Prices and features checked against claude.com/pricing on 7 October 2026.
The short answer
Yes, Claude is free. Anthropic’s free plan costs $0 and needs no card. You get chat on web, desktop and phone, web search, file creation, memory, Skills, connectors, Artifacts and up to 5 Projects.
What costs money: the Opus models, Claude Code, Research, Claude in Chrome, Claude Design, Slides and Docs, unlimited Projects, and more usage. All of that starts with Pro at $20 a month, or $17 a month paid yearly. In the UK, Pro is £18 a month, or £15 a month paid yearly, with VAT included.
Is Claude really free, or is it a trial?
It’s a permanent free plan, not a trial. Anthropic lists Free as its own plan, “free for everyone”, next to Pro and Max on its pricing page. There’s no countdown and nothing switches to paid on its own.
You just sign up at claude.ai. You only pay if you choose to upgrade.
Free vs Pro vs Max: what you actually get
Free covers most everyday features. Paying mainly buys you more usage, the top models and the pro tools.
| Feature | Free ($0) | Pro ($20/mo) | Max ($100 or $200/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat on web, desktop, iPhone, Android | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create files and run code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory across chats | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Skills, connectors, Artifacts | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice mode | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Projects | Up to 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Research (deep reports) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
| Claude in Chrome / Microsoft 365 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Claude Design, Slides, Docs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Opus models | No | Yes | Yes |
| Usage | Baseline | At least 5x Free | 5x or 20x Pro |
| Priority access when busy | No | No | Yes |
Which Claude models do free users get?
Free users get Sonnet and Haiku. The more powerful Opus models need Pro or above, and Fable, Anthropic’s top public model, is paid-only too.
| Model | Free | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiku (fastest) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sonnet (everyday all-rounder) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Opus (harder reasoning) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fable (most advanced) | No | Via paid usage credits | Up to 50% of weekly limits |
For most chat, writing and research, Sonnet is plenty. You’ll notice the missing Opus mainly on long, complex tasks.
How many messages do you get for free?
There’s no fixed number, and Anthropic doesn’t publish one. Usage resets on a rolling five-hour window, and how far it goes depends on what you do in each chat. According to Anthropic’s help centre, these use up your allowance faster:
- Long messages and long conversations
- Big file attachments
- Tools like web search
- Your model and effort level
- Creating Artifacts, and multi-step tasks like running code, making files or browsing
The only official comparison: Pro gives at least 5x the usage of Free per five-hour session. When you hit the limit, you can wait for the reset or upgrade.
Watch out for made-up numbers. If a site says Claude Free gives you exactly “40 messages a day”, it’s guessing. The real limit changes with how you use it.
Can you do this on the free plan?
Most everyday jobs work on Free. The paywall shows up for coding tools, deep research and browser automation.
| What you want to do | Free? | What you’d use |
|---|---|---|
| Write or polish an email, CV or cover letter | Yes | Sonnet chat |
| Summarise a PDF or long document | Yes | File upload |
| Ask about today’s news or prices | Yes | Web search |
| Make a spreadsheet or document file | Yes | File creation |
| Keep notes and files for an ongoing task | Yes, up to 5 | Projects |
| Get a long researched report with sources | No | Research (Pro) |
| Have Claude click through websites for you | No | Claude in Chrome (Pro) |
| Build or fix software on your computer | No | Claude Code (Pro) |
How to make the free plan last longer
These tips come from Anthropic’s own usage guide.
- Put several questions in one message. Fewer back-and-forths use less.
- Give all the context up front. Clear instructions avoid follow-ups.
- Use a Project for documents you reuse. Project files are cached, so asking about them again costs less.
- Send whole texts at once, not piece by piece.
- Reread your prompt before sending. It saves a “sorry, I meant…” message.
Should you upgrade?
Start on Free, and only pay once you keep running into something it can’t do.
| Your situation | Best plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A few chats a day: emails, questions, summaries | Free | $0 |
| You hit the limit several times a week | Pro | $20/mo ($17/mo yearly) |
| You need Opus, Research, Claude Code or Claude in Chrome | Pro | $20/mo ($17/mo yearly) |
| You use Claude for hours every day and Pro keeps stopping you | Max 5x | $100/mo |
| Claude is your main work tool, all day, every day | Max 20x | $200/mo |
How much is Claude in the UK?
For UK visitors, Anthropic’s pricing page shows prices in pounds with 20% VAT already included, so what you see is what you pay.
| Plan | Monthly | Paid yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | £0 |
| Pro | £18 | £15 a month (£180 up front) |
| Max | From £90 | Monthly only |
Related: Claude Pro vs Max · Claude vs ChatGPT · What are Claude Skills?
Weighing up your options? See what ChatGPT gives you for free, or our Claude vs ChatGPT comparison.
FAQ
Is Claude completely free?
The free plan is, with a usage limit that resets on a rolling five-hour window. Opus, Claude Code, Research and more usage need a paid plan.
Do I need a credit card to use Claude for free?
No. Card details only come into it if you choose to upgrade.
Can I use Claude Code for free?
No. Claude Code is included in all paid plans, starting with Pro.
Does Claude Free have Projects?
Yes, up to 5. Pro and above get unlimited Projects.
How much is Claude Pro in the UK?
Anthropic’s UK pricing page lists Pro at £18 a month, or £15 a month billed yearly (£180 up front). Max starts at £90 a month. UK prices include 20% VAT.
Can I cancel Pro and go back to Free?
Yes. Your account moves to Free at the end of the billing period, and your chats and files stay.
How this guide was made
- Every price and feature was checked on Anthropic’s own pricing and help pages on 7 October 2026.
- Drafted with help from an AI writing assistant, then fact-checked and edited by Adsen.
- We recheck this page monthly and whenever Anthropic changes its plans. No affiliate links.
Sources
- Claude plans and pricing, checked 7 October 2026
- Usage limit best practices, Claude Help Center, checked 7 October 2026
- Claude pricing in pounds (UK view, VAT included), checked 7 October 2026
