Skip to content

First module is free — start with a sampler of plugins, skills & e-books.Access for free

Studio Schema

Carousel · 9 slides

Claude Pro vs Max — the actual math

Same models on every tier. What the bigger number actually buys — with real prices. As posted on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn — the full story, one slide per card.

The Account · SCHEMA 00101/09

Claude Pro is $20. Max is $200. The gap is headroom.

Same models on every tier. Here is what the bigger number actually buys — with real prices.

Subscription vs API02/09

Two ways to pay, one budget question.

Myth

Pay-as-you-go API billing is the cheap way to run Claude Code daily.

Fact

Opus 4.8 costs $5 in / $25 out per million tokens. One context-heavy session can cost $25 before Claude writes a line back.

The plan cards03/09

Pro includes Claude Code. Free does not.

The live plan cards — 'Includes Claude Code' is printed on Pro, not Free. Max splits into 5x and 20x tiers when you pick it.

The live plan cards — 'Includes Claude Code' is printed on Pro, not Free. Max splits into 5x and 20x tiers when you pick it.

The decision table04/09

Match the tier to your hours.

  • 01Evenings and weekends, learning — Pro, $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually)
  • 02Most days, a few hours of real building — Max 5x, $100/mo
  • 03A working studio, Claude running most of the day — Max 20x, $200/mo
  • 04Cloud deploys, CI, apps that call Claude — API key, metered
What you're buying05/09

Every tier gets the same models.

Bigger numbers buy headroom: usage accrues in five-hour sessions plus weekly caps, shared across claude.ai chat, the desktop app, and Claude Code. A heavy evening hits the session ceiling; a heavy week hits the weekly one.

The upgrade trigger06/09

Interrupted more than twice a week? Move up one tier.

That is the whole rule. Under that threshold you are paying for headroom you don't use. Start on Pro and let the limits give you the data.

Proof in the terminal07/09

The flat rate, wired in.

$ claude --version
2.1.175 (Claude Code)

$ claude auth status
{
  "subscriptionType": "max"
}

Claude Code authenticated against a claude.ai subscription, not an API key — no meter running.

Save this08/09

The tier decision, in five rows.

  • Start on Pro at $20/mo — data beats guessing
  • Find Settings → Usage on claude.ai — two bars decide everything
  • Limits interrupt real work twice a week? Move up one tier
  • Daily building on the sub; API keys for shipped products
  • Prices drift — check claude.com/pricing before quoting them
The boundary09/09

One idea from one lesson.

Track 1 (23 lessons) is free.