never used any AI model before. Wanting to purchase the Pro plan for Claude for 20 bucks. I'm looking to use it to help with my novel writing. more editing than anything. not creation.

What im wondering is how much usage you actually get for the free version compared to the pro plan.

Pro plan lists 5x more usage than the free one. But i dont have an idea of how much use ill actually get. Is that enough to edit my 200-300k word count novel?

How much use can i get out of it? I know there isnt an exact answer, but a ballpark so i know what im dealing with.

Today, I just saw this article about claude code and see that they added claude code to pro plan. But you will only get 10-40 prompts every 5 hours. What do you guys think?

Hi! I’m sorry if this has been asked already but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around how the pro plan works compared to free.

I’m currently using the free plan mainly for collaborative storytelling, conversation, and help organizing adulting tasks. I notice that compared to ChatGPT’s free plan, each chat thread gets filled up very quickly. (I get the “Your prompt is too long” error, even if I just send a single word, which makes me feel like I’ve hit the end of the context window and the chat has gotten too large for Claude to handle, or something like that.) So I’ll have to consistently ask for summaries of what’s happened in the story or what we’ve talked about to feed to the next chat instance for some sense of continuity.

I was contemplating switching to the pro plan, just to give myself more space in each continuous chat window before needing to summarize and move to another thread. But I’m confused at how everything I read about pro speaks of an amount of messages that resets 5 hours. Is that amount per chat window? Or all together? I have yet to hit anything like a “you’ve sent too many messages, please use Claude again after midnight” error while using free. So the idea of limits that reset more frequently confuses me a bit.

TL;DR: If I get Claude Pro, will the available space in each chat thread increase, or will I just get hit with more time-induced limits that will be more trouble than they’re worth?

I’ve been using Claude Code (on the $20 Pro plan) for about two weeks, and I feel like I’m not using it to its' full extent

A few questions for more experienced users:

• How do you manage your token usage effectively?

• Do you use models other than Sonnet 4 within Claude Code, given that Opus isn’t included in the Pro plan?

• What does your planning workflow look like? Do you use Claude for outlining, spec writing, etc.?

More resources I have access to:

I also have an OpenAI Plus subscription, which I sometimes use to research or planning specific features I'm implementing. And I’ve got access to GitHub Copilot Pro (student plan), which I fall back on when I hit the 5-hour Claude Code limit.

Would love to hear how you’re managing your stack and making the most of these tools.

I'm trying to get a sense of what plans people here are using for Claude and how they fit different use cases.

If you're willing to share:

Which Claude plan are you on (20 / 100 / 200)?

Are you using it for personal projects, within your own company, or as an employee in a larger organization? It's hard for me to decide if someone is hobbyist or actually using it in large, enterprise codebases.

How do the limits feel in practice, especially on the Pro plan?

This week I used the Claude API before and during a workshop and already hit around $24 in usage, so I'm wondering if a subscription might be more cost-effective. At the same time, the reported message limits that many of you share make me a bit unsure... if they hit so hard for the 100 and 200 plans... do I really have to bother with 20

I intend to use it to get hands-on experience at vibe engineering, multiple agents flow and maybe some backlog items, script generations (bash, azure etc).

If you’ve tested both API usage and subscriptions, how do they compare for you in terms of value?

Any insights would help a lot thanks!

EDIT: Thanks to everyone that took the time to share their perspective and opinion. It was really helpful!

I learned that Codex is available for gpt pro users (I currently have such subscription) so I started testing it yesterday. It feels a bit behind in terms of flows, but it's too early for me to judge. At some point I will go with pro plan of claude and compare the results.

This is what claude said:"With the Claude Pro plan, you're using the web interface, but Claude Code is a separate command-line tool that requires API access. Unfortunately, your Pro plan subscription doesn't automatically give you access to Claude Code without an API key.

Here are your options:

Option 1: Get API Access

Even with a Pro plan, you'll need separate API credits to use Claude Code. You can:

• Sign up for API access at https://console.anthropic.com

• API usage is billed separately from your Pro subscription"

Option 2: Use Claude Web Interface

Since you have Pro, you can:

• Use the web interface at claude.ai for coding help

• Copy/paste code between VS Code and the Claude web chat

• Use Claude's artifact feature for code generation and editing

Option 3: VS Code Extensions

While not Claude specifically, you might find these helpful:

• GitHub Copilot (if you have access)

• Other AI coding assistants that integrate directly with VS Code

Unfortunately, there isn't currently a way to use Claude Code with just a Pro subscription - it requires API access with separate billing. The Pro plan gives you enhanced access to the web interface, but the command-line tool is a different product that needs API credentials.

I thought you got claude code with pro but the same rate limits as the web interface. Bummer.

