Anthropic has unveiled a new premium subscription called the "Max Plan" for power users of its Claude language models.
According to Anthropic, the "Max Plan" is designed for users working with lengthy conversations, large-scale document editing, and complex data analysis tasks. The plan includes priority access to Claude's latest versions and features.
The subscription comes in two tiers: a $100 monthly option that provides five times the resources of the standard Pro plan, and a $200 monthly tier that offers twenty times the resources.
The service is available now in all regions where Claude operates. Interested users can upgrade through claude.ai/upgrade, and find complete details on Anthropic's pricing page.
Shifting landscape of AI pricing models
OpenAI launched its own $200 tier in December 2024, offering unlimited access to the Pro version of its o1 model. The model requires more computing power to handle complex tasks like programming, data science, and legal analysis - making it a first step toward usage-based pricing combined with rate limits.
The future might bring even more significant changes to AI pricing. OpenAI appears to be considering plans for specialized AI agents that could cost up to $20,000 monthly - targeting work currently done by high-paid professionals. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, has mentioned that even the current $200 plan isn't profitable, suggesting prices will need to align more closely with actual usage patterns.
Anthropic's "Max plan" mirrors this thinking: users who demand more from Claude should expect to pay accordingly.
While both companies currently rely mainly on flat-rate subscriptions, this could change as AI services prove their value in replacing human work. Future pricing will likely reflect actual computing costs, model usage, and delivered value - pointing toward substantially higher prices as companies become more dependent on these systems.
