Anthropic has announced major changes to its Claude subscription plans, renaming Max 5x to Max and Max 20x to Ultra while removing the five-hour usage limit for verified Ultra subscribers. The announcement, made on October 30, 2026, keeps the monthly subscription prices unchanged at $100 for Max and $200 for Ultra. Existing subscribers do not need to take any action to receive the updated plan names.
The biggest change is the removal of the five-hour session limit for verified Ultra accounts, allowing heavy users to continue working without being interrupted by the traditional session reset window. However, the change does not introduce unlimited usage. Ultra subscribers will still have a weekly usage limit equivalent to 10 times the Pro plan’s allowance. Newer accounts will also retain a temporary five-hour restriction until Anthropic verifies them.
Key Takeaways
- Max 5x renamed: The $100 monthly plan is now called Max.
- Max 20x renamed: The $200 monthly plan is now called Ultra.
- Five-hour limit removed: Verified Ultra accounts no longer have this session restriction.
- Weekly limit remains: Ultra continues to offer 10 times the Pro plan’s weekly usage.
- Temporary restrictions: Newer Ultra accounts retain the five-hour limit until verification.
- API credits: Max includes $100 in monthly API credits, while Ultra includes $200.
- Existing subscribers: No action is required to receive the plan changes.
Anthropic Renames Claude Max Plans to Max and Ultra
Anthropic has simplified the naming of its two highest-priced individual Claude subscription plans.
Previously, the company offered Max 5x at $100 per month and Max 20x at $200 per month. Under the updated structure, these subscriptions are called Max and Ultra, respectively.
The prices have not increased.
| Previous plan | New plan | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Max 5x | Max | $100 |
| Max 20x | Ultra | $200 |
The updated names are intended to make the subscription lineup easier to understand.
However, the change is more than a branding update. Anthropic has also modified how the highest-priced subscription handles session-based usage restrictions.
Existing subscribers will automatically receive the new plan names without needing to cancel or purchase another subscription.
Claude Ultra Removes the Five-Hour Usage Limit for Verified Accounts
The most significant announcement concerns the $200 Ultra subscription.
Previously, Claude Max 20x had a five-hour session-based usage limit. Once users exhausted their available allowance, they had to wait for the session limit to reset before continuing with their work.
This could interrupt developers using Claude Code for extended programming sessions, particularly when running complex tasks involving multiple files, debugging and AI agents.
Anthropic is now removing this five-hour restriction for verified Ultra accounts.
The change began rolling out on October 30, with most existing subscribers receiving the benefit immediately.
However, the company has retained a verification requirement for newer accounts.
How the new Ultra usage system works
- Verified Ultra subscribers can use Claude without the five-hour session cap.
- Newer accounts temporarily retain the five-hour restriction.
- Anthropic automatically verifies accounts using factors such as account and payment history.
- Once verification is complete, the temporary restriction is removed.
- Subscribers receive an email when the restriction is lifted.
- Weekly usage limits continue to apply.
Users can check their verification status under Settings and Usage. According to Anthropic’s help documentation, verified accounts will not see a Current session usage bar.
Weekly Usage Limits Still Apply to Claude Ultra
Although Anthropic has removed the five-hour limit for verified Ultra subscribers, the company has not removed all usage restrictions.
Ultra continues to have a weekly usage allowance equivalent to 10 times the Pro plan’s weekly limit.
This distinction is important because users may initially interpret the removal of the five-hour restriction as unlimited access.
That is not the case.
Previously, Max 20x had two separate usage allowances:
- A five-hour session allowance equivalent to 20 times the Pro plan’s session usage.
- A weekly allowance equivalent to 10 times the Pro plan’s weekly usage.
Anthropic has now removed the five-hour restriction for verified Ultra accounts while retaining the weekly allowance.
Claude subscription usage comparison
| Feature | Pro | Max | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Five-hour limit | Yes | Yes | No, for verified accounts |
| Weekly usage allowance | Standard | 5x Pro | 10x Pro |
| Priority access | — | Yes | Yes |
| Claude Code access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly API credits | — | $100 | $200 |
Prices are US web subscription prices before applicable taxes. Pro is listed at $20 per month on monthly billing; annual billing offers a discounted equivalent. Usage remains subject to Anthropic’s policies and additional restrictions.
The change means Ultra subscribers can work through longer sessions, but they can still exhaust their weekly allowance.
Why Anthropic Is Changing the Claude Max Plans
The update addresses a limitation that has affected developers and other heavy Claude users.
Claude has become an important tool for software development, research, document creation and other multi-step workflows.
Claude Code, in particular, allows developers to delegate programming tasks to an AI assistant that can inspect files, modify code, run commands and work through complex development processes.
These workflows can involve extended periods of continuous activity.
A five-hour usage restriction can interrupt such work even when a subscriber has paid for a higher-tier plan.
By removing the session cap for verified Ultra accounts, Anthropic is making its most expensive individual subscription more suitable for users who rely on Claude throughout the working day.