EDIT: Yes , you CAN use claude code with VS code if you are on a pro subscription WITHOUT using API credits. (just install claude through npm in the integrated terminal and type claude - it will present an option to login with your pro account)

Hello,

I am currently having a Chat GPT Plus subscription, tried Gemini advanced, but now think about switching to Claude Pro as I heared for coding it is way better than Chat GPT-4o. What are your thoughts on Claude and is Claude Pro worth it as of December 2024.

I'm back from month hiatus of Claude Max5 Subscription and just recently re-subscribed to Pro plan to test Opus 4.5.

At first, I was laughing on how people comments and said in here that you can only prompt one Opus 4.5 and your 5-hour limit is gone until I literally experienced it. Now, I upgrade my Plan to Max5 and the usage limit difference is HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE compared to Pro Plan. It is not just 5x. So I feel like the Pro plan (This should be renamed to just "Plus" because there's no pro in this plan) is really just to test the model and Anthropic will force you to upgrade to Max.

Right now, been coding on 2 sessions simultaneously continuously using opusplan model and I'm only 57% of the 5-hour limit, reset in 1 hour.

Anyhow,

Opus 4.5 is great, the limit is higher. I'm happy but my wallet hurts. Lol

I paid for Claude because I really liked the responses to some of my questions/prompts.

However, it seems that after I decided to purchase a subscription, the quality in these responses have gone down. Maybe I'm just tripping. BUUTTT, one thing I've noticed is that there are limited number of prompts that I can ask? I wasn't expecting this for a subscription plan. What is the benefit of a paid plan then? Kinda thinking about trying out ChaptGPT's paid plan... What are you thoughts?

I recently bought into the 1-year pro plan of Claude after the release of 3.7 Sonnet, because I was amazed by it and knew it will be worth using

It was very cool to use at the beginning and had in my opinion more message limit than right now

I feel like after their Update for Web search (which I do not have access to for some reason), they reduced the message limit.

I will have it generate a few lines of code and the hit the limit within 20 minutes of prompting. And it feels like they are reducing it even more, very regularly. I don't know if it is me expecting more or if I am having an isolated case

I really enjoy using Claude, and I am very much used to it, BUT I do not think it was a very smart decision to lock in with them given how fast things are changing

Like many of you, I received the 25% discount on Claude Pro and I wanted to share my experience and why I 'm taking it.

My Journey: From Accountant to Developer

I was an accountant until 2020, when I created an application with Access + MySQL for my company. The app worked so well that I quit my position to be hired as a developer at a startup (a small company here in Africa).

I wasn't easy at first, but I always found a way to create the necessary features, even if my code didn't always follow best practices.

AI Changed Everything

Then after ChatGPT came along, I integrated AI into my workflow and everything changed. My productivity skyrocketed. Several months ago, I subscribed to Claude Pro even though $20 is a significant amount in my country, but it's so worth it.

Currently, I'm working on a feature that I was given a month and a half to complete. We started discussing requirements last week, I started coding yesterday, and I'm already about to finish. On Monday, I'll deliver the code.

How I Optimize My Use of Claude

Here's how I manage limitations and maximize my usage:

• In settings, I've instructed Claude not to write code without asking me (since Claude 3.7, I've added: "Don't rewrite entire files unless I ask you to")

• I use Concise mode very often

• I rarely use the Thinking feature

• In my projects, I only import the files I need for the specific feature. I have a plugin (for IntelliJ) that helps me copy the content of selected files. Then I paste the copy into a text file, and integrate it into the project

• I use other chatbots for very simple tasks, like Gemini which is free on AI Studio

Results

At work, my productivity has exploded, and I'm working on two different full-stack applications (React + Node + Postgres). Everything has become so much easier with Claude.

While $180 for the annual plan represents a significant investment where I live, the return on investment is clear. Not only will I save money compared to monthly payments, but committing to the full year will motivate me to maximize my usage and build more ambitious projects.

I've never tried o1 or 03 mini high or Grok 3. I'm sure each model has its strengths, and some of you might find different tools better suited to your needs. Claude already perfectly meets my development needs, and I don't see what additional capabilities these alternatives could offer that would justify switching. If something truly game-changing emerges, I can always reconsider after my current subscription ends.

PS: Claude helped me rewrite this post.

Edit (because of some comments) :
- The mentality of "maybe in 3 month a better AI will be out" is ridicule to me. There will always be a "maybe in 3 month...". So are you waiting for that super AI which will built your millions lines of code app in one shot ? Even then, they could be a better one 3 month after.

- In just a few years we've become so accustomed to these tools that we have lost perspective and no longer see how powerful they already are. I not wasting anymore time trying to find the best. I chose mine many months ago, adapted to the way it work and already building things with it.

