropic renamed its paid Claude plans “Max 5x” to “Max” and “Max 20x” to “Ultra” on October 30 local time. Monthly prices remain $110 and $220, respectively. Ultra no longer has a five-hour usage limit, but its description says it offers “10 times Pro’s usage,” prompting users on X and elsewhere to question whether the allowance had been cut from 20 times to 10 times.

Anthropic product lead Mike Obervel said on X that “Max 20x” originally referred to a five-hour limit set at 20 times Pro’s usage, when that was the only limit. Anthropic later added a weekly limit to Max 20x and set that cap at 10 times Pro’s weekly allowance, he said. Removing Ultra’s five-hour limit leaves the weekly cap, which is 10 times Pro’s, and the plan description was changed to reflect it.

An ITmedia review of the pricing page as of October 23 found that Max was described as offering a choice of five or 20 times Pro’s usage. The FAQ said Max provided that amount during each five-hour session and that paid plans also had weekly limits. It also said Anthropic could restrict usage at its discretion to manage capacity and ensure fair access for all users. The FAQ did not specify that Max 20x’s weekly limit was 10 times Pro’s.

Obervel apologized and said he understood that some new users had interpreted “20 times” as applying to both the five-hour and weekly limits. He denied that the renaming halved the plan’s capacity, explaining that the former “20 times” label and the weekly “10 times” cap referred to different limit periods. The older pricing page did not explain how the plan name’s multiplier related to its weekly cap. After the five-hour limit was removed, Ultra’s stated weekly usage cap remained 10 times Pro’s; the explanation that the former Max 20x weekly cap was also 10 times Pro’s came from Obervel.