Is Claude AI Free? Limits, Plans & Pricing

Is Claude AI free? Yes. Claude Free gives you Sonnet and Haiku on web, desktop and mobile, with limits that reset every 5 hours. Pro is $17 a month yearly.

Quick answer: yes, Claude has a free plan for everyone. It includes chat on web, desktop, iOS and Android, web search, file creation with code, memory, connectors, Artifacts and up to 5 projects. What it doesn’t include: the Opus model, Claude Code, Research and Claude in Chrome. Usage resets on a rolling five-hour window. Pro costs $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) or $20 monthly. We checked Anthropic’s pricing page on October 29, 2026.

Most people asking this want to know one thing: will the free plan be enough, or will I hit a wall halfway through a job? So this guide focuses on what you actually get, how the limits work, and the point where paying starts to make sense.

What Claude Free includes

• Models: Sonnet and Haiku. Opus, Anthropic’s top model, is paid only.
• Everywhere: chat on the web, the desktop app, iOS and Android.
• Tools: web search, creating and editing files with code execution, Artifacts, voice mode and desktop extensions.
• Memory and projects: memory across conversations and up to 5 projects.
• Apps: connectors to your apps and tools, plus Claude Design, Slides and Docs.
• Privacy setting: model training is opt-out on every plan, including Free.

Claude Free vs Pro vs Max

Plan	Price	Who it’s for
Free	$0	Everyday questions, writing help, occasional documents
Pro	$17/month billed yearly ($200 up front), or $20 monthly	Daily use, Claude Code, Opus, Research, Claude in Chrome
Max 5x	From $100/month	All-day use, 5x Pro usage, priority access, $100 a month in API credits
Max 20x	Higher tier of Max	20x Pro usage, priority access, $200 a month in API credits

Prices exclude tax. Max is billed monthly only; Pro can be monthly or annual.

How Claude’s free limits work

Anthropic doesn’t publish a fixed message count. Instead, every plan has usage that resets on a rolling five-hour session window, and paid plans add weekly limits on top. How far the free allowance goes depends on the length of your chats, the files you attach, the model and the features you use. Anthropic’s own guideline: Free covers everyday questions, and Pro gives at least 5x more usage per five-hour session than Free.

When you hit the limit, you wait for the window to reset or upgrade. You can check where you stand in Settings, then Usage. Chats on the web, desktop and mobile all draw from the same pool.

Is the Claude API free?

No. The Claude apps have a free plan, but developers pay per token through an Anthropic Console account. Max plans now include $100 or $200 a month in API credits, which is the closest thing to “free” API use.

Is Claude Code free?

No. Anthropic lists Claude Code on all paid plans and not on Free. It shares the same usage pool as your chats, so heavy coding on Pro can use up your allowance faster.

Claude Free vs ChatGPT Free and Gemini

ChatGPT Free has unlimited text chats with GPT-6, which makes it the better pick if you send many short messages. Gemini’s free plan is the most connected to Google apps. Claude Free tends to win on writing quality and long documents, so many people keep two free chatbots and switch when one hits its limit. Our free chat AI comparison lines up all the free plans, and best free AI chatbot matches them to tasks.

When is Claude Pro worth paying for?

• You hit the five-hour limit most days. Pro’s at least 5x more usage removes most of the waiting.
• You need Opus or Research. Both are paid-only.
• You code. Claude Code alone justifies Pro for many developers.
• You want it in Chrome or Microsoft 365. Claude in Chrome and Claude for Microsoft 365 are Pro features.

If none of those apply, stay on Free. For more no-cost options across chat, images and video, see our free AI tools hub, or check whether another big brand is still free in is Sora AI free.

Our verdict

Claude is free, and the free plan is generous on features: Sonnet, web search, files, memory and projects. The catch is the rolling five-hour limit and no Opus or Claude Code. Use Free for writing and documents, pair it with ChatGPT Free for quick questions, and pay $17 to $20 a month only when the limit starts costing you time.

Frequently asked questions