The change also strengthens the distinction between the $100 Max plan and the $200 Ultra subscription.
Max continues to offer five times the Pro plan’s usage allowance, while Ultra provides a larger weekly allowance and removes the five-hour restriction for verified accounts.
Anthropic Clarifies the Difference Between 20x and 10x Usage
The renaming also addresses confusion surrounding the previous Max 20x subscription.
When Anthropic originally introduced the top-tier plan, the 20x label referred to its five-hour session allowance.
After the company introduced weekly usage limits, the weekly allowance was set at 10 times the Pro plan’s usage.
This meant the same subscription had different multipliers for its session and weekly limits.
Some customers interpreted the Max 20x name as meaning that both allowances were 20 times higher than Pro.
Anthropic’s subscription product leadership acknowledged that the naming could have been clearer.
The new Ultra branding removes the numerical multiplier from the plan name, while the company explicitly lists its weekly allowance as 10 times Pro usage.
This is an important clarification for customers comparing the subscription’s actual usage capacity.
Claude Ultra Also Includes More Monthly API Credits
Another change in the updated subscription lineup concerns API credits.
Anthropic’s current pricing page lists monthly Claude Platform API credits for both Max and Ultra subscribers.
| Subscription | Monthly API credits |
|---|---|
| Max | $100 |
| Ultra | $200 |
These credits provide additional value to subscribers who also build applications or experiment with Claude through Anthropic’s developer platform.
The credits are separate from the consumer subscription’s usage allowance and are intended for eligible API usage.
This addition could make the higher-priced subscription more attractive to developers who use Claude both as an assistant and as part of their own software projects.
What the Update Means for Claude Code Users
The removal of the five-hour limit could be particularly relevant for developers working with Claude Code.
AI coding tools are increasingly being used for tasks that require multiple steps, including:
- Building application features.
- Debugging complex software problems.
- Refactoring existing codebases.
- Writing and running automated tests.
- Reviewing large projects.
- Managing multi-step coding agents.
These tasks can involve long-running sessions and repeated interactions with AI models.
Under the revised Ultra structure, verified subscribers can avoid the five-hour session interruption.
However, the weekly usage allowance remains the main restriction. Developers who use Claude heavily across multiple days may still reach their weekly limit before the next reset.
The overall benefit will therefore depend on how intensively each subscriber uses Claude and which models and features they select.
The Bigger Picture
Anthropic’s decision reflects the growing importance of subscription limits in the competition for professional AI users. Developers increasingly expect AI assistants to handle longer, multi-step tasks rather than simply answer individual questions. Removing the five-hour restriction from verified Ultra accounts makes the $200 subscription better suited to extended workflows, particularly those involving Claude Code and agent-based development.
At the same time, the continued weekly usage limit shows that Anthropic is not offering unrestricted access. The company is balancing longer uninterrupted sessions against the computing resources required to operate its AI services. The renamed Max and Ultra plans also make the difference between the two subscription tiers clearer, although users should pay attention to weekly allowances rather than relying on the old 5x and 20x labels.
Looking Ahead
The immediate focus will be on how Ultra subscribers respond to the removal of the five-hour limit and whether the change improves their experience with long-running coding and research tasks. Newer accounts will also need to complete Anthropic’s automatic verification process before receiving the unrestricted session benefit. The weekly allowance will remain an important factor in determining how much work users can complete over an entire billing week.
The update also adds pressure on competing AI providers to offer subscription plans that support intensive professional workflows. As AI coding agents become more capable and increasingly autonomous, access to computing capacity and predictable usage limits could become important differentiators between subscription tiers. Anthropic’s next challenge will be maintaining a reliable experience while supporting customers who use Claude for extended periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What has Anthropic changed in its Claude Max plans?
Anthropic has renamed Max 5x to Max and Max 20x to Ultra. It has also removed the five-hour session limit for verified Ultra subscribers.
2. How much does Claude Ultra cost?
Claude Ultra costs $200 per month on the web subscription. The price remains unchanged from the previous Max 20x plan.
3. Does Claude Ultra now offer unlimited usage?
No. Verified Ultra accounts no longer have the five-hour session limit, but the subscription still has a weekly usage allowance equivalent to 10 times Pro.
4. What happens to existing Max 20x subscribers?
Existing Max 20x subscribers are automatically moved to Ultra without a price change. They do not need to cancel or purchase a new subscription.
5. Why does a new Ultra account still have a five-hour limit?
Anthropic temporarily applies the restriction to newer accounts to help prevent fraud and abuse. The restriction is automatically removed after the account is verified.
6. How can users check whether their Ultra account is verified?
Users can open Settings and then Usage in Claude. If the Current session bar is not displayed, the account is verified and does not have the five-hour restriction.
7. Does Claude Max also lose its five-hour usage limit?
No. The five-hour limit remains on the $100 Max plan. Its removal applies to verified Ultra accounts.
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