- I'm a native french speaker and I knew how to write long before AI (wrote some short stories and my novel is in the making). But not in english and that's why Claude helped me to correct many things in my post (I don't even know why I'm explaining myself here).

Hey guys considered buying the pro plan what’s the limits and do you tend to hit them each month?

Just another app offer 100 messages a month but I fear I may go over this allowance in a month.

I'm thinking of upgrading to the $20/month plan specifically to use Claude Code. Are you guys hitting the limit constantly? Just trying to figure out if it's usable for a full workday or if I'll get capped immediately.

50% off for 3 months (Pro Plan)

For those who want to try Claude Code, here is a perfect discount.

Only for new accounts.

https://claude.ai/jade

Considering signing up for Claude pro and will likely be using it to generate tests and fix up the codebase. Main concern is not having enough tokens to use then being suddenly cut off for the rest of the month. Does anyone know how many actual tokens I can use? Their marketing says:

"If your conversations are relatively short, you can expect to send at least 45 messages every 5 hours, often more depending on message length, conversation length, and Claude’s current capacity. We will provide a warning when you have 1 message remaining. Your message limit will reset every 5 hours."

45 messages doesn't sound like much and doesn't help me get a sense of how much I can use before hitting limits..

Using the Claude CLI, usage would be for personal and work projects. The "Pro" plan works just fine for me but wondering if it can speed up my coding even more after reading all the posts made praising it, what do you guys think? Thanks!

P.S. I never tried any Opus models so not sure what to expect anyway.

Hi everyone,If you’re a heavy AI user like me, you’ve probably noticed that the Claude Pro Plan often doesn’t meet the needs of power users. Whether it’s for coding, research, or other complex workflows, hitting the usage cap can be frustrating. That’s why I’m looking to form a small team to split the cost of the Claude Team Plan, which offers higher usage limits and additional collaboration features.

Why the Claude Team Plan?

The Claude Team Plan is designed for fast-growing teams and offers several advantages over the Pro Plan:

• Higher Usage Limits: Each member gets significantly more usage compared to Pro (2–4x higher based on user reports). This means fewer interruptions during intensive tasks.

• Access to All Claude Models: Includes advanced models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus, with a 200k token context window—perfect for processing large documents or handling complex projects.

• Collaboration Features: Shared and private projects, centralized billing, and early access to new tools.

• Cost Efficiency When Split: At $25/month per person (billed annually) or $30/month (billed monthly), splitting the cost among 5 members makes it affordable while unlocking premium features.

How Splitting Works

The Team Plan requires a minimum of 5 members, costing $150/month in total. By forming a team:

• Each person pays $30/month if billed monthly or $25/month if billed annually.

• This is only slightly more than the Pro Plan ($20/month) but comes with much higher limits and features.

Who I’m Looking For

I’m seeking 4 other AI enthusiasts or professionals who:

• Regularly use AI tools like Claude for work or personal projects.

• Need higher usage limits than what Pro offers.

• Are willing to commit to a long-term subscription (monthly or annual).

• Want to collaborate on a shared project (optional but encouraged).

This opportunity is perfect for:

• Developers working on coding or automation.

• Researchers handling large datasets or academic tasks.

• Content creators or marketers using AI for brainstorming, writing, or SEO.

• Anyone who frequently hits their Pro Plan limits.

About Me

I’m a full-stack developer who uses Claude extensively for coding assistance, automation scripting in Python, and brainstorming ideas. While this initiative is primarily about splitting costs, I’d love to work on a collaborative project with others if there’s interest—whether it’s building tools, sharing knowledge, or exploring new AI applications.

Why Join?

1. Save money while accessing premium features.

2. Enjoy uninterrupted workflows with higher usage caps.

3. Collaborate with like-minded individuals on innovative projects (optional).

4. Take advantage of advanced models and tools that are unavailable in Pro.

How to Join

If you’re interested:

1. Comment below or DM me with your contact details and preferred billing option (monthly/annual).

2. Once we have 5 committed members, we’ll coordinate payments and set up the subscription.

Let’s make this happen! If you’re tired of hitting limits on the Pro Plan and want an affordable way to upgrade without paying $150/month alone, this is your chance. Looking forward to hearing from you! 😊**[Looking for] Team Members to Share Claude Team Plan Subscription (5 Minimum Rule) for Long-Term Collaboration**

It's 20 EUR a month for me.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reports about hitting weekly usage limits on Claude.
Some people say it happens with Claude Pro (web), others never hit any limit when using Claude Code.

So I’d like to get a clearer picture from actual users here.

I’ll summarize results later for everyone — hopefully we can see if limits depend on version or usage type.