Anthropic renamed its two top Claude consumer subscriptions on October 30, turning Max 20x into Ultra and removing the 5-hour session limit for verified Ultra accounts. Prices did not change. The plan formerly called Max 5x is now simply Max at $100 a month, and Ultra stays at $200 a month.
Anthropic announced the change on the official Claude account on X, saying the 5-hour limit removal starts "today with most existing subscribers." Weekly limits stay where they were. Existing subscribers move to the new plan names automatically, and the Free and Pro plans are not affected.
The condition is verification. Anthropic said newer accounts keep a temporary limit until they are verified, which the company said helps it prevent fraud and abuse. Verification is handled automatically from account and payment history rather than through forms, and phone verification at checkout does not lift the cap by itself.
Key facts
- 01Anthropic renamed Max 20x to Ultra and Max 5x to Max on October 30, keeping prices at $200 and $100 a month.
- 02Verified Ultra accounts no longer have a 5-hour session limit; weekly limits are unchanged.
- 03Ultra lists 10x Pro usage per week and includes $200 a month in Claude API credits.
- 04Max keeps 5x Pro usage per 5-hour window and per week, plus $100 a month in API credits.
- 05Newer accounts keep a temporary limit until verified, which Anthropic said helps prevent fraud and abuse.
Subscribers can check their status under Settings, then Usage. A verified Ultra account no longer shows the "Current session" bar, and Anthropic emails subscribers when the limit is removed.
On the updated Claude pricing page, Ultra lists "No 5-hour limit" for verified accounts and 10x Pro usage every week, which leaves the weekly budget as the plan's only listed ceiling. Max keeps 5x Pro usage on both the 5-hour window and the weekly window, along with priority access at high-traffic times.
Both upper tiers now bundle API credits. Max includes $100 a month in credits to build on the Claude Platform, and Ultra includes $200 a month. The credits apply to a linked Claude Console organization, do not roll over, cannot be spent on interactive Claude Code sessions, and require seven days on an eligible plan.
Fable access draws from the same weekly pool. The pricing page lists Fable as included on Max and Ultra for up to half of the weekly limit, while Pro subscribers pay for Fable with usage credits. Pro remains $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually.
An archived copy of the Claude pricing page from earlier on October 30 showed a single Max plan priced "From $100" with limits that reset on a rolling five-hour window. The new page splits that into two named tiers, and Anthropic has not explained how the old "20x" label maps to the 10x weekly figure now listed for Ultra.
Usage on the old Max 20x tier had already drawn outside measurement. Earlier in October, SemiAnalysis measured Max 20x accounts and found, on one account, a five-hour window about 19% larger and a weekly budget about 20% smaller. Those were SemiAnalysis figures, not numbers Anthropic published.
The plan change follows OpenAI's move this week to double usage limits for ChatGPT Pro and Codex. Anthropic has not said how many Ultra subscribers are already verified or how long newer accounts will wait before the 5-hour cap comes off.
Working on something we should cover, or seeing a story we missed? Send leads, documents, or feedback to hello@aichatdaily.com. For sensitive tips, see our secure tips page for Signal and PGP options.
Spotted an error? Email hello@aichatdaily.com with the URL and the issue, or read our full corrections policy.
